B2 Chapter 44: All HailConquering a city was always a worthwhile venture. Even in the simplest of assaults, the excitement and sense of accomplishment sent Tiberius's heart pounding. Pluto, it was practically the purpose of his life.Subduing it afterwards was torture.It was boring. It was tedious. It was usually far more difficult than it needed to be. And it practically never involved even the slightest bit of excitement. Even on the rare occasion that someone did resist by force, their bright idea was always shot down with brutal efficiency. What chance did resistance have at this point, when their armies had already been dealt with?No, the aftermath of conquering territory was never something Tiberius had particularly looked forward to. There were some commanders who just left it to their underlings, or others who did take some kind of sadistic pleasure in instilling fear among the populace. But not him.Tiberius looked out over the city from the balcony of the baron's mansion. He once again made an effort to keep the population intact as much as possible. Of course, he and his men had to make a few examples, but that was only to be expected. He was aiming for minimal casualties, not zero. After all, with the effort they'd spent to take the place, leaving it as a bloody ruin would simply be wasteful. Not when civilians and laborers were in such short supply.Though he was still considering demolishing the infrastructure altogether. The city itself had no strategic importance and could benefit from renovation. No, the only real important thing was its status as the seat of the barony. So long as the System recognized (...)