“A capital city becomes one sometimes because it is where the King or Emperor or whatnot lives, but at other times, more forward-thinking leaders set their capitals-to-be at either locations of strategic importance, or locations suitable to become a hub of trade, with an eye set out for future power or prosperity. The latter sort tended to be the hallmark of successful nations.” - From a lecture by Garth Wainwrought, Professor of Sociology at the Levain Institute for Higher Learning, circa 601 FP..

“Leaving already? Have a safe trip, ya hear!?” said one of the village’s guards as the wagon rolled out from the village gate a couple hours before noon. “If yer taking the main road due west, there’ll be a fork headed to the north and south after a couple days or so. Take the southern one. There were some wild lizards rampaging on the northern route like a couple o’ weeks ago, and I don’t think they’ve finished fixing the damage yet.”

“Much appreciated, sir. My thanks!” replied the group’s merchant-guide as he nodded and flicked a silver coin at the guard as thanks for the tip. The guard’s hand moved with a speed and agility one wouldn’t have associated with its size and mass and caught the coin mid-air deftly as he chuckled, a sound that most people would describe like that of stones grinding against one another.

“Still a pretty long trip to the capital, huh?” asked Eilonwy once they distanced themselves a bit from the village. Due to their naturally robust physiques, even the dwarven farmers dared to range out a good distance further from their village compared to what most humans would consider safe. After all, there was far less to fear about wild animal attacks when you’re capable of crushing the most common of such beasts with your bare hands..

“About another week in total. The capital is located in the western side of the Caliphate’s territory,” explained their guide with a nod. “We’ll be taking the main road so the travel should be smooth for the most part, and we shouldn’t have any trouble finding places to stay in at night either. There are plenty of villages and towns alongside the main road, and the dwarves keep a tight lid on their roads’ security.”

“It’s one of the things that humans can often be short-sighted about,” noted Aideen. “They always considered the expenses needed for the sort of force that could keep the roads throughout a nation safe and balk at it, despite how a reputation for having safe roads would attract more trade. More trade would mean a thriving economy and more coins from the tariffs and taxes to fill the nation’s coffers.”

“You see, Milady, I understand that. My honored Uncle understands that as well. Trying to convince one of the people actually in power about the benefits though… best case, we get thrown out and mocked as ‘the merchants getting silly’ again,” replied their guide. “We often wonder how people that short-sighted ever made it into such high positions, but that was a stupid line of thought to pursue in the end.”

“Because they’re just born to it, huh?” asked Kino as she got the implication behind the words.

“Precisely so, and they’re all too happy to block others from reaching that seat of power, especially if it’s someone they see as ‘beneath’ them,” said the guide with a wistful nod. “My honored Uncle has allowed our house to maintain a stable position thanks to his many relations and favors so far, but sentiments have changed for the worse since the conquest. Many idolize the warriors and the generals, while merchants like us are left behind by the wayside. We have effectively been turned into a lower class amongst our own people.”

“Ah, the typical behavior of people drunk on their own glory. Not the first time I’ve seen it happen, won’t be the last time either, I bet,” noted Aideen.

While some races possessed a culture that looked similar to such behavior from the outside, Aideen knew the difference. In most said cultures, the people typically split up the burdens between themselves, with each having their own part to play. While the warriors were indeed the most honored, it does not come at the expense of the non-warriors, but more in addition to it. Their idea of glory was also most often a communal one, glory for the settlement or tribe, rather than a personal or familiar one.

In contrast, when she saw such cases happen amongst humans, it was almost always in pursuit of personal or familial glory, often done while purposely stepping on top of others and treating them as stepping stones. Such people even often plotted to bring each other down, their acts of sabotage often impacting their own side negatively. But of course, such people rarely cared, as long as they came out ahead in the end.

“It is how it is, Milady,” said Sudaksina’s nephew with a sigh. “It is perhaps one reason I am most glad to learn that our family’s fortunes are not entirely tied to our home nation. I was a bit shocked at first, but soon understood just how much of a blessing our family has received.”

“You all do what you can, and prioritize keeping yourselves save should things take a turn for the worse in Vusila in the near future,” warned Aideen gently. While any agents in the vicinity would help others as much as they could without revealing their true allegiance, there was no guarantee that there would be any whenever the Empire eventually collapsed in itself. “Those near you should lend your family a hand at the very least, perhaps more depending on who may be around.”

“One thing you can rest assured of, however, is that your line’s continuation will be safe even in the worst case. We do not leave our own people behind, and that is something we can promise you, at the very least.”