Snow fell thick over the northern peaks as I stood on the highest tower of Shadow Gorge. Below me stretched my new land—the twenty cities now united under one banner, their lights flickering like stars against the frozen earth. No longer a duke's province, but a sovereign nation. The Heavenly Domain of Freedom.
Word had spread fast. Merchants whispered in taverns. Scouts from distant kingdoms peered from hilltops. Even the Li Empire's envoys lingered at the borders, unsure if they served an ally or a rival. Many called it madness—a single man declaring independence with no taxes owed, no tribute demanded, and no kneeling to emperors or kings.
I raised my voice that morning, letting it carry on the wind to every corner of the domain.
"This land will grow by loyalty, not fear!" I shouted. "No taxes to drain your fields. No tribute to empty your homes. No kneeling to distant thrones. Here, you build for yourselves—and for those who come after."
The crowds below—farmers, soldiers, blacksmiths—fell silent at first. Then cheers rose, ragged but real. A woman in the front lifted her child high. An old miner banged his pickaxe against stone. They believed because they had seen empty bellies filled, ruined walls rebuilt, and beasts slain before they reached the gates.
But belief alone wouldn't hold these mountains. A nation starts with safety. Everything else follows.
"Security first," I told my commanders that night in the war hall. Maps glowed under crystal lights. Yue Zhilan leaned on her spear. Mo Han's eyes burned like coals. Lin Dao traced lines with a steady finger. General Meiyin stood like smoke, half-hidden in shadow. Wen Zixing nodded from the corner, scrolls piled at his feet.
"People settle only where they feel safe," I continued. "No farm thrives under wolf howls. No trade road opens without guarded paths. We layer our protection like iron scales."
First came the shadows. General Meiyin's Moon Shadow Legion spread like mist through every city and trail. Her 20,000 veiled warriors—experts in disguise and silent kills—wove an invisible web. Mist Eyes watched foreign borders. Silent Hands guarded granaries and markets. Illusion Veils walked as ordinary folk, ears open to every whisper of trouble.
"Any bandit pack larger than five dies before dawn," Meiyin said calmly. "Our girls collect whispers from Wu taverns to Huang palaces. No plot forms without our knowing."
Next, the demon borders. Mo Han's Hellfire Legion formed the unbreakable wall. Five hundred crimson-armoured demons patrolled the outer rims, their heat melting snow into steam. No army could breach without flames rising first.
"My boys breathe fire that burns spirit and flesh," Mo Han growled, slamming his fist. "Let invaders taste hell before they touch our soil."
Aerial eyes sealed the sky. The Silver Thunder Drake circled endlessly, wings blotting clouds. Lightning storms followed his shadow, turning clear days into warnings. No spy bird or scouting beast crossed unseen.
Yue Zhilan smiled faintly. "And if any fool tests the heights, my spear reaches farther than storms."
Lin Dao marked the final layer—mortal guards trained from our own people. "Loyalty grows when common hands hold the spears," he said. "We'll rotate farmers into watches. They protect their own homes best."
Wen Zixing added, "Word spreads already. Refugees trickle in from the south and east. They bring skills—smiths, healers, builders. Safety draws them like rivers to the sea."
I nodded, tracing the map's glowing lines. "Good. But watch the Li Empire closely. Father gave freedom, but old habits die slowly. If princes stir, we answer with strength, not words."
Days turned to weeks. The layers worked. Bandit trails went silent. Beast migrations veered away. Trade caravans rolled without escort, bells jingling free. Villages that once huddled behind thorns now lit lanterns at night.
One evening, as snow eased, a farmer approached the tower gates. He knelt with a basket of fresh grain. "Lord Chen," he said, voice thick, "first harvest since the beasts came. Take it for your table."
I took a loaf, broke it, and shared half back. "This is yours. Eat with your family. Grow more. We'll need strong hands for what's coming."
He stood taller, eyes shining. "The south calls you mad. Here, we call you home."
That night, alone on the tower, I felt the weight settle. No taxes meant no gold vaults bursting. No tribute meant no imperial armies at call. But loyalty? That was endless—if earned.
The system chimed softly, blue words floating in the dark.
"Ding! Nation-Building Phase Unlocked. Security Rating: 92%. Population Growth: +15%. Loyalty Average: 87%. New Quest: 'Hearts of Stone to Steel'— Forge a united people."
Yue Zhilan appeared beside me, wind tugging her silver hair. "Madness?" she asked, echoing the world's doubt.
I smiled into the night. "Madness builds nothing. Loyalty builds forever."
Below, fires dotted the valleys—homes safe, families warm. The north listened because it felt the truth: in a world of kings who took, one man gave protection first.
And from that safety, my domain would grow—not by conquest, but by the hands that chose to stay.