Empire Of Souls

Aleks finally noticed her approaching and motioned to all those waiting below the dais that his throne was placed on. They could finally relax slightly and stand at attention without having to bow or remain silent like a statue. There were two sides below the dais and on one were Lenia and Nelay who were followed by a diverse group of Humans and the various Barbarian people. These would be the officers of the military that Lenia or Grobak had promoted. 

On the other side was originally Lariel, and those servants and others chosen to help Lariel with her administrative duties. These were talented individuals that she herself had picked and groomed. It almost looked like an Imperial court, but smaller in scope. Perhaps one day it would in fact be as grand as one. Nonetheless, the atmosphere was certainly not far off.

"My lord, it is good to see you well. I see you have been cleaned up nicely, but must you always wear your mask?" Lariel asked in a soothing voice as she came to stand at Aleks side.

There was a trace of humor in her voice, especially when addressing him. It did not go unnoticed by Aleks, but he didn"t care or show any reaction to it.

"Hmm, oh. I was busy a.n.a.lyzing something and had some new ideas in mind." 

Aleks removed his mask and placed it on a stand which was near his throne and had been prepared for just such a purpose. It was an elegant stand with fine details engraved into it and was crafted for the sole purpose of holding Aleks"s mask. Other than its beautiful craftsmanship, it served no other purpose. As to who had commissioned such a thing, that was obvious. Only Lariel would be so meticulous as to include such delicate details. 

"I don"t like overly fancy displays of power or complicated protocols. There is no need for such a tense atmosphere."

Even though Aleks said that, no one could relax with Aleks being present. Noticing this, Aleks didn"t say any more about it and motioned with his hand for Lariel to speak.

Lariel coughed, covering her mouth once more with her handkerchief and lightly dabbed her lips. She looked especially delicate, more so than before. She seemed to have a slight blush in her cheeks and her lips had turned somewhat pale. The dark and frilly dress she wore accentuated her complexion, which seemed to have never been touched by the light of the sun. She never failed to take care of her hair despite her condition, and her long black hair streamed down her back like a waterfall. Her frail appearance only served to endear others towards her. This was a.s.suming they weren"t aware of how dangerous she was. Those who knew her wouldn"t even look at her twice out of fear. Only Aleks could enjoy this view without worry.

"The construction of the city is moving along well, but more time is necessary for the needed facilities to be constructed. We have over a million people here in the valley now and not nearly enough infrastructure for all of them. Most of the people are Barbarians, so it is only a minor concern for now. The Barbarians are already accustomed to a nomadic lifestyle and can pitch their tents throughout the valley. There is more than enough s.p.a.ce. It will be necessary to acclimate them to a more civilized lifestyle as soon as possible however. We need to excavate for ore, prepare suitable land for farming, and develop several key inst.i.tutions that are a necessity. For example, we will need an organization to manage the exploration and exploitation of the Steppes, including the hunting of dangerous wildlife and creatures."

Lariel continued with her explanation in a detailed and meticulous fashion. This was only the beginning and there was much work to do. Aleks listened attentively and gave out some initial instructions to establish a few key organizations and goals to focus on. It was extremely important to establish an organization for exploration. This not only meant exploring new territory, but also cataloguing all resources. These resources would include plant life of all varieties, ores and minerals, wildlife, and anything else of use. 

The second organization that needed to be established was for the sake of hunting dangerous animals and creatures. Not only were animals and the many dangerous creatures that resided within the wilds an obstacle for the development of a new nation, but they were also a source of wealth and a resource. The materials gained from harvesting these animals and creatures could be used as objects of trade and for the crafting of many tools, weapons, and magical items. They were also essential in a variety of spells, rituals, enchantments and potions. All were necessary for a growing empire.

How all of this would be implemented, he would leave it to Lariel and her chosen subordinates to manage. He didn"t have much interest in micromanaging and knew Lariel was more than capable of handling such matters. Although it pained him somewhat to leave all this work to her because of her condition, this was something she herself wanted. He couldn"t bring himself to refuse her and as long as he provided a steady stream of "Soul Potential" to keep her protected from the curse, she would be fine for the foreseeable future. It wasn"t a permanent solution, but it was all he could do for now.

After Lariel"s report and the discussion afterwards, Lenia stepped forward. Her report wasn"t quite as detailed and meticulous as Lariel, but she was equally as capable.

"Master, after listening to your conversation with Lariel, I have a suggestion. We have many warriors, but not all of them are suitable to be soldiers. I suggest that we split the warriors we have into those suitable for our new army and those who are more suitable to be adventurers, hunters, and explorers. This way, we can already begin building the foundation of these organizations we need to develop our territory."

"Mmm.. this is a good suggestion. You can coordinate with Lariel on this. Lariel will be in charge of establishing these organizations and developing rules and procedures on how these organizations will function. There will need to be in place rules of conduct and proper procedures for the a.s.signment of missions and distribution of rewards."

Lenia smiled when hearing Aleks"s praise and she continued, "We have already trained a solid core for our new army and I have identified many potential talents among the warriors and soldiers. With your permission, I would like to reorganize our army and establish a military system based on modern military doctrine."

Aleks nodded slowly, "I will leave it to you. Make whatever decisions you feel necessary, the military will be entirely under your control. Grobak will be given a territory of his own to manage once he returns from his conquests and be given a t.i.tle of n.o.bility. He will be allowed to manage his own military force consisting of Barbarians to defend his territory, but his army will be placed under your authority in times of war. Hmm.. If the dragons prove their worth, they too will be given a territory to manage as a fief and have similar responsibilities. Note this down."

On the side of the administrators chosen by Lariel, there was a scribe carefully recording Aleks"s words. He was a slave who had been purchased by Aleks before arriving on the Steppes and had been specifically trained for such things. This was one of the many talented slaves Aleks had purchased while in the Federation. Some of which were also standing in the audience hall and had been given important key roles. They were no longer slaves and were now part of Aleks burgeoning bureaucracy. 

"In the future, you don"t need to inform me of your decisions related to your responsibilities. This goes for you Lenia, as well as Lariel. I trust the both of you and you will have absolute authority to make decisions within your roles. From now on I will only dictate overarching goals I would like you to pursue, their implementation will be left up to the ministers and advisors. Our new nation is still small, but as we grow we will certainly need more talented individuals to manage our eventual empire. Hmm, I will also develop some talents on my own. You should understand what I mean. I will introduce them to you soon. I can"t only rely on the both of you and more will be required for important roles, but for now this will do."

With that being said, Aleks abruptly stood. This was a signal that the audience was over and Aleks left the audience chamber after grabbing his mask once more. It wasn"t until well after he left that the many new commanders, officers, administrators, and all those gathered could finally breath a sigh of relief. Aleks"s aura, even when he wasn"t purposefully releasing it, was just too intimidating. He was too awe inspiring and had left many of them without their breath. They were fearful, but at the same time, they held reverence for his might and power.