Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"what is this?"

Ryuka observed Kania's reaction. As expected, as a witch, Kania both repelled and was attracted to his power, just as the witch's power was to him.

If the cruel witch can influence me through this trait, why can't I try to influence Kania with my own power?

Ryuka recalled that Chloe had also said that she had rewritten the rules of the witch's power within her, and this practice should be common to everyone. Although she didn't yet have enough power to fight the cruel witch alone, what if she were just a descendant of a witch, just Kania?

"Kanya, I need you to trust me, relax..."

Ryūka took Kania's hand, and with a slight tremor, the little witch nodded, smiling easily, "Whatever you say, my little captain~"

Ryuu nodded, recalling the divine secret technique of 'Spirit Summoning Ascension' that Chloe had taught him. This was not merely a technique for ascending one's followers; it included methods for gods to control 'spirits' and borrow spiritual power, as well as the construction of various divine rules, all of which could be glimpsed from this system of secret techniques.

Sensing Ryūka's use of power, the consciousness within Yu couldn't help but raise its head in surprise, exclaiming, "'Moon' level rules? Where did this little host get them? Understanding advanced laws isn't easy, but it seems..."

"He's very talented..."

In another space, Chloe also sensed the fluctuations emanating from Ryuka, and a smile of surprise and delight appeared on her lips.

It seems we made the right choice... Both inhuman girls thought to themselves at that moment.

Ryūka was deep in thought, as if he had entered some indescribable realm. Unlike the last time he altered the witch's control over her familiars, this time he was only extracting the part he needed from a complete secret technique, but the obscure rules were extremely difficult to understand. Ryūka felt as if he were facing a complex problem, and every calculation tested not only his consciousness but also his strength.

Dark, obscure, and arduous... but Ryūka's consciousness and power were like a sharp knife cutting through thorns, meticulously dissecting the gaps in the rules and understanding every thread. He seemed to see himself rising from the earth, merging into an endless sea of ​​stars. In the interplay of light and light, Ryūka gradually understood, as if he had truly seen some kind of rune within the rules. At the end of this journey of exploration, he caught a fleeting glimpse of the pure, pristine moon...

"His divine sense is complete... He has proven his qualifications; he only needs to accumulate power..."

As Kuroe silently chanted, the golden scepter in Ryūka's hand gradually came to completion. Although still semi-transparent, it emanated a completely different kind of pressure. He gently raised the scepter, and in that instant, all the subjects of Sochi City seemed to sense something. Not only his subjects who revered Ryūka, but also other creatures on this land, even the wind and rivers, the shadows and the unknown beings in the darkness—all of existence provided Ryūka with powerful spiritual energy, which gathered at the top of his scepter.

Ryuuya slightly opened his eyes, his deep black pupils gleaming with a ghostly light. He softly activated his 'domain,' and this spiritual power enveloped him and Kania according to his will, shielding them from all external interference.

The golden sphere of light resembled the 'divine kingdom' that Hinatil had once cast.

The little witch trembled! She felt as if she had lost something, like a kite with a broken string, uneasy yet free. Even the feeling of being bound by fate disappeared. She even felt that if she stayed under the golden light of Ryusha, the witch's curse, the restless desires in her soul that were gradually devouring her life force, would all disappear.

"how do you feel?"

In response to Ryūka's question, Kania's lips parted slightly.

"fine……"

Despite being usually eloquent, she was now strangely at a loss for words. Kania was somewhat surprised, and she vaguely guessed what was going on, so she described her feelings to Ryūka.

"Good~ It seems we've successfully severed the connection between the cruel witch and you~ Now I can tell you everything without worry~"

Ryuu smiled happily, but his smile made Kania feel a pang of heartache. Her little lover's lips and face were pale, as if he had exhausted himself yet was still forcing himself to stay upright. In that instant, a feeling of anxiety and warmth she had never experienced before welled up in the little witch's heart; this bittersweet feeling surprised even Kania herself.

Is this... love? True love?

Ryūka's face was cradled in Kania's small hands. Watching the little witch's purple eyes shift from worry to secret surprise, he seemed to guess something and forced a smile, saying:

"Let's get down to business, I can't hold on much longer."

Kania finally snapped out of her daze, her heart churning with turmoil, but she forced a calm nod. She listened intently as Ryūka recounted the events of the past few months—about the gods, the Church, the existence of the cruel witch…

She carefully processed everything, and after understanding Ryūka's current situation, Kania smiled and nodded:

"I understand, Ryukyu. What do you need me to do?"

"What do you want to do?" Liu Xia blinked, then laughed. "You don't have to do anything. I just want to tell you, to let you know these things."

Kania was stunned, her expression a mixture of surprise and panic. Ryūka had gone to great lengths, using all her power to create a domain and speak to her, only to...

"I don't want you to feel that I'm intentionally distancing myself from you. Although we both have some issues, I hope you can know about our situation and my feelings without getting hurt. That's all."

Not only Kania, but even Yu in Ryuka's consciousness opened her mouth in surprise, and after a moment of silence, muttered to herself, "What a... idiot..."

"Hey~" Kania's lips curled into a smug smile after hearing this. She pressed her forehead against Ryuxia's, staring intently into the boy's eyes as before, and arrogantly asked:

"So, it means you fell in love with me first?"

"What? No, you..."

"What else could it be? All that effort you put into doing was to convey your feelings to me—isn't that the same as a confession? Looks like I won!"

Ryuu chuckled, looking at Kania's smug and sweet smile, and retorted with a mix of anger and amusement:

"Hmph~ I just wanted to put things out there~ But you, your eyes and panic just now, you were the one who really fell for me, weren't you? Without the witch's power, you're just a silly girl~"

Kania turned her head and pouted, looking like she was denying it: "Who knows?" (The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the previous sentences.)

She looked at the gold surrounding everything, feeling so free and peaceful within it. But she knew that Ryūka's power couldn't sustain this forever; soon she would revert to her former self as a little witch, losing this warm yet tense feeling, leaving only churning desire and the concern born of fulfilling the contract between her and Ryūka.

"What's wrong? What are you thinking about? If you don't have anything to say, I'm going to dispel the domain..."

Faced with Ryūka's question, a flicker of panic and hesitation crossed Kania's eyes. But she maintained her ever-present smug smile, and only when she sensed Ryūka's power slowly dissipating, seemingly on the verge of losing control of the domain, did she finally issue a somewhat impatient command:

"Just a little longer! It'll be over soon!"

As the words abruptly stopped, the girl suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around the boy's neck.

With a mix of panic and sweetness, Kania kissed Ryusha's lips tightly. Unlike the countless skillful kisses they had shared before, hers was awkward and nervous. She even used too much force, her teeth clattering against her lips. Her soft lips trembled and remained tightly closed, appearing incredibly clumsy.

"So clumsy..." A hint of helplessness and tenderness flashed in Ryuga's eyes. He closed his eyes, gently pried open Kania's lips, and kissed her with a mixture of skill and unfamiliarity...

At this moment, in the hall of Ryūka's consciousness, beside the throne, an unfinished sculpture slowly emerged...

The golden curtain receded, the girl raised her head, squinted, wiped away the silver thread sticking to her lips, and returned to her usual self.

"Hmph~ My Ryuka~ In the end, you took the initiative~"

Ryuka wasn't about to back down either, retorting to the stubborn little witch who wouldn't admit her mistake: "You were the one who initiated the kiss, weren't you? And you act like an innocent girl."

"No way~ I'm very skilled at it~ Why don't you try it yourself~"

Kania grinned mischievously and reached for Ryusha's pants.

Although she was filled with panic and unease about reverting to her original form before Ryūka's golden domain disappeared, she didn't complain, made no demands, didn't make a fuss, and didn't cause any trouble. As for this cold, hypocritical, yet alluring self she was now, wasn't she still herself? If it could bring joy to the boy before her, then so be it…

After all, this is also part of the 'contract'.

Why is Chapter 20 another example of abstinence-based play?

Seeing that Kania had reverted to her carefree demeanor, Ryuka mischievously grabbed her small hand: "Does your Meimei miss me, Lin Kong, or your Lin Zaizai...?"

"Not now, have you forgotten? I don't want to be spied on by your witch ancestor. Let's wait until I'm stronger."

"What?!" Kania was devastated. "But you and Megan had a blast!"

"She is her, and you are you. Besides, she's not a witch... Be good~ Just bear with it a little longer with the toy~"

Seeing the little witch almost bursting into tears, Ryuka thought, "Isn't this another kind of abstinence play?"

"I don't want to! Even if I have to endure it... it has to be..."

Although Kania understood the current concerns, she was still quite dissatisfied. After thinking for a moment, she leaned close to Ryūka's ear and whispered something in a sweet and aggrieved tone:

"If it's abstinence, then I can accept it... but I want you to put the shackles on me yourself!"

That's easy enough. With Anyaberg's various 'little inventions,' chastity belts can be used in many different ways. But Ryusha raised an eyebrow, deliberately keeping Kania in suspense:

"Can you guarantee it won't affect your daily work?"

"I promise!"

Kania spoke with unwavering conviction, oblivious to everything else. But as Ryūka personally fastened the belt around her alluring waist, fastening the magical toy attached, she immediately realized it was impossible…

Several shallow vibrations surfaced, like the tips of feathers teasing sensitive spots, making her itch to the bone but never reaching her peak. Her expression immediately changed, and in heavy, sweet breathing, she stammered to Liuxia:

"Um... Ryuka... how long do you mean 'strong enough'?"

"Hmm~ Maybe a few months, maybe a year or two?"

"Hey?"

Kania dazedly touched the thick metal partition between her legs. While it didn't prevent her from urinating, the ingenious design and the magic cast by Ryuka made it impossible for her to relieve herself manually. Although she had anticipated this when she blurted it out, it was only in that moment, a desperate act. The little witch immediately regretted it; she was no longer allowed to be intimate with Ryuka, and even her right to relieve herself was now taken away, with no guarantee of when!

But this torment, which she found utterly agonizing, was something her witch-like personality thoroughly enjoyed. After she swallowed a little, Ryuka, who knew her all too well, couldn't resist mischievously whispering in her ear:

"It's okay~ If your distress affects your work, I'll punish you properly with the whip~ So keep it up~"

As she spoke, Liu Xia pinched her smooth buttocks hard, her fingers digging into the white flesh, leaving a deep red handprint on the soft, bouncy skin. She even deliberately used her nails to almost scratch Kania's skin.

The pain relieved the burning desire, but after it subsided, it made the little witch even more obsessed. This torment was like drinking poison to quench her thirst, but it made her increasingly regard this long period of abstinence as a rare form of playful indulgence...

Her expression changed, her eyes seemed to sparkle with pink hearts, and she pursed her lips as she 'threatened' Ryūka:

"You'd better have some sense... Witches die if they abstain from sex for too long... Ryuka, you... you don't want to lose me, do you?"

Of course he didn't want to, but Ryuka knew that showing pity for Kania at this moment would be useless; on the contrary, deliberately bullying her would make her instinctively happy. So the boy put on a wicked smile and pretended to hesitate as if deep in thought:

"Hmm... I probably... don't want to?"

This ambiguous statement, which seemed to suggest a unilateral abandonment of the little witch, sent a shiver down Kania's spine. Although her reason told her that this was just Ryuka flirting with her, her body honestly trembled with fear and excitement, even causing her legs to buckle and she to kneel on the floor, quickly entering the 'playing' state of a slave.

"My dear Ryuka~ my lover~ my ally~ you won't really abandon me, right... right?"

Watching Kania tremble as she clung to her legs, forcing a smile and pleading, her lips quivering, her alluring curves arching wildly with excitement against the floor, creaking through the thick metal, her tempting juices seeping helplessly out, Ryuka lifted Kania's chin and kissed her cheek.

"This is quite a sight~ Next time I'm doing this with them, you can just sit next to them and rub against the corner of the table through the metal plate between your legs~"

"How could this be... This doesn't relieve the itch at all... I'll go crazy..."

The little witch's voice trembled with a hint of tears, her shimmering purple hair whipping around like a rattle. Ryuka, meanwhile, deliberately stroked her head affectionately, comforting the thirsty witch as if soothing a kitten.

"It's okay~ Even if the witch is so alluring..."

"For that reason, I'll also work hard to defeat Otus and the Cruel Witch. And I need your help to train the other witches, right?"

Looking at Kania's alluring appearance, which ignited his desire, Ryuka couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if such seductive girls lined up in front of him, whether they were the untouched witches kept by Otus or the 'liberal' witches scattered among the people of the world that Kania mentioned.

Of course, that requires the strength to resist the cruel witch's corruption. For now, we must start by governing the territory…

Sochi's Second Street was bustling with people, filled with the cries of vendors and the comings and goings of merchants. Leaving the utterly aggrieved little witch at the castle, Ryuka walked alone on this commercial street she had built, looking around at the merchants who had come from the surrounding territories to trade.

Recently, there have even been some oddly dressed individuals with strange mounts, indicating that in just three months, Sochi's influence has expanded to even more distant places.

During this period, the Chamber of Commerce provided invaluable assistance. After all, with the rapid development of Sochi Territory, Liuxia could not possibly control the entire market economy. Even buying up goods from the workshops controlled by Liuxia and reselling them to distant places was enough to make them incredibly wealthy. Not to mention that Liuxia's control over the market was not that strict, and many merchants seemed to have caught a wave of opportunity, making money effortlessly over the past few months.

Liu Xia squinted at the foreign merchants who had traveled from afar. The production capacity of her own territory, combined with the trading power of the merchant guild, was limited. Furthermore, to make Sochi goods, already scarce and valuable, even more scarce and valuable, even more so, they would deliberately hoard goods. This would force other merchants from afar to actively seek opportunities in Sochi.

In other words, if you do nothing and just wait a few months, the trade network that was originally firmly controlled by the Chamber of Commerce will naturally extend into new channels and networks...

"It's like weaving your own noose to hang yourself..."

Ryuka smiled and took a deep breath. The air on this street seemed to smell of gold coins; laughter and arguments were punctuated by the clanging of metal. With the sophisticated merchant and trade network now in place, he could finally take action against the merchant guilds.

Rather than passively defending against the machinations of the merchant guild alliance and the Fourth Prince's faction, Ryūka prefers to take the initiative when he has the strength. After all, after three months of biding his time, his new legion and city defense army have been fully trained and are no longer just a few hundred core men plus a few thousand unreliable old noble troops and peasant conscripts hastily recruited.

An army of a few dozen men is enough for a baron to rule his territory; a hundred regular knights and mages can make a great nobleman control a region; a standing army of a thousand men is enough for the nobles of the east to address him as "My Lord"; and now, Ryūka...

A standing army of five thousand men! Although many nobles still scoff at Ryukyu's practice of training ordinary people as soldiers on a large scale, the Ryukyu army has nearly a thousand regular knights and mages! Keep in mind that the Duke family, as the overlord of Sochi Territory in the past, only had a few hundred knights under their command, and that's with the hundred knights that Lady Mara brought from the Payne family!

This includes not only the surrendered soldiers gathered from defeated nobles, but also the lower-ranking knights and mages from other territories who have absorbed the power of the Adventurers' Guild during economic development and have nowhere else to use their skills. This number is already the result after Ryuga has made his selections.

It's important to understand that a standard legion of 15,000 men in Otus comprises fewer than 2,000 knights and mages, more than half of whom are apprentices. Even so, the Otus Empire's finances could only support a dozen or so legions at most; a single legion was sufficient to defend a region. Conquering a locally established great lord typically required two or three times the strength, and involved a protracted war. A swift victory would necessitate deploying an overwhelming force, as in the campaign against the Duke family, to demonstrate the Empire's power—a process that would consume countless gold coins like flowing water…

Ryusha had once conducted a war game with Heflian. If he were to rebel with all his might, Otus would have to send at least one-third of his regular forces as the core, plus the military strength of the entire Eastern Lords, to defeat him within a year!

But that was under the premise that the entire Sochi territory had been drained by its own militaristic expansion, making it practically difficult to gain the people's complete loyalty. Not to mention the worry that Heavenly Rank and Saint Rank individuals might launch a core decapitation strike, but...

This calculation also means that the Papacy is unlikely to travel all the way from the Holy City to attack him! And as long as he honestly hands over a large amount of money to Otus, they will have no intention of making a move against him!

After all, the Third Prince Clovis's previous misdeeds had worsened the already dire state of the empire's finances, and it was Ryūka's exploitation of the Sochi nobles and subsequent management that filled the gap in the empire's finances. Although Ryūka was certain that the emperor on the throne was also wary of him, if he were to actually meet him, he would probably have to put on a cheerful face for the sake of this year's finances.

After all, compared to the taxes he'd collected over those three months, the reward he'd given him was practically negligible. And this was something the Duke family and none of his heirs would ever do… As long as he didn't know his secret with Kania, he wouldn't touch his cash cow… at least not now…

If such a high-ranking official in charge of a region has a conflict with the local chamber of commerce and it escalates to the point of physical violence, would the empire bother to intervene?

No~

If, during the friction with the Chamber of Commerce, it is accidentally discovered that they are colluding with local papal forces, and the papacy is inadvertently implicated, will the empire intervene?

Chapter 21 Stirring up the enemy

Thinking of this, Liu Xia's smile became more and more obvious.

Just when he was worried about not having a suitable reason to further eliminate the Papacy's influence in his territory, the Chamber of Commerce's attempt to collude with the Papacy was like someone handing him a pillow when he was about to fall asleep.

Esther had not yet discovered the specific details of their collusion, so Ryusha planned to slightly increase the intensity of the merchant alliance, forcing them to act hastily so that they would expose their weaknesses.

And this level of intensity naturally began with their 'old friend'—Hayden. Based on the intelligence provided by Esther, the Shadow Guard quickly pinpointed his whereabouts in Sochi…

With that in mind, Liu Xia quickly arrived at the entrance of a chamber of commerce and looked up at the sign and logo on it.

Silver Lion Trading.