"Are you okay?" Ethan replied, ignoring his sister's outburst of a question. "Did I hurt you?"
"Hurt me?" the girl scoffed. "Don't forget you're a man! That, too, a weakling who couldn't hurt a child! Even Gwen could arm-twist you easily!"
"How could you imagine you'd hurt a trained warrior like me? If you weren't fertile, you wouldn't even be the heir of Cromwell Castle! It's obvious magic was used to boost your strength!"
Her brother observed the jibes about heirdom. Did Ivy want to be the heiress? He shrugged his shoulders at her. "It doesn't matter whether I used magic or any other means to win. I defeated you in the arm wrestling match fair and square, which entitles me to have authority over your body. For starters, let me taste you."
Ivy raised her brows in apprehension. "What do you mean by taste—mmm!"
Ethan stepped forward, put a hand behind his sister's head, and pulled her towards himself. He kissed her on the rosy lips, drowning her words of violent protest.
When the boy finally let her go, she was gasping for air and screaming murder. "You crazy freak! Sleazy lout! Savage troll! Bloody scoundrel!"
Ivy rubbed her lips vigorously and repeatedly on her tunic's sleeve, trying to purge herself of the incestuous exchange of saliva. Ethan saw tears well up in her eyes for the first time in his life. The bitch's pride had been shattered.
"I will expect you to offer your body when needed," the boy told her with a stern tone.
"No way, you creep! I'll tell Mom what you did to me and Gwen! Freak! Creature! Vermin!"
Ethan almost laughed aloud. His sister might be a natural beauty and a prodigious warrior, but her vocabulary was rather lame. Couldn't she come up with something clever to insult him with?
At this point, Gwen stepped forward with renewed courage. Seeing her brother kiss her elder sister, she felt an unexpected pang of jealousy. Why did he claim the rebellious Ivy when the little sister herself was willing to help him? That wasn't fair!
"Sis, it is okay!" Gwen said shyly. "You don't have to offer your body to Ethan if you aren't comfortable. You and him never got along in the past. Allow me to give him what he needs when his life is in danger. Please focus on your training sessions."
Ivy's jaw dropped open. She shook her head in exasperation. "You think this is a silly sibling game, don't you? Having no experience in sexual matters, you're putting yourself in danger! What Ethan is asking of us is something that you do only with intimate partners!"
"He is my brother, and I love him," Gwen declared sincerely. "Intimacy works both ways."
"That is the very problem! The fact that he is your brother!"
Ethan cleared his throat loudly to interrupt the girls' to-and-fro argument. "Ivy… You lost the hand wrestling match. I expected you to follow the warrior code and honor your pledge. However, considering you have no respect for an honorable deal, I will not force you further."
Ethan sat back down and shot her a lewd smirk. "I will give you time until tomorrow morning to think about it. After that, I will take up Gwen on her offer."
"That's never going to happen!" his elder sister fired back, grabbing Gwen by the wrist. She stormed out of the library, taking the little sister with her. Gwen cast a teary-eyed look at her brother before leaving.
Ethan relaxed in his seat, content with the final results. He opened the system interface and quickly allotted his earned attribute point to strength.
[LEVELING]
[PHYSICAL: Strength—5/10]
The boy was now five hundred percent stronger than the original Cromwell heir! He could feel his limbs and abs becoming more durable immediately.
Ethan turned his attention back to the government books. As much as he enjoyed kissing and owning the bully sister, gathering knowledge was also important.
In the documents, he observed that Fondel County had plenty of gold, silver, and diamond reserves. Other precious metals and stone deposits were also rich in the lands. However, nobles like Don Lupin dominated and controlled them.
The Countess did not have her mining team, so she depended on the nobles to carry out the digging and collection. Ninety percent of the proceeds went to the miners, while a meager ten percent was deposited in the royal treasury. The nobles were looting the County's resources in broad daylight.
Velma used most of the ten percent share in the castle's upkeep. She also built granaries and wells in the villages, supplied free rations to the poor, and so on. The Countess' treasury had recorded zero savings over the last five years.
Only half a million gold was left in the stocks, while the nobles got wealthier every day. It was only a matter of time before the Countess was bankrupt. That explained Velma's desperation to woo the Nobles' Council.
Ethan calculated the total value of precious resources in the mining areas. It roughly added up to three billion gold! The corrupt nobles sat on all those riches, gradually scraping off piecemeals and keeping most of it to themselves.
Moreover, they had a monopoly over two premium trade products—slaves, and male fertile seed. The slave trade included worker slaves and the more expensive and premium product—sex slaves. How did Velma allow such a perverse business to mushroom in Fondel County?
The fertile seed trade was supposed to be the most prosperous. In fact, fertile young men coming of age should become rich selling their sperm for high prices. However, the nobles lured all such fruitful men into their businesses and trapped them in exclusive contracts. They didn't even report the income proceeds to the Countess.
The entire system was corrupt and needed Ethan's intervention. All in good time.
The boy massaged his head, exhausted by the long-term reading. He was reminded of the company reports he had prepared on Earth as an office mule.
Ethan wondered if he could do anything to relax. Both Ivy and Gwen needed some time off. What about Beatrix and Athena? No! It was too soon to encounter people who almost caused him a bloody death.
Yes! The boy suddenly remembered Goldie, the bunny girl healer. He was supposed to see her to discuss science experiments.
Ethan rolled up the documents and locked them inside a secure shelf for later. The Grand Healer's office in the medic bay was his next stop.