Zachariah says "Alright, I will make some extra arrangements to insure that the room is properly secure."

"Thank you."

Zachariah says "You mentioned that there were other things you wanted?"

"Just some basic information about this city and how it works."

Zachariah says "That's easy enough. Hm, let's see. The first thing that makes this city unique is that it does not answer to any nation. Technically we are an independent city state. The city is ruled by the adventurer's association, which is run by a council."

"That is definitely unusual. Is the council made up of adventurers, or politicians?"

Zachariah says "To be on the council you must be an adventurer who has reached the maximum rank. The only way to improve your rank is by fighting demons. So, no, there are no politicians on the council."

"That sounds like it should be a good system."

Zachariah says "There have been a few problems here and there. It is not perfect, but it works for the most part. It is better than most forms of government, but we are not a country. Being just a city state means it is easier to govern."

"That makes sense. It also explains why there are so many adventurers in the city. Are they all members of the association?"

Zachariah says "No, not all. The association has rules and tests that people have to go through to join. The association only allows those with a certain level of skill to join, it helps keep casualties down."

"That makes sense, but how do you tell who is who?"

Zachariah says "You should have seen the symbol on the association's building. Any member is required to wear that symbol on their chest or around their neck. Anyone not wearing it is an independant."

"Oh, alright. I will keep an eye out for it."

Lin says "I assume that it is best to avoid conflicts with association members?"

Zachariah says "It is, but it isn't as bad as you are thinking. The association does its best to be fair in its judgements. It isn't like the kingdoms that you are used to. Don't go looking for trouble, but don't be afraid to stand against it if trouble comes looking for you."

"I have no plans to go looking for trouble."

Lin says "You never do, but it finds you all the same!"

Zachariah laughs and says "If trouble does find you, the law will be on your side. If you get arrested, show your VIP card, they will contact us and I will help settle things."

"Thank you."

Zachariah says "No, thank you. Your business has been of great benefit to our merchant group!"

"Your merchant group has been a great help to me as well. I'd say that we are even."

Zachariah says "The best business relationships are those where both parties profit. So, do you have any other questions?"

"A couple. I am curious about something. I assume that this city exports demon materials, but in my travels I haven't come across any products made from them. Not even in the magic kingdom which I would expect to be a major purchaser of such materials."

Zachariah says "We do export demon materials, quite a lot of them. However, all of them are bought by the two empires. They are also the ones who hire the majority of our hunters to guard their borders. In fact, this city used to be a part of the northern empire."

Lin says "What happened?"

Zachariah laughs and says "Politics. Originally, this city was nothing more than a military outpost. The emperor of the time was quite the fool and the military ended up rebelling against him. The general in charge here refused to rejoin the rest of the empire when a new emperor was chosen. History says it was for the sake of his men, but I don't know that I trust that."

"The history here was probably written by that general. I bet the empire tells a completely different story."

Zachariah says "Most likely. I have never been curious enough to check. Anyway, the general was able to hold off the empire's forces that were sent to retake the fort. As the fort remained free, many people that were unhappy with the empire came here and settled down. Eventually it grew into the city you see now."

"That makes me even more curious as to why there are no walls on the east side of the city."

Zachariah says "There used to be. When this city became independent was not the only time the empire tried to reclaim it by force. In fact, it happened at least a dozen times. It was only as we specialized in fighting demons that the attempts finally stopped."

"You became important enough to both of the empires to be worth being left alone?"

Zachariah says "Exactly. The last attempt to conquer us was a little over a hundred years ago. Part of the treaty recognizing our independence was that we would take down the eastern wall."

"I can see why the empire would want that, but surely the demons have used it to their advantage and attacked from the east?"

Zachariah says "It has happened twice. We met them on open ground and defeated them. Although, they were costly victories. You see, most of the time it is not actual demons attacking us, it is normally groups of demonic beasts that attack."

"So, none of the demon lords has actually attacked you?"

Zachariah says "What is a demon lord?!"

"Something a high rank demon becomes. Think of it as their next evolution. They are much stronger than normal demons."

Zachariah says "I have bever heard of such a thing. Either they did not attack, or the adventurer's association has kept information about them restricted to prevent panic. How is it you know so much about demons?"

"That is part of my secrets. I can tell you that I have fought a lot of demons and even been deep into their territory. Basically, the people I represent are at war with the demons. That is all I can say, please don't ask for more."

Zachariah says "Hm, alright. That is troubling information. It has been a while since we encountered more than a single demon. It has become a common belief that the demons are almost extinct."

"Not even close. The demon lords are able to summon more demons. Probably the only reason you haven't been seeing them is because they are fighting us, elsewhere."

Zachariah says "That's bad. With the demon attacks being reduced, the two empires have started fighting again."