Empire of Souls 136 Next Steps 1

After matters were settled by Aleks revealing his might, many were forced to accept the reality of their current situation. The people of the Steppes were a resilient people though, and more quickly accepted the reality than their Human counterparts from the expeditionary army. The majority of them refused to submit and so their weapons and armor were stripped from them. They had no choice but to be forced into slavery.

The Horde were busily rounding them all up and organizing them into a docile labor force. Of course this meant torturing them into obedience. This was something the tribes would have done regardless once they obtained victory and this also helped them vent some of their frustration and unwillingness.

Not all of the tribal warriors were compliant, there were those who had only pretended to submit and then waited for an opportunity to slip away from the Horde. It was impossible to police everyone as there were over five hundred thousand Barbarians who had survived the war and more than twenty thousand captured expeditionary soldiers. So word of what happened would soon spread and many on the Steppes would become vigilant, but Aleks didn't care about any of that.

Aleks was currently sitting on his throne within a building which was mostly still in tact. It had escaped destruction by his own actions earlier, and also the flames of battle that followed. This was his temporary residence while the matters of the Horde and prisoners were taken care of. He was treating it almost like an audience chamber and there were many Barbarian chiefs standing respectfully before Aleks on his throne. There wasn't much in the way of furnishings, it was a bland room. Certainly not something worthy of one who aspired to build an empire.

These were all of the chiefs who had chosen to submit and any who hadn't, had their entire tribe enslaved. There weren't many who refused to submit after seeing his might.

"Grobak, for now you will be named chieftain of all the tribes of the Steppes. All chiefs will follow his orders. His orders are mine. Is that understood?"

"Yes master!" immediately replied all of the chiefs.

"Thank you master for your grace!" Grobak thanked Aleks respectfully.

They were unsure of what to call Aleks exactly and so they settled on master since it was what Grobak called him. He wasn't a chieftain, he also wasn't yet a god.

Aleks waved his hand casually while sipping from a chalice in his other hand.

"Go see to your warriors. Grobak will give you your orders soon. Be prepared for battle, there is much work to do."

Grobak and all of the chiefs left hastily and didn't even lift their heads to look at Aleks. The various chiefs were completely cowed. They wouldn't dare linger due to fear and reverence. Even though Aleks wasn't yet a true god, he was the deity they now served wholeheartedly.

"Lenia, has Lariel woken yet?"

Aleks turned to look at Lenia who was standing at the side of his throne fully armored. Nelay was lingering somewhere nearby as well, but she remained hidden in the shadows.

"She has mas.. Aleks, but she doesn't wish to see anyone."

Aleks was silent while he considered her words and he slowly twirled the chalice in his hand.

"So are you finally willing to call me by my name? I wonder what brought about this change?" Aleks smiled to himself, but Lenia couldn't see his expression behind the mask.

Lenia was slightly nervous when asked, but she maintained her composure, "I.. don't know.."

She couldn't answer her thoughts honestly. If she told him that it was because she felt threatened by Lariel's relationship with him and she wanted to become more intimate with her master, what would he think?

"I see. Well, it is a good change, but you shouldn't lie too much to yourself."

Lenia didn't know how to respond so she remained silent and kept her true feelings within her.

"Lenia, you should know that I have great expectations for you. It may seem that I have been neglecting you, but this was never my intention. You are, and will always be, one of my most important people. No one can replace you."

Aleks's words were surprisingly gentle and she was not expecting him to say such words. She didn't know how she should act and she felt slightly embarrassed but also a warm feeling took root in her heart.

"Aleks.. I will always stay by your side! Even if you ignored me, I will always be your shield." she finally blurted out with resolve.

"I know."

Aleks stood from the throne and took off his mask, placing it gently on the throne.

"How many warriors have submitted to my rule?"

Lenia quickly responded, "Approximately four hundred and fifty thousand Barbarian warriors have chosen to submit. Twenty thousand have been enslaved for refusing to submit. Forty thousand, mostly former Harkul tribesmen, have been killed for resisting to the end. We don't know how many have fled. As for the expeditionary army, three thousand soldiers were willing to submit and the rest were enslaved. We now have close to forty thousand slaves in total."

"Excellent, it is a good start." Aleks was pleased with her report.

Hearing the satisfaction in Aleks's voice filled Lenia with confidence and she didn't hesitate to report more.

"We also obtained many weapons, armor, and supplies. There are also servants, craftsmen, and others whom have been captured and will be useful as slaves. The amount of wealth we have obtained is significant. These churches are very wealthy and it will be useful when building our own nation."

Hearing her words, Aleks was even more pleased, "You have certainly grown. I am proud of you."

Lenia smiled with some slight embarrassment and her cheeks reddened a bit.

"Don't worry, even though I have made Grobak the chieftain of the tribes, you will fulfill a much more important role in our future empire. This is only the beginning. For now, help Grobak instill discipline in the warriors and train them well. I know for certain that Dragon won't give up so easily. Even though he lost to me on that day, it was only a small victory. He wasn't truly willing to fight me with everything on the line. That lizard is very powerful and will definitely hinder our conquest of the Steppes." Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Lenia saluted and declared with determination, "I will not let you down!"

The corner of Aleks's lips formed a slight smile and he nodded, "Good, I know you won't. Go now."

Lenia bowed her head slightly and left with heavy steps. The responsibility on her shoulders was not small, but she was happy to be entrusted with it.

'I can only get closer to him if I am useful. I will make him see what I am capable of!"

Aleks watched her leave and then he whispered, "Nelay, are you not going to show yourself?"

There was no response at first, but then a young and beautiful woman finally appeared from somewhere nearby, "I am here master."

"Everyone has their place by my side, you are no exception. While it is good to have a sense of rivalry, but don't let it cloud your judgement."

Aleks once more sat down on his throne and placed his mask on his face. He was once more the picture of an expressionless and solemn ruler.

"I don't know what you mean master."

Aleks chuckled, but his actions didn't diminish his majesty. It instead gave him a strange and lofty persona.

"You are my knife in the darkness and my eyes in the shadows. That is your place and one day you will lead many to carry out my will. Even though the Dragonmen army retreated during my fight with the Dragon King, it doesn't mean they have given up." Aleks paused for a moment as he drank from his chalice and continued, "This is as much an opportunity for them as it is for me. Without leadership and the Ancestral spirits, the tribes are headless. Just as I wish to gain control over the Steppes, the Dragon King most likely has a similar idea since his original plan has already been ruined. Most likely, the Dragon King was hoping that the gods would be able to deal with me. He seems to have had some shady dealings with them for some time. Unfortunately for him, things didn't go as he thought. I want you to find where their army has gone and if possible, see if you can stall them in any way. They have a head start on us after all."

Nelay made a sound of agreement and then once more disappeared.

Chapter end