“All too often, ingenuity and creativity thrive more in places where the people need them to survive, instead of in a place where their every need is catered to. After all, what incentive is there to be ingenious or creative when life is already easy and comfortable as it is?” - Saying attributed to the Silver Maiden.

“So you’re saying that instead of having actual merchants, you have representatives take up those duties when you need to trade with people from other nations?” asked Kino with curiosity as the guard explained how things were done in Vinjaun to Aideen and her charges. “Wouldn’t that be troublesome when you need to trade with the other towns and villages around, though?”

“Aha, that’s the thing, little Lady,” said the guard, who like all the other guards that had been with the convoy, had developed a healthy sense of respect to Kino with how lethal she had been in the fight against the Raptors. “We do not trade amongst ourselves here. We share what we have in excess with others who need it, it is as simple as that. This land is far too harsh to live on our own, so we do what we can to help those who need some help to carry on, as long as they too do their part when it is they who have some excess.”

“Very idealistic way to do things,” commented Eilonwy with a shake of her head. “Then again, in this sort of place, where you probably need every edge you can get just to stay alive, it’s probably the way to go. I imagine it’s not the time and place to be calculative and scheming against each other when everyone’s risking starvation or getting eaten by wild beasts unless they band together and pool their resources.”

“Precisely so, Milady,” said the guard with a nod. “The circumstances here are hard enough that we have to work together to survive this place. If we are not united together, we will just be easy pickings for the merciless winter or the fangs of the wild beasts.”

“Take the trade goods from the caravan for example. Those we sold back in Assadun were goods that were accumulated from three towns in this region as well as several villages by the mountains. Each place would designate what they would like to purchase with the money gained from the sales of their items, and in turn, we will soon distribute it back to them now that we have returned.”

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“Would you be going out again to distribute the items then? That kind of beats the point of unloading them now, doesn’t it?” Áine queried.

“Ah, the goods that Mistress Aida purchased on their behalf would be kept at the Mayor’s place while we inform the other towns and villages of her return. Then they would send their own people to collect their goods,” explained the guard. “Mistress Aida is one of the few representatives in this region, people that everybody trusts enough to lead these convoys.”

“I guess that is one way to do things,” noted Áine with a nod. “I can’t help but notice, but there seems to be quite a few weapons amongst the goods you purchased in Assadun and not that much in terms of foodstuff. I would have thought that foodstuff would have been the priority given how harsh these lands supposedly are.”

“Contrary to popular belief, we are actually pretty self-sufficient here when it comes to food. The foodstuffs we bought tend to be ones we like but cannot find here, a bit of luxury to please the heart, you can say,” replied the guard with a smile. “On the other hand, while we do have some talented smiths who can do wonders with the limited supply we have here, some things are just impossible to get without the proper facilities. For those, we usually place an order with people we know in Assadun and pick them up on the next convoy, or the one after that.”

“If it works, it works, I guess,” nodded Áine at last. “I’m guessing you do the same thing between towns and villages as well, right? Share your excess with those who are in need?”

“That is correct, Milady,” replied the guard with a nod. “We each help support each other in whatever we do best. Our place in Anlef has many hunters so we often offer pelts and meat to others in exchange of foodstuff from the places that manage to grow some grain and vegetables better, or for help in building our houses from those villages where the good builders live.”

“Similarly, we help provide the tribes of elves, orcs, and goblins that live in the mountains with better weapons since we are more skilled in metalworking, while in turn they keep us defended from the nastier creatures that live in the mountains, and warn us if a beast wave was coming so we would have time to prepare. Everyone helps each other in their own way here, since we don’t really have room for people to be selfish.”

“And the ones who can’t fit into such a life… you cast them out?” asked Rhys with some trepidation. He was a gentler soul compared to his often more ruthless sisters.

“We have no place for those who refuse to contribute to the group here. We can’t afford to support them like other places do. Since they do not want to be part of our society, then it is only fair that we, too, want nothing more to do with them, is it not?” replied the guard nonchalantly. “It might seem cruel to you outsiders I guess, but for us, even living is a constant struggle. A parasite that does nothing but consume without giving anything back is something we have to excise immediately if we want to keep surviving.”

“Actually, I don’t feel that it’s particularly cruel or anything, more that it’s those in other places that kept such parasites not only alive but even further fattened them out of thoughts like kindness and mercy that are wrong,” noted Eilonwy bluntly. “If someone produces nothing of value whatsoever and has no desire to even bother making a living for themselves, why should the others have to be burdened with their uselessness? At least in the wild they might feed some hungry animals.”