NTR: Barbarian Harem Conquest

Chapter 163: Morning Tides

Morning sunlight spilled warmly across the ruined desk inside the central keep.

Waking up alone in his bed, Kane stretched his stiff muscles with a quiet, satisfied groan.

Papers were scattered everywhere, blueprints were torn perfectly in half, and the room smelled faintly of nightshade and expensive perfume.

Seraphine was already gone.

Pinned to the center of the wooden desk with a single silver dagger was a small piece of parchment. Kane pulled the blade free, reading the elegant, hurried handwriting.

Keep the city intact. I want a bigger bonus next time.

’She really hates saying goodbye,’ Kane smirked, tossing the dagger into his system inventory with a mere thought.

’Always leaving before breakfast just to maintain her mysterious reputation.’

A translucent blue screen chimed to life right in front of his face.

[Stamina threshold expanded. Agility buff acquired through high-tier dual cultivation.]

’Good to know my efforts are statistically rewarded,’ Kane mused, casually allocating a few passive regeneration points to clear away the lingering fatigue of a very long, demanding night.

Walking down the stone steps into the crisp morning air, Kane found the courtyard buzzing with chaotic energy.

Thora stood perfectly still in the center of the training ring, wearing a tight strip of cloth over her eyes. Three city guards circled her cautiously, holding blunted spears with trembling hands.

Relying entirely on sound and shifting wind currents, Thora flawlessly parried a sudden spear thrust. Twisting her body, she disarmed two of the guards in quick succession before sweeping the legs of the third, sending him crashing onto the paved stones.

"Too loud!" Thora yelled, pulling the blindfold off to glare at the groaning men on the ground.

"I can hear your boots scraping the stones before you even swing your weapons! Stop stepping like frightened deer!"

Sira sat on a nearby barrel, loudly counting a small stack of copper coins.

"I told you boys not to bet against her while she was blindfolded! Pay up!"

’She learns terrifyingly fast,’ Kane observed, offering a proud nod as he stepped into the sunlight.

’Those guards will be elite fighters by the end of the month if she doesn’t break all their ribs first.’

"They are trying their best, Commander," Kane called out, leaning against a weapon rack.

"Their best will get them killed," Thora shot back, tossing wooden practice swords at the fallen guards.

"Get up! We go again!"

Approaching from the southern wing, Firlia and Misha walked toward him side by side. Firlia carried a fresh stack of ledgers, while Misha floated a small wooden crate alongside them using a simple levitation spell.

"Morning, husband," Misha smiled warmly, stopping beside him to watch the brutal training session.

"You look remarkably refreshed today."

"I slept very well," Kane replied, refusing to take the bait.

"What do you have there, Firlia?"

"Progress," Firlia stated, tapping the wooden crate.

"The frost-scaled wagons are finished, and our alchemists have successfully brewed the first large batch of stamina potions using the azure blood."

Kane popped open the crate, inspecting the glowing blue vials lined up perfectly in rows of straw.

’This is pure profit sitting in a box,’ Kane thought, running a finger over the smooth glass.

"The infantry is fully equipped," Firlia continued, opening her ledger to a bookmarked page.

"We have enough supplies to march for three days straight. Should I tell the vanguard to prepare for departure?"

Kane looked out over the courtyard, watching his soldiers sharpen their blades, repair wagons, and spar under the morning sun.

Menual was thriving, changing rapidly from a simple outpost into a genuine fortress.

"No," Kane decided, closing the crate with a soft snap. "We are not attacking Sylvander just yet."

Firlia blinked in surprise, nearly dropping her quill.

"Did the plan change? I thought we were ready."

"Militarily, yes," Kane explained, turning to face his advisors.

"Economically, we are still just a well-armed camp. Wars cost money, Firlia. Occupying an Elven city will drain our treasury faster than a hole in a bucket, especially if we have to rebuild their infrastructure after we break it."

"So what is the new directive?" Misha asked, genuinely intrigued by his sudden shift in strategy.

"We build the empire first," Kane declared, gesturing toward the newly paved roads leading to the outer gates.

"Send envoys to the neighboring human territories. Tell them Menual is opening a neutral merchant guild. We will sell them our excess mana-forged weapons and these stamina potions at a premium."

"They will flock here," Firlia realized, a greedy smile forming on her lips as she calculated the potential income.

"Everyone wants magical gear, and nobody else has access to mythical beast parts."

"Exactly," Kane nodded, pulling up his territory management screen.

"We make them dependent on our exports. We take their gold, use it to upgrade our walls again, expand the barracks, and hire more craftsmen. By the time we actually march on the elves, our supply lines will be funded entirely by the lords we plan to conquer next."

"You are manipulating the entire regional economy," Misha laughed softly, shaking her head in amusement.

"I am managing my territory," Kane corrected playfully, tapping his temple.

"Go tell the gatekeepers to lower the drawbridge for traders, Firlia. Let the northern caravans in. Charge them a small entry tax just for the privilege of doing business in our city."

"And the troops?" Thora interrupted, walking over while wiping sweat from her brow.

"My soldiers are getting restless waiting for a real fight. You cannot just turn warriors into security guards."

"Keep them training," Kane ordered, meeting her intense gaze.

"Rotate them out to hunt local monsters and secure the trade routes. I want every single bandit within fifty miles wiped out by the end of the week. Make the roads perfectly safe for merchants."

"Bandit hunting," Thora sighed, though a fierce grin betrayed her excitement.

"Fine. It is better than standing around here hitting recruits with wooden sticks."

"Make sure they collect any bounties posted by the neighboring towns, too," Sira chimed in, hopping off her barrel. "We might as well get paid for cleaning up their messes."

"Good idea," Kane agreed, tossing her a silver coin.

"You are in charge of collecting the bounties, Sira. Do not let anyone shortchange us."

Watching his council scatter to execute his new orders, Kane opened his system interface one more time, checking his growing resource pools and available building upgrades. He needed to construct a proper alchemy lab and perhaps a magical defense tower to protect the newly established markets.