Supreme Magus

Chapter 4048: Rough Patch (Part 1)

”The Warp Gate fees are on me as well. You only have to pick your destination.” Lith had a pile of sacks of silver appear right beside him, and the buzzing of the crowd filled the air for a few seconds until plenty of nudges from the rest of the Lutians made it stop.

”To those of you whose house has just been damaged, I offer a similar choice. You can stay, and I’ll pay for the repairs of your homes and the new furniture you require. If you decide to leave, I offer you the full market value of your house in silver and a free Warp to any destination of your choice.

”If you have come to hate Lutia and need a fresh start, then I’ll give you the same opportunity as your less lucky neighbors.” The buzzing returned, quickly turning into chatter and then into yelling as the Lutians needed to raise their voices to be heard over the hubbub.

”Make no mistake, this is no charity.” Lith’s voice put a stop to all others. ”All those who leave will sign the deed of their land or house to me. I will rebuild them as I see fit, and once I get rid of the Dead King, I plan to sell them for profit.

”Because this I can promise. I will find him and I will kill him. Until that moment, even though I can’t guarantee my presence, I can assure everyone that I’ll set safeguards in place.

”I promise that with the help of my friends and associates, I’ll do everything I can to keep the events of last night from happening again. I promise that in the future, I’ll keep living here and make Lutia a place where I can give my daughter and sons the happy childhood they deserve.

”This I promise, and if you don’t trust me or think you can do better, then I wish you goodbye and best of luck. Whenever you make up your mind, feel free to contact the clerks of the Mage Association.

”My offer has no time limit. Think about it for as long as you need.” Lith put the sacks of silver back into the pocket dimension and gave the crowd of Lutians a small bow before making the dais disappear.

He walked to his family and then led them away from the plaza, giving the Lutians the freedom to discuss the terms of his offer without the fear of being heard or judged.

”That was very understanding and generous of you, son. I’m proud of you.” Raaz said as they moved toward Vexal’s bakery.

”I’m not a generous man, Dad.” Lith shook his head. ”Real estate market in Lutia has gone through the roof after I became a Magus. Sure, now property value has dropped like a paralytic falcon, but the same happened all over the Kingdom.

”Aside from the capital and Essagor, things didn’t go any better. In many cities and villages, they got it much worse than Lutia. Also, consider that once I reveal my Indech form, Elysia her six streaks, and Ral is born, nobles will pay the houses’ weight in gold.

”They’ll get their spot in Lutia and I’ll get my money back and then some. As I said, this is no charity. This is an investment.”

”More like speculation.” Solus grumbled. ”You are the one who decides when and if break the news to the public. Of course you gave the Lutians no time limit. You didn’t want to sound desperate.”

”That’s’... very understanding ad opportunistic of you, son. I’m proud of you.” Raaz patted Lith’s shoulder. ”You’re giving those people a hand while also making a bit of money. It’s a win-win.”

”I’m proud of you as well, dear.” Elina nodded. ”Being generous doesn’t mean you can’t be smart about it.”

”But, Mom!” Solus said. ”You’re praising him for being calculative!”

”Would you rather Lith be a naïve fool who gives all his money away and leaves nothing for Kami and their children?” Elina frowned. ”Besides, I’m sorry for our neighbors, but Lith isn’t robbing them of their houses.

”He told them everything they needed to know and made his intentions clear. The Lutians are adults and free to make their choice. They can have the house or the money, but they can’t have it both ways.”

”Fine.” Solus raised her hands in surrender. ”Still, I have to admit that speculation aside, it was a nice gesture. Anyone who stays will have their house repaired for free.”

”About that.” Rena said. ”What are you going to do for the merchants? Those like Vexal or Zekell who’d like to stay but don’t have the capital to rebuild their business from scratch?”

”You think Vexal and Zekell are short on money?” Lith echoed in disbelief. ”Unless I’ve greatly overestimated them, they should be among the few in Lutia who don’t need my help.

”They never spent much on useless luxury items. They saved and reinvested most of their profits in their own business.”

”Which is why they could be in dire straits.” Rena replied. ”Zekell has put everything he has into opening shops all over the country, but we don’t know how many survived the attack.

”One thing is rebuilding the Proudhammer house and shop in Lutia. Rebuilding several shops would leave Zekell financially drained. Probably indebted. As for Vexal, those three bakeries were all he had.

”Even if he has enough savings, there is no point in rebuilding all the shops until Lutia thrives again. Depending on how many people move out of the city, he might struggle keeping a single bakery open.”

”Those are all good points.” Lith sighed. ”I’ll help the merchants as well, Big Sis. Vexal and Zekell included.”

”Thanks. Please, remember that even though I’ll always be a Verhen, Leria and I belong to the Proudhammer house. That’s our home.” Rena said, giving Lith a couple of seconds to think before adding:

”Except when I’m enjoying your hospitality, your delicious cooking, and the free babysitting service that keeps me sane.”

”The triplets?” Lith asked.

”The triplets.” Rena sighed. ”Gods, if I hear another question about when they get a magical beast or learn magic, I’ll bang my head against a wall until I faint.”

The Verhens walked back to the bakery. They found Vexal and Brina taking a break, enjoying the fruits of their labor. They nibbled at large loaves of jam bread in between pants, a steaming pot of tea rested on a flat rock between them.

They were covered in flour up to their elbows, and sweat glued their hair to their heads even without the hairnet. Father and daughter had the tired expression of someone who has just pulled a double shift in a mine.

Yet they also looked happy.

”I’m not slacking off.” Vexal said even though no one had questioned him. ”We ran out of ingredients. Also, we need to rest while we can, or we won’t have the strength to prepare enough food for dinner.”

”Are you going to make bread for everyone again?” Lith asked.

”What choice do I have?” Vexal shrugged. ”After seeing their neighbors and homes burn, I don’t think that many can stand to look at a fire, let alone cook.”