"Just the sheepskin necessary for the fliers, the need to organize rallies, and the people that must travel far and wide throughout the country to spread your electoral promises cost a fortune." Bytra replied. "Those with the right ideas rarely have the means whereas those who have the means rarely have any interest in changing the status quo. Democracy is great on paper, but once you try it out, you discover that unless you have the money to make your voice heard, you are nothing but a whisper in a storm." Lith nodded, remembering what usually happened on Earth where even people with a good heart and full of ideals were forced to sell themselves to get the necessary funds to be elected. No matter what they promised, they were always forced to compromise so much that their dreams became so watered down to be irrelevant, if not completely twisted. Very few countries on Earth could be called civil, the rest just pretended to. "What about the war?" Lith asked. "How come every country neighbouring Namgar is fighting another?" "Verendi is still divided into many small countries. It means that the resources are unevenly distributed and that very few democracies are self-sufficient. They use trade as a way to survive and keep their neighbours' growth in check." Bytra replied. "The moment a famine, a plague, or a draught strikes, so do the neighbouring armies and the losers get their country split among the winners. Those countries are facing some kind of crisis and the others are simply making use of that. "With a bit of luck, by following a conflict that's taking place despite the lack of such conditions we'll find Theseus. You have no idea what the so-called civilized people would do to put a leash on a living weapon of mass destruction." "Would really a single Abomination change the situation of an entire continent so much?" Lith said. "Yes." The Raiju nodded. "Right now, all the countries have their hands tied and have to wait for favourable conditions in order to strike. That's because the true strength of an army doesn't lay in the number of its soldiers but in its mages. "The nonsensical policy of Verendi prevents mages to rise because the upper echelons are afraid of being ruled by them like it happens in the Empire and the Kingdom. Yet at the same time, it also limits their power. "Let's say that two countries with the same extension and number of mages go at war, the first to lose the most magic users in battle loses. Yet at that point, the winner has double the area to protect and less than half the mages they would need, becoming easy prey for their neighbours. "With an Abomination at their service, instead, they would send it to lay waste on the enemy forces without committing a single mage. One of our kind is enough to win most battles. "The winner would suffer no losses and if anyone dares to attack them while they are still consolidating their new territory, they can just unleash the beast again." "Isn't it the same situation the Kingdom was in before Valeron?" Lith asked, obtaining a nod in reply. "Then how the heck did the First King pull off such a feat. Sure, he and his companions were strong, but five people can't keep a country the size of the Kingdom in check." "I can answer that because I was there." Zoreth had returned, bringing three tankards of a fermented fruit that passed for beer on Namgar. "Valeron wasn't just a conqueror. He was a dreamer and a leader first. "After conquering a country, no matter how small, he would take his time and conquer its people's hearts. He would stay there, spend time with them and help them solve the main problems that had plagued them for generations. "Illnesses, food shortages, droughts, he and his companions would get rid of them and make the land flourish just like the Great Mother would. Valeron didn't treat those he defeated as inferior nor did he try to impose his customs. "He would rarely speak and spend most of his time listening. Then, after understanding what the people really needed, he would take action and help them achieve it. "He didn't bestow anything to them, but he fought alongside them, sharing their efforts and rewards. You have no idea how much it meant for all those whose voices had never been heard. "For those who had been told their whole life they were nothing until they had started to believe it themselves. Valeron didn't give gifts, he gave opportunities and those who were brave and determined enough would rise to the challenge. "At first, I laughed at him, considering Valeron a fool and his dream a fool's errand. Then I saw entire armies turning their backs to their generals, people fighting against their own rulers to protect him. "At that point, I started to believe in him as well and I rooted for him." Zoreth lowered her eyes in embarrassment, taking a long sip from her tankard. "That's a big understatement." Bytra giggled making the Shadow Dragon almost choke on her drink. "She was a real fangirl. Zor still has an ancient poster of Valeron's coronation and she helped him from the shadows. "After a long battle, when his soldiers needed time to rest and heal, she would patrol the area and kill whoever dared to approach them." "Bytra! That was supposed to be a secret. "Do you realize how embarrassing it was for a millennia old being to be infatuated with a pup less than three decades old?" Zoreth's voice became so high pitched that it almost sounded feminine. "It's not embarrassing, it's cute. It means that even then your heart wasn't really dead and that you were still capable of dreaming and caring for others." The Raiju took Zoreth's hands caressing them gently. 'Am I so cringy as well when I'm with Kami?' Lith asked. 'You are worse. She plays you like a fiddle.' Solus replied with a giggle. 'I'm really happy we decided to come here. Verendi can teach us a lot and the more time I spend with Bytra, the more I understand that she's not Korgh. 'It was Korgh who killed my mother and, in a way, Bytra avenged her more than once.' Then, Lith noticed that people were throwing odd looks at the tender moment between the alleged siblings and stepped in. "So, have you discovered anything interesting, brother?" He said while wrapping his arm around Bytra's slender shoulders and dragging her close to him. Zoreth had a hard time repressing a snarl and Solus didn't puke at the contact solely because a stone ring was physically incapable of such a feat. No matter what her brain told her, her heart and soul had scars that ran deep. "Actually, a lot." The Shadow Dragon noticed the odd looks as well so she took a deep breath to relax and put some distance between her and her wife. "I claimed that our business has several branches so I could ask about the status of many neighbouring countries." Zoreth unfolded a map of Verendi that she had just bought. "I'm now sure that Theseus is not here. There's nothing relevant happening for hundreds of kilometres in every direction." She traced with her finger a circle around Namgar and all of its bordering states.