A/N: Alright, this is something I deeply enjoyed when I read EPIC in the past. Harem Management. In the previous arcs, Nik had a harem barely manageable, around 10 or so, but now, the situation has changed, and to make it easier on me and to develop the story fruitfully, I think that I should dabble in Harem Management myself. So, although the stuff I am about to write may not be well-appreciated, please do critique and let me know in the aspects I still lack in.

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"Let's see~ Umm, aside from me, your first fiancee," Stating her position with glee once again, Lanruo looked at the group of girls. Now, it seemed like every day, their dinner would end up as a picnic. After all, the dining table couldn't hold so many women. While Nik sat in the middle of a rather loose circle with Klas always to his left and now Elsa taking his right, Lanruo continued, "One... two... three..." he gaze lingered on every single woman, "Well," Lanruo pouted, "Should you really just have sixteen women in one house?!" Her inquiry struck home as Nik silently ate. His gaze suddenly fell on Moon diving into a patch of bush before bouncing out with a small smirk on her whiskered face. Then, looking at everyone, Nik nodded in understanding.

"It is true that such living conditions may not be extremely suitable, but I don't see any problem in living in one building. It's not like any of you have to share your privacy with others. And, it is far more convenient and, not to mention, safer, if we all live together," Nik stated as Lanruo couldn't help but feel the situation extremely 'disorganized.' "Umm," Ryu'er whispered, her cheeks puffed up by the rather chunky piece of meat, "can't we just have 'sections.' Like, we—"

Before Ryu'er could complete, Lanruo interjected with a bright expression. Since the girls were only slowly warming to each other, Nik didn't mind most of them staying silent.

"That's right... we could do that! Aside from Nik, our interests have to align with someone else! And, I am usually pretty bored after the classes and these days have been horrifying! Since my playmate is spending more time with her fiance, I am left with nothing else to do... so... how about we form an inner club... as a no-Nik zone?"

The concept of club was still new to the girls but since Nik didn't hide the truly sensitive pieces of information, they pretty much knew the benefits of the club but without experiencing it, they still looked a little doubtful. Meanwhile, Nik's brows twitched by the 'No-Nik' zone... what is he to do then? Recruit more girls for the club while they engage in pleasantries.

"Or, you could work in completing the city and get used to Dream Core..." Sky muttered. When the time counts, Nik is far reliable than the horn dog she knew in her previous incarnation... but some things still hadn't changed quite largely. Nik instantly agreed on completing the city. Aside from a few important things, such as setting up the 'sense' sync and adjusting the time within the consciousness realm since he wanted Mitsuko and others to be able to communicate with him 'face-to-face,' Nik needed to find a way to bypass the temporal situation. The addition of Dream Core would help Nik in this matter and the Nightmare Demon Pot seemed timely, too.

Still...

"No, no, no... I need to be there... feeling left out sucks. How about this, we do form a club, but, I won't interact as a member but an employee?"

His words pulled a confused frown from others as an image of Nik in a form-fitting white shirt, black pants and a black waistcoat appeared in their mind. His untamed hair was slicked back, a bowtie hung over his collars followed by his sleeves neatly folded up to his forearms, making the girls slightly heated due to the image itself.

"How would you like to employ the bartender Nik?"

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{Sorry for another author's note: Since the club and the consciousness realm is basically a slice of life, aside for the lip service that it exists in canon, I'll transfer the stories to Daily Life of Nik series~}

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Ning'er woke up to slightly hurried knocks. She hadn't been feeling well. Rubbing her eyes while the events of last night that effectively restricted her apprenticeship to Nik due to his rather rowdy action against the entire aristocratic society. The Heavenly Marks Family had their women taken away, not only that, a few information sources stated that Nik had robbed the family somehow, the news was still slightly blurry as Nie Hai refused to answer even to the elders. Finally, it wasn't the act that displayed her master's virility that made Xiao Yunfeng take this decision but the unanimous union of all the aristocrats to finally suppress the threat named— Glory Center. That's right, it wasn't even about Nik in the first place. So what his reputation would take a hit... in a few groups, Nik's popularity, and trend could not be stopped, and seeing the youths of their city the most affected by the youngest and the strongest presence, the overlords of the city had decided to take a step back.

However, using Nik to attack Glory Center from the shadows was a completely different matter. The establishment of Glory Center and the prices they claim to enforce would kick at too many hungry stomachs to bear and now, the aristocratic society had the best excuse to target the lone woman that ran something that could possibly grow into a hegemony of its own. Ning'er realized all this without her father putting the reasons bluntly. Taking her away from Nik was, in her father's eyes, a method to protect her. Aristocrats use far crueler means to abolish their competitions and while Ning'er didn't know all of them, she knew plenty enough to understand how a 'woman' can be 'turned' into a sour spot.

As a noble, she had her fair share of sex ed, after all.

"Ning'er! Open the door quickly!" Her father's tone sounded far more anxious, eliciting Ning'er to move quickly and the moment she opened the door, Xiao Yunfeng fell on his knees, sobbing, with a slightly bruised face while Nik stood behind him, followed by a Ziyun and Xiao Xue, who had the strangest of expression.

"M-master?" Ning'er stammered. Understanding how immodest she looked in front of her master, Ning'er hurriedly closed the door.

"W-wait a minute! Let me change quickly!"

She shouted, although, Nik didn't mind the loose robe over her contours.

However, Xiao Yunfeng felt his mind buzz as his salvation closed the door to his face.

"Ah... she closed the door... that means more fun for me~" Nik's words were too profound for Ziyun and Xiao Xue, who stood behind meekly. After all, once Xiao Xue's father cried sadly and desperately, she saw the mighty city lord do the same, making Ziyun experience the same confusion that persisted until now. However, if Ye Zong and Xiao Lan would have been here, they would have shared Xiao Yunfeng's pain and opened a secret club. In desperation, Xiao Yunfeng, who had decided to side with the opponents and effectively committed an attack towards Shen Xiu, found the scene melt into a luxurious room. He sat bounded, naked, and helpless. In front of him, on a master-sized bed, a woman extremely similar to the young Ning'er bounced over a shaft that put Xiao Yunfeng to shame. Her bodacious body jiggling and humping the devilish man who Yunfeng had finally decided to target made his heart bleed. 

It was never about respect. Even if Yunfeng decided to target Nik, his respect for the master never fell. In fact, to be able to unite the entire upper section made Yunfeng's admiration towards Nik soar. Alas, all came tumbling down with a mountain of grievances by seeing his dead wife, quite alive and getting fucked out of her brains in this world. This hedonistic world that seemed to impale Yunfeng's heart with each moan of his wife. Her condescending sneers and remarks to him, the father of their daughter, truly hurt him and emotionally scarred him. Meanwhile, Xiao Yunfeng couldn't look away. He wanted to, but the world he found himself in didn't agree.

Once again, after getting cuckolded in the world of illusions, Xiao Yunfeng found himself in front of slightly scared Ning'er. For a moment, Yunfeng felt his psyche crumble as he howled and pounced on his own daughter, something, Ye Zong and Xiao Lan didn't commit. With an easygoing smile, Nik activated the gravitational rune etched on his back.

"Aaghhhh! You unfaithful little —"

"Sleep and calm yourself down..."

Nik muttered with a sigh. He didn't actually fuck his wife in real life, did he? Yunfeng should be a good sport and accept the cuck kink Nik just imparted before moving on. After all, Ye Zong and Xiao Lan had a rather outrageous boner at the end of the session of their wives' getting plowed mindless into the state of becoming crazy for cum... in illusion, of course. None of their wives were still alive, making Nik curse the world, too.

"M-master! What happened to father?!"

Ning'er inquired worriedly, now dressed far more 'appropriately.' Nik, in fact, like this world to some extent because the fashion sense of the people of this plane was quite erotic that didn't seem too disinclined to show their skin. Right now, Ning'er wore a form-fitting green-white robe with her legs and arms covered by extending sleeves and stockings, giving her a charming vibe that couldn't be possible in modern society.

"He's asleep... Your father, alongside every single aristocracy decided to target me and your senior apprentice sister— Shen Xiu... well, that is different. I came to understand that you three are not allowed to even attend the institute. That would push your grades back so I came to fetch all of you. It has nothing to do with... well, stupid people committing stupid actions around us."

Ning'er nodded slowly. A better part of her was relieved that her relationship with Nik wouldn't change... bringing her the expectations of the future changes that might... emerge. The other part, however, felt conflicted and as if sensing the conflict of the sweet disciples around him, Nik smiled, "Don't worry, you three. I won't allow you guys to enter the conflict that has nothing to do with you. Now, then, come. We even have to catch up on the training you missed."

Nik turned on his heels before looking back and grinning in a manner that even tugged on the heart of the engaged Xiao Xue.

"Did you guys pack your swimming suits? Hmm? Cause, you'll have to throw them away. My alchemy bath training has a strict, no-clothes policy.

Once Nik effectively demonstrated that targetting him won't amount to much since the news of the City Lord crying had deeply impacted the older generation and made the younger generation crown Nik as the unofficial city lord, he went on to initiate other girls to training. Xiao Ming and Xiao Yun jumped into the non-fighters group instantly as they loved chatting and hanging out with each other more than fighting battles. In fact, the twins shared interest with Elsa's hobby as a seamstress, effectively filling their evening with learning from Elsa and even sharing their own methods. Meanwhile, Elsa requested short training sessions with Nie Yu particularly as she also wished to pass her assassination skills to the archer.

Meanwhile, giving Shen Xiu most of the spirit weapons and the two spirit bones, Nik decided to leave for the institute with his students and the group of teachers. 

On the other hand, as Nik's classes began, the entire aristocratic society felt regretful for trying to suppress the Huyan Family, too. They union wished for Huyan Family to take their support away from the Glory Center alas, mindful of Nik more than a group of old fogeys just wanting to swim in the sea of gold, Huyan Xiong actively built a permanent alliance with the incomplete Glory Center, going as much as to become a part of their organization and pulling forward a new set of employees under Shen Xiu.

In a single day, not only the act of finally targetting the Glory Center failed spectacularly, the act of making three family heads cry literally shook the others in the union to their core and finally, the loss of support from the said families alongside Huyan Family's betrayal finally crumbled the union in a single day. Though the situation was quite funny, none of the aristocrats laughed.

"Lord..." A gloomy elder stood up in front of Chen Zhenlong. "Let me silently take care of that Shen bitch!"

The hall of elders quietened down as Chen Zhenlong appraised Chen Bu with a calculative gaze before smiling. This was a trap set up by the opposing faction that doubted Chen Zhenlong's ability to lead the Divine Family.

"Sure, go ahead. However, Chen Bu, you are a married man with a big family. Once Master Nik retaliates," making sure to give Nik the appropriate respect even without his presence, Chen Zhenlong continued, "I won't try to save your wives, daughters, mother, and step-mothers. This isn't a battle of life and death. We want more profits, that is it. You do not have my blessings for any form of personal confrontation against Master Nik or the people he values. If you do, then, after your death that I'll stage dramatically, I'll turn the women of your family to proper sluts and add another whorehouse under the belt of the Divine Family... anyway, it seems that we do lack such establishment after being targetted continuously by a mysterious assailant."

Chen Bu paled and he looked towards a particular elder with a frightful gaze. However, Chen Zhenlong didn't pursue and issued a deep chuckle.

"Sit down. Next time you call Master Nik's fiancee a female dog, expect me to follow my earlier promises."

The thing this Union leader didn't state was that he simply wished to determine the accuracy of the 'legends' surrounding Nik. It wasn't about the profits. He had enough money to support his future generations quite easily. However, the act of his body not being in control when in front of Nik deeply disturbed him and now that Ye Zong and others cried literally, Chen Zhenlong was satisfied to understand that he couldn't do anything against Nik without an even disastrous loss in exchange, dampening all his fighting spirit.

In a span of a single day, a union of the aristocratic family formed and crumbled apart due to whims of an 'economical' expert, signifying the absolute control Nik unintentionally wielded over the City himself, and that too, after a mere month of his arrival.