Journey to Become the Zenith

The Burden of Independence [Part 2]

It had been five days since Victor left, but the problems regarding their funds still hadn’t been solved.

If anything, the situation was slowly becoming worse.

Fantom City looked peaceful from the outside.

The streets were still crowded.

The markets were still open.

Workers continued repairing damaged buildings, clearing rubble, and restoring roads.

The adventurers’ guild continued sending people wherever they were needed, while the fallen nobles who had thrown their support behind Victor tried to keep the city’s new administration functioning.

To anyone merely passing through, everything might have looked perfectly normal.

But those who lived inside the city knew better.

Something had changed.

The excitement that had swept through Fantom City after the proclamation of independence was beginning to fade.

The people had been willing to work without payment because they were still caught up in the excitement of what had happened.

They had believed that they were building something new.

Something that belonged to them.

But excitement could not feed a family forever.

A carpenter could work for several days without asking for money.

A farmer could donate food for a while.

A blacksmith could repair tools because he believed in the future.

But eventually, everyone had to ask the same question.

What happens after that?

Money.

That was the problem sitting at the heart of everything.

Victor had left behind a considerable amount of wealth.

To ordinary people, it would have seemed like a fortune.

But Fantom City was not a small village.

It was a city.

And rebuilding a city required an enormous amount of money.

Even if every remaining coin from the Redcliffe family and the other fallen nobles were emptied into the treasury, it still wouldn’t be enough.

Eon sat at a desk covered with reports.

His black hair had fallen slightly over his forehead, and his black eyes moved from one document to another.

He had barely slept properly for several days.

Every time he thought he had solved one problem, another three appeared.

Brinda stood nearby, holding a stack of documents against her chest.

Her long purple hair was tied loosely behind her, though several strands had escaped and fallen beside her face.

She looked exhausted.

”Another request for funds,” Brinda muttered.

Eon didn’t even look up.

”How much?”

She glanced at the paper.

”Enough to make me want to disappear.”

Eon finally raised his eyes.

”That’s not a number.”

”It’s a very large number.”

”Then we’re doomed.”

Brinda sighed.

”Lord Victor left us enough to begin everything. He just didn’t leave us enough to finish everything.”

Eon leaned back in his chair.

”That’s because Lord Victor probably never expected us to solve every problem with money.”

Brinda frowned.

”Then what did he expect?”

Eon stared at the mountain of paperwork.

”I have no idea.”

A moment of silence followed.

Then Brinda quietly said, ”Sometimes I think Lord Victor enjoys leaving difficult problems behind.”

Eon’s mouth twitched.

”Don’t say that too loudly.”

”Why?”

”Because if he comes back and hears you complaining, you’ll have to explain yourself.”

Brinda’s expression immediately became serious.

”...You’re right.”

Eon laughed softly.

The laughter disappeared quickly.

Neither of them found the situation particularly funny.

They both understood what was at stake.

If they failed, it wouldn’t simply be an administrative problem.

People would lose faith.

And once faith disappeared, everything Victor had built could begin collapsing from within.

The rumors had already started.

Whispers traveled through taverns.

They moved between market stalls.

They passed from one household to another beneath lowered voices.

Some people were beginning to say that becoming independent from the Skyfall Kingdom had been a mistake.

Others wondered whether they had acted too quickly.

Some were even asking whether Victor had simply abandoned them after getting what he wanted.

Those words were dangerous.

Eon knew it.

Brinda knew it.

And neither of them wanted to imagine what Victor would think if he returned and discovered that the city had turned against his decision.

The problem was that the people weren’t necessarily betraying him.

They were simply frightened.

The battle against the elder necromancer had been terrifying.

At the time, everyone had been caught up in the shock and excitement of surviving it.

Now that the fear had settled, people were beginning to think clearly again.

They were looking at their empty warehouses.

Their damaged homes.

Their unpaid workers.

Their uncertain future.

And slowly, they were realizing that Eon’s plans might have been ideal in theory.

But the way they were implementing them was becoming increasingly difficult.

”We need another source of income,” Eon said quietly.

Brinda nodded.

”Or another person willing to invest.”

”We’ve already approached everyone who might help.”

”Not everyone.”

Eon looked at her.

Brinda hesitated.

”There are still people outside the city who might be willing to help.”

”Who?”

She shook her head.

”I don’t know yet.”

Eon stared at her for several seconds.

Then he sighed.

”Then we need to find out.”

Before Brinda could answer, a servant hurried into the room.

”My lord.”

Eon turned.

”What is it?”

The servant bowed.

”There are guests waiting at the Redcliffe mansion.”

Eon’s eyebrows rose.

”Guests?”

”Yes.”

”Who?”

The servant hesitated.

”They did not give their names.”

Brinda and Eon exchanged a glance.

That immediately made them cautious.

”Where are they?” Eon asked.

”The common room.”

”How many?”

”Two.”

Eon frowned.

Two strangers arriving secretly in the middle of their financial crisis was either very good news or very bad news.

There was rarely anything between the two.

”Did they say why they came?”

”No, my lord.”

Brinda smiled faintly.

”Then I suppose we’ll have to ask them.”

Eon stood.

”Let’s go.”

The two left the room together.

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Authors Notes: Dear Readers, Thanks so much for joining me on this adventure! Your enthusiasm, feedback, and encouragement really keep me motivated to keep bringing *Journey to Become the Zenith* into existence. If you’re loving the Chapters, I’d love it if you supported my book with a Powerstone, review, or even a Golden Ticket—it helps me develop as a writer and lets more readers enjoy the story. I look forward to hearing your ideas and thoughts, so please don’t hesitate to share!

With love,

Scorpio_saturn777

Creator of Journey to Become the Zenith

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