Invincible Blood Sorceror

Chapter 236: Marriage is not easy

Ariandal of the Bjornnaga clan was young, in her twenties by human standards, but she’d shown remarkable leadership in keeping her tiny clan alive through desperate circumstances. She was earnest and idealistic, genuinely believing that marrying Jorghan offered the opportunity to build something meaningful rather than just securing survival.

Seeing that Jorghan was open to taking wives, she made the same choice that others had made.

Marriage.

Ilysa Rekkah of the Housha clan was older and more pragmatic, viewing the marriage as a necessary alliance but approaching it with professional courtesy rather than romantic interest. She’d been direct about her expectations: partnership for clan purposes, children to strengthen the bloodline, mutual respect, and she wasn’t interested in gaining the affection of Jorghan.

She just needed to do what was required of her.

Jorghan had appreciated the honesty even if the transactional nature was somewhat off-putting.

Jakina of the Nue’roka clan was complicated.

She was the young patriarch’s cousin, and she was aware of the bad blood between the late patriarch and Jorghan. But right now she had no choice. Vel’moth had made himself clear and ordered that she was to become his wife and bear his children.

And so she did, for her people.

And then there was Sarhita.

Sarhita of the Nuwe’rak clan, who’d been furious at him for the partnership announcement, who’d called him arrogant and manipulative, and who’d sworn she was done being available for his convenience.

She’d agreed to marriage under pressure from her father, the Nuwe’rak patriarch, who’d made it clear that refusing would damage clan integration efforts and potentially leave the Nuwe’rak politically isolated within the larger Sol’vur structure.

So she’d agreed.

With visible resentment and anger that hadn’t diminished despite the formal declarations. With the air of someone who’d been coerced into something she didn’t want but couldn’t refuse without causing worse problems.

The marriage ceremony had been tense. She’d spoken the traditional words with gritted teeth. She’d accepted the formal recognition with the expression of someone swallowing poison. And afterwards, she’d made it clear that formal marriage didn’t mean she’d suddenly forgotten her anger or forgiven what she perceived as his dismissive treatment.

And she still hadn’t forgotten the way he treated her when their clans got attacked.

They hadn’t consummated that particular marriage yet. Sarhita had claimed exhaustion, had found excuses, and had made it clear through body language and minimal words that she needed time before she could stomach physical intimacy with someone she still resented.

Jorghan had accepted that. Pushing would just create more resentment, and he had enough complications without adding sexual coercion to his list of mistakes.

He didn’t reject it when they all said they wanted to marry, and suddenly he was eager and looked forward to knowing his extended family, and the thought of having multiple children made it exciting for him. For the first time, he felt like there were things that belonged to him that originated from him.

And seeing that he had six wives from the six clans, a devious plan formed in his mind. He wanted to have an elf from every clan and wanted to breed them. The very clans who made his clan disappear, he wanted to make them come under his control.

He intended to do that very soon.

So now he had six wives.

Two he’d built genuine connections with. One who was professionally cordial. One who was historically familiar. One who was earnestly optimistic. And one who openly resented the entire arrangement.

It was exactly as messy and complicated as he’d feared, and he was still figuring out how to navigate the interpersonal dynamics without creating constant conflict.

*

The unexpected consequence of Jorghan’s six marriages to the absorbed clan matriarchs was how it affected the other major clans.

Madayanti of the Amasurata, Yasoraga of the Ma’ulankr, and Naikini of the Sarpetaretsu had all expressed interest in breeding partnerships with Jorghan.

They’d made their propositions at the Council, had offered strategic alliances through genetic combination, and had positioned themselves as appropriate partners for someone building a major clan.

Now they were processing the fact that Jorghan had married six women from weak, nearly extinct clans rather than accepting partnerships with established power.

The political message was clear, even if Jorghan hadn’t consciously intended it as such. He valued loyalty and integration over raw power. He was building the Sol’vur through absorption and genuine partnership rather than through alliances with the already strong.

It was both admirable and somewhat insulting to the major matriarchs who’d offered themselves first.

Sigora had reported that all three were reconsidering their approaches.

Madayanti seemed genuinely puzzled, she’d offered an alliance with the strongest clan on the Council, and he’d chosen six weak clans instead. Her pride was damaged, but she was too politically savvy to let it show publicly.

Yasoraga was more analytical about it.

She’d sent a message through back channels suggesting she understood his reasoning and respected the decision, even if she was personally disappointed. She’d left the door open for future partnership if circumstances changed.

Naikini had responded with characteristic grace, sending congratulations on his marriages and expressing hope that the Sol’vur would thrive through the choices he’d made. Her message had carried genuine warmth, suggesting she’d actually meant it rather than just performing diplomatic courtesy.

But all three had clearly been caught off-guard by his choices.

They’d assumed that power would attract power, that a rising clan head would want alliances with established strength rather than commitments to the weak.

Jorghan had apparently demonstrated different priorities, and the political ramifications were still unfolding.

*

Despite being at the Colloniel Ruins for a month with several hundred clan members now relocated, actual construction hadn’t begun yet.

The delay was frustrating but necessary.

First, they’d needed to complete full structural assessments of all existing buildings.

Sashru and her Dhra’ckin clan members, who were known for their architectural skills, had spent weeks examining foundations, checking for hidden damage, and identifying what could be salvaged versus what needed complete rebuilding. Their reports were thorough but had revealed more problems than initially expected.

Second, resource acquisition was taking longer than planned. They needed massive quantities of building materials—stone, wood, metal components for reinforcement, essence-infused materials for critical structures. Coordinating supply lines from multiple territories, negotiating prices with various clans, arranging transport—all of it required time and careful management.

Third, there were political complications.

Some neighboring clans were concerned about Sol’vur establishing such a large permanent settlement. They wanted assurances about territorial boundaries, water rights, and trade relationships.

And there was also a more important matter, and it was the money which was the base of all.

Sigora was handling the neighboring clans’ negotiations, but they required delicacy and patience.

And fourth, they were still integrating eight hundred people from seven different clan backgrounds into a cohesive community. That meant establishing governance structures, resolving disputes, and creating a shared culture from disparate traditions. You couldn’t build permanent structures until you’d built the social foundation that would inhabit them.

So the construction remained in planning phases. Detailed layouts were being created. Resource stockpiles were growing. Teams were being organized. But no actual building was happening yet and wouldn’t for at least another few weeks.

Jorghan found the delay frustrating but understood its necessity. Rushing into construction without proper planning would just create problems later.

Better to be patient now and build correctly than move fast and build badly.

Still, he wanted to see progress. Wanted tangible evidence that the Sol’vur were actually rebuilding rather than just talking about it.

Soon, he told himself. Soon they’d break ground on the first new structures. Soon Collonieln Ruins would start looking like a living settlement rather than ruins inhabited by temporary camps.

Just... not yet.

For now, there was planning.

And marriage navigation.

And a thousand other details that consumed his days and left him exhausted by evening.

Building a clan was harder than killing armies.

But at least it felt like progress toward something lasting rather than just destruction of what existed before.

*

As the sun set over the Colloniel Ruins, painting the ruins and red lilies in shades of orange and crimson, Jorghan stood outside his tent and looked over the sprawling temporary settlement that had grown around the ancient structures.

Building a powerful clan, strong enough to shelter several hundred elves, and securing the gold for the construction to start. He was thinking and thinking about what to do next.

It should have been overwhelming. Should have crushed him under the sheer magnitude of responsibility and complexity.

Instead, he felt... purposeful.

Challenged but not defeated.

Building something that mattered, even if the process was messy and difficult.

Nami emerged from behind, moving to stand beside him.

"You’re thinking too loud again. I can practically hear the gears turning from inside."

"Just reflecting," Jorghan replied.

Everyone were busy with tasks and future plans. And Nami was only one who stayed with him most of the time.

"A month ago I was preparing to scout these ruins with two women I barely knew. Now I have six wives and several hundred people depending on my ability to not catastrophically fuck up their futures. It’s a lot to process."

"You’re doing fine," Nami assured him.

"Not perfect, Sarhita’s resentment needs addressing eventually, and you could probably spend more individual time with each wife rather than treating us as a collective.

But fine.

Better than most in your position would manage."