Chapter 156 - Makings of an empire (1)

After weeks of traveling, an enormous horde marched into a beautiful valley filled with life and vitality. This horde had swelled and grown to an astonishing number as it traversed the Steppes to reach this valley. There were now well over one million from a diversity of races within this horde of people. These were the warriors, soldiers, servants, slaves and tribal people who had either been subdued by Aleks or who had chosen to submit to his authority after the recent events that took place. Some had been lost after the realization of the Ancestral spirit's deaths, while others were subdued by the reality of Aleks's strength. 

This was of course not all of the Barbarians that lived on the Steppes and there were many more throughout that either had yet to submit, or had no desire to do so. It would take time to fully subdue all of the Steppes, but Aleks had already begun his rise as the hegemon of an entire region. Although this region was large and the population numerous, it was an uncivilized and barbarous place. If Aleks hoped to build an empire here, it would require significant investment of time and resources. Luckily, the Steppes did not lack for resources and Aleks did not lack in ingenuity. It was only time which he lacked, but there wasn't much he could do about this.

As the horde sn.a.k.e.d towards the valley, Aleks was being carried by slaves while sitting on his throne. Elite warriors and soldiers surrounded him, keeping a wide radius around him free of everyone but some of his servants, slaves, and subordinates. All others were not allowed to approach and could only watch from a distance in reverence and adoration. This was a man who was close to a god, and he was the man who they worshipped and had replaced their Ancestral Spirits as their deity. Even if he wasn't yet truly a deity, he was infinitely close to one, and in their hearts and minds he was already their god. To the superstitious and mostly uncivilized Barbarians, this was enough.

Even those Humans who had submitted to him who were not Barbarians revered him and willingly served him. All those who had refused to submit or worship him were already dead and their souls become fuel for his power. It was impossible for the others to betray him, because through their submission, he had already developed a connection to their souls. He would know immediately if any did not truly devote themselves to him. This was no different from the mark of the gods that all mortals who chose to worship a deity had. 

Mortals could of course choose to worship different gods, but this was in fact a betrayal. Some gods exacted punishments through their enforcers in the mortal world, while others allowed this. It all depended on the pantheons and gods involved in the process and the laws that the gods themselves had instituted. For the major pantheons and churches, choosing to worship another god may only lead to a loss in level or a drop in class. The system worked somewhat differently for those who served Demigods or Ancestral Spirits. 

Since the Ancestral Spirits the Barbarians worshipped were no longer alive, there were no negative effects for the Barbarians. Ancestral Spirits were also limited in what they could do, but normally they would have the tribes themselves deal with the betrayers. It was similar for Demigods who did not yet have the kind of authority that gods had.

For Aleks, any who betrayed him would have their souls immediately snuffed out if they were within his domain. He was not like other Demigods and his control over souls was absolute within his own domain. Ever since linking with the essence of the Tower of Babel which still existed spiritually in this place, his domain had begun to spread throughout the mortal world beginning from this very valley. It was a slow process and his domain could only spread to the lands that he conquered where the majority of those living there worshipped him. 

"Lenia, do you see all of this?"

Aleks had hardly said anything the entire way back to the valley, so Lenia was surprised when he suddenly addressed her.

"Yes.. Aleks, I see it."

"This is ours now, and one day, it will all be ours. Everything."

Only Lenia, Nelay and Lariel rode at Aleks's side. There were slaves which were carrying Aleks and a few servants to see to his needs, but otherwise the only ones in hearing distance were these few. Grobak had actually been sent with an army east to subdue more tribes.

"Will you be happy then?" Lenia asked curiously. 

Aleks wasn't expecting such a question, but he smiled beneath his mask.

"Why, did you think I wasn't?"

"You always seem so…. Gloomy."

Lariel laughed at her response and said teasingly, "He does, doesn't he? I think the only time I've seen him smile these past couple of months since we have reunited, was when he was about to start a massacre."

Aleks could only shake his head, "I don't have the luxury of happiness."

Lenia fidgeted slightly before gathering her courage, "There is something I have been wishing to ask you."

"Go ahead."

She hesitated once more and it seemed as if she was still considering whether she should ask, but Aleks motioned her once more to speak.

"Your sister...Why do we look alike?"

Lariel snickered before a bout of coughing came over her, but Lenia's question piqued her interest and she looked at Aleks, waiting for his response. Nelay too seemed interested in this and turned to look at Aleks. With the three beautiful women staring at him, Aleks felt some slight self derision. Thinking back to when he created Lenia, he had made her appearance a combination between his mother and sister in this world. Aleks liked to believe that he had a practical reason for it.

"Hmm, I made your appearance similar to both my mother and my sister in this life. It was simply because they were the women I was most familiar with. I have not had much contact with others, except for at a distance. Only their faces have left impressions within my memories."

The three women seemed to give him pitying looks, although he couldn't understand why they were giving him such looks. Were his words somehow wrong?

"At the time, it seemed the most logical thing to do." He continued, but their expressions didn't change. He glanced at Lariel in secret for a moment, but she didn't seem to notice. His first thought back then had been to make her look like Lariel, but since he knew Lariel was somewhere out there, he hadn't done it. That would have been quite awkward once he finally reunited with her. Of course, he originally didn't expect to reunite with his sister.

In the end, and this was something he didn't want to admit, he had made her look the way she did to remember the family members he thought he had lost. He didn't wish to lose any more memories and he was having trouble even remembering the faces of his parents from his original world.

"It feels a little strange. I don't know that I like looking similar to your sister." Lenia finally mumbled uncomfortably. 

She didn't think anyone could hear, but Aleks could hear it clearly. He was a Demigod afterall. Expecting him to understand her feelings about this was impossible though.

"What's done is done. Why, are you not satisfied with your appearance? You are beautiful, isn't that enough?"

Lenia wasn't expecting him to comment on her beauty and a feeling of happiness suddenly welled up inside of her. She also shyly turned away and blushed hoping that Aleks wouldn't see her reaction. Lariel giggled at the sight, but didn't say anything. Nelay on the other hand gave Lenia a look of disdain, like she was looking down on a child. 

Even though their bodies were relatively similar in age, Lenia had technically only been born a short while ago comparatively. She lacked experience, especially in matters of the heart. Whereas Nelay was different, she had experienced more even if she had never had relations with a man before. She had been a slave since young and had received training, but was still technically a v.i.r.g.i.n. Also, her apathetic and cold personality made it difficult for her to get close to anyone so she wasn't really that much different from Lenia, whether she thought so or not.

Lariel on the other hand had lived for an immensely long time, and to her, they were both like children. Teasing them was one of her favorite things to do, and their antics were humorous to her. She didn't even mind the way they would cast unconscious glances towards Aleks out of adoration. Their affections couldn't escape her sight, but she saw it as childish infatuation and found it to be even somewhat cute.