2600 Let's do the Warp Gate Again (Part 2) "There will be a need for plenty of materials, Forgemasters, and Wardens in the near future and there's no point in burdening your personal Gate and having your private property invaded on a daily basis." "Hence we have ruled that the Association will have its own Warp Gate and its use will also be available to the public according to the laws of the Kingdom." Meron said. "As of today, Lutia is granted a Warp Gate." "As of today, Lutia is promoted to the status of medium-sized city and hub of the Kingdom!" The ensuing roar and the stamping of feet made the air tremble. It was a colossal achievement for a settlement that until less than eight years ago had been a small-sized village comprised of a few dozen of houses. There were plenty of cities that had reached the medium-sized status for decades and still petitioned for a Warp Gate. Receiving one wasn't a matter of a city's size or population, only of its strategic importance. Everything else would come by itself in a domino effect. A Gate meant free trade with the rest of the Kingdom without the risks and costs of long-distance travel, bringing flocks of merchants and goods. It meant a considerable increase in public security, since the presence of the Association implied powerful mages residing nearby 24/7 that could summon reinforcements at a moment's notice. Money and safety naturally brought an influx of people that swelled the citizens' numbers and with them came the urban development necessary to house them. Any place with a Gate would always rise to be at least a medium-sized city due to the wealth and work its presence created. "We did it, Dad." Senton was crying with joy. embracing the members of his family in turns, starting from Zekell. "We won't need to travel to Derios anymore to move our merchandise. We can even apply to the merchant guild now." "Our days as blacksmiths are over." Zekell was crying as well, and for once it was for real. "We are going to become a proper merchant family, just a step below nobility, and we did it on our own. "I'm proud of you, son. If not for you, I would've never thought of expanding our business to Derios in the past. It's only thanks to you that we already have multiple shops Instead of standing on the starting line like everyone else." "No, it's only thanks to you, Dad. I've let my pride blind me for too long. If it wasn't for you, I'd have let our business stagnate and destroyed my own marriage." Senton let go of his father and embraced the completely oblivious triplets who cried but not out of joy. Being less than two years old they didn't like crowds and noise. Until that moment, they had quietly slept in their patented Hush Levitating Verhen Stroller and they didn't take well their afternoon nap being interrupted. Senton ignored their complaints, kissing them all on the forehead before moving to Leria and Rena. "Congratulations, Dad!" The little girl brimmed with pride and joy for her father while extending her arms to be lifted between his arms like when she was much smaller and lighter. "Once I become a mage, I want to work together with you. "I want to make you proud." "I'm already proud of you, pumpkin. It doesn't matter if you want to become a mage, a merchant, or a blacksmith. You'll always be my little girl Senton felt like an idiot as he remembered how he had almost let his envy toward his own daughter break his family. "Congratulations, dear." Rena embraced both him and Leria, the sweetness of her expression also bearing a hint of sadness. "We are going to miss you." "What do you mean, miss me?" Senton froze in horror, fearing that he was about to pay the price of his past foolishness. "Expanding the business and taking part in the merchant guild will take time." Rena replied with a puzzled look on her face. "You are going to stay away from home often and we are going to miss you. Why? What did you think I was talking about?" His expression relaxed just for one second. Then, Senton realized that she was right. He was going to miss lots of family lunches and dinners along with many of the triplet's first times. Suddenly the Gate didn't sound like good news anymore. "Now, to move on to the next step of the ceremony and allow Magus Verhen to go back to his work, it's time to unveil Lutia's branch of the Association." A wave of the Queen's hand brought the end of the rope into Brinja's, Lith's, the Royals, and lastly into the hands of a citizen picked at random. "This building is the fruit of the labor of many people and today we celebrate them all. The Kingdom is nothing without its citizens and they stand even above the King." Meron said to explain the order in the line. First, the local ruler, then the regional ruler, followed by the Supreme Magus, the Royals, and then a simple farmer who blushed in embarrassment, feeling faint for being at the center of the attention. "On three. One, two, three!" The drape covering the stone building fell off easily and the floating mages tossed flower petals while the crowd applauded. "From tomorrow onwards, every citizen of Lutia can go to the Association and pick their own Tablet. "Each family can have one for free. If you want more you have to pay for them. But enough talk of money, Let the celebrations begin!" Floating tables came down from the sky, dropping food and beverages among the crowd. The moment the bowls and jugs were empty, they were filled again with dimensional magic. Due to the famine, food was precious so guards and mages ensured that no one could take away more than their two hands could handle. Once the Verhens were done congratulating Senton and Zekell they moved on to Lith. "Congratulations, babe." Kamila embraced him first. "You deserve this. Let's just hope that the church of the All-Father doesn't share the Proudhammer's success or we're going to move to the Verhen Mansion permanently if we want some privacy." "Wait, you knew?" Lith asked. "Not until five minutes ago when the Royals summed me here as well." She shook her head. "I still feel overwhelmed. This is a huge change. Maybe we'll really need to have our dream house built somewhere." "Congratulations, dear." Elina came second and only to not interfere in her son's marriage. She was ready to fight the Queen if necessary. "I'm proud of you and a little offended. Why didn't you give us one of these earlier? "It would have made our lives much easier." The Verhens had already received their own Tablet and even though they already had individual communication amulets, the access to the Web of Knowledge and the public library was still a novelty. Elina now only needed to input a keyword to find information about anything she wanted and even though the public library held mostly classics, it allowed her to read anywhere and bookmark pages without having to take an actual book in and out of her dimensional amulet.