In the southern reaches, survival for humans was an arduous feat, fraught with myriad limitations. A kingdom's prosperity hinged upon fertile lands; they were the lifeblood that could sustain a burgeoning populace. For it was the people who provided the essential labor force, a cornerstone in the edifice of development and the wellspring of a kingdom's might.
Take the Taklama Kingdom, for instance. Centuries had passed since its establishment, yet its numbers scarcely reached a hundred thousand. Comprising but a single city, one town, and a lone village, its growth had been stunted, progress a sluggish crawl.
"Middle Earth... Lalali, do you know of this place?" Limon's brow furrowed in thought. The name was alien to him, absent from the tomes he had pored over.
