Chapter 14

Hi everyone, here is the next chapter of this story. Sadly, this story doesn't really progress the story so much as give a look into the day to day of the kingdom. There will be quite a few of those chapters down the road as times change and stuff like that.

With that said the winner in the poll is yes Bushidō will be introduced at some point in the story.

InfinityMask to answer your question Achilles will have his own adventure down the road. Safe the same he won't suffer the same fate seeing as I have my own ideas for him. As for the Cheese-kun statue probably the same things as I would think. What the fuck is wrong with these people lol.

yesboss21 I am not sure how far I will go in terms of power and am going to make a poll on that. I feel I need to even the playing field at some point but will let you guys and girls make decide. But it can be said the North will get something out of practicing their own form of Soto Zen.

The Brazilian Dark Lord I love reviews even bad ones because it makes a story more popular. More people read the more I can get ideas and stuff for it.

RoyalTwinFangs same old song and dance when it comes to that.

Guest 13 I plan for this story to keep going for some time and most likely will even the playing field as time progress. Seeing review to yesboss. As for tech there was already a poll on guns and stuff at the very start of the story. So, there will be no guns in this story but once the world of GOT is done I plan to move to Halo or Mass Effect in a continuation if people would like to see that. At most for this story tech will go a steampunk way if even that. Will need to set more polls for that.

JManM that is why I am aiming for. I what to show the effect of Lelouch and CC but in a 3rd party type of way if that makes sense. The invisible hand moves the pieces forward and all that. So while they won't be in all the chapters they most likely had a hand in what is going on in some way or the other.

Jdota great review and also would take to long to answer it lol but I will cut to the chase. C.C's is more or less the driving force of cultural change in both the kingdom and the world. As for art in itself people for get it plays a big part in human history. So, it always be tossed into the story somewhere. And your right people are never satisfied. No matter how good we have it we always complain. You will see happier moments. Achilles time on the world stage come well after Attila's time. As for the random question I kept Steinporr vague purpose. He will become one of those mythological characters who people don't believe ever existed in the first place or was what the history books said about him. Oh sure Attila was real, and so was Haggo but that is because they left behind evidence of their existence in the form of letters, documents and signatures. None of which Steinporr ever did, nor did he ever tell anyone even his own wife where he was from. One day he was just there and the next gone to the wind leaving nothing behind but stories and accomplishments that only matched by a few in history.

The next poll asks the question how much the supernatural play should a part in the story. A little, a lot or kind of middle of the road? For an example the various gods giving their follows powers to help combat Lelouch and CC.

With all that said on with the story.

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-Urck 37 AMH or 50BC-

It was a fairly normal day today as Captain Irweld Fralfson of the Shinsengumi walked down the streets of the ever-expanding city of Urck. As the trade hub of the kingdom to the east Urck was a bustling city full of all matter of folk looking to make their fortune and that included your typical malefactor. People who would take advantage of the honest folk of the city were everywhere in this city and while the laws were strict enough to make even the most hardened of criminals hesitate to commit acts of villainy you always had those few who would risk it nonetheless. As proven when he had to cut down a thief in the middle of the street when he robbed a man at knifepoint just the day before. It was a tragic event for him seeing as he didn't join the Shinsengumi to kill folk but to protect the city and its people. The fool really should have just dropped the knife and he would have lived. After all, a knife was no match for a katana.

The punishment after all for armed robbery was only ten years in prison along with having the hand said weapon was removed for one's body but at least you lived. But then perhaps the fool honestly thought death was the better option to life at that point seeing as there weren't many people looking to hire a one-armed man. He highly doubted the idiot thought that far ahead however and most likely just that a fool. It's not like jobs were hard to come by and with the fair wage law that was passed just a few years ago a person could easily find a job that paid enough to live off of.

Perhaps there was another reason for why the thief did what he did, but it matted little now. Everyone had a sob story after all and the Shinsengumi did not exist to listen to every one of them. Enforcing the law in equal measure was their job and that was all. It was why they were feared and respected along all lines of society. From noble, merchant, and commoner alike they all knew they had to answer to the law and there were no exceptions to that. It was why he joined the Shinsengumi instead of the army like his brother had. While the army was all well and good, they only dealt with external threats which there were little of at this point in time.

With the failed Rebellion of the Dirt King now behind them the kingdom was expanding internally in all types of ways. New people, new ideas, beliefs and laws were being passed on what felt like everyday basis and the Shinsengumi were the ones who mandated the law. Which was not easy at times seeing as for a time they were understaffed for a few years. Which had allowed criminal elements to dig in and for other kingdoms to send their spies into theirs. So, they had to be vigilant at all times and investigate any rumor of a crime taking place within the kingdom even now when they had more than enough men to go around.

That was why today he was headed down towards the Red Line District of the city. A rumor had been floating around lately about a pimp buying slaves off the black market to use in his brothel. While just a rumor right now it still got his attention loud and clear. Slavery under the law was at the top of the worst crimes that could be commented by a citizen of the kingdom and automatically carried the death penalty. It also required that a Shinsengumi of the rank of captain had to be the lead investigator into such rumors seeing as they had the power to pass out judgment on such a crime without the need for a magistrate.

How it needed to be said that it was not an uncommon thing for a pimp to accidentally hire a slave without prior knowledge. Seeing as the gangs of the cities often used blackmail and threats of violence to make people do work for them for free. That was especially true in the early years after the rebellion when the Shinsengumi were undermanned and gangs control most of the low-end brothels. Well, that was the case till the first of several reformations were passed, some before the rebellion even happened in order to protect the rights of the prostitutes or yūjo which was the legal term for them. Those reformations also set prices, minimum pay a yujo and even ranking system that saw a type of respectability to trade. So, it was now common for well to do men and women to spend quite a bit of coin on women and men who held the rank of Oiran who were a type of prostitute who was for lack of a better term more skilled than you run of the mill yujo or kagema. Nowadays the amount of coin a single low rank Oiran could make off of one well to do client was equivalent to that of what about ten yujo could make in a week.

This meant many brothels, even the ones still controlled by gangs tried to stay legit and on the right side of the law. It made little sense to risk so much coin for little return in the form of slave prostitutes. That was why he didn't really believe the rumors he was hearing about some pimp taking part in the black market slave trade. He was not ashamed to admit that he himself was a regular client to some of the Oirans of the Red Line District. After all it was like he said it was not considered dishonorable even if some of his peers frowned on him in doing so. With his pay he could easily afford to spend time with a Tsukemawarashi which was the second-lowest rank Oirans and could even afford a Sancha or Yobidashi Tsukemawarashi from time to time. And those women knew everything about each other even who had which Oirans under contract.

With that being the case, it took him only a short time to find out the pimp the rumor was about was a small-time owner of a brothel near the south side of the Red Line. Which was where all the lower end brothels were located. It was actually quite rare for such an establishment to turn out an Oirans seeing as to be one that required an education in a range of skills that could cost a small fortune. While the law stated that all citizens needed to be able to at least read and write it said nothing about any other skills. Those need to be paid for with good coins. Anyone who was willing to invest in a yujo like that was not someone who in his opinion would risk it all on something that could see them killed.

Not that his opinion mattered much anyways seeing as he would find out soon enough. He thought as he walked past the border of the Red Line District and was immediately hit by all the sounds associated with it. Drinking, gambling, and sex were the name of the day for this place. Along with any other vice that could be legally brought in the kingdom along with some illegal seeing as the black market called this place home as well. Yet for a place of supposedly morally questionable activities the Red Line District was in fact one of the safest places to visit at any given time. The amount of money that flowed in this area guaranteed a permanent presence of personally hired guards from business owners and gang members. As for the black market it was largely ignored seeing as it mostly dealt in stolen goods and the occasional stolen weapon or armor.

Nothing too extreme most times seeing as most of the sellers were smart enough to realize they were always only a step away from being shut down. Plus, they still reported their income for tax purposes and provided a type of service to the common people. While things were good in the kingdom and jobs paying fair wages that didn't mean people could go about buying whatever they wanted. Some things were just out of the reach of most people but thanks to the black-market dealers they could afford things like fine silks and top end sake. So, for the most part the Shinsengumi were under orders to ignore them so long as they did take things too far. And with the merchants who had their wares stolen getting compensated by the Merchant's Guild for their stolen goods there was no real loss other than time it took to make a claim with the guild.

Spotting the brothel where the rumors were coming from, Irweld put on his business face and walked towards it. He really hoped the pimp that owned this establishment was indeed innocent. He really wasn't in the mood to kill another person after having cut down one yesterday. But if he was guilty he would not hesitate to do so.

"G…good day captain, how may I help you." The pimp says once he sees him enter his establishment. Feeling nervous at the rank he spots on Irweld's uniform. It was well known that the Shinsengumi who visited the Red Line District normally stayed in the northern part of it where all the best establishments were.

"Good day to you as well my good man. Would you happen to be the proprietor of this establishment?" Irweld questions nicely but with a face that is hard as stone.

"That I am captain and how may I be of service to you?" The proprietor asks, still nervous.

"You can be of service to my good man by answering a few questions for me. You see a rumor has been going around lately about your establishment." Irweld says with a straight face.

Feeling himself sweat a bit, "R…rumors captain?"

"Yes, rumors of lets say a nefarious nature. The type that hits at treasonous activities." Irweld says, watching the man carefully. The pimp before him was a somewhat chubby man of pale complexion. They have the type of complexion that came from staying indoors all day long and never really going out unless needing to. His eyes were round and wide with fear. With sweat forming at the top of his head. Yes, this man had the look of a coward and a liar.

"Treasonous? My lord I can swear on my honor that I have no idea what you speak of." The man says looking truly scandalized at such accusations.

A look that Irweld believed was real and not some acted, but all rumors have a hit of truth in them. And while he was finding it hard to believe a man like this would take part in any activity that would risk his own wellbeing, that didn't mean he wasn't guilty of something. "So, you are telling me you have not done anything that could be called criminal or nefarious in nature?"

The pimp takes a moment to answer along with a deep breath as he knows that lying to a Shinsengumi was an ill-advised thing to do. Doing such a thing could see him imprisoned for up to twenty years or more. So, with his head bow he answers honestly. "I…I have taken part in some dealings on the black-market and well…..I"

Seeing the man hesitating Irweld says in a commanding voice, "And what?"

"An…and a man owes me quite a bit of money from a gambling debt. Rather than report the man's debt to the tax office we came to an agreement that his wife would work here till the debt was repaid." The man answers in fear.

A fear that was not misplaced Irweld thought to himself. Before the outlawing of slavery, it was common practice for people who racked up debt to end up in indentured servitude to pay off their debts. Yet now that slavery was outlawed so to was the practice of indentured servitude which was thought of as being the same thing as slavery more or less. Because of that something needed to take its place, there forward debtors' prison was introduced to the masses. A place were a man or women who owed a large amount of money could pay back their debts by doing manual labor for the kingdom. During your time there you would be fed, clothed and paid. Three fourth of which would go to paying you off your debt and one-fourth of would be put to the side till an individual's release.

A good deal on the surface, but in truth was a harsh punishment seeing as the job one would get was generally backbreaking work that paid very little to begin with. Irweld's own cousin was in debtors' prison and working at a quarry for the next twenty to thirty years while his children lived with their parents. As for his wife she was there with him seeing as his debt was considered a family debt and had to be shared between the two of them. Now that wouldn't have been the case if she could have proven that the debt was accumulated without her knowledge but sadly her name was on the loan, he took out. So understandably most tried to avoid debtors' prison by any means they could.

And that went for both parties to be honest. While the debtors would look to avoid prison at all costs the person who held the debt would of course want to make more coin on top of the debt owed. So back door deals like the one the pimp just admitted to were quite common. That was especially true if a man or woman were attractive enough to work in a brothel and rise to the rank of an Oiran. A Tsukemawarashi which was the second-lowest rank for an Oiran cost him one-fourth of his monthly pay which was no small amount for a captain's pay. Depending on the deal cut this man could see over ten times the amount back on top of the debt owed even if the women in question never rose past the rank of Zashikimochi.

Unfortunately for him a rumor about this came to the Shinsengumi's attention so that was out the window now. But luckily for him he was currently in a gray area right now seeing as according to him this deal was agreed to by both parties. So, while technically illegal he had yet to actually break the law. More like bend it to the point of breaking it.

"Do you have a contract proving that the debtors agreed to this?' Irweld asks with a deadly tone.

"Y-yes sir. Give me one moment." The man all but yells then runs to his office past several whores to go get said contract.

Irweld had to say he was impressed by the fat man's speed. While it was kingdom law to keep oneself in shape for combat some only did the bare requirement the law demanded. This man was clearly the type to do only the bare minimum but was still in shape enough to move quickly when needed. When the man arrives back, he sets the contract right down in front of him. Opening it, Irweld quickly starts to go over it.

This wasn't the first time he saw a contract like this, and he had to say this pimp was smarter than most. Interpretation of the law was left to each Shinsengumi member when things entered a gray area like this did. And as he was looking over the contract he was debating if he should arrest the man and couple who signed this. By law an Oiran was to get at least fifty percent cut the total money he or she brought in. Of course, this was negotiable seeing as the higher the rank an Oiran was the more money she or he brought in. A great example would be Lady Kochou or Countess Kochou as was her official title nowadays. A Oiran who rose to become one of only three Tayū in the whole kingdom. She had amassed so much wealth before her retirement that she now owned pretty much every brothel in the capital.

After looking over the contract for a time Irweld had to say this was perhaps the most detailed contract he had ever seen. As well as perhaps the most illegal one he had ever seen as well. On its surface it looked like your standard prostitution contract. Detailing how much a whore would get paid, what her working hours were, and of course her responsibilities towards the brothel were. He even paid her the fifty percent minimum required by the law, but things started to look funny once you got to the end. From what he could tell a number of fees were placed on the women in question in order to allow her to work at this brothel. Again, nothing unusual there seeing as an owner of a brothel did supply a number of items to the whores who work there. But the fees being demanded on this contract were extreme to say the least. If his guess was right the total amount would cost the woman who signed this around a third of her cut of the coin owned to her.

Placing the contract down Irweld thinks about what to do next. Like he said as it stood both this man and those who signed this contract were in a gray area. Not reporting a debt owed was not a crime in itself. This contract however was a clear violation of a number of laws. Yet it was signed willingly by all parties involved. If he arrested them Irweld knew what would happen. The husband and wife would be found guilty of debts owed and sent to debtors' prison straight away. As for the pimp he would get at least then years in prison for illegal dealing. Even though the husband and wife agreed with the terms of the contract the law was not up for interpretation by a civilian. It was a hard line that stated how things were and gave no room for leeway.

But that was in regard to civilians, not the Shinsengumi. Their job quite literally made them interpret the law on a daily basis. After all, he couldn't very well arrest every person who committed public intoxication, vandalism, indecent exposure and other minor crimes he saw on a daily basis. Shit if he did that, he would quickly find himself on the wrong side of the magistrates who didn't like having their time wasted on minor crimes. Unless that person was a repeat offender that was. Otherwise, it was just better for a Shinsengumi's career to let the small things go for the most part.

Handing the contact back to the man Irweld looks at the man in the eye and says, "Alright listen to me you stupid fuck, I have decided to overlook this clear breach of the law. But you have till the morrow to write up a new contract that doesn't fucking break the law. If I come back on the morrow and find you missing, or a new contract not made up I will haul your ass in for breaking the kingdom's anti-slavery law is that understood."

With a face that is ghostly pale now the man nods his head quickly and says, "Yes captain thank you captain."

And with that Irweld turns and walks out of the brothel fully believing the cowardly pimp would do as he was told. But on the off chance he didn't, Irweld would not hesitate in ruining the lives of all three people involved in this action.

(Line)

- Minas Tirith-

It was more of a struggle today than normal for her to keep her eyes open and stop herself from yawning in boredom Kochou thought to herself. She always hated these boring meetings she had to attend at the Shogunate Castle. Sadly, as the Minister of Vice she had little choice but to attend these meetings. Oh, how she missed the good old days when she was just a simple Oiran who was just trying to make her why in life. Well alright maybe not so simple seeing as there was no way an Oiran no matter the rank could have risen to a prominent position inside the kingdom's political structure like she did. But still there was something to be said about the tedium of those days when she only had to worry about pleasing her clients. People just didn't understand the appeal of the simple lives they had till it was gone. Not that she regretted her position or how high she had risen in life that is. After all, ever since she was just the daughter of a tanner she had wanted more out of life. Wealth, power, influence, she wanted it all and had the drive to go get it.

And after years of hard work, she had gotten it all. How she was perhaps the fourth most powerful woman in the kingdom and definitely in the top ten most influential women in the kingdom. Her total wealth already exceeded over twenty million gold coins and she was just past her early thirties. Not too bad for tanner's daughter, turned whore, then minister.

But for all her good fortune she was very aware of the fact that she wouldn't be here without her Kogo-sama. She still found it funny and somewhat embarrassing how that meeting came about. Her father, may his soul rest in peace had passed away when she was just fourteen years old leaving her not a coin to her name or away to make a living. Yet, she was blessed with a pretty face and buxom body, so she did what she had to and became a whore. During a time where the laws on prostitution had yet to be established, she did pretty well for herself at first all things considered. With her wit, and the education that her loving father had kindly provided her with, she had successfully seduced more than a few men and even women to pay her a tidy sum for her company instead of spreading her legs for every dick that had enough coin to buy her. At her height during those times, she saw perhaps only four or five customers every two weeks but still made more coin than a whore who spread her legs for double that number a day.

That type of popularity however turned out to be a double edge sword for her however and before she knew it, she had made a number of enemies. And those enemies weren't just among her fellow whores that were jealous of her success, but also the owners of the other brothels in the district. Looking back now she had been a foolish girl and should have noticed that as her popularity grew so did the esteem of the brothel she worked in. This meant more customers came to her brothel than the others and in such numbers that she was more or less single-handedly stealing business from their competitors. Something that, if she or her pimp at the time had thought about was not a good thing considering the gangs of the district still controlled most of the brothels. They learned however just not in the way neither her or her pimp would have preferred seeing as he ended up dead in an alley with his cock cut off one night.

It was truly a scary time, and she knew she would have ended up dead shortly after him if it wasn't for a whim on part of her Kogo-sama. At the time she didn't know why Kogo-sama showed up a few days after the murderer and was in fact so shocked she didn't remember saying more than a few words to her. All she really remembered was Kogo-sama asking if she was the whore known as Kochou and requesting that she accompany her back to her home. Which she gladly did seeing as the Shinsengumi who were investigating the murderer of her pimp at the time were about to move on. Once they did, she would quickly follow him in death.

Once safely out of the Red Line District she had finally allowed herself to wonder why Kogo-sama had sought her out. At first, she had foolishly believed that it was for the same reason others did but that was a foolish thing to think. To think she believed even for a moment that Kogo-sama desired her sexually was beyond stupid. Oh, sure she desired her body but only for in the way of modeling for her paintings and for some reason her ladyship had gotten tired of how prostitution was being run in the kingdom. Why that was, Kochou would never really know but before she knew it, she found herself being educated in a number of things by Kogo-sama herself. Such as how to play a range of musical instruments, performing tea ceremonies, flower arranging, calligraphy, how to play shogi and Go and a number of other things.

By the time her education was done Kochou could honestly say she was perhaps one of if not the most educated women in the kingdom next to her ladyship herself. And with this education, the laws that Kogo-sama had passed and her favoritism Kochou had moved quickly to take over prostitution in the capital with a ruthless assault that saw many of those who wanted to see her dead killed in turn. Oh sure she followed the law for the most part and taught most of the women that worked for her herself but she wasn't a very forgiving woman and wouldn't settle for driving those people out of business. And she didn't stop with just prostitution. No she moved on to the gambling houses and black market as well and effectively took them over for the most part.

What could she say? She was an ambitious woman, but unlike before she met Kogo-sama not nearly as foolish. While she may have enjoyed favoritism from Kogo-sama that would only go so far to protect her from any backlash she brought on to herself. If any proof ever came out that she had any of her ex-competitors killed or that she ran the black market she would quickly find herself forced to commit seppuku. So, she treaded carefully, making alliances within the government to secure her power base and even got married to one of the lesser King of Power who stayed loyal to the kingdom during the rebellion. And it all clearly worked out wonderfully seeing as she was now a minister and held the noble rank of countess among the new noble class.

"Again, I say a coastal city is needed. For too long we have been dependent on the Ibben for our shipping needs and why because of some deal we cut with them thirty years ago." A fellow minister yells out to everyone in the room.

"A deal that was cut in good faith and one they have both honored and kept to. Are you saying we should just dismiss our honor for profit Minister Achmedjan?" Kochou says to this fool who just spoke up.

While she could agree that a coastal city would be highly valuable to the kingdom, the fact remained that Ibben had kept to their end of the deal they struck with Shogun Narbo. A deal that included a promise that the kingdom would not build a port city within five hundred miles of the city of New Ibbish.

"I would never suggest such a thing, Minister Kochou. But the deal only pertains to not building within five hundred miles of New Ibbish. We could easily build a city outside of that restriction. The City of Ghosts or Vaes Leisi would make fine spots for a city." Achmedjan says.

The suggestion gets some of the other ministers mumbling about this and even a few agreements. That is till, a minister by the name of Shoqadar speaks up. "As the Minister of Infrastructure, I have to disagree with you, Minister Achmedjan. While yes, we are perfectly capable of building a city in either of those locations you forget that they are outside our sphere of influence. Bandits, sellswords and what's left of the Dothraki hordes inhabit those lands in great numbers. The risk far outweighs the reward as it stands."

"All the more reason to expand our influence in the west. I call for a vote to put forward a petition to Tenno-sama and Kogo-sama to increase our military presence west of the Womb of the World." Achmedjan says with a smile on his face.

And there it was, Kochou thinks to herself. Another attempt by the Imperial Lions to declare war on the west. Fucking warmongers, this was like the third time in less than a month that they called for a vote on this. Gods she hated that Shogun Halldora had introduced the idea of voting to present laws and petitions to their rulers sometimes. While better than Shogun Narbo who heard out any proposal that a minister brought before him and Shogun Horero's way of just ignoring any proposals brought to him by the ministers. It was still a hassle to deal with seeing as a vote could be called on for even the most ludicrous of ideas. Like this current one which was just destined to fail again.

Even if it got the one percent majority of the votes needed to pass it was already well known that their rulers didn't plan on expanding the borders any time soon. There was just too much to do on the home front as it was. Roads needed to be built, an ongoing canal project started by Shogun Halldore in her first year was just starting to get off the ground and villages were popping up every other day. War as it were, was the farthest thing from their minds right now.

Still when the vote starts, she holds up a green paddle that signals her support for the proposition. Which gives the Imperial Lions just enough votes for a majority despite herself being a Snapping Turtle and clearly against this proposal. So why did she vote in the positive for it, well she needed a few Imperial Lions to side with her on a proposal of her own. A law to be exact that would make it so the Shinsengumi had to patrol the Red Line Districts regardless if the Minister of Law wanted them to or not. Something that the current Minister of Law had shown he didn't wish to have done seeing as he thought it not worth the time or effort to do so.

Watching as Shogun Halldora gave a sigh of annoyance at the proposal passing she says, "The proposal has passed. Minister Achmedjan, have the paperwork ready for me after the meeting today so I can present it to our rulers again."

Bowing his head Achmedjan says, "Yes Shogun."

"Are there any more proposals anyone would like to put forward before I call this meeting to an end?" Halldora asks.

Standing up from her seat Kochou bows her head to the Shogun before saying, "Yes, Shogun once more I wish to point out that there has been an increase in crime taking place in the Red Line District. Despite my number of pleas and petitions to the Ministry of Law for an increase of patrols inside the districts I have been met with nothing but rebuttal."

Looking over at a grumpy-looking man of some thirty-four years of age Halldora asks, "Minister Devrim do you have anything to say about this?"

With narrowed angry eyes Devrim stands and says, "I respond the same way that I did to her when she first approached me, Shogun. The Shinsengumi are already stretched as far as our numbers will allow. Minas Tirith, Urck, Vaes Dothrak along with a number of outlying towns and villages need Shinsengumi to patrol them. We cannot be everywhere at the same time and so I have had to make some places more of a priority than others. It is really as simple as that."

"And the Red Line District which brings in a sizable amount of income to the kingdom is not a priority?" Kochou asks in a heated voice, finding his excuse weak. It was well known that the Shinsengumi had over three thousand members and that the recommendation for how many should be on patrol at any given time was five Shinsengumi per everyone thousand citizens. Minas Tirith had just passed some seventy thousand inhabitants recently and required only about three hundred and fifty Shinsengumi to keep the peace. The capital itself had over fifteen hundred members stationed in it with the rest split between Urck, Vaes Dothrak and the outlying villages around the kingdom. In other words, he had enough men he just didn't want to send any because he didn't approve of the Red Line Districts as whole. Fucking bigot that he was the man saw prostitutes as less than human and not worth protecting.

"That is correct Minister Kochou. Why should I prioritize a bunch of drunks, whores and gamblers over our more law abiding and wholesome citizens?" Devrim says as he sneers at her.

"The job of the Ministry of Law is to protect and hold up the law of the kingdom for all the citizens of it. Not to pick and choose Minister Devrim." The voice of Ahmed the Chancellor of the Right and a diehard Imperial Lion says in a commanding tone to him. While he was no friend to Kochou and cared even less about the Red Line Districts he was above all a loyalist to the royal family. If royal law called for the protection of all its citizens equally then he didn't care if you were a part of his own faction like Devrim was. He would make sure it was obeyed.

At the Chancellor of the Rights words Devrim has nothing to say and just sits back down. It is clear he is fuming as he does, but there was nothing he could say now that the de facto leader of his faction had spoken. He was well aware of the deal cut for political favors to that cunt Kochou in exchange for a number of votes she could bring to the table for the Imperial Lions who were finding itself split more often than not with their rulers' refusal to go to war. He just didn't think that bitch would go after him like she was.

"Seeing as the Minister of Law is unwilling to provide regular patrols to the Red Line District as he should, I propose a new law to be written up and presented to Tenno-sama and Kogo-sama that would require him to do so." Kochou says to all the ministers in the room.

Voices once again are heard speaking around the meeting room as people discuss her proposal. When the vote is finally allowed it passes with a small majority vote. Much to Kochou's satisfaction seeing as she both cared for the women in the Red Line District and was heavily invested in it. And unlike the proposal to build a coastal city their rulers would pass hers. After all, Kogo-sama had invested some of her own time to improve it. Something she was not known to do all that often.

Now some would ask why she didn't just use her favoritism with Kogo-sama to get something done about it sooner. Well, the simple reason was that she wouldn't be around forever and who knew how long her favoritism would last if she tried to use it to push her own political agenda. If there was one thing she had learned about Kogo-sama, it was that while cared little for politics she was no one's fool. If Kochou tried to use her in any way that Kogo-sama didn't find amusing she would find herself on the wrong end of a blade or worse. Something she would not risk seeing as had something truly precious she needed to protect.

When the Shogun dismisses the meeting, and she leaves the room she immediately spots said precious thing or in this case person in the form of her daughter. Who was currently talking very happily with a surprising person.

Spotting her mother walking towards them, the little girl who was only about eight or nine years old, with long crimson hair and light-colored eyes cries out, "Mommy." Then turns to her mother who bends down to hug her.

"Hello my precious flower. Have you been waiting for me all this time?" Kochou asks, seeing as she had left her with some of the Shogun's servants to watch over her along with the other ministers' children who hoped of forging bonds between the young generation.

"No, Princess Hela found me wandering the flower gardens and has kept me company." Shoukun says to her mother with a happy smile.

"Did she now? And were you well behaved for the princess?" Kochou asks her daughter.

"Yep, and guess what Princess Hela took me to see Smaug and even gave me this." Shoukun points to a flowered style hair clip that was made of gold and red, blue and purple diamonds.

Looking at it closely Kochou realizes quickly that the hairclip her child was wearing was a masterpiece of jewelry most likely made by one of the kingdom's master jewelers. It had become something of a tradition for the kingdom's artisans to give their greatest works to the royal family as gifts in exchange for prestige that came with the acceptance of the gift would bring them. It was also common knowledge that those same gifts would end up a part of Smaug's hoard for protection. Which to was seen as great honor in the minds of many seeing as Smaug was known to only accept the very best of items into his hoard.

"Oh, how wonderful my little flower. Truly a priceless gift indeed and one you should treasure for all time seeing as Smaug is a greedy dragon who would not part with a single piece of his hoard willingly." She says to her child with a smile.

That was putting it mildly. Kochou herself had never seen Smaug's hoard and didn't know anyone alive other than their rulers, the princess and the Minister of Finance who had. There were some who tried like thieves and just curious, but none of those people were ever seen again. None who went into that cave without permission from their rulers were ever seen again and from what the Minister of Finance had told her even when you got permission Smaug's eyes were always watching you. Waiting for you to take a coin that was not yours, so he'd have an excuse to kill you for what he believed was trespassing on his domain.

When it was found out that her daughter had not only seen the hoard, but was allowed to take a piece from it, it would give her quite a bit of clout over her fellow ministers. No matter if she already had the favor of Kogo-sama or not at the moment. It would give the appearance of royal favor for years if not decades to come. Something her family would need when she was no longer around.

Looking back up at Princess Hela, Kochou bows her head, "I thank you for the gift you have given my child your highness."

Bowing her head just a bit in respect, Hela says, "Think nothing of it Minister Kochou. I love being given the opportunity to annoy my little brother and having a child run amok in his horde along with taking something from it did that nicely."

Kochou laughs a bit at that. While not close to Princess Hela by any means it was well known that she and Smaug often bicker and look to annoy each other whenever possible.

"Well, I am sure my daughter was happy to help, isn't that right Shoukun?" Kochou asks her child playfully.

"Yep, oh oh and you should have seen his face. He was all growling and huffing." Shoukun says making childish faces to emphasize her point.

Both women laugh at this and start to walk with each other down the hall and out of the castle. Once they enter into one of the castle's many gardens Hela says, "I have to say, Minister Kochou, you are playing a dangerous game with Minister Devrim."

"Am I your highness? I don't think so. While yes Minister Devrim is a powerful man it is he who is treading dangerous water." Kochou says with a confident smile on her lips.

Nodding her head Hela says, "Yes, I suppose that is true. My mother has invested some of her time into the Red Line District over the years. Something that she does not give lightly."

"Indeed, your highness. He is a fool and a prude who looks down on my girls and I for how we make a living. And while it is his right to do so it isn't his right to pick and choose who the law applies and who it doesn't. His actions are in no small way affecting the overall safety and undermining all the work your mother has done in the districts. Something he will end up paying for if he is allowed to keep it up." Kochou says in a somewhat angry tone of voice.

She hated it when people look down on sex workers. What right did those hypocrites and prudes have to judge her or the women like her? Their trade has been for as long as people and money have been around. If they wished to look down on anything they should look down on human nature itself for making such a trade possible.

Nodding her head Hela says, "So in a way you may have done him a favor."

Stopping to think about this Kochou just now realizes that she may have in fact done him a favor. It was after all only a matter of time before Kogo-sama's attention turned to what he was doing. When that happened, the poor fool would have most been executed for treason. After all, unlike Tenno-sama who almost always let the condemned choose between seppuku and execution Kogo-sama was not nearly as forgiving. No, she was blunt and to the point when it came to dealing out judgment and when that it was pretty much always a beheading.

"Hmmm, I never thought of it that way. I guess I did." Kochou shrugs her shoulders at this, not really caring. "Well, it matters that I got what I wanted at the end of the day. I have a feeling my request for a change in the law will go through much easier than those fools who keep trying to push for war."

"Indeed, my mother and father have already made it very clear they have no wish to expand the territory of the kingdom till things at home are taken care of. They especially don't wish to push things with how things are currently going in Ibben." Hela says to her.

"Oh, what is happening in Ibben?" Kochou asks having not heard anything of any real significance about their closest trading partner and somewhat ally.

"Well as I am sure you are aware, Minister Kochou discontent between the Ibbenese people and their God-Kings over the last few centuries have been at an all-time high. Especially after they were pushed from the mainland." Hela says to her.

"Yes, I have heard of this but like you said it has been going on for centuries now. Has something changed?" Kochou asks.

"Something has changed I am not sure what, but a representative of a group of wealthy guildsmen, ancient nobles, priests, and priestesses have approached Minister Selwyn of Foreign Affairs about a possible annexation of Ibben to the kingdom." Hela says and sees the shocked look on Kochou's face.

"I have to say, your highness, that is unexpected news. Does anyone else know about this?" Kochou asks.

"Not as of yet but news will be getting out soon enough. That will hopefully get those idiots in the Imperial Lions to shut their mouths for a while." Hela said truly tired of hearing about them. Those fanatics were well past the point of getting on her nerves seeing as the moment she joined the government they had been hounding her to join them.

"Or make them worse than ever, your highness. I don't see the current God-King of Ibben stepping down easily. Which will mean open rebellion and violence between him and those who wish for change. I can foresee Imperials using that as an excuse to go to war with Ibben and force an annexation under the pretext of protecting our kingdom's interest." Kochou says thinking of how the news will be taken by that faction.

"True, but I doubt they will get their way. A peaceful annexation would be better in the long run for the kingdom than an invasion, but we will see what my mother and father feel like doing." Hela says to her.

Nodding her head Kochou just goes and takes her child's hand and walks away. Who knew what would happen in the coming years?

(Line)

-Rohan-

It was a bright sunny day in the lands of Rohan as a man looked out over the land around him with his wife next to him on top of a cart full of supplies. It had taken a long time to come this far he thought to himself but finally he was here. He was finally home, on land that he could call his own. It was hard to believe that he, the bastard son of a lord of House Gardener and a servant woman who was chased out the moment she was with child, had come so far. Years of heartache, hard work, and dragging himself through the mud had all accumulated into three hundred sixty acres of land to call his own. To farm how he wished so long as he was able to pay his yearly taxes on said land.

Granted to him by the rulers of the kingdom after he paid for the land in good old-fashioned coin, he could not be kicked off his land so long as he didn't fail to yield a harvest every year. Seeing as taxes were taken out in the form of what he harvested that year so long as he had something to give at the end of each harvest, he could have multiple bad years without worry about losing his land. That was unless he hit the five years in a row minimum that was allowed for bad harvests. But so long as he had one good year during a normal year, he would be fine. And exceptions were made for things like drought and of course when winter hit. Nobody expected a farmer to grow anything during those times. Especially if winter went for longer than a few years.

There were other laws as well but overall this was his land now. Land he could pass on to his children and them to theirs for so long as they wish to be farmers. It made all his pain and suffering worth it in the end. From losing his mother to pox when he was only eight name-days old to being constantly cheated out of coins or robbed blinded by the so-called nobles of Westeros.

That was why he left Westeros for Essos. He had hoped to find a better life across the Narrow Sea in the so-called free cities, but tragedy followed him there as well. For after working his ass off as a builder for years in Pentos he was rewarded with his first wife being kidnapped by some corrupt magister and sold as a slave because someone saw her and wanted her for himself. He had tried to get her back, but no one would help him and when he tried to confront the magister, he was almost killed for it. After he recovered from the beating the magister's guards gave him, he had gone and looked for her, but had sadly never found her.

But after years of looking, he had ended up farther east than most people of Westeros, noble or smallfolk alike had ever gone. Till eventually he found himself in the founded Kingdom of Numenor were he finally stopped looking. Why did he stop in this kingdom and instead keep going? He didn't know, but perhaps it was because he got tired of running. Because that was what he was doing at that point in his life. Running from a lifetime of disappointments and headaches of his life had brought him. He knew long ago he would never find his wife and that world had no place for a bastard. So, he kept running till the day he was proven wrong.

It didn't come all at once mind you but once he settled down in Urck and once more took up a job as a builder he found this kingdom didn't care that he was a bastard. In fact, when asked his name they didn't accept the name Flowers as his surname seeing as they knew what such a name meant in Westeros. So he was Gardener to them and when he asked why they would recognize him as a legitimate son of House Gardener he was shocked when they told him. Any man who refused to take care of his children wasn't a man to them and therefore had no right to say who bore their name and who didn't. It was a pretty shocking experience for him to tell the truth.

However, while being a bastard held no stigma for him being a foreigner did. He wasn't in the kingdom during the Dirt King's Rebellion and was therefore looked on with no small amount of distaste and distrust. That was only at first however and after a few months working odd jobs around the city of Urck he had found his place among them and had even made a few close friends. Who would later on inform him that if he became a citizen he could buy or apply for a land grant to own. Now this was almost unheard of to him seeing as most farmers in Westeros didn't own the land they farmed. That land belonged to the nobility which they farmed in exchange for food, shelter and protection. With few people outside of noble birth actually owning any land or being given the chance to do so.

When he asked how much a good amount of land would cost, he was sadly told that he would have to buy a minimum of two hundred acres and every ten acres cost about fifty silver coins. Not a small amount by any means but a reasonable amount seeing as right now the pay rate was pretty fair. As proven by the amount he got paid which while not a lot was more than enough to live off of. But his modest pay of eight hundred coppers a month was while enough to feed him and pay for some small luxuries was nowhere enough to afford a farm. Not that it mattered if he had the money anyways seeing as he was not a citizen of the kingdom anyways.

Even if he did somehow have the coin, he couldn't buy land for himself. A home in the city yes, but open land was forbidden to civilians. Which was what anyone who was not a citizen of the kingdom was called. To fix this problem he had to become a citizen which was not an easy thing to do. Since the rebellion, mistrust towards civilians was at an all-time high and many laws and restrictions were placed on them to satisfy the citizens. Among them was a harder process to become a citizen. Where before you could just go up to any government building and apply for citizenship that had all changed. Now the only way to become a citizen was to be born in the kingdom to at least one citizen, be either a former or runaway slave, or serve a minimum of four years in the military.

So, the clear path for him to take in order to get his farm was to join the military but again, he found the road blocked to him. For like the normal laws, military laws had threatened to hold him back as well, seeing as they wouldn't accept any civilians without at least a recommendation from at least one active or former military member of a rank no lesser than that sergeant. In this however he had gotten lucky seeing as his boss at the time was in fact an ex-military member that held the rank of second lieutenant before his retirement and liked him enough to vouch for him. Most likely that was because at the time he was courting his daughter but whatever the reason he vouched for him. And once he got out of the military he got his citizenship along with a severance pay of ten gold coins when he left.

Still not nearly enough to afford the farm he wanted, but after marrying his ex-boss's daughter the same man who got him in the military, gave him and his wife a marriage gift of forty gold coins so they could get their farm. It was a gift he would not soon forget and would always be thankful for.

"Something, thing on you mind my love." The farmer hears his wife ask him.

Looking at his wife with a smile on his face he shakes his head. "No, not really. I was just thinking it's really ours, isn't it?"

Looking out over the vast stretch of land before them his wife smiles and hugs his waist, "Yes…yes, it is. Be proud of yourself my love. You did it. You really did what you told me you would do."

"I guess I did, but the hard part comes next. It will take a lot of hard work to make something of this land." The farmer says.

"That it will, but nothing worth having is ever easy to obtain. We will make something of this land. Me, you and whoever else comes along." She says reaching down and touching her pregnant stomach.

The farmer just smiles when he sees her hand get to her stomach and feels a renewed sense of desire to see this farm succeed. Not for himself but for his child and his child's child for hopefully generations to come.

-Iron Gordel boss of the The Yellow Dragons Street Gang 187 AMH -

If there is one thing you need to remember than remember this. Take it as a fucking lesson, you dumb shits. Never fuck with the Shinsengumi. Run scams, rip people off, fucking kill each other and our rivals but never fuck with the Shinsengumi. They are the law and while things may have changed from the early days of the Empire, they can still cut you down in the street like dogs if they think you a threat to law abiding citizens.

- Queen Cersei Lannister –

I have always admired the woman of the Empire Numenor and the power they hold there. From the Witch Empress to Hela Goddess of Death, Shogun Halldora and of course Countess Kochou of the Kou Clan. So, it should come as no surprise that during a trip to the Empire that my father took me and my sibling on to it I speat quite an amount of time with a Oiran. The courtesans of the Empire of always held tremendous influence in it and as a young girl I had wished to know why that was. My education from the septa of Casterly Rock told me that the Oirans were little more than glorified prostitutes. But that begged the question that if that was the case than why have so many of them held prominent positions in the Empire.

To answer that question, I visited one of the few Tayū Oiran of the Empire and can say without shame that I fell in love with the woman. Mind you not the lustful, witless barbaric love that people claim to have for each other but true love. The type of love where every moment feels like a lifetime and every word spoken is the sweetest of wine. By the time the trip was over I had learned so much from her and begged her to become my lady-in-waiting but alas it was not to be. Why trade a life of freedom and choice were everything she had was hers for one of bondage towards lesser men who know not the value of women? Was the question she asked me and one that I wonder about to this day.

-Unknown farmer-

My son listen to what I have to say before you make your choice. Our great ancestor foundered this farm long ago. The bastard son of a fallen house of a people who know not what freedom is. Who do not know the value of a common man's hard work. From birth he was to them destined to have nothing and be nothing till he died with nothing. Yet he didn't accept that and through hardship and pain he walked this world in sorrow till he came upon a land who accepted him as he was. A land were the people saw him as more than just some bastard son to a lesser man pretending to be noble. Who saw his hard work and rewarded him with a chance to be something more. To cut out his place in the world.

And cut out a place he did as shown by this house that we live in now. A house that has stood for generations despite all the hardships visited upon it. On land that was one only three hundred sixty acres big with less than 20 people living on it and is now over two thousand acres big with a village of hundreds living on it. Our family and families we invited to live on it with us have work ourselves to the bone to cut out a living here. So, there is nothing shameful about being a farmer. There is honor in it as proven when your grandfather was rewarded with the noble title of Baron by the Emperor himself. A title that unlike many nobles have had strip from them do not proving worthy of it.

With that said there is nothing wrong with wanting more. You wish to be a great warrior of legend. To fight for our country and its people. That is perhaps the most honorable thing you can do but it is dangers path. One that you may never come back from. So, I will ask you to do one of two things for this old man who is your father. Stay with you family and be a farmer like your ancestors or walk out that do and never look back. Walk with pride and no regrets. That is all I ask of you, my son.

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And that is the end of this chapter. Hope you are enjoyed it. As the story progress we will revisit some of this at a later date. To show criminal element of course the corruption that eventually hits all police type organizations.

Till than leave a review of you options and so on.