Chapter 84: Ithadurna's Problem

It was only in the last few months that the state of Ithadurna was ruled by Florentia. The attack that was led by Raphael at that time was unexpected and the Faction shift happened quickly. The majority of Ithadurna's citizens were Florentias supporters so the knights belonging to Duke Radcliffe also immediately surrendered when they found out that Raphael and his troops had power far above them.

Ithadurna was not a big source of money for Avalon at the time, so they tended to be neglected. Their land was barren, so humans were also reluctant to live there. They could not raise livestock or grow crops there. Some of Ithadurna's commodities were agarwood and sandalwood which were quite expensive. However, because of their limited number, they limit the number of trees that could be cut.

Ithadurna was also not strategic enough and was not an area that was usually passed for trading. In that vast area, not many vampire and human families lived. But Avalon used to give life to the state by building weapons workshops and being a place for their skilled technicians to gather.

They manufacture weapons, research logistics and formulate new explosives there.

Ithadurna was targeted by Florentia, to weaken Avalon's military power. Now that they had taken over the country—Ithadurna seemed to have lost their soul.

No more busyness in the abandoned workshops. Avalon was clearly having a big loss. Their military strength had been reduced quite drastically. It was also what has forced them to apply for a truce. However, for Florentia, Ithadurna was now a new burden. Their citizens must stay alive. They had to prevent the residents of Ithadurna from moving. Florentia didn't want Ithadurna to be a failed country.

For Raphael, who was leading the charge to seize Ithadurna— the criticism continued to roll over him. They thought what they were doing was in vain. He was a war hero but that didn't stop politicians—who never get their hands dirty —from attacking him.

Ithadurna was considered too draining of energy and funds. They wanted the state to produce. Because the knights guarding there had to be paid with taxes. Florentia's higher-ups didn't want to lose.

Raphael was neither a businessman nor a politician. But he was asked to be there and find out what Florentia could do to improve their condition.

"Welcome to Ithadurna, Sir Chastain," Darius Radcliffe, one of the Duke's sons, greeted him. Even though he was the son of a duke, his appearance was unpretentious. He looks smart and knowledgeable. Half of Duke Radcliffe's family still supports Avalon. The rest, including Darius, had long been more inclined to support Florentia.

Their mansion was spacious, yet devoid of furniture and decorations. The paint was dominated by white with glossy wooden floors due to routine polishing. They didn't use marble as the floor. Wood, however, was a commodity which was also not cheap.

"I'm Andrew, Butler of the Radcliffe mansion, sir. Let us escort you and the other knights to your room." A middle-aged man also greeted him with a bow.

Raphael was no stranger to the way nobility treated guests. After this, they would be asked to rest in the room, then meet again when it was time for dinner. They'll be through an afternoon full of pleasantries and wasted time drinking fresh blood. Raphael wasn't here to socialize.

"If you wish, I want to directly see Ithadurna's financial documents for the last ten years, we want to work immediately," said Raphael in response to their hospitality.

"Ah, yes fine, then let's follow me to the library," Darius agreed.

***

Raphael, Edgar and Damian were not only good at fighting. They also attended prestigious academies and were educated in noble families. They were all intelligent and understood economics and politics even if they didn't really go into it.

At this time they were in the library belonging to the Ithadurna family which was filled with books and lined work desks. The drawers were stacked with papers and secret journals containing the administrative reports of the state of Ithadurna.

Raphael soon discovered, when the land was ruled by Avalon— they received a large amount of money. But more than half of it was used for military affairs. Avalon has many weapons workshops there. As well as a training building to train technicians.

Now that Ithadurna had changed faction, Avalon has concentrated their weapons center in the state of Balaghar. There were not many secrets in Ithadurna. Because Avalon only creates common weapons such as armor, swords and flamethrowers. Florentia could also create it all by themselves.

"I don't think Florentia would be able to allocate this much to Ithadurna, we already have our own weapons centers in other states," commented Edgar. Feeling down about the results of the temporary investigation.

"When we attacked Ithadurna, why didn't we think we should take care of their troubles too?" Damian responded again.

"No wonder the politicians blame me for this," Raphael responded lightly.

"No Raph, you are a knight. The generals allowed you to attack Ithadurna. The fact that you're a war hero won't change because of this," Edgar tried to please his commander.

"No, I see. At that time we only wanted to weaken Avalon's defenses. They left the abandoned smithy. The appraiser has assessed all the assets that we have managed to control, the amount is sufficient to support Ithadurna's economy for the next year or two," Raphael responded.

"Maybe later the people of Ithadurna will regret that they moved to Florentia," Damian shrugged.

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"Avalon has made this place part of their military facility for hundreds of years, so the people here don't know how else they can make a living," replied Edgar.

Then, there was the sound of the door creaking open and Darius entered the room.

"Sorry to interrupt, I overheard what you were saying. Regarding the citizens of Ithadurna, you all need not worry. Since most of us prefer to be part of Florentia. About half the Radcliffe family siding with Avalon—that's because they received a lot of money from Avalon," he said.

"Did they embezzle Avalon's funds?"

"No sir, that's the official budget paid to keep the Duke and his family in submission to them . . But it would be meaningless if only the nobles prospered here. Most of the ordinary citizens are tired of continuing to depend on the Avalon military for their life. We cannot develop, because there is no economic transaction here. All the citizens of Ithadurna, you could say, work for Avalon to create their weapons," said Darius again.

"We work for them and they pay us, guarantee housing and health facilities for people. But it's meaningless if we can't grow..Avalon forces humans and vampires to work in their workshops and forbids them from trying other professions without permission."

"So it's better for us to take the risk of leaving our comfort zone and joining Florentia..we hope Florentia can help with our problem," he said with an elegant smile.

"I'm not a politician, so to be honest it will be difficult. Our economists have also analyzed it but it will take time to find out Ithadurna's potential. I think you need to be more patient," said Raphael, shaking his head.

"I also don't guarantee that Florentia will give the amount that Avalon has given so far. Because we don't want to build a new weapons center here. So, what did the people of Ithadurna do after Avalon left here?" Raphael asked.

"Not much, they open repair services, and there are humans who try gardening even though it's not easy because of the poor quality of the soil," Darius shook his head.

"We have to find a solution, should we consider reopening the weapons workshop so they can work?"

"These citizens want independence, no longer depend on the military. We cannot choose that option," said Raphael.

"Remember, our job is to find trouble in Ithadurna and report the problem to headquarters. I know that this state has potential," Raphael said confidently.

"We've seen a lot of problems. The people here are only trained to make weapons and build things, unfortunately they can only do that if they have funds and customers. But this place has difficult access," said Edgar.

"No one is thinking of taking a vacation to Ithadurna,"

"Access is the problem. We should probably build infrastructure," Raphael mumbled.

"The higher-ups of Florentia wouldn't want to spend money on an uncertain project," Damian warned.

"Ah, why do we knights have to think about this?" Edgar complained.

"They held us accountable when we gave them the victory," Damian added annoyed

"Sir Darius, what do you have in your hand?"

Darius, carrying a boulder in his hand. The shape was irregular but a little shiny on some sides.

"This? One of our knights found it in the river, feeling it was a good color he gave it to me. I brought it here because I needed a paperweight," Darius said again.

"In which river did your knight find it? Can we be escorted there?" Raphael asked again.

"Ah yes, of course you can. But, what's with this stone? Is it something valuable?" Darius looks radiant.

"But it's not crystal, let alone gold," Edgar looked pessimistic.

"I have to confirm first," said Raphael, unwilling to elaborate further.

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