“Those who achieve success under only the best conditions are not the ones to pay attention to. It is those who still manage to thrive even under the worst possible situations that are worth one’s attention.” - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.

“So, what is the situation around here… Mister?” asked Eilonwy to the tavern’s owner as he turned to address them after the last guest had left. They had confirmed their identity to him beforehand through a series of quiet gestures when he brought them their ale, but had otherwise remained silent and just watched as things played out in the tavern otherwise.

From what the three of them saw, the tavern owner seemed to be providing the worse-off locals with free food, given how most of his “customers” had left without paying for either their food or their ale. He likely also provided them with food to take home to their families, hence the pots they took away, likely one they brought from their own place to begin with.

As for the funding for such charity, they had no need to think too much, as it was likely something the agent got from the agent who established his lineage in what is now the Vusilan Empire’s capital, and had helped the others affected by the conquests to weather through it. The Lichdom did ensure that their agents were well off monetarily at the very least, though that might be in different ways depending on the place and agent in question.

“Call me Ayub, Milady,” said the tavern’s owner with a slight bow. “As for the situation, I believe you have seen it yourselves on your way here. This place called itself by another name not five years ago, but not all remnants of the old nation has been purged. All that is left is the people, to toil and labor for the Vusilans.”

“They do not treat the conquered like people, but more like cattle or beasts of burden instead. They would force us to work all day for meager rewards that would not even suffice to sustain ourselves. Those that collapsed would often be whipped to death if they could not work anymore, and our so-called masters would trade us around like we were but beasts in their possession,” he lamented. “Some resist them still, but each time an act of resistance happens, ten of us are made to pay the price for every one Vusilan hurt or killed. It is rather demoralizing, to say the least.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“And the rest of the people couldn’t muster together to resist them?” asked Kino rather naively.

“We have little to resist with, Milady. They already defeated our army, and most of the people left are the old and the too young, the weak and the sick. Most of the people we had left no longer had a heart to resist,” said Ayub with a shake of his head. “I try to at least provide enough food for those who needs it most, but other than that, what I can do here is pretty limited.”

“I assume the agent from Baur-Fah assists you with it?” asked Eilonwy. “It can’t be cheap to help feed so many people everyday.”

“Yes, Milady, Good Master Sudaksina helps fund the charity work we run here,” replied the tavern owner. “Part of the reason is to keep the populace alive as best we could, but another part of the reason is perhaps a bit more selfish,” he admitted. “Since another reason we thought of this plan was to help ensure the safety of my family here in Lushan.”

“Your safety?” questioned Kino with an uncomprehending look. “I thought that having a Vusilan in good standing in the capital was plenty to guarantee your safety?”

“He meant safety from the locals, girl, not from the Vusilans,” Aideen cut in before Ayub could answer the question. “Imagine your whole country being conquered, your people treated like slaves and cattle, whipped and forced to work for your conquerors, and you see this one man walk freely because he happens to have connections in the enemy country. What would most people think in that sort of situation?”

“It is as the lady said,” admitted the middle-aged tavern owner with a slight bow. “If we did not help out so many people with free food some of my fellow citizens would likely have stabbed me already, assuming they did not simply take turns throwing stones at me until I perished. As it is, while some people still possess jealousy and resentment towards me and mine, the rest will keep them in line.”

“People under stress often show their ugly side, Kino,” lectured Aideen with a shake of her head. Kino’s naivety and innocence was one of her more endearing features, sometimes it does show how sheltered her life had been despite her age nowadays. “Honestly, Ayub here played it smart to do this and get as many people indebted to him as he could. It would keep him safe, and should things change in the future, he might end up being able to help out our agent in the Vusilan capital in turn.”

“You expect things to change in the near future, Aunt?” asked Eilonwy.

“What the Vusilans are doing to the conquered populace here and I assume elsewhere in their territory? It’s not a sustainable practice,” stated Aideen nonchalantly. “It will cow the populace for a generation, maybe two, but should the empire hit a setback and weaken… all the mistreatment would have just give the common populace cause to hate their guts and to fight back.”

“Depending on the scale of the setback the empire faces, it might even spell the end of the empire itself, if it ends up being more fragile than it looks,” she added. “It’s still a bit too early to judge right now as we have only seen a little bit of the empire, but what I have seen so far does not make me feel confident about their future.”