The realm of the Divine was tense—the events since the Folly had shaken things up, and his recent decisions had only added to this. The messengers flying between the domains seemed more than typical.

  Oda looked out over the realm from his office window. From this position, he saw nearly all. Nearly. That was his problem.

  He was frustrated but hid it.

  Out there was a traitor to his realms and all that he sought to protect. He had not identified who, but he was still looking. He had only ruled out one of the divine, and that was the one helping him.

  He could not come out and openly search, as the pantheon would tear apart, worsening the situation. He had seen divine wars and needed to avoid that at all costs. This made him make his ploy when he created the Core. They needed to see him as confused and unsure. He hoped this would lull the traitor into a false sense of security and reveal them. The embarrassment and ridicule he had inflicted on himself was the best cover he could come up with.

  The council overlooking Bhaldor was doing its job, meaning many were no longer paying as much attention to him. This allowed him to operate with less scrutiny.

  So far, he had not discovered much.

  He sighed, knowing that this would take as long as it would as the traitor had covered their tracks exceptionally well.

  One of the shadows in the corner of the room shifted, and a figure stepped out of it. Oda knew who it was and did not bother to turn.

  "Well?! he asked.

  "The council have established a fortified building outside the Dungeon entrance."

  "As expected," he continues to watch the messengers fly between the different domains. "Is there a corrupt monster close by?"

  "No. The lion was the strongest in the area. The Core has lowered the level of corruption in its vicinity to the point that it is hardly spreading. Give it another year or two at most; it will be gone except for those already infected."

  "Good. Anything else?" This was good news.

  "The corrupted migration patterns…. Are attracting notice." The voice was more hesitant.

  "Bhaldor has developed faster than I predicted, and his effect has increased as a result." Oda let out a small sigh. "We will adapt by bringing some plans forward."

  "Is Bhadlor in danger?"

  "From the corrupted? No. From fearful mortals? Yes." Oda noticed more messengers between Xandus and Nictors domains. "Bring forward our plans in that regard."

  "I understand."

  "Bhaldor can handle a large amount of void corruption now. If the numbers in Folly's End cross the river, that will change. Until then, we continue with the noted changes."

  There was no answer as the figure stepped back into the shadow and disappeared. Oda was alone again.

  "Yes, overall, things are progressing well."

  ## ## ## ## ##

  Ranus wished things were progressing well.

  The town… no city—had almost run out of space. Even with the other bank occupied, the land plots were gone. He held a few, but he had sold half of those to keep up with the city's ever-increasing demand for building space. There had been another influx of people that had taken the remaining plots.

  "How goes your plans for building upwards?" Ranus asked Vulus who was giving him the bad news.

  "I have brought in new building materials and designs. The problem is that the base buildings in the city were never designed for such expansion when they were put up in the first place. I have built up those to reduce the housing strain that was planned for expansion."

  "These buildings must be torn down and rebuilt to see such expansion," Ranus confirmed.

  "Yes. Adding more to them could be done, but it will make the structure unstable and a hazard." Vulus confirmed.

  Vulus ran the city's construction for him, so there have been a few collapses and fires. The buildings overall are sturdy and well-built, making them far safer.

  "I have had several requests to build out onto the river." This caused Vulus to perk up in alarm. "I have, of course, refused due to the danger to ship navigation."

  "Very wise, Ranus." Vulus sounded relieved and slumped back.

  "You will need to start planning for the buildings to be replaced." Ranus pointed out.

  "I will. It will cause many complaints."

  "We will deal with them when they arise." Ranus was confident when he spoke.

  "I now must raise another issue." Vulus was hesitant again.

  "What now, Vulus?" Ranus felt a headache coming on.

  "Well, the problem is…. Sanitation."

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "I had thought we had that handled?" Ranus is now sounding confused.

  "We had, but the numbers in the city have increased to the point where we now require a sewer system for the city."

  "A sewer system already!" Ranus was surprised. He had not thought that there were that many people in the city now.

  "Yes, and a fresh water system," Vulus added.

  "Gods! What will that cost, and how long will it take to build?" Ranus exclaimed.

  "Thankfully, we have access to Geomancers, which will speed up construction but also increase the cost." Vulus almost winced as he handed the number to Ranus. He took the scrap of vellum and paled.

  "V-V-Vulus, are you sure?" Ranus felt like passing out at the number.

  "The biggest factor in the cost is we have to map out where the Dungeon floors might impact our construction efforts. My plans are elaborate but will enable a much larger population in the future."

  Ranus slumped into his seat and sounded defeated when he spoke. "Well, we must begin as soon as we can. A bout of plague is something the town does not need. Can you build for a staggered construction schedule?"

  "I have, Ranus. We can start when you allocate the first wave of funds." Vulus sounded happier and was reminded that Ranus Goldwind was a good man trying to do the best for his people.

  "I will need to speak to Amya. You will get a figure today."

  "Thank you, Ranus. Hopefully, we can address some of the homeless by winter." Vulus stood and left the room.

  Ranus placed his head in his hands after the door closed.

  "I had just started to build a reserve." He muttered to himself.

  He stayed like that for several minutes until there was a knock at the door.

  "Yes?" He called out. Naru opened the door and entered. He straightened as the door opened.

  "Will there be anything else this morning, my Lord?" She asked.

  "Yes, Naru. Please send for Amya."

  "At once, my Lord." She curtsied and left the room, closing the door as she left.

  Ranus leaned back and looked at the rafters. "How am I to afford this?"

  ## ## ## ## ##

  Amya closed the door to her office, leaning against it. She almost squealed in delight.

  "Rickle might not be laughing at me yet," she said breathlessly. The meeting she had just had with Ranus had been wonderful. During it, she had made the necessary noises and looked worried as he explained the problems. She had expressed her concern and begged his leave to review her numbers.

  "Who would have thought sewers would be my salvation?" She said as she almost glided over to her desk.

  His finances had improved, but not to the point where he could afford sewers and rebuilding large sections of the city. With the city's expansion, his burdens also increased. The discovery of the moonlight rose, and the shadow-infused boar hide were big earners, with silver vein being the more stable and regular source of income now.

  Still, those numbers were not even close to what he needed.

  Sitting at her desk, she pulled out a hidden message scroll. Reaching for a quill, she began writing as soon as the crystal glowed, showing it had connected.

  Ranus is seeking city expansion for health reasons. Sewers are now required.

  Can he afford them?

  He can afford some small amount of work but not even close to the sum he will need. I will need to offer a fresh contract for a loan.

  We will supply it. The conditions will be better hidden.

  I will await it.

  Excellent, this might bring my wayward son to heel.

  This ended the brief interaction. Amya leaned back in her chair, thinking over the events that had led her here. Hector Goldwind might be the family Patriarch, but his wife, Elis, was the far more dangerous one.

  On the surface, she seemed to be the supportive and demure wife of a wealthy merchant, but underneath, she was far more. Amya had discovered that Hector acted as the face of the couple and followed her instructions in most things. Elis was so good at hiding that even her children were mostly unaware of her influence. She could manipulate money and people like few could.

  When Amya discovered it, she was given a choice: work for Elis or be destroyed. She chose employment. Elis had built up a shadowy empire of influence through debt and intimidation through the local lands. Amya had heard whispers that her daughter Marcia was just as ruthless as her.

  Elis was already a Goldwind from a distant family branch, a third or fourth cousin who married back into the main line. Her family could not claim the name but were well known as part of the extended family. They had focused on influence pedalling over mercantile goals.

  She shivered, thinking how different mother and son were. Elis was practical and ruthless, while Ranus was considerate and noble. It was hard to reconcile such differences between them. Elis was focused on binding her wayward child back to her control; as Amya suspected, he surprised her by breaking free of it by discovering and claiming the Dungeon.

  Amya went back to work and waited for the new document to arrive.

  ## ## ## ## ##

  Elis Goldwind closed the scroll after communicating with her agent. Her daughter Marcia was sitting in the pallor/office with her. The two looked similar and could easily be identified as mother and daughter. Both had the same olive complexion, piercing cold blue eyes and straight black hair.

  "So, Had Rickle finally decided to laugh at Ranus?" She asked her mother.

  "Possibly, daughter. Never discount the God of Luck's whims." She reminded her daughter.

  "Never, mother. It seems the town-no city of Shadow Vale might be too much for my dear brother to handle?"

  "Your father and oldest brother are acting as instructed. They are keeping his attention from me and my schemes." Elis looked out the window as she spoke.

  "Mother, I mean no disrespect, but I am surprised you have not brought him to heel yet." Marcia looked up from the vellum sheet in her hand.

  "Marcia, when someone says something like, "I mean no disrespect," they mean that they do," Elis replied in a tone that would impress the God of Winter with its coldness. Marcia tried to stammer out an apology, but a look ended that.

  "Your brother was never a factor in my plans as a lesser son and a mediocre merchant. I was content to leave him as a small merchant and never brought him into my confidence."

  "You mean the weakest of your sons?" Merica asked. She had no love for her younger brother.

  "I thought that at the time. But it seems I was wrong. He is far more like his grandsire." Elsi admitted to one of her few mistakes.

  "Rickle smiled at him when he found that Dungeon," Marcia said dismissively.

  "Marcia, your greatest flaw is that you cannot see what your family is capable of," Elis said, still looking out the window.

  "How so, mother?"

  "I fully investigated the events around him discovering the Dungeon." Elis turned her full attention back to her daughter. Marcia shivered under it but did her best to hide it. "Your brother did not just stumble across it but found it after tracking down the sources of several strange stories from those plying the rivers."

  "He always loved stories."

  "Yes, and that day it served him well."

  "It was entertaining to see Rassal taken down a peg." Marcia managed to suppress a giggle at his misfortune.

  "No, daughter, it was not." The cold tone delivered it like a strike to the face. "Your brother outmanoeuvred the whole family and many laughed at us for it."

  Elis looked at the desk before her and picked up a sheet of vellum before continuing.

  "He has demonstrated good financial and leadership abilities. He has avoided several diplomatic traps and the schemes of the Shi'Tan. Finally, he had seen through my normal loan contracts and rejected them… He has proven to be most unexpected."

  "Then will this be his undoing?"

  "Possibly. We will make the offer, but he has been able to avoid entanglements so far, so we must be careful."

  "Will you sweeten the terms?"

  "A little. I will need to better hide the terms in the contract's language."

  "Do you think we will gain control of the town and Dungeon soon?"

  "Hard to say. There is much happening around it that I have yet to fathom."