Over the next two days, nothing out of the ordinary happened in Faoken Territory.
Road construction continued under Marda's supervision. The port's second deepwater harbor was nearly complete, and caravans from the Morning Star Clan and Black Marsh Clan arrived in Faoken to trade all kinds of resources.
The Holy Radiance Sect, to which Lucius belonged, also held several preaching sessions during those two days. Thanks to John's deliberate arrangements, however, every one of them came to nothing.
Apart from earning the curses of Beastfolk whose work they had interrupted, the monks made no progress at all in spreading their faith.
As head of the branch, Lucius found this deeply troubling. He even asked John for permission to hold a holy blessing ceremony the next day, hoping to show Faoken's Beastfolk the greatness of the holy light and bring them into the sect.
John had long intended to use the opportunity to set the old fraud up. He naturally agreed, then contacted the Morning Star Clan and, in the name of supporting the Church's ceremony, had them bring over some herbs needed for the blessing.
Balga, meanwhile, did exactly as he had said he would at their last meeting: he appeared at the Governor's Office three times a day, without fail.
At sunrise, he stood in its courtyard. At noon, he appeared outside the first-floor office window. At sunset, he materialized on the sixth-floor balcony.
He never stayed longer than thirty seconds. Once he confirmed that John was still alive, the Crown Tier powerhouse left immediately, never wasting a moment.
Throughout these visits, the count ignored everyone else. That included John, who tried to speak to him, and Meyer, who approached out of curiosity only to have her tail bristle on the spot when he shot her a murderous look.