sonovelo Chapter 201: City Hall (02)
Chapter 201: City Hall (02)
Ethan read through the last ten documents Tomas had prepared, then smiled with satisfaction and returned them to the scholar, who set them down atop a carefully organized stack.
Already, they had hundreds of pages prepared.
"Come on. I’ll take you to the new Goldenveil City Hall. This place is no longer suitable for your work."
The scholars’ eyes lit up the moment they heard those words. With excited expressions, they all followed Ethan outside.
Who among them was unaware of their lord’s ability to conjure structures out of thin air? A gift sent directly from the gods, bestowed upon him, the son of the gods.
Naturally, everyone was thrilled, the sparkle in their eyes growing even brighter when they caught sight of the massive structure rising at the center of the city.
Ethan stopped in front of City Hall and turned toward Tomas.
"Tomas, as a reward for trusting Goldenveil, I will appoint you, temporarily, as master of the Goldenveil City Hall. I will also grant you permission to select and train our city’s future public officials."
"You must carry out your duties with care. You will receive an initial budget of one thousand gold coins and must spend it wisely."
"Should I deem you unworthy, your position will be taken from you and given to someone else. Understood?"
Tomas nodded frantically, unable to control the rapid pounding of his heart.
Even in that feudal world, every city had a city hall that served as a judicial, legal, and administrative center, reporting directly to the lord.
Being the head of a town hall would place him in a position where only a few dozen people in the entire city ranked above him, with many more required to show him respect.
From a mere low-ranking administrative clerk in a legal court to the head of an entire city hall.
Wasn’t that an absurdly huge promotion?
With his chest overflowing with emotion, Tomas threw himself to the ground, kneeling before his lord, head bowed in reverence.
"Thank you, my lord! Thank you! I will not disappoint you!"
Ethan merely smiled at the scene, gesturing for the scholar to rise.
"Come. Let’s go see your new office."
Tomas nodded repeatedly at those words and followed faithfully behind Ethan, his loyalty reaching a hundred points.
If he were a woman, he would have given Ethan special rewards—something that left the handsome young man quite disappointed.
Wouldn’t it be much better if everyone beneath him were women? That way, he could win their total loyalty and, with that, earn extra gacha tickets.
Ethan shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside as he entered the town hall alongside Tomas, his footsteps echoing across the polished marble floor.
The interior was luxurious. The main hall stretched wide enough to comfortably accommodate a hundred people, flanked by several document storage rooms, and on the upper floors, it even featured a small apartment intended for the town hall master or a special guest.
"Hire some people to take care of the place. I’ll deposit your initial budget in the town hall safe soon."
"Yes, my lord! I’ll choose only the most competent!" Tomas declared, his chest puffed out with excitement, drawing an honest smile from Ethan.
After settling all the details, the handsome young man finally set off, walking through streets where the snow had already been cleared, his eyes resting on the barracks in the distance.
It would be good to check in on Aerick and Doran, as well as see how Luke, the son of the vice-captain of the guard, was doing in school.
After all, for the nobles, the right to their own child’s education was sacred.
The kingdom of Burning Ice itself had been thrown into a bloody civil war that nearly led to the overthrow of the Vorhn family, all because they had tried to establish an academy where every noble child was required to study in order to receive a standardized education.
In theory, it was a good idea. In practice, however, they had overlooked a crucial detail.
Sending children to be educated by other lords was a punishment and a humiliation, equivalent to handing over a hostage.
For the nobility, this represented a grave insult, but Ethan didn’t care much about that.
Goldenveil’s own constitution already made it clear that even the children of nobles were required to attend the public schools, when available, of course.
Ethan preferred to make this rule crystal clear from the start, because in the future, when he established an academy in Goldenveil, he didn’t want half the nobility rebelling against him over it.
With a slight sigh, Ethan stopped in his tracks, having finally reached the guard barracks.
The building looked quite different from before, now wrapped in a light layer of snow.
The guards on duty at the main gate still shivered slightly from the cold, their armor reflecting the faint light of day.
Upon noticing Ethan’s approach, they immediately snapped to attention, shoulders stiff and chests puffed out.
"Greetings, Lord Ethan!" the two guards declared in unison, their voices firm despite the cold.
Ethan nodded in response and stepped inside the barracks.
He went straight to the main training courtyard. There, several guards sat along the steps leading down to the arena below, every eye shining as they watched the intense combat unfolding at its center.
Apparently, Doran and Aerick were engaged in a duel.
Ethan stopped beside the guards, his gaze following the two men as they advanced toward each other.
There was no murderous intent behind their swords, yet their fighting spirit blazed fiercely. The blades clashed in bursts of brilliant sparks with every strike, the sharp metallic ring of steel against steel echoing off the courtyard walls.
Doran used a different form of imperial fencing, perhaps the fifth form, his sword tearing through the air at an unmatched speed, the trail left by the blade carrying the image of a golden western dragon.
Aerick, for his part, employed his master’s techniques, his weapon tracing the figure of a blue eastern dragon that snaked and coiled with every movement.
The power of both men was tremendous.
With similar levels and talents, neither could gain the upper hand. Their swords clashed dozens of times in a single instant, the air being forced out around them with each thunderous impact, shockwaves rippling across the arena.