Chapter 78

Timeskip, 2 years since the War

Katze, the new city of the Arcanian Empire and its Imperial Capital

With most of the known world unified under one banner and a supreme power, there came peace and the golden age of life.

The loss of lives from the former Theocracy and from the war with the Re-Estize was sorely felt within their former territories but life, humans especially, tend to easily forget once prosperity is promised. And prosperity and wealth followed.

Year-round, the weather was perfect for each matching season. Hard labor was mostly done by cheap undead laborers who were rented from government buildings while all children were obligated to attend school. Anyone who wished to attend with them were also allowed to attend for free in order to learn.

Me: It doesn’t make sense, I don’t understand this.

Of course, I didn’t mean that I couldn’t read the language. My Rinnegan and my pattern analysis allowed me to write like a noble in minutes. What I didn’t understand, however, is how the language came to be.

Me: They speak old Japanese, which is fine…but the characters don’t line up. The strokes and letters form a combination that can mean literally anything. Of course most of the population would be illiterate.

3: What do you propose my lady?

Me: Form a new writing system; one that relies on the pronunciation of the word and use simpler strokes. Do not form any overlaps…actually, go to Alexandria and pick up Korean and Norwegian as a base for the new language system.

3: Understood.

Me: The simpler the language, the faster the people learn. One of the problems english has faced for centuries…yet the government never seem to purposefully try and change the language forcefully.

Diana: Freedom of speech and thought. UK, America, Australia and other nations that have used English as their main language never saw the need to at the time. Their language was already based on sounds and pronunciations.

Me: English has one of the hardest grammar I have ever learned. Compared to Korean, of course since Korean was literally made to be easy by wiping out the traditional characters. Even compared to Chinese before they simplified it. Japanese just has really bad pronunciations…their use of their mouth is limited.

Diana: Every language has their ups and downs. You just need to accept it.

Me: But sis, language plays such a huge role! Every country that has had a fast rise also had something to do with literature. China, after it sent itself into isolation has seen a great decline in literature, and soon the West caught onto them. Romans educated their citizens as much as possible with their revolutionary numerical system and their latin, then they had one of the longest Golden Ages in the history of Earth…250 years of dominance if I remember correctly.

Diana: You’re going to make the language yourself?

Me: Not make it, but design it. People need to ease into it but I’m going to set up some frameworks. Some grammar and base formats which will never be changed no matter how long.

Diana: Boring~ One Piece world was fine without all of us needing to do stuff like this.

Me: One of our greatest mistakes I’ll say. That’s why illiterate people still existed even when school was mandatory. Imagine the potential and the results a good language can bring in after thousands of years.

Diana: Ok, ok. Now, can you just leave that to the Elders and relax a bit?

Me: Alright, I guess the librarians are in on this as well. I’m sure they’ll come up with a good system.

During the 2 years in the Arcanian Empire, there was peace. While in the beginning, much of it was forced and held together by legions of patrolling Death Knights and Valhallan Warriors, as more and more people freely passed between the former borders of their nations, the bias between people stopped as they realized…anyone with money were customers.

Customers they were indeed. Income taxes and commodity taxes was one of the first ones we cut down in every land of the Empire. Using magic, we ordered the forces to smooth the roads, create new ones, and to man (protect) them carefully from bandits and monsters.

To encourage the growth of merchants, we released new types of carriages which could keep the contents inside cool, go faster, and overall better than the previous models which most have used for decades.

The standard and view of Adventurers rose in the eyes of the Public as we nationalized the guild. Each and every Adventurer needed to keep up their standard and the rules were better maintained as each and every patrol on the streets were inputted by that knowledge.

Initially, many complained due to their lack of jobs which mainly included Monster Hunting or guarding things. Now, protecting or guarding were mostly done by renting out Death guards (inferior to Death Knights) or other more reliable creatures from the Government while other monsters were now full fledged citizens of the Empire.

In order to keep the adventurers in business, we sent many of them to uncharted areas of the world for them to explore, map, return and the guild would pay them. Other times, they were free to hunt monsters outside the borders as usual.

Many old adventurers, however, were demoted as the Empire ran a full test on every adventurer they could get their hands on. Basically, the Adventurer would write down their profession (or specialty) and be tested on them and be given their new ranks.

It seems corruption has greatly infiltrated the guild and thus many members had ranks that they did not deserve while others were purposely held low. However, no one was going to be able to bribe their way past an undead mind. Elder liches would report them the moment they suspected bribery coming their way, and everyone knew that.

Slavery and Major Crimes were shut down by employing their own methods. Slavers were stripped of their rights as citizens and made into slaves themselves who would toil under heavy labor by an elder lich for the rest of their lives. Major Criminals such as murderers, rapists, and others were quite literally publicly tortured.

It was harsh, yes, but in a world as underdeveloped as this one, fear was the most effective way to discourage others like them. Of course, the new generation rising in school learned about the inefficiencies of slavery and approached it from a more logical view but the effect of pure psychological terror could never be underestimated.

The people, from an anonymous survey, found themselves happier in general. As their environment was cleaned up (quite literally with undead workers cleaning 24/7), more active as jobs and opportunities rolled in, and less conflict. Most of all, they had a clear comparison to what life would be outside the empire…the Roble Holy Kingdom, or as most people called it in taverns, the Ruined Holy Kingdom.

Multiple times, the Empire has lent their hand to provide aid through food, money, and even military but each and every time the Kingdom declined…until the Empire really did leave them alone. Since then, the Holy Kingdom which did not know how much it had relied on the Empire fell into ruin. Of course, it was still there but the conditions were horrible.

By some gruesome weather, the Kingdom has faced a catastrophic drought 2 years in a row, leaving their crops to almost nothing. People were hungry and seeing people die of starvation was quite common. With all of their customers gone, the flow of money stopped and their economy came to a halt. Their paladin orders barely keeping everything in control as riots of hungry people became a daily thing.

Commoners headed for the church to receive rations but the amount each person got was no larger than a bite. As a result, many left the church in search of new faith…for example the new gods which have descended into the world in their neighboring and prospering nation of the Arcanian Empire.

When people are poor, hungry, and desperate, they turn to extreme measures. In the Holy Kingdom, that would be crime. Even their soldiers and Paladins were starting to go back on their word and oath and aided in the spreading corruption. In response to this, many people decided to make a run for it to the Arcanian Empire. With our soldiers stationed literally inches from the border, we welcomed the refugees with welcome arms. With our soldiers stationed right there, the Holy Kingdom didn’t try and chase their people back…and nor could they expand outwards with them being locked in place. Their only side which wee not facing the Empire was the ocean, and we both knew that they had neither the technology nor manpower to go look for land elsewhere.

Me: It’s checkmate. We wait till they starve.