Flames roared eternal in Vulcan's grand forge, heat waves dancing like living spirits. The god of forges stood shirtless, sweat gleaming on scarred muscles, his massive hammer striking a lump of star-iron that glowed with captured lightning. Sparks flew like fireworks, each blow echoing through Shadow Gorge.
"This blade," Vulcan grunted between swings, "will sing your name across realms. Eternal Sovereign's Fang—cuts fate itself. For the man who once freed my fire."
I watched from the edge, arms crossed. "No rush, old friend. Forge true, not fast."
He laughed, beard flickering. "Patience like yours? Rare even for gods."
Outside, envoys poured in—desperate scrolls from foreign kings. Wu's emperor begged for alliance: 'Your steel shields our borders. Share the fire, or raiders burn us both.' Huang's court offered marriage ties: 'Our princess for your weapons. United fronts against Freeport.' Even Freeport's council, humbled, pleaded escort contracts: 'Guard our seas, name your price.'
Lin Dao spread maps across the war table, eyes sharp as daggers. Yue Zhilan leaned nearby, spear propped. Mo Han paced, eager for a blood price. Wen Zixing tallied incoming waggons.
"No taxes," Lin Dao declared, finger tracing trade veins across continents. "Wealth flows from trust, not chains. Without tribute draining us, we weaponise what we have: trade, security, and population."
I nodded. "Speak the plan."
He smiled faintly—cold, certain. "A ten-year vision. First, toll roads without tax. Free passage for merchants, but mandatory beast escorts from our Hellfire patrols. They pay in gratitude—grain, ore, secrets."
"Smart," Yue Zhilan said. "Safety sells itself."
"Second," Lin Dao continued, marking forge icons, "Vulcan's armoury exports. Not to enemies—weapons flow to allies only. Beast materials monopolised: hides, cores, and bones from our hunts. No one matches our volume."
Mo Han grinned. "Raiders feed the forges now."
"Third, escort services. Caravans, ships, and pilgrims—our Moon Shadows scout ahead, and Silver Drake flies overwatch. Premium price, flawless delivery. Reputation builds an empire without swords drawn."
Wen Zixing scribbled furiously. "Population trust seals it. Refugees become citizens, and citizens become traders. Academies train merchant-mages and array engineers. Wealth cycles inward."
I traced the map's glowing lines. "Ten years to dominance?"
"Five to self-sustain," Lin Dao said. "Ten to eclipse the old empires."
Vulcan bellowed from the forge: "Blade's ready!"
We gathered as he quenched it in the spirit spring water. Steam exploded. He unveiled Eternal Sovereign's Fang—a longsword slim as moonlight, its edge humming with void energy. Runes pulsed along the blade: Loyalty Endures.
"Test it," Vulcan urged.
I swung once. Air screamed. A nearby boulder split clean, vanishing into nothingness. Power thrummed in my grip—like holding fate's thread.
"Perfect," I breathed.
Envoys waited in the hall below. I met them sword-belted, aura calm but iron. Wu's man knelt first. "Sovereign, toll our roads?"
"Free passage," I said. "Escorts half-price first run. Deliver flawless, pay in full after."
Huang's princess envoy blushed faintly. "My lady offers a hand in alliance."
"Tell her: trade first. Hearts follow steel."
Freeport's captain bowed deepest. "Guard our fleet?"
"Drake overhead, shadows aboard. Beast monopolies included—our cores for your silks."
They left dazzled, scrolls signed. Waggons rolled out that week—the first exports gleaming under banners. Toll roads opened toll-free, Hellfire demons marching beside merchants. Escorts flew north, south, and seaward.
Refugees swelled markets. Academy kids hawked an array of lanterns. Farmers traded beast hides at a premium. Gold flowed—no taxes taken, but coffers filled anyway.
Lin Dao watched a caravan depart, Yue Zhilan at his side. "Year one begins."
Mo Han clapped his back. "They'll beg alliances soon."
Vulcan hammered nearby, laughing. "My blades start the flood!"
The system chimed softly.
"Ding! Economic Foundation Laid. Trade Network +45%. Ten-Year Plan Active. Reward: Monopoly Seal (Beast Materials)—Rivals pay double import."
That night, sword at hip, I stood atop the walls. Roads snaked outward like veins, pulsing with life. Foreign kings' pleas piled high. No rebellion. No conquest.
Just trade. Sharp as any blade.
Lin Dao joined me, map under arm. "Ten years ahead, my lord. They see dust. We see gold."
I gripped Eternal Sovereign's Fang. "Then let them chase shadows. We'll own the sun."
Waggons rumbled below, lanterns bobbing into the night. A trade-based empire rose—not on blood, but unbreakable chains of mutual gain. The North didn't conquer worlds.
It bought them.