Waiting for the Spirit Saint to Arrive

William would never let the players walk away with his money that easily.

As the prince saw it, gold coins were only spending a little time in the players' pockets. Sooner or later, they would be his again. The trick was not to let the players hold too much money. Once they had money, they would start fooling around and turn into Scenery Party players in no time. That was when Dawn City needed to roll out new events, new ways to play, and new tricks.

Repeat the cycle, and the players would never have enough money. They would work themselves to the bone on quests to earn more, grinding away for Dawn City to the bitter end.

William did not need to handle the auction himself.

After Odom left Dawn City, the burden of Deputy City Lord fell to Lotner, who spent his days with nothing to do but wander around town.

His uncle might show off as naturally as breathing, but at heart he was a penny-pinching elf—or, to put it kindly, a careful one. Leaving the auction to him was a sure bet. He would not let them lose money.

"Give the players control of the cities, and even if the Magic Sanctum launches a massive assassination campaign, the players won't fear death, and I won't have to feel bad for them. Even if they're killed so many times they lose levels, the Magic Sanctum will be the source of their hatred. That'll only drive their Hatred Value for the Magic Sanctum higher.

"The Magic Sanctum would be killing them and causing trouble in their cities. That's cutting off their income. And what do they say? Taking away someone's livelihood is as good as killing their parents!

"That's a blood feud if ever there was one. It's