Devil's Rise 170 Thrown off a Cliff by the Crypt Keeper

"No, when I showed the banner of the Holy Rossen Empire the attendant was surprised. He had not seen it before," said Wanfang.

I was not happy to hear this development, on the contrary, I was troubled. It was one thing for me to get respect from my banner. It was another for me to get preferential treatment. If no others from the Holy Rossen Empire had come yet, then I was a lone wolf.

Establishing a proper residency and business front at this trade city was imperative. It was even more important than looking for land with plentiful resources. We took out many carriages and set off immediately to the city. Time was of the essence!

The city of New Haven was built atop gentle hills it was truly a newfound city. The gentle hills were matched by the backdrop of majestic mountains which gave it a vibrant feeling. There was no skyline yet, as it was too new. The buildings erected were mostly one-story, though some people who had property towards the middle of the city had already begun attempting to build massive multistory buildings.

This place was much larger than Hudson City which I grew up in. It was shaping up to be more like the capital of an Empire. I had only visited the capital of the Rez'gal Empire once and it was even dotted with skyscrapers. A large road had been erected that cut through the middle of the city connecting it to the portal town.

I needed to establish a property right in the heart of this city. That was the only way my business could ever make a profit. The purpose of the business was more for my lackeys than myself. Jurrath would be in charge of it. His J-Mart was the most profitable business model I had ever seen.

Libra was nothing compared to what Jurrath had done with J-Mart. Since Mira had been executed, naturally her group of halflings fell under this young lord. They were trotting in a single file behind Jurrath on our trek to the city. They dared not have a word of dissent anymore. Even Osmin had accepted the fate of his race.

As I came to the city holding my large banner with my massive group of followers a devil came to greet me.

"Representative from the Holy Rossen Emperor, his graciousness Vanguard Serkos would like to see you in the city hall," said the devil.

"Thank you, where can my lackeys establish a camp?" I asked.

"That will be decided after you speak to the Vanguard," said the devil.

I headed to the city hall building. It was the only fully constructed building I had seen yet. It was a large stark white complex with a massive golden dome atop it. There was even a statue in the front of the building, no doubt depicting Vanguard Serkos. The statute showed an elderly devil wielding a massive battle-ax.

Thankfully I didn't encounter any bureaucracy when entering the city hall. I was lead right to Vanguard Serkos' office. He looked just like his statue outside. Maybe they had embellished him a bit because the devil in front of me was an old and grey geezer. He looked like he could kneel over and die at any moment.

To be an old and grey devil that was an Emperor this guy had no doubt lived for hundreds of thousands of years. His prime was probably sometime in the stone age. Maybe even before that, it's not often to see devils with high devilry that showed the signs of aging.

"How are you related to Emperor Rossen?" ask the crypt keeper devil as he sat behind his desk.

"He is my grandfather," I replied.

"I can see the resemblance. I'm not allowed to play favorites here, every Kingdom and Empire within our Xertzul Abyss is equal under my watch," said the old devil.

"The planning for this city was drawn up before I even took up my post to allow a fair and productive city of trade. The Holy Rossen Empire was a lotted one plot of land on the main street like everyone. All other buildings in the city require a permit at the city planning office."

"You also have a 3 by 3 mile suburban sprawl where your Empire's nobles can build up their own suburban city and erect residences located here," he said as he handed me a map with a location circled.

"Here are the deeds to your Empire's properties," he said as he handed me two deeds.

"Sir, I do not represent the Holy Rossen Empire," I swiftly replied.

Someone that was actually in the Holy Rossen Empire would probably beat me if I claimed these deeds!

"You're the first one to get here with a banner representing the Empire and you are related by blood to the Emperor. So you meet the minimum requirements for me to give these away. Figure it out among your Empire. I don't have time to waste arguing with you young whippersnapper," said Vanguard Serkos as he kicked me out of his office.

That heartless Crypt Keeper had thrown me off a cliff!

I didn't know anything about the power structure of the Holy Rossen Empire, how as I supposed to be the one stuck distributing land allotments for our suburban sprawl. My mother had already headed off to another world, so I was on my own. I'll worry about it later then.

This plot of land on the main street though, I'm definitely shamelessly erecting a J-Mart there. I couldn't turn down such a juicy gift, even if I incited the rage of the masses. If they have a problem they can find this lord's grandfather!

J-Mart is a productive business that will surely bring glory to the Holy Rossen Empire!

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Chapter end