Chapter 222: Value More Important Than Money
The citizens of Pollivia had thought there was no other way to describe what was happening in the city except the word ‘war’. On the surface, it didn't seem like a big issue. Pollivia during the day still seemed relatively safe, and there was no indication that it would get worse.
Pickpocketing had been on a rage, but in Pollivia, pickpocketing was a kind of business. Bad pickpockets got caught and beaten, but if one didn't notice their pockets and bags being emptied, it was considered their own fault. Moreover, these pickpockets mainly targeted foreigners who were unaware of Pollivia's pickpocketing culture, so some even said it was a commercial activity for the benefit of Pollivia.
The night scene hadn't changed much either.
In one commercial district was Pollivia's famous adult entertainment district. Travelers, merchants from other regions, Pollivia's politicians, and members of criminal organizations could often be seen there. But for the citizens of Pollivia, this was also considered a form of order. For them, the sight of the city built over the sea, reflecting its commerce, was no different from the regular dealings they observed.
The war wasn't visible. At first, apple prices dropped. Then, prices for some fruits imported from other countries fell as well. As time went by, prices for various food items, raw materials, and raw materials for medicines followed. Everyone thought it was good that prices were dropping.
People in bars believed it was because of the war between the Black Scale Empire and the Ronante-Oraban Alliance. They thought that merchants trying to supply war materials were blocked by a naval blockade and, therefore, many goods were coming inland.
"But if there's a naval blockade, shouldn't the prices of imperial goods increase?"
That was right. Even the Alliance wouldn't be able to completely block off the whole ocean between the first and third continents. So even though a small amount of the Empire’s goods occasionally came across the continent, given the poor rail connections and other transportation means, there were pretty much no Empire goods in Pollivia.
The reason for the drop in prices was simple. It was because someone was importing more goods. Even during wartime, the two major powers that were the Ronante-Oraban Alliance and the Danly Union Kingdom had more than enough goods to bring to a small city-state like Pollivia.
As time went on, it became clear who was fighting whom. On one side were Pollivia's largest Pallet Trading Company and its many associates, and on the other side was the Itimo Trading Company and its allies. Both companies drastically reduced prices to maintain a monopoly on the goods the other was importing.
The newspapers started reporting daily on the conflict between the two companies, calling the long-established Pallet the traditionalist and the Itimo, filled with foreign forces from the Empire and other countries, the foreign faction. This became the subject of people's gossip, and in the back alleys, bets were openly made on how much the prices of certain items would drop.
Citizens, and even the two trading companies, didn't know what the outcome of their battle would bring.
By the time a month passed, all the shops lining three of the alleys had closed, five factories shut their doors, and both the self-employed and laborers had become beggars. People who couldn't pay their debts to loan sharks were found dead, and conversely, loan sharks and their people were shot for not collecting the debts and received brutal punishment, ending up in trash bins in the back alleys.
The two trading companies maintained a monopoly over several types of food and raw materials by winning against each other, but, on the contrary, continued to place orders to win over other products, resulting in shortages. Several items were removed from restaurant menus, bicycle production was stopped, and leather clothing became scarce.
Every day, public safety worsened; when an assemblyman who had looked after the Itimo family was found assassinated, both the market and the city council urged reconciliation between the two families, but neither side took the initiative.
For the first week, Philina Itimo, the head of the Itimo family, didn't fully understand what was happening. At first, she thought it was for profit. This kind of battle between trading companies was routine. This time, it was just accelerated, and nothing seemed new. But when the Pallet Trading Company took drastic steps, the Itimo Company had to follow.
As time went on, the actions of the Pallet Company seemed more irrational than just for profit. Certain products had many alternatives, making it difficult to maintain a monopolistic position in the market, and there was no reason for intense competition because of the potential emergence of new technologies. However, the Pallet Company invested unconditionally, just to push the Itimo Company out.
'All this? Why?'
Even if the Pallets were to push Itimos out of Pollivia, that dominance would be temporary. Despite the war and lack of help, there were many in the Empire who could aid the Itimo family, and even if they didn't, merchants from the Union Kingdom and the Alliance always eyed opportunities in Pollivia.
'If we suffer this much damage from such a cutthroat competition, we'll eventually end up giving everything to external forces. What's the point in that? Pallet?'
Responding to Philina Itimo's question wasn't a member of the Pallet family, but an elderly Lizardman named Owen, who claimed to be the assistant of Simo, the inventor Philina had recently contracted with.
"There are values more important than money.”
Philina said, "There are no such values.”
"I don't intend to change your mind, but you're Philina Itimo, and Bulko Pallet might think differently, don't you think?"
"They are no different from me."
"No, they are different."
After saying this, Owen produced a small statue. It was of the image of the Angry One, who had shown themself only once during the climax of the continental unification war. The interesting part was its size—small enough to be held with one hand, but its heavy weight suggested it was made of pure gold.
"I retrieved it from the hidden room of the Pallet family."
"...I can't believe it."
"I can't prove it to you. But with something this valuable, you should be able to find a way to confirm it yourself."
Philina was skeptical, but she accepted it. The mere act of handing such a gold piece to Philina, who was known for her materialism, was convincing enough.
In fact, Philina thought there was something suspicious. The golden statue of the Angry One was intricately made, yet there was no trace of its maker. This meant that it was secretly crafted and stored.
Philina leaked information about the golden statue, and the Pallet family was the first to react to the rumors. Owen's words had been true.
Philina then went to find Owen.
"How did you find it?"
"Over the years, I've picked up a few skills."
"...But sir, I don't quite understand. What do they hope to gain from this? Does the Angry One wish for our downfall?"
"No."
"Then what do you think they want?"
In truth, even Owen was puzzled about this.
'Why were they targeting the Itimo Trading Company and not Simo?'
By now, Owen realized electricity was significant enough for the gods to make it a matter of dispute. But then, the ones who should be the center of the conflict should be Simo, the one who had the knowledge. So Owen had been keen on protecting Simo since a threat was detected, but there had been no significant threats to Simo so far.
'Am I missing something?'
With this thought, Owen decided to help the Itimo family a bit since they had a contract with Simo. In Owen's view, Simo's invention could be sold to any merchant or any rich person, so he didn't think it mattered much who bought Simo's invention. But the fact that they were the first to recognize the value of Simo's invention and were from the Empire made him care. Otherwise, Owen would have considered taking Simo and leaving Pollivia.
Owen said, "I believe Simo is the one that is important here."
"Oh, the inventor?"
"The gods seem to place great importance on electricity."
Philina shook her head.
"Isn't the patent the most important then?"
"What's that?"
"Um, sir, you seem to have forgotten that Simo is an inventor. Are you familiar with patents?"
"No."
Philina briefly explained patents and patent rights. After hearing that it was a way to recognize ownership over an invention, Owen looked puzzled.
"But wouldn't what's in Simo's head still remain?"
"True. But a patent can be bought and sold, and it can also be transferred to someone else. This concept is recognized not just in Pollivia, but also by the Alliance, the Union Kingdom, and even the Empire."
Philina continued to say to Owen, who had a somewhat dissatisfied expression, "If what you say is correct, then what they want might be the patent related to electricity, which will explain their actions. Just before we hit rock bottom, when we start selling everything we can, we'd have to put up the patent rights as well. That's what they're after."
Owen, who seemed to be thinking, then said, "But in my opinion, what's more important than the rights is the person who makes it."
Owen knew Philina wouldn't agree. She had already said that nothing is more important than money.
'Protecting a person without any help is a tough job, but it's not impossible. I have experience after all.'
But to his surprise, Philina said something unexpected. "I agree with you, sir."
"Didn't you say nothing is more important than money?"
"You can't buy a person with money, right? That's why you buy patent rights instead."
"I thought you'd agree with the concept of slavery."
"Even if it seems like that, whenever there's a religious ceremony, I always sit at the head seat. I donate the most money after all." Philina said. "There are already several rumors going around saying that the Itimo family will fall. It might be true. The traditionalists have been building relationships with the regional lords for a long time, while we received support from the Empire, which is now at war. But I'll believe what you say."
"Will you?"
"Yes. If I have to choose between the patent rights and Simo at a certain moment, I will choose Simo."
"Oh?"
"Because, surely, Simo will come up with an even more impressive invention."
"...."
For some reason, Owen felt like he had read between Philina's lines, but he wasn't entirely displeased.
***
The battles weren't only happening in Pollivia. It wasn't just a simple battle between soldiers, neither was it creations versus creations or apostles against apostles. The gods themselves were getting involved.
This could be seen as something unusual because direct involvement in wars was a direct violation of the principle of causality, and therefore, vast amounts of Faith resources would be consumed. But despite such consumption, the war between the two gods was seen as a critical issue that required direct intervention.
On the other hand, there were cases where the causality was perceived as unclear or not evident.
For example, to fix the falling price of apples in Pollivia, an orchard could be burned down by making a lightning bolt strike from a clear sky. While this was a direct invasion on fruit farms, in comparison to a war where one of the gods could win and change the world, it was just a trivial disaster. It didn’t make a significant impact on the fate of the world.
To freeze the prices of raw materials, they could also collapse a mine with an earthquake, burying all the miners. With the miners dead, the mine would become abandoned, and the town that depended on that mine's resources would collapse. Yet the destruction of a small mining community was trivial when compared to the fate of the world.
Of course, this was a deception. The fate of the world responded sensitively to the wars of gods, but was oblivious and indifferent to Contradicting Prophecies or market manipulations. The amount of Faith resources needed to violate causality was also not extensively consumed. It was truly an act of a god.
While carefully examining how certain events would influence the battles in Pollivia, there were repeated instances of setting a small group or area on fire or burying it just for what's called a patent, which even in a mortal’s point of view, could be more precious than a person’s life.
Beep beep.
Sung-Woon opened his eyes to the notification supported by the add-on. It signaled that the consumed Faith resources had reached the requirement for the next action.
'The next move should be...'
Looking down at the map, Sung-Woon noticed a message popping up at the bottom of the screen.
'Finally...'
What Sung-Woon saw was a World Message, and…
[Player 'Nebula' has obtained the right to challenge the Large Area: Sky.]
A personal message asking for his response followed.
[Do you want to challenge the Large Area?]
[Yes / No]
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