It is never good to claim a title and territory and be greeted by an insurrection within seconds of taking power. I had only just activated the territory stone and exited the Keep before the people protecting the Keep had attacked. I thought their actions idiotic; Lord Chon had no real affection for them.

If I was able to remove Chon as easily as I had, what made them think they could make a difference, now that he was dead? They had to have known there was no way they could win a fight, not when they were using mortal grade weapons without the benefit of martial techniques against a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator.

It said a lot about how desperate they had become, or how afraid they were that I would be crueler than Chon had been. I had to wonder if they would have acted so precipitously if Chon hadn't treated them so shabbily; if they hadn't been pushed to desperation. Perhaps they believed this was a chance to free themselves from his oppression.

If they truly knew the extent of his contempt for them, maybe they would have rebelled instead of waiting for this moment of desperation. He'd had a small army's worth of armor and weapons that his people could have used to protect themselves but had hoarded those items instead. Items that if equipped would have allowed them to defend against and kill tier-one beasts in a safer manner than their current tactics allowed.

Lord Chon was not that powerful. In the end, as his excesses made him all but unable to move or reason, it would have been easy to kill him. I didn't understand why they hadn't, what motivated their fear to leave a man that would kill his own people in charge.

I had blunted their attacks as they arrived, the arrows they were shooting being deflected harmlessly the first attack eliminated. Those guards brave enough to charge, brandishing spears as they screamed in fear, found their footing treacherous as I created sheets of ice to cover the ground. It ended the battle before it really got started, my control over wind and ice allowing me to respond without killing anyone.

I had given them a chance to turn back. But that would have to change if they continued with their insurrection. For the most part, I was able to turn a blind eye. They could argue that they had no way of knowing I was Baroness Jai Myche of Fief Myche at this point. I hadn't declared myself, or even introduced myself to anyone in power other than Chon. The few who were assisting me, Gwen and Hilda did so because of my identity as a Cultivator. They hadn't known I was to become their Baroness.

But the Guard Commander and the woman who had hidden in Gwen's retinue were a different matter. I had noticed her furtive actions; her sending someone to inform the Guard Commander almost the second I placed the territory stone. My perception was powerful enough to watch and listen to the whispered orders being made.

She had sent a message informing the Commander of what I had done and suggested he set an ambush. If I were attacked and killed when leaving the Keep, the territory could be claimed by anyone brave enough, or foolish enough, to dare the array flags I had placed and inject their Qi into the territory stone to establish sovereignty.

They meant to kill me out of greed, and before I could change my mind. Before I could worry that I would begin my reign with blood and murder as my first actions as Baroness. Before I could worry that my moral compass might be compromised by killing those among the guards that were innocent. I struck.

Two bodies, each bifurcated. Both split in half from side to side. Each dead before they knew they had been attacked. Their torso sliding off their trunk as my Tessen sent wind blades spinning in unison, each blade acting like a buzz saw, each blade slicing through flesh and bone effortlessly.

"Jay?" Yvonne said, gaining my attention. Her voice breaking the silence that had filled the courtyard after I had killed. The scene of battle was frozen, every person staring in disbelief and fear waiting to see if I would continue attacking, uncertain if their lives would end this day, each wary that I had telegraphed how I meant to deal with their attack.

I had labeled their actions an insurrection, and although technically true, these people weren't aware they were acting against their rightful Baroness. I wasn't certain how another Baron would handle this, but I was inclined towards forgiveness. As long as they lay down their arms, I would allow them to live.

"Search both bodies," I commanded, thankful that Yvonne had broken me out of the fugue state I had found myself in. I had committed murder, disguised and rationalized as an execution, but murder no matter how you looked at it.

"I want an inventory of what they carried, any item or coin that belongs to them see that their families are compensated. Anything that belongs to the town, Lord Chon, or whose provenance can't be identified, save and I will examine it later and decide how to dispose of it.

"And for those wondering what right I have, let me make myself clear, I am Baroness Jai Myche. I have activated a territory stone and created Fief Myche and elevated this town, Xiwang as my Capital. I had been awarded a Fief and title by the Emperor, and you are all now citizens of Fief Myche's, guards of the Capital city of Xiwang.

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"I rule here. And I will protect what is mine."

Those who heard, including the guards that had just attacked, dropped to one knee to offer obeisance and acceptance. They weren't offering their lives in service, and I wouldn't have accepted them if they had. This was simple recognition, an acknowledgment that I was Baroness, and my word was law.

I doubted they cared that I was a newly invested Baroness, titles weren't something they had dealt with in a hundred years or more. But they had watched my use of Qi and the wind element, and they now realized that I was a Cultivator with real ability.

"Gwen, was this Guard Commander in charge of all Lord Chon's forces?" I asked.

"No, Baroness," she answered, a measure of respect and wariness evident in her voice that hadn't been there when she confronted me in the chambers Lord Chon had used to hold court.

"Send an invitation to the Commander in charge and have whoever that is meet us at the town hall," I ordered. The guards would have to be dealt with; their chain of command restructured. That was just one of the problems on an increasingly long list of problems that needed my attention.

Before I could make any lasting changes, I needed to understand where things stood. I wanted to know who was responsible for what area of civil authority, who was capably executing their duties, and who needed to be replaced. I wanted to know where graft, bribery, extortion, and apathy existed, and how endemic and widespread it had become.

The tasks before me seemed herculean, each new problem another thankless task I would have to resolve. Chon had allowed so much to atrophy and fail within this town, that understanding who was competent was only made more difficult because of how he ruled. I had no real knowledge of the actors involved, those that had participated eagerly, even going so far as to have raided the town's resources, and those that might be effective leaders, like Gwen, that had been fighting against the ennui that Lord Chon's neglect, greed, and corruption had allowed to set in.

I had taken the measure of Gwen and found her competent. More importantly, she seemed engaged, worried, and concerned about the welfare of the people she had been chosen to represent. I approved of the democratic process the town had embraced to appoint councilors, furious and angry when I realized I would have to abolish it.

Perhaps it could be transformed to serve my purpose, but as it stood, I doubted any of the citizenries of the town would have any trust in those that had been selected to govern. It would depend on how many competent people I could find to fill all of the positions a Capital would require before I could decide what type of government structure I would use. Truthfully, the town was too small to hope I would find many talented people. I would have to recruit people from throughout my territory to field a bureaucracy that was minimally effective.

Gwen had had a few whispered words with people she appropriated as runners. Words that Yvonne and I heard clearly with our advanced perception. She had sent people to the Guard Captain, one to each of the counselors, and one to the Harbormaster explaining the town's new status as the Capital of Fief Myche, Chon's death, and my elevation as Baroness. A wise precaution, before informing them they were required to meet at the town hall immediately.

Once she was satisfied that my directives had been disposed of effectively, we continued on our way. The town hall wasn't far from Lord Chon's keep. I suppose it was my Keep now, even though I wanted as little to do with it as possible. The place needed a complete sanitizing and cleaning before I entered and claimed it as mine, but it would have to be done. At least until I could have my own office and residence built. Even then, with the territory stone placed inside, I would need to maintain a presence.

Once I saw the town hall, I realized what I should do with the Keep. The town hall was in as much disrepair as the town itself. Walls and roof rotting, boards serving to patch holes that had been allowed to fester instead of being repaired. Wood so riddles with mold and rot that the entire building needed to be burnt to the grown, the foundation itself dug up and disposed of based on the signs of termite damage my Qi perception found.

I would have the town hall dismantled. What stone and material could be salvaged would be utilized to build a new government center. One where real work could be accomplished, and officials could take pride in their duties. But the town councilors would be given permanent offices inside the Keep. I intended to create a clear distinction between town services, legislation functions, and judicial undertakings.

I was going to have to purchase some blueprint arrays, dipping into my own funds to do so. These types of arrays made construction easier to implement, and faster to finish. As long as the materials the blueprint required were gathered and placed in the area where the building would be constructed, the Dharmic spells invested in the array would do the real work.

Foundations would be dug, water and sewer lines connected, magical infrastructure that controlled lights, as well as heating and cooling, would be automated. Walls, roofs, and architectural flourishes would be constructed and added without any need for Elf intervention. These types of arrays would allow me to rebuild and build the town much faster than depending on hard labor.

"Which department did you want to start with, Baroness?" Gwen asked once we arrived, and she opened the main door for us to enter.

"The whole building is going to collapse around our ears," Yvonne snickered, "are you sure you want to head inside?"

"Would you like to examine the craftsman area instead?" I offered. Yvonne had only traveled with me to gain some understanding of the island; she had her own territory to find and claim, so I couldn't expect her to act as an advisor. The restructuring and auditing of the existing government had little to do with her.

But she was also a journeyman armorer, so offering her the opportunity to investigate the area of town that dealt with crafting was a way to keep her occupied until she was satisfied and decided to head back to the Sect, or venture to other areas of the island.

It gave her something to do, while I dealt with the tedious minutia of government overhaul.