RISE OF EROS

I wait until the next day to meet Emilse, I gave her the crystal with the recording while I explained what had happened, I told her where her husband had gone the day before, and after seeing the video she just smiled coldly.

"You kept your part of the deal, take today off and get your things done, you're leaving town tonight", was what she said as she put the crystal away leaving the room where we were in.

I didn't have much to organize, just take the money I had saved with a few changes of clothes, and go back to the slum where I lived.

While there, I went to the base of operations of one of the big gangs in the area. On the front they had a legal gambling house, but underneath they did a job ranging from extortion to murder.

As a resident of this area, I knew how things were, so I went to a counter and asked to speak to the boss, but this was not the boss of the gang, but one of the captains who controlled the area where my house is.

My intention was simple, I wanted to sell my house, since I was leaving the city, it was not necessary anymore, so after explaining all this to the captain of the gang, he said that, he would give me 1 small gold coin for it, which I accepted.

That price was less than the value of the house, but I didn't have time to haggle, so I accepted, and the house was sold, I left the place, and went to visit my friend Castor to say goodbye, he had grown strong and muscular.

Thanks to his build, he was quickly accepted into a gang in the area becoming a captain, since these gangs did not mess with those from the marginal zone if they were not provoked, nobody was against belonging to these gangs.

The gang that Castor belonged to, was subordinate to the gang that I sold the house to, but it operated in another part of the city, so I went up to him, said hello, and we chatted for a while about unimportant things.

After a while I told him that, I would go to the capital city surprising him, however, he said goodbye with good wishes, I for my part told him that, if one day he came to the capital, he must look for me, then we said goodbye.

I waited on the outskirts of the city at the point agreed with Emilse. When night fell, a simple carriage without decorations or distinctions arrived escorted by 4 people on horseback, they introduced themselves, and after boarding the carriage we left for the capital, Catnar.

The capital was not very far from Calci.

Being in the interior of the country, the roads were safe, only in a week of travel we arrived, the city was massive, nothing to envy the modern cities of my old world, if I had to find obvious differences, would be the great wall that surrounded it, that, rose up to 50 meters and the architecture was different to.

It was a medieval architecture, without large buildings, but with neat and clean roads, or at least in the common and noble areas, since the marginal areas of all cities are the same.

Upon entering, a toll was paid, as in most cities in the country. The guard gave us a temporary identification that, allowed us to stay in the city for a week, if we wanted to stay longer we had to go to the city hall and do the paperwork.

My escorts did not delay, after arriving at an inn, they handed me a fist-sized leather bag, known as a dimensional bag, in it were the 1,000 small gold coins that, had been agreed upon, after gave me the bag they left.

These bags are expensive, a person like me could not buy them, because the smallest ones are 1 cubic meter like the one they gave me, and they are worth 100 small gold coins.

Even so, they are very convenient, since many things can be loaded in them without any weight, first I opened it and check the content.

Emilse had fulfilled her part of the deal, in fact, if I add the dimensional bag she paid more than agreed, so I expressed my gratitude in my heart and lay down on the bed to relax.

While I was resting, at Doldo's and Emilse farm, a storm arose, Emilse denounced Doldo for adultery and with the video I recorded as proof, Doldo had to submit to the confirmation contract, and fearing for his life, confessed everything.

Having admitted this, he was found guilty and was stripped of his vineyard. Then Emilse became the new head of the business, however, Doldo was not left without money, since he had other businesses around the city, smaller, but which they generated income.

When he found out about my betrayal, he swore, he would find me and skin me with his bare hands, he even swore to take revenge on Emilse, but when he sent his spies to gather information to attack her, he gave up with that idea.

He discovered that Emilse was anything, but a delicate and lonely woman, as he thought.

Over time, she had created a network of intelligence and alliances, to the point that she is one of the great powers of the city of Calci, something that not even he, had achieved, so that is why he preferred to direct his anger towards me.

I woke up after my well-deserved rest without knowing what had happened in Calci, the truth is, it was not of my importance, my mind is now planning my new life in the capital.

The first thing I had to do was get permanent residence, so I went to the city hall, it was in the center of the city, a majestic 3-story building with an extension of a block and a half.

With large columns at the entrance like a Roman pantheon and seemingly made of polished stone, there were fully armed guards patrolling nearby, some even on horseback.

I entered the door fearlessly and approached the counter where I was greeted by a young woman in her 20s with straight black hair down to her shoulders, "Hello, I would like to apply for a residency ID," I said without preamble.

The girl smiled at me and handed me a sheet of paper, it was a form where I had to write down my data, I quickly filled it out and returned it to her, she checked it and, finding no errors, asked me to cancel 1 small silver coin.

After paying for it, she asked me to wait a moment, went to a cabinet behind her, and took out a strange blue metal plate with some inscriptions on it, placed it in front of me, and asked me to place my hand on it, which I did.

The metal plate generated a dim light and under it came a metal card of the same material.

On it were the data that I had written down on the form, it was an identification card, she gave it to me and explained that, if, I lost it, I had 5 days to get a new one and the process cost was the same as we had done a few moments ago.

I took the card and thanked her, after putting it in my pocket, I asked her about setting up a business in the city, which surprised her, but she quickly regained her composure and explained to myself.

Basically there were several steps, the first was to define if I need to build or an establishment already built, if it was the second step, I had to define if, I was going to lease it or buy it, and any of these transactions it could be done at the city hall.

However, to set up the business I had to go to the guild of businesses and merchants, where they would explain in detail the requirements and taxes that, I would be obliged to pay. Having understood this, I offered thanks again and left.