The Thousand Year Dynasty
24. Southern Mainland
"Next week we will head to the city of Varun to meet with my brother. Matthew. She was the cousin of my late husband" Amithy said as they were having dinner, a day after Lily arrived in the south.
"Is your brother an influential person in the city, Miss Amithy?" Nata asked while pouring a drink from a silver teapot into his glass.
"He was the ruler of the Varun region. We will make a trade deal before the person I worry about starts moving" replied Amithy who looked a little furious.
"People who handle licensing go through the territory, that?"
"really. Name's Tyrion. He's very cunning. So we have to move before him" replied Amithy who always surly when talking about the man named Tyrion.
"Is not the city of Varun part of the kingdom of Urbar, Lady of Amithy? Is it not the same. Want now or later, if the person wants, is not our permission can still be revoked by him" asked Nata later.
"If we can make a trade agreement that has received central approval, then that person will not be able to do many things" explained Amithy later. "Because in contrast to Elbrasta and the northern kingdoms in general, the nobles were given land just to arrange it. And all the rules were still being determined and decided by the court" Amithy searched.
"In the kingdom of Urbar it's not like that. Each Dux-class nobleman had his own rule over their territory. Starting from taxes, rules, to determining the benchmark price of an item. As long as it has passed the review and is considered not detrimental to the center" closed Amithy while lifting the glass and gulping the contents.
"Oh, I understand what you mean. So we will make a deal when we have not been considered a threat by certain parties in the Urbar kingdom" said Nata who answered Amithy with a nod.
"Did those Dux nobles pay tribute to the center, Lady Amithy?" Nata asked again as if he wanted to be sure.
"really. It was money and obligation to bring down the soldiers when needed" replied Amithy who was now busy cutting meat on her plate.
"So they used a semi-feudal system. Interesting" said Nata later. "Then overall, what's the southern region like, Miss Amithy?" Ask later.
Amithy is seen putting a fork and knife on the dining table and staring at Nata, as if preparing for a long explanation.
"Obviously it is very different from the northern land. Judging by the size of the land. It is two and a half times the northern land. The region close to this place, which they call this central region alone there are seven sovereign regions. Five kingdoms shaped. The remaining two were knight nobles. The two noble families had the combat power equivalent of a small kingdom" Amithy began to tell stories.
"No wonder either. The existence of many kingdoms and sovereign territories is usually the result of the collapse or rupture of a large kingdom" Nata is also seen delaying the meal. His fork and knife were also placed on the table.
"Then in terms of social strata and hierarchy, they have little difference from the northern mainland. They are divided into three levels of classes. The first Clergy. The priests and high priests. Then Nobles and Knights. The rest are ordinary people. Also some mixed breeds, which we don't see much of in the north" Amithy continued.
"What do you mean mixed breeds are descendants of mixed human beings? Like Morra and Narva, or Seithr and Getzja?" Nata's question cut through Amithy's explanation.
"It's like that. We rarely find it in the north. Because in the north they will be excluded from society. They will be moved to the south by their families. Because in the south it is not too much to worry about" explained Amithy at length.
"Yes, so almost all the southern kingdoms placed Clergy above the nobles, even above the king. But they never entered into the issue of royal politics. They only deal with the flow of their trust. Unlike the Temple of the Falling Star in Elbrasta, he served as an advisor for political decision-making in the kingdom. Although still under the king" continued Amithy.
"I'm no stranger to this system. And what is the belief flow of the southern mainland the same as the northern mainland?" Ask Nata again.
"No. Maybe in some regions there are still those who adhere to the Istar, Musvar, or belief in gods as is most likely embraced by northern communities.
"They have quite a variety of beliefs in each region. As in the southern region adjacent to the Old Forest, they believed in Siphar. God of Elf culture. Later in the west they adhered to the Valigar faith. Who believed in three disasters.
"And perhaps his greatest belief, is in the central region. The people of the region are embracing the beliefs of the Holy Land. The Sacred Land of Nezarad. What they believe is the center of this world. That's why this region is also called the middle region" Amithy searched.
Nata seems interested. Until he didn't try to cut off Amithy's explanation at all.
"The "Holy Land lies between three kingdoms that are always at war. Urbar is one of them. And the other two kingdoms are; Aurga and Jouren" continued Amithy.
"Aurga is on the southeast side, Jouren is on the west side, and Urbar is on the north side of the holy land. And the rest of the other kingdoms were west of Juren and Urbar. There are Durahan kingdom and Galasium, which share borders with each other and also with Jouren kingdom. And in the far west there were two knightly noble families, before the land of the Azorgians was beyond the desert.
"The two noble families of knights were; rox Maxmilliam, and Rozarria Dalmasca. While on the eastern side of the kingdom of Aurga is the free land of the Azure" Amithy closes his long explanation of the southern mainland.
"Oh, so there's a place called Azure free land. I thought it was all this time in the North Plains" said Nata who had just realized something.
"No. The Azure free land is on the southern landmass. No one would dare to occupy the land. Until finally the land is called free land" Amithy again explained.
"Why is that? Is the land as dead as the land of Pharos?" Tanya Nata was curious.
"The land is bordered by the Elf region of the Azuar clan. The clan is notoriously not to be disturbed. What else by humans. That was also the reason why the land was named Azure. Because Azure means ownership of Azuar" said Amithy who has now started to lift the fork and knife back.
"Oh, I once heard the name of the clan. Isn't that the clan that created the Scion bracelet?"
"really. Since the great battle of the Elves was over, they closed themselves off in their territory at the eastern end of the southern mainland" replied Amithy who had begun to busy with her meal.
"It turns out this Elder land is bigger than I thought. I thought the northern mainland was the largest landmass in this Elder. But it turns out that the southern mainland is much larger" said Nata who then continued his dinner.
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