Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

In response to the Clovis faction's counterattack, Tipalotula's bribed supporters humbly explained to the emperor that Hetia and Ryusia might not be fully aware of the divisions within the noble class of Sochi, and therefore had no choice but to conquer it first. Their explanation was that those nobles who did not support Count Duke's rebellion had voluntarily surrendered to the Linhu territory's army, and only Count Duke's rebellious vassals had been purged.

This is war, and there's always something to be done about it. These nobles were speaking favorably of Linhu Territory, explaining their conscription and grain requisitioning as necessary measures to counter Count Duke. As for the Clovis faction's accusation that Ryukia deliberately cleared the northern part of Sochi to counter the Third Prince's legitimate punitive expedition, these people explained it as an accident during the war, or simply a frame-up.

Besides the fierce competition between these two factions, many others have their own agendas.

They didn't want to see Clovis take control of Sochi, but they also wouldn't support Tipalotura. Therefore, they suggested that His Majesty first order a ceasefire, and then send another mission to investigate.

As for the ownership of Sochi, they naturally did not want it to fall into the hands of Tipalotura's subordinates. Instead, they claimed that Sochi should be returned to the direct administration of the empire, no longer as a fiefdom of a certain nobleman, but as a pilot province for implementing bureaucratic reforms. This would also increase tax revenue and alleviate the empire's deteriorating financial problems.

As for who should be appointed as officials to manage Sochi, each faction has its own agenda, wanting to place its own people there, which would divide Sochi into areas occupied by various factions. As for the people of Linhu, since Tipalotula and Clovis each have their own version of events, the emperor should neither pursue the matter nor grant them land, but rather give them some insignificant rewards such as money.

Liu Xia's lips twitched involuntarily. If that were the case, wouldn't she have worked for nothing and ended up benefiting someone else?

According to Joe Harvey's intelligence, the discussion lasted for two days without any results. The noble ministers attacked each other, even bringing up each other's past misdeeds, and almost came to blows in the palace.

The emperor's attitude was reportedly one of 'cold indifference and silence'...

Regardless, one thing is certain: the name 'Ryusha' and his deeds have spread like wildfire among the nobles of the capital. In the past year, he has transformed the impoverished and backward Linhu Territory, defeating the Abyss City, defended by two thousand men, with only a few hundred. Furthermore, he has continued his conquests, constantly absorbing the remnants of defeated troops, and by the time he reached the walls of Sochi, his army had multiplied tenfold.

And all of this happened in just half a month...

The capture of Sochi had little to do with Ryukyu. However, the successful capture of Sochi was attributed to the Duke family's underestimation of their enemy and their decision to venture out of the city for open battle, which resulted in a counterattack that allowed the Duke family to retake the city.

But no matter how incredible Ryūka's achievements seemed to them, many people were more concerned about the fact that he was a sixteen-year-old Grand Knight, and one who was proficient in both magic and martial arts...

A sixteen-year-old Grand Knight! This means that Ryuuya will definitely break through to the Heavenly Rank in his lifetime! Perhaps in a few decades, Otus's three Saint Ranks will become four!

Therefore, many people are not interested in the ownership of Sochi territory, but are instead frantically digging for information about Ryukyu, harboring various intentions of either winning them over or eliminating them...

However, there were also some people who didn't care much about territorial ownership or strength—those were the noblewomen and young ladies of the capital. They had only heard that Liu Xia was exceptionally beautiful and lovely; as for strength and achievements? Those were just icing on the cake!

Meanwhile, some things called 'photographs' that appeared out of nowhere completely ignited the topic in high society circles. The handsome black-haired boy in the lifelike pictures amazed mature women and young girls. In no time, a picture of Ryuu was hard to come by among noble ladies, and even the new magical product 'camera' jointly launched by the Chamber of Commerce was sold out!

Because the cameras currently being developed by the Chamber of Commerce are Polaroid type, only a small number of original photos leaked from spies in the Linhu Territory are truly clear. These photos were previously given to Tipalottura by the Chamber of Commerce. This has forced many wealthy noble ladies to buy their own cameras and then plead with this princess, whom they have never visited, hoping she could lend them the precious original photos so they can make copies. Or perhaps they hope to hear more about Ryukyu from Tipalottura…

What no one knew was that among the many nobles, princes, and princesses, only the fourth prince, Elias, who was closest to Tipalotura, knew that his sister had never had a person named 'Ryusha' under her command before.

In his letter, Joe Harvey lavished no disdain on these women's madness, describing them as "a bunch of shameless women," which further convinced Ryuka that this man... was indeed a homosexual...

Liu Xia read Joe Harvey's letter describing these ladies and noblewomen of the capital as difficult canaries to get along with, and advising Liu Xia never to get close to them in the future, otherwise these crazy, infatuated bitches would do anything.

Yes, 'womanizer,' those were Joe Harvey's exact words in the letter...

He then shifted his focus to the fourth prince, Elias, speaking out for the Linhu Territory, but was unable to gain the upper hand due to the overwhelming strength of the Clovis faction.

and so……

The fourth prince, Elias, hoped to have a direct conversation with Ryukyu through the communication crystal in Joe Harvey's possession.

Seeing this, Ryusha fell silent. The Fourth Prince wanted to speak directly with him? Even Tipalotura had only sent him one letter. Ilias was actually trying to bypass Hetia and contact him directly.

"Is he trying to do me a favor, or make friends with me? Or something else...? It seems that Tipalotura's good brother doesn't have such a simple attitude towards his sister's forces."

After reading the long letters Joe Harvey had left her, Ryuka felt an immense weight of pressure. The Sochi issue was still unresolved, and she was already famous in the capital, a thousand miles away. While this was something Ryuka had anticipated, she hadn't expected the discussion to be so heated among those noble ladies…

Although it sounds somewhat satisfying, Ryuka knows that it's not a good thing to expose her talents and abilities to the upper echelons of the empire too early. People are afraid of becoming famous, just as pigs are afraid of getting fat!

After all, the matter of 'divine favor' that Quaid mentioned earlier was still weighing on Ryuka's mind.

After bringing his thoughts back, Liu Xia turned his attention to the two beauties, one in red and one in blue, between his legs. Their soft lips and tongues were already exhausted, their beautiful faces were covered with his glistening saliva, their flushed cheeks pressed tightly against his crotch, emitting heavy breaths...

The two ice sculptures Melanie had created earlier had long since melted from the combined heat of their bodies, turning into a puddle that mingled with the fluids between their legs. Yet, their pale fingers remained twitching gently between their thighs, and their bodies trembled violently from time to time…

Seeing the two beautiful faces, each with a distinct style, looking exhausted with their eyes slightly rolled back, Liu Xia reached out and grabbed their heads. She rubbed her soft cheeks, mixed with their saliva, against herself, making those two gorgeous faces that could drive men crazy look ridiculous on the huge thing that was about to punish them, feeling the comfort of their smooth skin.

"At this rate, when are you going to let me finish? You said you were trying to relax me, but you two look absolutely terrible."

"No, I didn't..."

"That's right, the only one who's gotten worse is this red-haired woman... Oh!"

Ryūka grabbed Melanie by the hair, lifted her up, and slammed her onto the table. She then slapped the archmage's smooth, soft buttocks hard across the face. The clear sound accompanied the swaying flesh, and soon the wet, slippery buttocks...

A red mark appeared.

"It's clearly you, Miss Melanie, who's in the worst position! You managed to make an ice sculpture exactly like the one I have. Just how observant are you? Do you really like my stuff that much? Hmm?"

Ryuka held her soft, plump legs, moving back and forth in the valley between her thighs, caressing between her two soft, tender banks, quickly turning the cool water into scalding hot water.

The soft riverbed was being plowed back and forth, and the banks on both sides were also being gently ploughed. This hot and stimulating friction caused Melanie, who had already reached climax several times but was still extremely sensitive, to let out a series of rapid breaths.

"Hmph~ You, you little rascal, just happen to fit my aesthetic... Ha~~"

"Does it apply to me, or to this part?"

Liu Xia grinned mischievously, wading back and forth across a pearl on the riverbed of the valley, but never venturing into the deep source. This caused Melanie's body to convulse and tense, her toes pointing high on the floor. Each of her round, jade-like toes spread wide apart, opening and closing repeatedly, until they swayed and kicked back and forth like leaping fish.

Her upper body, slumped over the table, writhed incessantly from the electric shocks, desperately trying to break free from this maddening torment. Her neck was firmly pressed against the table by the boy's brute force, her soft breasts pressed against it, the pink nipples of her sweet pastries rubbing against the hard surface. Her exquisite magic robe was also torn open, her smooth back feeling the gentle caresses and fingertips that contrasted sharply with the boy's malicious intent. Unable to escape, Melanie frantically pounded on the table, her fingers clenching and unclenching, until her delicate palms were red and raw.

"Everything's correct! Everything's correct, okay? Hurry up and come in! You annoying little brat! Ughh ...

With a high-pitched scream from Melanie, a stream of warm water and magic poured into the room. Ryūka, savoring the exquisite sensation, asked with a mischievous grin:

"Didn't you say you had something to tell me? Now, tell me~"

"Now? Oh my gosh~"

“That’s right, now.” Liu Xia curled the corners of her lips. “You say one word, and I’ll move a little; otherwise, I’ll just stay here and not move at all~”

Melanie's eyes widened, her almost perfectly arched upper eyelashes trembling incessantly, as the exquisite source of magic deep within her was forcefully pressed against her delicate lower lip...

"Yes, it's down below, in the village... umm~ in the village, uh! Report, report..."

"What should I report?"

"Report! Hmm!"

"Huh? What do you want to report to me?"

"No, no... it's... ha~"

Melanie gritted her teeth, unable to control her muffled groans, struggling to breathe as she recounted a report from the southern plains of Sochi amidst this torment and reward. (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

Chapter 15 The Shadow of the Heartland

Forty kilometers due west of Sochi, at the junction of the North and South Plains, several small hills, only a little over a hundred meters high, rise abruptly from the flat land. Nestled among these unnamed hills is a village called Mata.

The village of Mata has a small population, with only a little over a hundred people and twenty or thirty households. It is truly an unremarkable little village.

But after Melanie dealt with the noble territories in the west, on her way back, she sensed a strange magical fluctuation in mid-air.

After searching for a while, Melanie finally found a magic crystal the size of a candy next to a woodpile. The magic inside the crystal had been completely exhausted, and the magic crystal had lost its crystal-clear luster, becoming dull and cracked. It could be crushed into a ball of powder with the slightest force.

Melanie sealed the magical crystal in ice, preserving its original appearance, and handed it to Ryukatsu.

"The remaining faint orange-yellow color looks like a magical crystal produced in the 'Mora Mine' in the northwest of the Empire. This kind of magical crystal is widely produced throughout Ottus. It has been processed into a square block shape, and it still retains a certain degree of hardness even after the magic power is exhausted, which indicates that the quality is not bad."

Melanie sat sideways on her horse, one shoulder resting against Ryusha's back, and shared her judgment with Ryusha.

Ryuka couldn't help but examine the fragment of the magical crystal in his hand more closely. Indeed, as Melanie had said, a trace of orange-yellow could be seen in the dim patterns.

"There's so much to know about the different types of magical crystals?"

"Of course, the color and quality of raw magic stones from different veins are different. The concentration of magic power, its stability, and even the senses of magic crystals used by different schools of magicians are also different."

Melanie spoke casually, introducing a great deal about the basic classifications and properties of magical crystals to Ryukyu. The obscure and dry knowledge didn't seem so boring in her clear and confident voice. She delivered the lengthy content fluently, and even textbooks from magic academies might not be as comprehensive and easy to understand as she did.

"What Vitris provided to you was a high-concentration, ice-blue magic stone, right? It only needs a little processing and refining to become a top-grade magic crystal, which is probably related to the Snow Spirit over the past few hundred years."

Melanie fiddled with the magazine of a magic gun. Inside the metal casing were ice-blue magic crystals and functional patterns. The magic crystals themselves possessed some magical properties; for example, those obtained from the Snow Spirit Cave were easier to use for ice and snow magic. However, this didn't mean that blue magic crystals couldn't be used for fire magic. Energy is energy; with a little manipulation, blue magic crystals could still make the magic gun spew flames. "You're not here yet, are you...?"

Liu Xia turned to watch Melanie toss the magazine up and down, and couldn't help but ask, "Where did you get that?"

"When I helped Kania escort military supplies before, oh right, she asked me how my rest had been these past few days. Next time I go back, I can tell her you're 'full of energy'!"

Melanie grinned mischievously, poking Ryuka's cheek with the cold magazine, reminiscing about their earlier pleasure with suggestive words. Just a short while ago she had been reduced to sobbing by Ryuka, but now she had regained her cold, playful demeanor, as if that wanton state had never existed.

Ryuu glanced at the magic missile magazine in her hand; it clearly showed signs of having been disassembled. Although Melanie outwardly looked down on magical engineering, she had never underestimated this discipline that challenged the very existence of magicians, often studying its intricacies on her own. She had achieved full marks in magic theory classes at the Imperial Military Academy, and even now, she maintained a high level of enthusiasm for learning about the unknown.

Melanie leaned against Ryusha's back, closed her eyes as the horse swayed, and, after slightly adjusting her body which had almost been torn apart by Ryusha, continued:

"Do you remember the purple magic crystal that Anyaberg used before? It was a product of the Magic Duchy of Tular in southern Otus. It has stable magic power and is very friendly to all kinds of magicians and magical machines. It is often imported into Otus as a high-quality trade commodity. Purple is often regarded as a noble color, so it is very popular in the capital."

After giving two different examples, Melanie brought up the one in Ryukyu's hand.

"The Mora Crystal in your hand is characterized by its sturdiness; it is not easily damaged even by intense collisions. Its quality is only average among magical crystals, and it is widely produced among the common people. Magicians, magical engineers, adventurers, and mercenaries who are not very wealthy all like this kind of inexpensive magical crystal. And besides them, there is another group of people who like to use it very much, and that is... the army."

Ryūka completely understood. High circulation volume, reasonable price, stable performance, and easy storage made it the ideal choice for military supplies.

Whether for restoring magic power to mages in the army or assisting in spellcasting, these magical crystals are essential. However, they are generally not processed into square, candy-sized pieces, but rather into larger chunks.

Furthermore, Ryūka keenly observed the slight scratches on its surface; the evenly level horizontal lines suggested it had been inserted into and protruded from some kind of machine. After discussing it with Melanie, the two concluded that it had been used by some kind of magical instrument.

As for what kind of magical device it was, and why the person using it would appear in a small village like Marta, that was what they cared about.

“I questioned a squad of new recruits stationed in Mata village, and they all said they hadn’t noticed anything unusual. The villagers also said they didn’t know what it was, but the look in their eyes made me feel that it wasn’t so simple…”

Melanie sighed in frustration. She wasn't good at communicating with people, and she wasn't inherently ruthless. Even knowing there was something fishy going on, she didn't know how to handle the fearful looks from the soldiers and villagers. If someone as impatient as Hetia or Hafren were to handle it, they might assume the villagers and soldiers had something to hide and resort to coercion and torture. But Melanie couldn't bring herself to do that, so she had no choice but to report the matter to Ryukyu.

She knew that Ryūka had the ability to manipulate people's minds; if Ryūka asked, the villagers would surely speak. Forty kilometers wasn't too far; with their combined strength, they could easily return to Sochi City quickly if there was an emergency.

"Consider it a picnic," Melanie thought, leaning against the boy's back. At least it was much more comfortable than with Hetia, who, after being thoroughly filled by Ryusha, still had to deal with military affairs in Sochi City despite her aching body. These days, a steady stream of soldiers and supplies were being drawn from all over Sochi Territory to Sochi City; the formation and training of the army was in full swing, with new problems arising every day.

For this reason, Kira was urgently summoned from Linhu Town to help the three female knights who only knew how to ride horses and fight to stabilize the situation. In addition, she also had to arrange and coordinate the people's livelihood issues and implement wartime control.

With the Shadow Guard system left by Earl Duke and the assistance of Bran Duke, Kira finally stabilized the situation in Sochi Territory, freeing the three female knights to focus solely on managing the army; everything else was simply a matter of following Kira's instructions. This division of labor also allowed Ryusha to experience being a hands-off manager, needing only to devise a grand strategy to deal with Clovis.

Therefore, he had time to deal with the situation reported by Melanie after delaying Clovis's vanguard. After all, judging from what Melanie reported, using his charm ability was the most effective method.

Soon the two entered the village. The soldiers stationed at the village entrance were clearly flustered when they saw the two, but they still quickly came to Liuxia and saluted.

"Your Excellency!"

Liu Xia nodded, a kind smile on her face, and asked, "Are you from Linhu Territory? What's your name?"

Ryuga sized up the young soldier. He had dark skin, a less-than-sturdy build, and wore old, ill-fitting militia leather armor. The way he held the spear clearly indicated he was an amateur, obviously a farmer.

“Mark, Your Excellency. I’m not from Linhu Territory, I’m a native of Mata Village. Only our captain is from Linhu Territory…”

Mark answered truthfully that since the Ryukyu occupied the Sochi Plain, they quickly faced the problem of insufficient military personnel. Larger towns or cities had the shadow guards and officials that Count Duke had placed there early on to help govern, but small villages like Marta usually only needed a few soldiers as captains, and it was enough to recruit militia from the local youths to maintain order.

The soldiers who stayed behind to serve as captains were generally laborers who joined the army in the second wave, while those from more important places were veterans from Linhu Town.

“Is that so?” Ryuga looked at Mark calmly as he listened to his reply. “The western territory was invaded by Melanie. How could you, someone from Marta, know at a glance that I am Ryuga?”

"This is... our captain. He told us about the Governor..."

Mark visibly paused upon hearing Ryusha's question, then stammered. He gripped the gun barrel tightly with both hands, not for offense, but out of fear, his legs trembling like a sieve.

He dared not look directly into Ryūka's eyes, even though her gaze was utterly calm. But Ryūka's gaze was already fixed on the village of Marta behind Mark. It was afternoon, the sun hadn't yet set, yet the village was nearly deserted. Even in winter, this was highly unusual…

The few villagers who saw Ryusha and Melanie at the village entrance quickly retreated to their houses. Combined with Mark's reaction, it was clear that there was some hidden secret here.

In this silence, Mark finally couldn't hold on any longer. He was just a farmer, while the boy and girl before him were a great knight and a great mage. In the past, he would have kowtowed to even ordinary knights, but now he was facing legendary figures who had conquered the territory of Sochi.

"I...I'll go get our captain to come see you..."

He spoke tremblingly, and whether from excessive nervousness or some other reason, he turned and tried to run away without receiving a reply from Ryuka. Ryuka simply uttered two words:

"stop."

In an instant, a powerful magical force enveloped Mark, and purple magical energy fluctuations appeared in Ryuka's eyes. Using her [Charm] ability, she directly commanded Mark:

"Tell me everything you know. You should know what I want to hear."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Mark's expression suddenly calmed down, and he quietly began to recount the recent events that had occurred in Marta Village.

Chapter 16 A Woman of Gold

The story begins when the Ryukyu Kingdom had just occupied Sochi.

That day, Mark braved the early morning chill to get up. He chopped firewood just as dawn was breaking, fed the chickens a handful of coarse fodder, and then ate half a roasted potato his mother had made to soothe his stomach, which had been rumbling with hunger the night before. Afterward, he glanced at his younger sister, who was still fast asleep, placed the remaining half of the roasted potato by her bedside, put on the tattered cotton coat covering her, went to the chicken coop, and retrieved two eggs, a bitter smile playing on his lips.

"Chickens won't lay eggs if they're not well-fed..."

He tucked two eggs into his tattered cotton coat, the only garment in the house that offered some protection against the cold. As the only man in the family who could go out to work, he used this coat to cover his sister's blanket at night so she could sleep a little better; he only wore it when Mark was out.

Nevertheless, by the time Mark reached a house at the edge of the village, he was already shivering from the cold. It wasn't that his patched-up cotton coat was useless, but rather that he was so hungry that he had no energy left to endure the peaceful winter.

His hands remained tucked into his robes, rubbing the two eggs until they were warm and cozy, as if he were caressing a girl's hand with lingering affection, even though he hadn't touched a woman's skin in a long time. The last time was probably years ago, when he had run back into the village with Sally, a girl from the same village, holding her hand. They had just dug a field mouse burrow in the woods on the mountain. Although they hadn't caught the plump mouse, they had found two large handfuls of grain inside. He and Sally each filled their clothes with a handful, then excitedly ran home hand in hand.

But when Sally was sixteen, her father married her off to another village for three sacks of potatoes, and Mark never saw her again. He had nothing to say; it was a year of famine, and Mark's father, hoping to survive without selling their land, went with some villagers to plead with the lord for a tax reduction. But three days later, the villagers brought back Mark's father's body, his emaciated frame mauled beyond recognition by dogs, and Mark's mother fainted on the spot.

Mark, however, simply stood there, watching his fellow villagers tell him with pitiful expressions that they hadn't even seen the lord before his men set dogs on them. In a panic, Mark's father killed one of the dogs…