As Lorian's carriage neared Auric Spire, the road grew loud with the roar of heavy construction works. Rebuilding was underway in full force. The air was buzzing with shouting workers, clattering tools, and the heavy thud of stone. Looking out at the ruined dockyards and the blackened Eastern Block, Lorian felt a pang of sadness. Yet the sight of common men and armored Veridian Guards working shoulder to shoulder with the laborers gave him immediate hope.
Desiring to stand with his people and boost their morale, Lorian stepped down from his carriage. He walked among the crowd, offering warm words of encouragement and praise. The workers and soldiers were visibly thrilled. Seeing their Lord on the dusty ground rather than looking down from a high, distant throne lit a fire under them, pushing everyone to work even harder.
Among the crowd waiting at Auric Spire to greet the returning entourage stood Lady Seraphina, flanked by household attendants. Among them, was Zara Sunstreak who kept her eyes fixed on the arriving guards, eagerly searching for Jax Nightclaw. When she failed to spot the Black Panther beastman, her face fell. She quickly caught Lorian looking at her and tried to flash a bright, dutiful smile, but the worry in her eyes was obvious to Lorian.
When Lorian approached, the girl bowed deeply, "Welcome back, Master!"
Lorian rested a hand on her head, and smiled softly, "Thank you, Zara. How have things been while I was away?"
"Just as you wished," she replied, offering a sweet smile.
"Good," Lorian nodded, "Is there something you want to ask me?"
Zara startled, stepping back slightly, "N-no, Master!"
He patted her head gently, "Do you trust me?"
"With my life!" she said without a second's hesitation.
"Then stop worrying. Everything is going to be fine," he promised before heading inside.
The surrounding attendants had no idea what the quiet exchange was about, but Zara let out a soft breath, her heart instantly lightened by her master's reassurance.
Lorian spent the rest of the day with his mother, whom he had missed dearly. Over a quiet late-night talk, he laid out everything that had happened in Solara. Lady Seraphina listened attentively, offering wise counsel as they talked long into the night.
The following morning, Lorian convened a special council in the Onyx Gallery- which was reserved for the High Council's Inner Circle. A few key figures were missing however. Among the old guard, High Seneschal Gravil Fartom was absent; among the new additions, Jax Nightclaw and Eldred Alsnow were away, as the latter was still stationed in Valoria alongside Baron Torin Sienna and Count Leofrick 'Leo' Vane-Ashbourne.
Lorian briefed the council on his trip to Solara, turning the discussion to Boro of Xal-Teth. Boro had offered to fund the entire reconstruction of the ruined Eastern Complex- provided Veridia let them build a massive factory on the site.
Grand Syndic Anya Vesper of 'The Voice,' having personally crossed paths with Xal-Teth agents, was fiercely opposed. Lord Commander Lucien Lehance of 'The Land,' Lord Admiral Vorlag Vane of 'The Sea,' and Kaelen Strong sat on the fence, torn between the financial relief and the obvious risks. Unsure how to vote, they turned to Lord Chancellor Theron Valerius of 'The Coin.'
Theron flipped open his ledger, adjusted a parchment, and looked up quietly, "Before anyone votes, let us look at the actual balance sheet."
Lorian gave him a small nod, and Theron continued, "Last year, revenue was twelve million Solars against eight million in expenses. Vault reserves sat at twenty-five million.
Now, the war. Direct military costs- payroll, emergency rations, munitions; came to 1.2 to 1.8 million Solars.
Asset destruction is where the real damage lies. Replacing broken infrastructure and military hardware will cost between eighteen and twenty-five million."
"What?" Admiral Vorlag Vane nearly jumped out of his chair.
Theron didn't blink. He tapped his ledger, "A large portion of that is yours, Admiral. Rebuilding the fleet- timber, hulls, ballistas, is 8 to 12 million Solars on paper.
The Eastern Docks are gone. Replacing shipyards, cranes, and warehouses will take over a year and 4 to 6 million.
Rebuilding the Financial Block adds another 6 to 7 million. Those are just the physical assets."
Lucien leaned forward, "Is there more?"
"Yes," Theron said simply, "Trade stopped for a month and will run at a fraction of capacity for a year. That kills port tariffs and gate taxes.
With the destruction of Eastern Financial Block, local credit is dead. Foreign money is fleeing, and contracts are defaulting. Grain ships can't dock, so food prices are spiking. We are paying heavy emergency subsidies just to prevent bread riots.
Factoring in lost taxes and stagnation, that is another 10 to 15 million in total economic loss over twelve months."
Lorian looked at him grimly, "So the vault is drained, and we run a deficit for years?"
"Yes, my Lord." Theron replied with bland expression.
"So, should we take Boro's offer? Let Xal-Teth build the factory and pay for reconstruction?" Lorian asked.
Theron closed his ledger with a quiet thud, "I calculate ledger, my Lord; not character. I can tell you if a contract balances out, but not whether the signer is lying. I only gave you the numbers so you have facts."
"If you had to choose right now?" Lorian pressed gently.
"I don't guess, my Lord. Without hard facts on Xal-Teth, I have no answer."
"Fair enough." Lorian stood up, "This is indeed a heavy decision, I know. We will resume in three days. Use this time to talk amongst yourselves and consider our options. But not a single word of this financial report leaves the Onyx Gallery. Dismissed."
The scale of the deficit weighed heavily on Lorian. He had always believed Veridia's state vault was bottomless. Now, faced with absolute ruin, a bitter feeling of failure crept into his chest. He felt like he had failed his city, his family, and his late father, who had trusted him with the realm.
At dinner that night, Lady Seraphina noticed her son silently staring at his plate, "What is troubling you, my child?"
Lorian laid it all out- the crippled economy, the massive debt, and the heavy guilt resting on his shoulders. But his mother didn't panic. She simply reached over, gently ruffling his hair with a calm, amused smile.
Lorian blinked in surprise.
She smiled softly at her dear child, "Do you know why a Thorne has always ruled Veridia, my dear? Even if on paper, Veridia is a merchant republic?"
She gave a small, light chuckle and shook her head, "It's because this city is ours, plain and simple. The Lordship is just a title- a comfortable excuse to keep the common folk feeling safe. Honestly, even if some stranger sat on that throne tomorrow, he wouldn't be able to move a single piece on the board without us telling him to. The state runs on credit from the Thorne Bank. If money is the blood and trade is the vein... our bank is the heart pumping it, and a Thorne is always the mind directing it."
"And here you are my silly child, stressing yourself out over just twenty-five million Solars! Really, Lorian?" She smiled, "Listen to me. Our private vaults have over fifty million in pure gold sitting there right now. That's not even counting the mines, the shipping lines, or the property across the continent, which push past another hundred and fifty million easily. This isn't a crisis, my boy. As head of the Thorne family, it's an opportunity for you. We just need to step in, buy up the state's debt, and secure our family's hold on Veridia for good. So, stop worrying my dear, we've got this covered."
Lorian stared at his mother, the sheer scale of her words sinking in. It made complete sense. The family-owned precious metal mines, shipping lines, foreign mortgages, weapon foundries, and the continental banking system itself. To keep paper credit stable and absorb foreign market crashes, the Thorne Bank indeed had to maintain absurd amounts of liquid bullion.
Historically, while the Thorne men managed Veridia's messy politics, it was the Thorne women who quietly managed the bank and the business and built the family's true power. Hearing the actual owner of the Thorne Bank speak with such absolute confidence, Lorian felt the crushing weight lift from his chest.
Genuinely relieved, he thanked his mother and retired to his chambers, his mind was finally at peace as he wondered how his men were faring back in the Lawless Land.