It took time for the Harbor Master to make his way to the Town Hall. Time that I used to begin wading through every scrap of information, piece of paper, and jade token that had been stored in the Town Hall. The records from twenty years ago were exhaustive, but anything recent was non-existent. I had hoped to find deeds that had to do with who owned what, what taxes were being levied and to who, what laws the town had codified, and what permits, appeals, and court dockets were pending.

Chon had a barely functioning judiciary, choosing instead to act as Judge himself in most cases. That might have worked if he had any real intent to dispense justice, but his brand of justice only worked to enrich himself or the few sycophants that had managed to gain favor. He didn't care about the daily problems that required justice, and the people that had real grievances and brought those problems hoping for resolution were left languishing.

I wouldn't have the time to act as Judge in order to clear cases, some over a decade old, not when I also needed to incorporate fifty million other residents scattered across my territory. I would have to appoint new Judges, people that were really interested in doing the job.

The tax revenue for the town was a mess, there was none. Considering the location and economic opportunity this town offered, it should have expanded and grown to house at least a minimum of a hundred thousand of those people. That it hadn't attracted more people than it had was as much a testament to Chon's fear as it was his mismanagement.

I needed to find a way for the citizens I had inherited to start making money. Enough money to create infrastructure, rebuild or repair homes and businesses, and create an economy that might warrant the increased traffic in the harbor and dock I now owned merited.

As I continued to rifle through reams of paper, wondering briefly why the town hadn't stored this information on jade tokens to make it easier to access my perception pinged, and I noted a cultivator approaching the town hall that wasn't Yvonne or me.

There were a few scattered around that we had noticed, none very powerful, and I doubted I could detect more than thirty people, each moving out of range as soon as they detected my presence.

Whoever it was approaching the town hall, hadn't made it far along the path of Body Refinement, still immersed at the lowest stage, but for the people of the town, he would have been powerful enough to give them pause. I decided it was best to meet this person outside. If it came to battle, I'd like the town hall to remain standing. At least for now.

I would have liked to have allowed Storm to fly, but I had her standing guard within the Torc World, waiting to see if the two women lived or died. I didn't plan on waiting long, if there wasn't some improvement within the next few hours, I would consider my idea of using the Golden Lodoicea as a leaching agent to heal their corruption a failed experiment.

Storm was too valuable to keep her locked up. Her ability to map as well as her speed would be much better utilized by flying patrols and getting a working knowledge of my territory. Having her stand vigil was a waste of resources and her talents.

"That is Elis Mand, the Harbor Master," Gwen informed me once the cultivator I had detected reached us. She had followed me outside when I'd abruptly stopped reading papers, worried at the abruptness of my actions. I was beginning to understand why she had been selected as a counselor by the people of her district.

She was tenacious, even in the face of fear she refused to back down or cower, and would do her duty, as she saw it. No matter how unpleasant or dangerous that duty might be.

"Gwen," he said ignoring me completely, "this better be important, I have two ships that have docked and need to be seen too."

The fact that he would ignore my presence spoke to how poorly trained and developed his Qi perception must be. To ignore a more powerful cultivator was a mistake and could be taken as an insult. Most cultivators would be quick to respond to the perceived insult.

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I wasn't so enamored with my own importance that I would see insult where there was none, but I had a feeling this man was so used to having his way that he would dare an insult if he had known who I was. Gwen was a known variable, and she had been the one to send a runner to fetch him, so she was forced to bear the brunt of his anger.

"I had you summoned," I answered, gaining his attention and focusing his anger towards me. I didn't want Gwen injured because this man was part of Chon's power structure.

"You?

"Who are you?

"Gwen, what is going on?" He demanded.

"I am Baroness Jai Myche of Fief Myche. This town, these lands, these people. They are mine now. The territory stone has been placed and activated, and I have established this town as Xiwang, the capital of Fief Myche.

"Gwen was present when I removed Chon from his position as Lord of this town and was kind enough to fill me in on how the town political structure was organized and who ran what division.

"The meeting we are about to hold will determine if you retain your position as Harbor-master."

He didn't like hearing that, his face telegraphing his anger before he managed to gain control and hide his feelings. I had to give him some credit. He was smarter than Braun had ever been, except for that brief flash of anger he was able to gain control and keep from reacting.

It made me think better of him, barely. Not so much that I would automatically keep him in his position, but enough to at least give him a fair hearing. I would hold judgment and see how he explained the out-of-the-ordinary traffic that the docks in this town warranted. He had to know of the smuggling operation.

If he admitted to knowing about the smuggling, I might keep him. I might even promote him if he was willing to share real information about the smuggling ring. When it started, how the goods were moved, and who the main actors involved were.

"Elis is the last to arrive," Gwen informed me, "the other councilors are waiting in chambers."

I followed Gwen, not caring that it left my back exposed to Elis. If he were more powerful, my actions would have been fool-hardy, even deadly, but there was nothing he could do at his present tier to really hurt me. As a Body Refinement cultivator, he was simply not fast enough that my perception wouldn't inform me of an attack and give me time to respond.

"Baroness allow me to introduce, Council Member Fester, Council Member Mauve, Council Member Lyle, and Guard Commander Faun Belize," Gwen was quick to make introductions once we entered, each person reacting to their name being mentioned with a simple Wai.

There were three tables arranged in a reversed 'U' pattern, with seating arranged so that the top of the 'U' had only one chair. The position currently claimed by Council Member Lyle. From Gwen's description of Council Membership, I could only guess that he was the member appointed by Chon, the person tasked with controlling the council allowing Chon to maintain his grasp on the town.

I didn't plan on creating a dictatorship where I ruled by fiat, but I was going to root out the corruption that Lord Chon had allowed and encouraged to fester throughout this town. I had too vast an area to control, too many people now relying on me to waste time with people that were known agents of corruption.

I would see agents of change installed, instead.

"Lyle is the Council Member appointed by Chon?" I asked Gwen to make sure before acting.

"He is."

"In case it isn't evident, Lord Chon no longer rules. I refuse to ignore the neglect that has been allowed to fester throughout this city. For some of you, that neglect may have been a product of being ignored by Chon and his toady. For others, you may have actively participated.

"I will be investigating to determine which side each of you falls on.

"But for now. Lyle, you are banished. You have a week to leave my territory. Book passage on one of the ships at dock, find someone to escort you across the land, speak with the Hindel and ask for safe harbor. I don't care how you do it. Just do it.

"I will have your possessions searched before you leave, and any property or resources that should rightly be part of the town's coffers will be reclaimed.

"If you are still within Fief Myche one week from now, you will be executed."

The concept of prisons had never really taken hold on Shijie. Probably because Elves were so long-lived. A life sentence might mean the government would need to hold, house, and feed a person upwards of hundreds of years.

That kind of imprisonment simply wasn't sustainable. Justice still existed, but it was more punitive in nature. Fines, confiscation of monies and properties, and exile. The world was dangerous, and a person forced out of a barony without procuring signed papers of immigration would never be accepted as a citizen anywhere else.

They could live, but it would be a harsh life, trying to exist on the fringes of claimed land or escape to places like the island where the Empire held no sway until now.