Aison wasn't joking about us advancing slowly. Between the state of the road and Yuld not riding on the wagon, we easily spent over half an hour traveling what I considered a kilometer or so.

And the explanation took even more time than that, as we continued speaking while standing in wait for the actual checkpoint of Chubu's. The one near the pristinely white, covered with plaster that appeared to be applied just today, walls of the city proper. The walls that are referred to as Inner Walls by nearly everyone.

As a side note, I have to note that the information recorded here came not only from our dwarven guide, but Aison also provided part of it, and some other elements I would learn only later, during my stay in the city. Yet, for organization's sake, I will [Record] all of it as a separate piece of my journal, even if both are memories assembled thanks to the spell.

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A brief excursion into the city of Chubu story;

Chubu, one of the oldest settlements in the entire region now called the Kingdom of Neverc. Initially, it was a simple town in the High Anear region of the Litwalian Empire. But, it rose to prominence two hundred years ago when the bountiful mines surrounding Chubu were discovered and subsequently developed.

Minor nobles, merchants, and people looking for a better life started moving into the, at that time village, and it slowly grew to rival the capital of the region, Bid'erah.

A hundred years later, during the [Cousin's War], Chubu's Baron challenged the region's overlord, Count Drabe's decision to support Giselher Teh'Callion's claim, and remained devoted to the throne. This decision, one that cost the Baron's lands, family, and the city a steep price, allowed him to receive special treatment after the war, raising him in rank to Viscount and gaining nearly half of the lands of the now-disassembled High Anear territory.

The previous regional capital, Bid'erah, was razed during the war and became one of the new cities under the King's direct influence, Bigradh. And so, Chubu's Viscount ended up as the highest-standing noble for nearly all the southern part of the Kingdom.

A status that only increased after the events called the [Mountain Opening] that took place 18 years ago, with the dwarven Sharagzian Kingdom opening their westernmost mountain fortress and establishing official contact with the Kingdom of Neverc.

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Chubu, an old city;

Chubu is an old city, and both build and laws reflect it. Under the rule of a noble for its entire history, the city proper was considered something blessed and noble, so only the worthy could live inside. Before the secession from the Empire, the city was surrounded by chattels where the slaves lived. As for the city itself, it was both guarded and resided by the owners of the slaves. With the slave trade mostly prohibited and [Criminal Slaves] being in such a state only for a determined period, it was clear that the mines would require other sources of manpower.

Initially under the promise of good pay, then under command of the nobles, and now even by forced recruitment from the farmsteads and villages of the territory, this need for manpower was fulfilled. Yet, how could dirty commoners, miners, and other laborers be allowed to live on the so-holy land of Chubu's white streets?

While a similarly old city as Megvuroz prioritized the need to house all of its population, even if the poorest of its residents lived in the so-called slums, which were hardly better than a roof over their heads, Chubu did not allow anyone without a significant income, proved by the heavy taxation for owning any property inside the walls, to actually settle down inside, forcing all who could not pay to live outside.

And as the population outside grew, with new mines being opened several times per year with the help of dwarven and even mage experts, a second Chubu was born - the present outer city. It had its own laws and wall, even if it was just the original Barony outer defenses, and by now, easily surpassed the city proper by at least half the size while tripling the population.

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Economics tied to Politics;

Baron De'pae of Chubu, Viscount De'pae of Chubu, Head of the Tra'lae noble family, had been a truly respected man, even by the people of what was now the outer city.

A staunch monarchist during all of his life, he had taken the opportunity to revolt against his direct lord, citing that it was the King who gave his family the title, and so he would follow the only rightful liege above all. Only a few people would add that another reason for the revolt was money, as Count Drabe's thirst for income had gone so far that his vassals ended up paying not the same tenth as to the Crown, but actually the triple!

But no matter what were the actual reasons. After the [Cousin's War] concluded, the now Viscount had found himself rich, powerful, and nearly free from any control. And he started working on improving his lands right away, all while continuing his line of supporting King Roald in both contributions and politics.

De'pae Tra'lae had been one of the staunchest allies of the King in the expanded Royal Council, and at the same time, he always supported the members of the [Deed of Power] faction. He also attempted to better the lives of workers and farmers under his rules. His projects included the rebuilding of the destroyed barony defenses to protect the outer city residents, investing in roads like the [Royal Tract], and so on. Even now, one would hear rumors about him seriously thinking about changing the policies of Chubu, dropping the separation of the Outer and Inner cities.

So, at this point, as Aison well put it, one could only ask, "What the fuck did go wrong?" And the answer would be simple, his heir.

Regretfully, Viscount De'pae never saw most of his projects completed. Dying from age, just a few weeks short of turning eighty, his only son, Je'dacr, inherited the title and lands.

During all his life, Je'dacr had been both the treasure and the despair of his father. Blessed with good looks and a keen political mind, he, at the same time, was cursed with the greatest bane of a successful noble, a weak will.

Able to formulate the best approaches for his father's exchanges, Je'dacr was absolutely incapable of holding them in his stead, easily cowering even before a forceful Baron of his own lands. Thus, since finishing his education in the King's court, Je'dacr spent nearly twenty years as a shadow behind his powerful father. A shadow that suddenly inherited one of the mightiest and most wealthy lands of the Kingdom.

Nearing forty years of age, Je'dacr wasn't even married when he inherited Chubu seventeen years ago. His father never allowed him to freely court any of the noble ladies that welcomed his advances. And not for any reason but the fact that Je'dacr was simply incapable of standing on his own, something that would easily place him under the influence of any nice-looking noble lady and her family.

But, with his father dead and he as the only remaining member of the Tra'lae bloodline, Je'dacr definitively had to marry. Regretfully (in both Aison and Yuld's words), he never picked his bride, being half-coerced into marrying Lady Aldona, the elder daughter of Baron Farald of Old Anear.

Lady Aldona was barely out of age, and a genuine beauty, so the marriage passed with nothing but hopes and blessings. And yet, she quickly found or was told, how to control her husband to dance to her father's flute, Baron Farald, a relative of Count Szalai D'raec, the head of the Royal Council.

Under the pretense of helping to rebuild the damaged Counties, most of the resources of Chubu had been funneled out for several years straight, unseating any local investment plans. Over half of Chubu's soldiers, the Viscount's personal army, were sent to help garrison the "nearly empty" and "dangerous" lands of Count Edium of Lower Anear.

Troops and funds that had been never returned, as they should, and continued to be invested, recruited, and sent, towards lands that had close to no importance for Chubu. Thus, what could have been one of the richest, most advanced bastions of the King, turned into nothing else than a permanent source of income and manpower for the Royal Council approach supporters, the Counts of Central Midhill and Lower Anear.

So, in short, inner Chubu continued to be maintained well, with the Viscount never leaving it. As for the rest of the lands, obviously, everything went down to hell.

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A few extra notes about Chubu's current political state;

As I understood from Zelindo's letter, the local Guild's branch manager should be avoided or at least disregarded. This bit of information I determined to follow was still somewhat surprising, and while I didn't ask anything from either Aison or Yuld, I found the reason from a few of their remarks.

Or, should I say, from the words about Baron Farald's family and loyalties?

Baron Farald had two daughters and no male heir until some years ago. While the marriage between his daughter Aldona and the Viscount was something he was proud of, it had failed to sire any children in these seventeen years, which was a source of despair.

After all, with no inheritor, the lands would return to King Roald as they were given to the Tra'lae nobles by the King himself. As for the original barony, while the Royal Council could propose a new noble line to take over, what did it matter if the candidates would be presented by King Roald, as it was a barony established years before the Council rights?

Still, Baron Farald did count with an heir, one from his other daughter, Lady Arnhild. His youngest daughter had married a rich merchant local to the city, that being her best option as an unlanded noble. And with the help of her father, the Viscount, and several lower-tier members of the Royal Council, this man had quickly risen in rank even in the King-supporting [Cadowden Trade Guild] and now served as the Branch Manager for Chubu (!!!).