The next morning, Sedona City was alive with an energy far greater than usual, yet underscored by a new sense of restraint. The reason was simple: Lucas had returned.
There was no grand parade, no aggressive display of dominance. He simply brought Mina and Elisa back to the castle. Lucas knew well that if one immediately begins oppressing people the moment victory is achieved, resentment will fester. In the art of human relations and governance, constant pressure only breeds rebellion.
The newspapers had already done the heavy lifting for the propaganda. From here on, it was better to keep things subtle. A hidden threat is often more effective than an overt one. Now that he had flexed his muscles, it was time to pull them back; making people guess your next move is the best way to keep them wary. Humans are naturally suspicious—the more they guess, the less they dare to act. The only chicken that needed to be slaughtered to warn the monkeys had already been dealt with.
Tramp, tramp, tramp...
The two-horse four-wheeled carriage sped down the main thoroughfare toward the castle.
"Master, there are so many people," Mina whispered, pulling back a sliver of the carriage curtain. Her eyes scanned the crowds lining the road, noting the many individuals dressed in the finery of the wealthy.
"It seems the effect is even better than imagined," Lucas said with a light chuckle, narrowing his eyes in thought.
The deterrence was sufficient. The next step was to win over their hearts. Simply developing Sedona City wouldn't allow him to rule the entire Western Lands, let alone expand beyond them. The goods produced by a single city were a drop in the bucket for the Siacan Kingdom; thrown into the national market, they wouldn't make much of a splash.
His long-term strategy was taxation. No matter how much others earned or how well they developed, taxes must be paid. That was how he would ensure a permanent stream of income. The core of his push for reform in the Western Lands was to establish a tax system—but would the lords and nobles give up their gold for nothing? Especially city lords? It seemed impossible.
This was where Lucas's benefits came in. He had to give them enough profit to make them pay taxes willingly. The core of the upcoming banquet—his true primary objective—was tax.
Of course, the crudest and simplest method would be to simply steamroll them: kill anyone who refused to pay and replace them with someone obedient. But the result of that would be years of zero revenue. The new lords would just squeeze the commoners even harder to pay their dues. Then, one day, an ambitious rebel would rise, leading the peasants against the nobility. Even if the rebellion were suppressed, the population and economy would regress by years. It was a net loss.
But Lucas wouldn't give things away for free either; that only bred more ambition. His temporary policy was to stabilize the situation, give enough benefits to ensure submission, and then slowly train them over time.
Governing a single territory was different from governing the entire Western Lands. A small territory could be reformed with an iron fist because any trouble could be quelled instantly. But the Western Lands were vast; by the time he heard of an uprising and marched there, days would have passed, and it would be too late.
"Phew..." Lucas let out a long sigh. Governing was truly not a game. He thought back to the keyboard warriors on the internet in his old world who made ruling a country sound so easy. If he actually followed the just kill them all philosophy, he'd be a three-second hero followed by ten years of digging in the dirt.
"Destruction is easy; creation is the hard part," Lucas mused.
There were too many variables to consider. For instance, this war in Liberty city—if he hadn't used Lucy's name as a shield, the other lords would be terrified of him right now instead of gathering in his city.
Timing, geography, and the support of the people. In the history of Earth, dynasties only changed when the people were desperate. Who revolts when a country is strong and prosperous? Only a fool.
"Master, what's wrong?" Mina asked, a flash of worry in her eyes. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, just thinking," Lucas shook his head. He had already come this far; he was in the thick of it now.
"Master, they won't dare cause trouble," Mina said coldly. She knew what he was worried about—the unpredictability of the human heart.
Tramp, tramp... stomp!
As the carriage reached the castle gates, the sentry sprinted inside, shouting at the top of his lungs, "The City Lord has returned!"
"I suppose it really is good to be home," Lucas laughed, the soldier's enthusiastic shout clearing the heavy thoughts from his mind.
"Heehee..." Mina giggled. She decided she would reward that shouting soldier with a few copper coins later.
"Finally, a chance to relax," Elisa added, the tension leaving her face as she smiled.
The carriage came to a halt.
"Let's go." Lucas stepped out, looked up, and froze.
"This..." Mina gasped, her eyes wide.
"So beautiful," Elisa whispered, her hand over her mouth.
"Welcome home, Master (Lord/Lucas)!" Annie, Nicole, and Lucy shouted in unison.
The most striking thing was that they were all wearing makeup. More specifically, someone's makeup was enough to make a person not know whether to laugh or cry.
Lucas's gaze swept over Nicole and Lucy before stopping on Annie. He couldn't help but burst into a hearty laugh. "Hahaha! Annie, you've turned yourself into a little painted face!"
"I..." Annie pouted, lowering her head in embarrassment. It was her first time applying it herself; she had gone by feel, resulting in uneven patches of rouge—shades of pink scattered across her cheeks.
"Honestly." Lucas stepped up to Annie and ruffled her hair affectionately. "You look great even without it, but now you look like a little calico cat."
"I do not!" Annie grumbled, her embarrassment melting away under his touch.
"You all look wonderful," Lucas said to the group with a smile. "Though, honestly, you're all so naturally beautiful that you should leave a little hope for the women outside."
The girls giggled, delighted by his humor. However, those with high emotional intelligence caught the underlying meaning: Lucas preferred a natural look.
In truth, while Lucas liked natural beauty, he wouldn't stop them from using it. The makeup formulas he had provided were non-irritating, using ingredients like pearl powder, indigo, and beeswax, which were actually beneficial for the skin.
"Alright, it's good to be back. Let's head inside. I have many things to discuss, and I suspect you have many things to show me," Lucas said, gesturing toward the castle interior.
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You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
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200 power stones.
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