Beneath a clear azure sky, the waves of the Narrow Sea beat tirelessly against the jagged rocky coast, sending up a low, eternal rumble. Liu Qian stood on a high cliff overlooking the sea. The sea breeze swept into his face, carrying the scent of salt and freedom and stirring his jet-black hair.
He held a precision lens from Myr tightly in his hand, carefully studying the deepwater bay below.
The bay cradled a gently sloping beach, its waters a deep blue-green. Farther out lay waters dotted with islands and half-hidden reefs, the natural barrier of the southeastern Stepstones.
After studying it for a long time, a quiet, confident smile crept onto his lips.
Steady footsteps sounded behind him.
Jelena wore full military attire. Even the sea breeze seemed to skirt around her, not daring to disturb her immaculate appearance.
A trace of fatigue lingered on her face, still dusty from the campaign, but high fighting spirits burned in her bright eyes.
Behind her stood a squad of soldiers who had just completed their takeover duties. They too were travel-worn, but looked spirited, their eyes filled with pride and a sense of belonging to the newly conquered lands.
In just half a month, Jelena had taken over Tyrosh's extensive holdings in the Disputed Lands with astonishing efficiency.
This territory stretched from the coast in the west some 150 kilometers eastward, encompassing fertile plains, rolling hills, and important coastal towns.
Nobles and wealthy slaveholding merchants controlled vast estates and tracts of land here. Relying on cheap labor purchased from slave traders across the world, they grew oats, barley, wheat, and peas for subsistence, along with valuable cash crops, especially the golden autumn pears used to make Tyrosh pear brandy.
When news of the fall of Tyrosh's main city spread, these estate