Valerian, The Legendary

322 Imperium.

The following morning, Valerian took the little girl to the market. Last night, the people said this region was running low on grains and other necessary supplies. However, the situation was gradually improving.

The people were in dire need, and the marketplace was open to many merchants and traders passing through this route. The people in business were always seeking profit, and this place was an opportunity for them. However, they could not ask for a high price. Valerian found the marketplace thriving, and the people were haggling non-stop.

Valerie was excited to look at the bustling scene. She sniffed something in the air, and her eyes sparkled. Valerian caught her expression and asked, “Vali, do you smell something nice?”

The girl nodded and said, “I don’t know what it is, but it feels delightful.”

Valerian smiled and said, “Lead the way. Let us see what is it?”

The girl nodded eagerly and picked up the pace. She moved through the crowd holding Valerian’s hand. They moved around for a few minutes before they found a stall filled with spices.

A middle-aged lady sat on the ground surrounded by sacks of spices. The bags were opened from the top, and the spices were displayed to the customers. The lady spotted Valerie and Valerian looking around and asked, “Do you find anything you like?”

Valerie looked around, and after locating the spice which attracted her, she asked, “Aunty, what is that?”

The little girl pointed at a small sack of herbs resembling cat ears. The lady smiled as she said, “This is a common herb, Kittenaps.”

.....

Valerie nodded and asked, “How much does it cost?”

The vendor said, “This costs one silver for five strains.”

Valerian interjected in the conversation, “How many strains do you have in that sack?”

The lady replied, “About two dozen.”

The silver-haired monk nodded and asked, “How about two dozen for four teals?”

He did not lower the price too much, and it was still in an acceptable range. After some pondering, the lady nodded and said, “Okay.”

Valerian nodded, took out four teals of silver from his magic pouch, and exchanged them for the spices. Then he gave the lady another teal and asked, “May I ask you a few questions?”

The lady was surprised at this. She could not put her finger on what sort of questions would make this young man spend a teal of silver for. With some suspicion, the lady accepted the teal and asked, “What do you want to know?”

Valerian smiled and asked, “Nothing serious, just a few things, like how long you have been here and what you know about Imperium.”

The lady was surprised and then replied with a few things. She was a native and had been here from the start. However, unlike yesterday’s story, she portrayed Imperium as a hero who rose to save their home from famine and sickness. Valerian nodded and thanked her before they left, promising to return next time.

It may seem like the old lady was harmless and smiling, but Valerian could sense some hatred from her vision. The lady was a supporter of Imperium. This was why Valerian had put off their robes to move around in the place. The two people shopped for many things before returning to the abandoned temple.

Anne was sitting on the ground in a corner, watching them return. She relaxed and put down her guard. Valerie walked closer to the mare and gently patted her head. Then she took a few carrots from her package, fed Anne with care, and talked to her.

The mare was intelligent and would reply to the little girl with gestures. Valerie was distinct, but she could only understand the voices and sounds of the feline races. Valerian briefly enjoyed the sight and said, “Vali, stay here with Anne, and do not go out. Okay?”

Valerie replied, “Yes, big brother.”

Anne understood the meaning of these words and then said, “Fine.”

The young man went inside the building, and then he cooked lunch. A few minutes later, Valerie walked inside and said, “Ohh, I feel so tired.”

The young man said, “Get some sleep after eating.”

The two ate, and the little girl went to take a nap. After Valerie fell asleep, Valerian cast a few trap spells. Every window and every door of the temple was laced with various trap spells. This was to prevent intruders from entering the place. He signed the note and left it for Valerie.

Then he changed his clothes into a priest’s habit and left the place. He would visit the city and search for Imperium to meet him face to face. He wanted to see who this man was and how he could influence many people with just a few actions. What could he obtain from this?

To see all this, he needed to find Imperium. However, from the looks of it, this man was the strongest person in the capital. How could he spare time on an insignificant monk? Valerian walked through the city, bestowed spells over the injured, and also took a tour of the farms to cast some gentle spells to help the farmers.

His actions were quick, and they all caught the attention of everyone around. Valerian did not stay at a place to garner compliments. The hatred implanted inside the hearts of the masses was not small, they were all staring daggers at Valerian, but the boy did not mind and greeted them all with smiles.

Soon the night fell, and a murmur erupted in the city that a kind young monk had come, and he helped people without any compliment or praise. The cronies in the shadow did not take long to act, and the words reached the shot callers. The people brushed it off as a one-time event and said that Valerian was just young and he might give up quickly.

However, after a week, when the people’s hearts began to change a bit, they were all surprised. This guy has been keeping up his routine for a week. They did not know that quite a big group of people under them had defected to Valerian’s side.

...

Two weeks had passed since Valerian came to the city, and his influence grew stronger daily. He was very charismatic and soft-spoken. The shadow hands tried to pull strings to attack him, but the young man defended himself. The news of disruption in the regular operation of the city finally reached the ears of the man in power, Imperium.

At this moment, twenty shot callers of the twenty regions were sitting around a table in a circle with Imperium gazing at them all. This man had a long, angulated face, sharp features, and a scholarly aura. This guy was wearing a black robe with golden trimmings. He asked in a calm voice, “So, what is it that I hear about a young monk coming inside the city and helping the needy?”

The people tensed up, they knew the elephant in the room would be addressed someday, but they did not expect it to be now. One of the twenty men sighed and said, “Sire, this monk is a traveler. On one of his travels, he found the people talking about the kingdom and thus decided to come over.”

Imperium nodded and then asked, “So, how does he have such an impact on the others?”

The people did not reply; they could not reply to him at all. This man could turn every one of them into a mound of ash. He was smart enough to know that Valerian’s appearance significantly threatened him and his plans. When he did not receive any response from the people, he said, “You all are the reason for his impact on society.”

This one line is enough for the people to sit up straight. Others might not be aware of the horror this guy could raise, but they all knew what he was capable of. This man alone changed the way things worked in this place. They understood that he blamed their actions for the fame Valerian had gained.

The attacks they pulled up on the young man were how people thought he was a good guy. Imperium took a deep breath and said, “You people have to tame this guy. Can you do it?”

The people looked at each other, and one of them said, “Two days ago, I took the chance to meet this guy. He is not your average monk.”

Another guy asked, “Why do you say so? What did you talk to him about?”

This man sighed and said, “I found him wandering around our fields in the western forest. He cast a spell to rejuvenate the region, and it was all so quick that I could not understand what was going on. I was present at the place, yet I could not figure out what spell could have such an effect on the lands. Then, I tried to tell him that he should not interrupt our business. However, he said, easing things for the people was his business.”

Imperium scoffed and said, “This guy is clever. I will give him that. By helping the farm laborers, he saved them from flogging, gaining him the votes from the suffering class.”

The rest of the people nodded, and one of them said, “Lord Imperium, we need to put an end to this guy.”

Imperium glared at the man with a cold smirk, and then he asked, “Do you think I have no idea about that? This appearance is too sudden, and the impact is too sudden. I want to ask you if anyone knows why is he doing all this?”

The people had no idea, they glanced at each other but when they found no answer. Imperium sighed and mumbled, “A bunch of dimwits.”

Then he said, “He is doing all this to meet me. If that is the case, then find him and call him to meet me.”