"Fellodu, get me Melbark!" Emperor Florentine yelled as he clenched his fists. "It seems like there are some pesky people who decided to take advantage of the chaos."
"Sir!" Fellodu acknowledged. "Is it Meredith again?"
The Emperor thought. After a second, he clicked his tongue. "No. We should've gotten some information from Cora if it really was him."
Hearing this, Fellodu nodded. He bowed down, then left. Before exiting through the door, however, he gave the Emperor one more glance. At that point, Fellodu could only see the man's disappearing figure. He was on his way to his underground study.
Fellodu became slightly worried. Emperor Florentine was a man of deep knowledge. Rarely did he enter his study because, for most of the time, he would always find a solution. On the spot.
There must really be something unusual happening in Sera City for that person to need the time to think.
Fellodu shut the door with a thud.
….
Looking at the books scattered all over his study, Duvette Von Florentine was not fazed. He cared little about being organized. He was always only after the results. As long as it would do the job, he wouldn't care about how it was done.
That was the kind of person that he was. And it had served him quite well.
When was the last time he had been there? It had been too long ago that the cobwebs had already covered every single corner of the room and the books were now filled with dust.
Ah, that's right. About three to four years ago. When they were still fighting against the Meredith Empire.
How he'd won, it was still fresh in his mind. Oh, how easy that was. He could only regret that he had not done it sooner. Feeling emotional, Duvette couldn't help reminiscing.
Once upon a time, in the Empire of Meredith, there was a mage.
….
The mage was mighty, peerless, and undefeatable.
Under his protection, the Meredith Empire, despite it being the second smallest Empire in the continent, was able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the others. No one dared to provoke him. Because for every man of his that fell, he would slay 20 from his enemies.
Across the continent, he was acknowledged as the strongest person of his generation. His name was Devon Morgan, the Marshall of Meredith Empire.
All of the Empire's weaknesses in terms of combat prowess, he patched up. Weak army? He trained them. Lack of effective military tactics? He moved to create the strongest defensive warfare known on the continent. Obsolete weapons? He created a special unit to study materials that might substitute steel and used it in battle. That, too, was a success.
With his help, Meredith Empire slowly grew stronger.
Many theorized that, If he were born in an Empire with a larger army, conquering the entire continent might not be impossible.
Alas, the world had its own balance. And he was still subjected to it.
Despite all of the things that Meredith's army could brag about, they were still far behind compared to all the other Empires.
Its education system was subpar, their Academies were not as successful, their buildings were crude, their processes leaned on the more primitive side…
In almost every other aspect except combat, they were slightly lacking.
The Empire was underdeveloped.
The experts of the Empire determined that this crisis would not affect the current and the next generation. However, in the generation after that, there would be a high risk of collapse. Their economy would take a big hit, probably invoking a rebellion. Then, not long after that, the entire system would fall apart.
It was unknown when the Empire fell behind. No one would care anymore either. It was all in the past. They could only work forward, towards the future.
The world worked in mysterious ways.
A little more push and they could finally reach that rate of growth they desired. They only need a few more resources to fund their trade and provide for their scholars.
….
A couple of years later, an Empire began to decline. It was the Florentine Empire.
For some unforeseen reasons, the number of magical beast attacks by the coast surged. Since the Empire was 70% surrounded by water, they couldn't hold off all of the attacks. Many fishermen died, prompting the others to stop working. Not long after, they lost their main source of livelihood. It was then followed by a massive drop in resources and trade.
At first, they thought that it was only a temporary problem. But weeks went on and it still persisted.
Due to how sudden it was, not many people were able to prepare.
When famine finally arrived, people started dying. Most of which are the poor living in the streets. Well, it was inevitable. The people saved the little that they had and had none to share with those who begged.
During that period, the nights were filled with cries of anguish that kept people awake.
Of course, the Empire was quick enough to act. The moment that they lost access to the ocean, they immediately resorted to farming. Sadly, it took time to grow crops. They wouldn't sprout overnight. Even though they already burned through their magical resources to create fertilizers, time proved that it wouldn't be enough.
Then, things got worse.
Before, they still had access to the continental market, and it kept their Empire afloat amidst the crisis. However, a few weeks into their decline, the traders themselves stopped moving in and out and finally settled in another Empire. They decided not to board a sinking ship. Being the excellent merchants that they were, they immediately found their place, leaving the others behind.
The Emperor was distraught, but he couldn't do anything about it.
If only they had a little more resources. They needed a bit more! Just a bit!
Just like the Meredith Empire, they needed a little more push.
….
Fate was really too unpredictable.
What were the odds that these two Empires struggling under their own dilemmas were situated right next to each other?
Though one of them was in a much unfavorable circumstance because their decline was rapid and immediate.
They needed a quick solution!
Wait! That was it! Their neighboring Empire!
To the Florentine, the Meredith was like a ray of hope.
They just might have the resources that the Florentine Empire needed!
Trade! Yes, they needed to trade! Who cares about the continental market? Their neighbor should be enough! They just needed a few months until their crops grew.
The people of Florentine spared no expense. Anything they could offer, they traded for food. If they could buy land, they would've done it already. Unfortunately, the rules of territory were already set in stone.
Knowing about the Florentine Empire's dire situation, the people of Meredith were, of course, willing to trade in exchange for little cost. They sold their goods at a much cheaper price, trying to help the people in need. Even Emperor Meredith himself gave away some of the food from their own reserves.
They had much more access to other Empires, so it was the least that they could do.
….
Peace finally returned to Florentine Empire. Their lives were much harder than before, but at least they were alive.
Aside from the lives that were lost, anything else could be recovered with everyone's help. Facing the crisis together sparked generosity in the hearts of the people. Knowing that there were more struggles to come, any food that the citizens could get, they handed over to the government. They all entrusted the distribution to the officials, and they did their job well.
Little do they know, there was a scheme brewing within the Meredith Empire.
Duvette went over the reports. A lot of them stated that some of the goods they received were bad. And it had been like that at the moment of purchase. Moreover, the prices seemed to be increasing gradually.
The Emperor could understand the price growing. Over at the Meredith Empire, they must've started falling short on food as well.
But selling goods that have gone bad?
That was a blatant display of injustice.
Despite his anger, Duvette remained composed. He didn't want to jump to any conclusions so he decided to let things play out first.
….
Trade continued and the days went by.
No more bad goods.
Duvette heaved a sigh of relief. Though he choked mid-sigh when a messenger arrived reporting that there was a disease that broke out.
And it was spreading in Lerith, the city he was staying in.
The Emperor watched as his people panicked and fell into chaos.
Looking at the food on his table, he couldn't help but wonder.
Did it come from the food?
Paranoia started creeping up on him. Immediately after, he called for the people of his Academy to do some research on the food they were eating.
A week later, the results came out.
There was a substance harmful to the human body mixed with their food. Though the amount was so minuscule that it became unnoticeable and went past their inspections. Since it took a long time to digest, it would start building up inside the stomach. After reaching a certain amount, it caused a reaction, ultimately turning into a disease.
That damn Meredith! Scheming against me!
….