Aldo walks along the brick-paved streets of the bustling city of Tarif. His gaze fixes on a girl. She is tall and slender, with long, silky golden hair flowing in the wind. Her green eyes shine brightly, full of vitality, like fresh young leaves. She wears a golden laurel wreath on her head, exuding an ethereal beauty as if she doesn't belong to this world. Her attire is made of white fabric, modestly covering her body while allowing for comfortable movement. She ties a flat belt around her waist and shoulders, complemented by lightweight sandals. Her earrings, shaped like green laurel leaves, add the perfect touch to her striking appearance.
But the most distinctive feature is the black spots on her torso, where black crisscrossed straps are tightly fastened. What's more, her long, pointed ears clearly indicate her Elven heritage.
"An Elf? A High Elf?" Aldo wonders to himself, feeling a hint of surprise.
Given the superiority ideology of Mikhland's Homo Veritas, Elves and many other races are treated as little more than slaves. Yet this girl walks confidently, wearing rather… daring clothes? Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that she is from El'mr.
"A High Elf girl from El'mr?"
At a table with a round base and a carved surface separated by a layer of crystal glass, Maximus Heinenberg observes the girl with a curious gaze. His cup, adorned with golden leaf patterns, adds to the eye-catching decor.
As the girl begins inspecting mirrors, glass, and even touching them, Heinenberg chuckles softly.
"Descendant of Alphara, El'mr has indeed lost its former power. The empire that once ruled 50% of Valoria is now a kingdom smaller than Tueur a Gages. And here, their descendants admire objects created by humans—the race they deemed childish—using Alphara's inventions from 100,000 years ago." Heinenberg sips his coffee with a look of disdain.
Suddenly, he glances to his right.
"Is that you, Aldo?" he waves in greeting.
Aldo waves back, his mind briefly recalling Nazi uniforms.
"Has your group decided which troublemakers to handle yet?" Heinenberg probes.
"The Cult of Sapphic and Quart," Aldo replies.
"Just those?" Heinenberg raises an eyebrow.
Aldo nods lightly.
Heinenberg, dissatisfied, clicks his tongue but lets it go.
"In the next two days, the conference will mainly focus on the Blood Spear uprising back in July. I bet there will be major disputes. Plenty of interesting things to witness…" Heinenberg mutters to himself.
"Sorry, but what's the Blood Spear incident?" Aldo asks curiously.
"Eight hundred slaves caused 4,000 casualties at that banquet, including 200 nobles—all in a single evening. The Cazador cleaned it up, but the loss of lives and property couldn't be undone," Heinenberg explains.
"There are now 20 duchies, marquisates, and territories temporarily under direct Parliamentary control. That leaves Mikhland with 50 territories managed by Committee members," he continues. "And there's been a lot of unsettling rumors spreading among the people. Some believe Mikhland is nearing its end. But as you can see, everything is still stable. This forced mass succession will undoubtedly have long-term consequences," Heinenberg concludes.
"Great, at least he doesn't know I'm the leader. That means the trick of fooling the Cazador into believing our group is dead using animal corpses worked flawlessly," Aldo thinks to himself with relief.
"So, are you planning to sit through hours of nobles and senators arguing, yelling, and bickering before getting to the presentations? Or should we focus on dealing with that Sapphic group first?" Heinenberg suggests, tilting his head slightly.
"Definitely the latter," Aldo replies with an emotionless face.
"I thought so too!" Heinenberg nods and smiles.
They stride toward the city square and sit on a wooden bench.
"Heinenberg!" Aldo glances at him.
"What do the terms Parliament and Committee that you use even mean?"
"Confused, are you?" Heinenberg chuckles. "Understandable. Mikhland's structure is rather convoluted. Let me explain."
"The Mikhland Empire is a complex and unique confederation of kingdoms, each with its own internal structure and distinct political entities. These entities work together (and sometimes against each other) to govern the empire.
The highest diplomatic authority within the Mikhland Empire is the Tri-Monarchy, a unification of three major kingdoms formed 200 years ago to address external threats. These kingdoms are Saram, an Islamic Sultanate in the West; Kneblem, a kingdom with Anglo-Franco cultural influences in the center; and Uoaro, a kingdom with Eastern cultural influence in the East. Each royal family of these three kingdoms retains significant influence, but the Tri-Monarchy system selects a single representative from among the royal families to hold the title of official king.
This king is elected within the royal families to represent the empire in diplomatic matters. However, despite this formal authority, the Tri-Monarchy's power has significantly declined due to poor leadership in recent generations," Heinenberg explains enthusiastically.
"An election within the royal family itself?" Aldo becomes more curious.
"Correct, but things have changed," Heinenberg continues. "After the Tri-Monarchy's decline, the Committee of Aristocrats assumed a larger role in governing the empire.
This Committee consists of two main factions: the Landed Nobility and the Landless Nobility. The Landed Nobility are traditional landowners who favor a decentralized government to maintain their regional power. They tend to be conservative and resist reforms that would centralize authority.
In contrast, the Landless Nobility are wealthy individuals, intellectuals, or religious figures who don't own land but wield power through their wealth and connections. They often advocate for reforms and a stronger centralized government. The clash between these two factions frequently results in internal tensions, making governance in the Mikhland Empire a matter of constant compromise and conflict.
A perfect example of a landless noble is you," Heinenberg glances at Aldo.
"And besides…"
"The Nazi Parliament is another crucial political entity in the Mikhland Empire, established after Adolf Hitler's resurrection. He holds a permanent, unelected position as the Führer. This parliament consists of elected members chosen by landowning citizens, who influence internal policies and legislation. However, the Führer's authority surpasses the Parliament, granting him significant control over both military and domestic matters. His fixed role within the government creates a centralized power structure, limiting the autonomy of other political entities. While the Parliament is responsible for handling internal issues like economic policies and lawmaking, it often operates under the shadow of the Führer's influence, making it difficult for opposing factions to challenge his authority."
"These three political entities—the Tri-Monarchy, the Committee of Aristocrats, and the Nazi Parliament—interact in a precarious balance of power. The Tri-Monarchy primarily focuses on diplomacy and relations among the member kingdoms, but their weakened authority often prevents them from intervening in internal matters. The Committee of Aristocrats, internally divided, controls much of the governance and policy decisions but is frequently hampered by disagreements between its factions. Meanwhile, the Nazi Parliament governs internal issues, including military decisions, under the Führer's centralized authority. Together, these entities create a politically volatile and complex environment, marked by shifting alliances, internal conflicts, and constant power struggles," Heinenberg concludes.
"Are there factions within the Parliament as well?" Aldo asks.
"Plenty of interest groups!" Heinenberg responds.
"The Devout Followers consist of ideologies rooted in morality, patriarchy, and religion. This group is religious and focused on maintaining ethics, traditional family structures, and faith."
"The Industrialists follow individualism, economic freedom, and corporate dominance. They represent the industrial sector, advocating for free-market policies, minimal government intervention, and profit maximization."
"The Intellectuals hold ideologies of secularism, anti-slavery, freedom, and republicanism. This intellectual class supports secular governance, abolition of slavery, individual liberties, and a republican system."
"The Landowners include ideologies of patriarchy and aristocracy. They represent large landowners who value hierarchical social order, family traditions, and control over peasants."
"The Petty Bourgeoisie promote meritocracy, patriotism, and reactionary ideas. This middle class prioritizes success through talent, nationalism, and societal order."
"The Rural Citizens encompass agricultural, isolationist, and localist ideologies. This group represents farmers, emphasizing the importance of agriculture, political isolation, and local autonomy."
"The Labor Unions advocate for ideologies of anti-slavery, equality, populism, and proletariat class interests. They represent the working class, pushing for social equality, labor rights, and abolition of slavery."
"As for myself, I was elected by the Industrialists, Intellectuals, and Petty Bourgeoisie. The Landowners hate me," Heinenberg says.
"Does that mean you push policies that favor those three groups?" Aldo asks.
"One such policy is patent rights," Heinenberg replies.
"The enzyme you created is something entirely new. While people have already applied enzymes in some ways, no one has officially called it an enzyme or produced it on an industrial scale, removing most impurities in the process. Adding this product to the list of goods was generally challenging, but it was worth it. The economy in the west, central, and southern regions improved significantly. Enzymes are like magic; people add them to wine, leather, fish sauce, juices, beer, and many other things. Productivity increases, quality improves, and costs decrease, pleasing both laborers and buyers, even the nobles," Heinenberg nods in approval.
"But why did you suddenly stop producing this product? I haven't even made a decision regarding you holding 100% of the market share," Heinenberg probes.
"Bone Collector caused a lot of machinery to break down," Aldo replies.
"Then I propose providing sufficient metal support and sending the army to suppress Bone Collector," Heinenberg firmly states.
"Heinenberg, do you really see enzymes as that important?" Aldo asks, surprised.
"Almost every industry requires enzymes. As a senator representing the Middle Class and Industrialist factions, it's my responsibility to revive this product," Heinenberg declares.
"Why don't you do it yourself?" Aldo raises an eyebrow.
"You already have the technology, the customers, and this enzyme market entirely in your control, meaning I don't have to worry about counterfeit products, at least in the short term," Heinenberg explains.
"How much are you planning to invest?" Aldo continues to probe.
"Twenty. Maybe twenty gold coins. Of course, not as a loan but as direct investment. Naturally, I want a 15% dividend. Does that work for you? I'd guess this market, once distributed across the west and neighboring regions, would bring in a few hundred gold coins, wouldn't it?" Heinenberg leans back in his chair.
"But my profit margins aren't that high. The total value of my assets and cash has only recently met the conditions for a Grade-D Landless Noble," Aldo admits.
"I know. You've kept each small enzyme container under 30 copper coins and a large barrel at just 10 silver coins, mostly to expand the market and gain more share, even though no one else competes with you in this field," Heinenberg chuckles.
"But I also have another goal: increasing enzyme usage to enhance the productivity and quality of essential goods. This will reduce costs, improve customer satisfaction, and develop the economy. As the economy grows, labor demand will increase, and eventually, women will participate in the workforce. When the economy thrives, living standards will rise, and happiness will increase. At that point, the Sapphic Church will lose its main target—dissatisfied women. Their growth will slow and eventually decline," Heinenberg continues.
"This is a sustainable way to defeat them, alongside military and political struggles. The senior priestesses in Sapphic often preach about letting women into politics, but I see things differently. I believe improving the lives and happiness of millions of women, their families, and their daughters is more important than having one, a few, or many women in government. Economic achievement must take precedence over political accomplishment. That's my belief," Heinenberg concludes.
"But I have to admit: to change this once and for all, we need to influence the law. To influence the law, we need more than just the consensus of Parliament and the Committee. First, they (the Sapphic Church) must be removed. Their actions are hypocritical, perpetuating unhappiness rather than leading to joy and prosperity. They need to be eliminated. Thus, a covert, national-level military campaign is essential," Heinenberg places a hand on his forehead, and Aldo follows his gaze.
[He's laying out the entire strategy…], Aldo thinks to himself, silently impressed.
"Here's twenty gold coins. Take my money and invest wisely," Heinenberg suddenly hands Aldo a heavy pouch of coins, which Aldo accepts.