Linn Province was in the northernmost part of Leopoldine, with about 4 million inhabitants and an economy based on the exploitation of commodities.
That might be the cultivation world, but the vast majority of the people in this world were just individuals unable to cultivate, as must have been the case with the past Lothur.
Consequently, the mainland economy relied heavily on ordinary resources, food items, or those needed to produce low-level spiritual equipment such as lamps.
Because of this factor, the currency used in this world was not the infamous spiritual crystals, items used in cultivation.
No, although a spiritual crystal had the qualities sought after in a currency, such as scarcity and high value, the currency used throughout this world needed to be simpler. Otherwise, it would be complicated to capture and distribute resources among ordinary people.
Not only this, these resources could be used for cultivation, something that further decreased their circulation!
With this, the continental economy used a standard that mainly relied on three types of coins. These were the bronze, silver, and gold coins, with one gold worth 10 silver or 100 bronze coins.
And even if it was challenging to buy spiritual crystals with these common coins, this did not make this economic model impossible for the great cultivators of this world.
The coins were just as important to them as to the ordinary people of this world!
Spiritual crystals were mined items, which could be done with ordinary labor, using, of course, the right tools.
On the other hand, even spiritual tools produced by cultivators needed commodities that ordinary people could also produce or mine.
The same thing for food and basically all the primary sectors found in any civilization, such as construction.
But these workers had to be paid something in return, even if it was food, right?
Slavery existed in some parts of this world. Still, not all states on this continent, Concordia, used it because enslaved people did not shop.
So, there was a great need for standard currencies, even for high-level cultivators, since, indirectly, common currencies produced spiritual crystals!
Consequently, the standard economy, the production of mere commodities in Linn Province, was crucial for local cultivators.
Because of this, Lothur soon understood some of the social-political dynamics of Peters City, where, although House Frost was the strongest, several other powers were competing with this family.
In this place, there was an organization that governed the province on behalf of House Leopoldine, another organization that governed the city, and finally, some competing families in local businesses.
In addition to these local powers, there were institutions in this place directly affiliated to the imperial family, as in the case of the academy that Lothur was in at this very moment.
However, these powers were much more neutral around here and rarely got involved in the affairs of the local nobility.
Understanding all this, Lothur found himself in a place full of political problems that he, a son-in-law of the Frost family, could hardly escape.
"Sigh..."
'Looks like I'll have a more complicated start than I had assumed.' He finally took his eyes off the words in Elke's book, closing it and considering his future.
'Viktoria married me because she has some interest in being married to me...'
'However, there was no advantage to her marrying the city good-for-nothing. Maybe she was simply using me because I have no talent and would probably never try to usurp the power of the Frost family?'
"Hmmm..."
'That must be the case unless, of course, Lothur's late guardian had some shocking secret to force this marriage...'
'But this is unlikely... I think.' He pondered, ignoring his surroundings.
'Never mind.'
'In one case or another, I'll be drawn into some kind of political confrontation.'
"Shit!" He cursed his luck in a low voice, attracting Elke's attention.
"Did you say something?"
He then looked at Elke's pretty face and stood silent for a second. 'I have to learn more about this world, especially about cultivation.'
'I also need to get a method to build a comfortable position that will allow me to leave the Frost family in the future.'
"Elke, why don't you show me Sector-1? I want to find this place library and other areas with certain information of interest to me."
"Perhaps we can have tea after that."
Elke's eyes then opened in surprise. "Are you asking me out on a date?"
"Sure, why not?" He smiled, looking at her lips and then back into her eyes. "How old are you?"
"17."
"Great. Do you have a boyfriend?"
"Uh? I... No." She replied with her face flushed. 'He just met me, and already he wants to go out with me?'
'He's very bold if he thinks I'll make it so easily!'
"But... I don't know if that's a good idea..."
"Oh? Then it's okay." He stood up from where he was standing, preparing to leave. "Shall we?" Lothur said as he waved one of his hands at Elke.
By now, the first class of the day was over, and several people in the surroundings of that amphitheater were slowly leaving the place. At the same time, the teacher had already disappeared.
Amidst the noise of simultaneous conversations in that area, Elke looked intensely into Lothur's eyes, feeling strange at this moment.
"Uh? But..."
"We're not going to have a date, but you can still show me this place, right?"
Hearing this, she was speechless and just raised one of her hands towards that young man, using it to stand up. 'He's truly confident...'
'If it were one of those others, he'd probably be red with embarrassment and run away from me...' She looked discreetly at some of her observers, giving Lothur's behavior credit.
She then turned to her friends and said. "Hey, I will help student Lothur get to know our sector. So, see you later."
"Oh? You're going to do that?"
"Looks like he doesn't just have looks, huh? Just by having exchanged a few words with you, and you already..." A blonde girl was about to say this, laughing, when that redhead made a disgruntled expression and turned away from her friends.
"You've got it wrong. I will only help a new student. Nothing more!"
"Come on, Lothur." She said this after picking up her bag and walking ahead of him.
Meanwhile, several eyes watched those two leaving that area, feeling wronged that such an arrogant person had been privileged to leave accompanied by the beautiful Elke.
...
"So, that's that ranking I heard earlier, huh?" Lothur said this to Elke as he observed a large tower in the central part of Sector-1.
After leaving the previous amphitheater, these two had walked for several minutes around Sector-1, with Elke introducing the most relevant places to Lothur.
To begin with, they had passed in front of the library in this area, where all students were free to use it. Next, Elke introduced Lothur to the local cafeteria, a restaurant, the mission hall, and the business area of this sector.
At the Morning Star Academy, students and even teachers had the possibility to exchange, sell or buy items within this institution.
Teachers naturally had better items, while students constantly went on missions and got new ones. And with the wealth that some of the students of this institution had, all kinds of business could take place in the specific areas for this.
Anyway, Lothur had been interested in that place. Still, as he did not have many belongings, he made a mental note about such an area before getting to know the central square of Sector-1.
This place, which had gardens and what looked like a giant obelisk in its center, was where the ranking of the students of this institution was.
As he came face to face with it, Lothur felt in awe of this place's people.
"The competition here seems amazing..."
'They actually rank even the last places...' He thought of this as he looked at his name, which at the moment was in position 4,568.
'Is that a way of encouragement?' He looked at that in silence, remembering that there were only two kinds of pain. One was that which hurt, and one that transformed.
In this case, showing the world your mediocrity could be considered a way to put great weight on a naive's shoulders, pressing the immature young people, as was the case with most of the new students there.
The humiliated would change or give up!
In any case, the cultivation world would prevail.
Either the world would gain new people with the will to do what was necessary, who understood the wicked way of this world, or it would lose those who would only waste the limited resources.
As Lothur thought about it, he felt that this place despised the weak and glorified the strong. 'This world is much wilder than Earth.'
'I cannot expect words of justice here. Whoever has the bigger hand in a given matter will definitely win in the end, and no one will care about the losing side.'
"Hmm, this is revealing."
"You think so?" Elke asked in interest, watching this young man's left face, feeling that perhaps his words had a greater meaning.
"Of course..." He smiled at her as he stared her in the face. "What is your position, Elke?"
A slight blush appeared on her face, and she said in a low voice. "4.451."
"Oh? I see. Most of the students in Sector-1 must be in those final positions..."
"Don't you think it's bad that we have to be exposed like this? I know that most of us have only been here a short time and will naturally rise as time goes on. But not everyone wants that kind of exposure."
"It's true..." Lothur noticed the discontent of that woman beside him.
He then took one of her hands and said. "But this is just a test, Elke. Once you reach a certain temperament, these tests lose their meaning."
"But tell me one thing. Is there any advantage to having good positions in that ranking?"
...