210 Arrival (1/2)
In two months, it had been fully constructed with the aid of Count Alexei's vast resources. It was an impressive building standing three stories tall with a massive guild hall that could hold all of Li's current followers and more.
Aside from its sheer capacity, the building itself looked pleasing. The sigil of the Farmer's Guild – the red blossom – lay carved from red rock at its entrance, gleaming with magical light that made it easy to navigate to even in night.
Unlike the buildings of smoothened stone and marble that tended to rise up in the city center, the guild was fashioned mostly out of sturdy wood, with enchanted vines curling down from them and sprouting a myriad of pleasant smelling and looking flowers.
Most of the time, the Farmer's Guild was dark, its indoor lanterns and light crystals inactive because followers were usually working in their own lives, farming, hunting, gathering herbs, making elixirs, and the like.
The only light that was on all the time was on the second floor where Sindra and her administrative staff dealt with matters of numbers, coin, contracts, and the like. This time, though, the second floor lights were off, instead light flashing from the windows around the circular first floor: the guild auditorium.
Li stepped past the oaken double doors of the guild, appreciating the glimmer of the red stone blossom above. Immediately, as he made his way to the vine-curled door to the auditorium, he could sense an immense amount of life signatures beyond.
The entirety of his following was here, and he could tell that not all was right. There was fear in ther hearts. Doubt. Anxiety.
Li opened the door and stepped in, Zagan trotting behind and Tia sleeping on his shoulder, having fallen into a deeper sleep from eating the bread.
The auditorium was semicircular in layout, filled with seats and tables meant for discussions with a main stage where speakers could talk, drawing out plans on a runeboard, their voices amplified with a magic crystal that had a sound projection spell embedded within it.
It felt like almost all the seats were occupied. All the farmers and beastwomen were there, and this time, Li noted with some happiness, they were mingled together, though the Serpi still isolated themselves in their own group due to their inherently reclusive natures.
There was a great amount of discussion flitting about the room, a general sense of chaos manifested in the worried looks and raised voices of a hundred different conversations clashing at once. But when Li entered, his presence extending outwards like a surging tidal wave, silence immediately befell upon his followers.
Silence, then, happiness.
Li could see the concerned faces of his followers all brighten up as they beheld him, and almost immediately, he was assaulted with questions.
”The demons, they are nigh upon us! What shall we do?”
”What of our fields? Shall they rot while we are barred in this city?”
”Are you alright, Good Seer?”