Otheni

The Federation of Reon had many similarities with Florent, but there were some differences between the two Kingdoms. The Reon Mage Association interfered too much in state affairs.

In response, the state governments began strengthening their leadership, causing the central government to slowly weaken. Consequently, regardless of the extent of the Mage Association's interference in government affairs, the implementation ultimately didn't function well.

Veograd, Saravejo, Zovia, Dukares, and Otheni were the five states within the Federation of Reon. Meanwhile, Burkia served as the capital of the Federation of Reon, located in the Zovia State.

Within the territory of the Federation of Reon, mountains traversed and divided the Federation into west and east. Saravejo and Otheni had territories mostly in the west, making them the main fronts against Arkmenom.

Among them, Saravejo was the less fortunate, with 80% of its territory lying in the western part of the mountains, while Otheni had only 40%. Saravejo was also responsible for 67% of the Oziloth Forest borderlines, with the rest falling under Otheni.

Due to these two factors, almost 80% of adult males in Saravejo were part of the Reon Federation forces, while the rest were either ill or disabled. Consequently, agriculture in Saravejo didn't thrive, relying solely on women, yet yielding unsatisfactory results.

Each year, Zovia, Veograd, and Dukares sent grains for free to support Saravejo. They also frequently dispatched troops to aid Saravejo in case of severe attacks.

Now, as the grand war started being planned, Zovia, Veograd, and Dukares sent almost all their troops for training and field experience. After years, Saravejo became exceedingly adept in this regard.

However, Adam's collaborative target wasn't Saravejo but Otheni. Despite Saravejo being the most unfortunate state receiving attention and aid from other states, Otheni stood apart; they had to endure on their own.

It could be said that Saravejo's misfortune made people in other states overlook Otheni's comparatively lesser suffering.

Otheni, with its territory divided by mountains, often faced difficulties in providing aid to its western regions across the mountains.

There were occasional conflicts between the eastern and western regions, where in the east, people felt they provided too much help to the west, while in the west of Otheni, people felt the easterners weren't genuinely supportive and lacked attention towards the west.

Otheni was led by a governor with a 10-year term. The governorship of Otheni had always been monopolized by the noble families of that state. In this year, Denvers Ortales was the governor leading the state of Otheni.

Denvers faced quite challenging issues. As a person within the Federation of Reon, he understood how costly wars could be compared to other nations. The logistical supplies required for a grand war had to be provided by the involved nations.

However, the Federation of Reon, with its weak central governance, couldn't gather enough taxes, leaving their treasury empty.

All this resulted from state governments unwilling to provide tax money, primarily because these state governments were led by nobles who would find ways to avoid paying taxes.

Now, that behavior was piercing back at the state government, especially Otheni. When Denvers sought financial aid from the central government in preparation for the grand war, the Federation of Reon's central government refused.

Denvers attempted to seek help from other states like Zovia, Veograd, and Dukares, but all three had already provided substantial aid to Saravejo, resulting in much smaller assistance to Otheni.

Although Denvers was grateful for the meager assistance, he knew it wasn't enough.

The Rextozos family, a noble family in the west of Otheni, continued to protest to Denvers about the lack of assistance from the Otheni government. Without money, how could the Grand War proceed?

"Hera, how much funding shortfall do we need to cover?" Denvers asked his assistant.

"Sir, we've gathered around 27 million eons, aid from other kingdoms is about 70 million eons, then various aids from Veograd, Zovia, and Dukares have relieved us of around 10 million eons. According to our plan, we require 120 million eons to finance 500,000 soldiers and logistics for at least 3 months. We're still short of 13 million eons."

"What about the other noble families? Isn't there anyone willing to donate their money? I'm sure they still have reserves in their homes."

"They've sent quite a substantial number of troops; they've also sent grains and hundreds of horses, so they refuse to provide additional funds."

"Go to mom and dad, ask if there's something in the Ortales family that can be pawned?" Denvers sighed; before this Grand War, he had provided many benefits to the Ortales family, but now, when he needed the Ortales family, they seemed to distance themselves.

Hera promptly left after receiving Denvers' command. A while after Hera left, Denvers heard a knock.

"Come in."

"Governor Denvers, there are three unknown individuals who wish to meet you."

Denvers raised his eyebrows, then replied, "Let them in."

After a few moments, Denvers met the three individuals. He extended his hand and shook hands with them.

"I'm Denvers Ortales, Governor of the state of Otheni. May I know who you are?"

"I'm Adam, and this is Celine and also Orkan, both are my subordinates. My visit here is to offer cooperation with you, Governor Denvers."

"Sorry, but..." Denvers squinted suspiciously, wanting to reject the offer immediately.

"I am the owner and founder of a popular training class in the Kingdom of Florent. I am also one of the most instrumental figures in enhancing the quality of the Florent Kingdom's soldiers. Is this identity enough for us to collaborate, Governor Denvers?" Adam revealed part of his identity to earn Denvers' trust.

The Owner of the Training Class! He had heard of this highly effective training class! Common folks could become quality soldiers in just a few months! Even the nobles of Otheni sent dozens of individuals every month to join the training class.

"Why have you decided to collaborate with Otheni?" Denvers asked. Logically, whatever Adam wanted from Otheni, surely the Florent Kingdom could provide.

"Some personal reasons." Adam didn't explain in detail.

Denvers didn't press Adam; he immediately inquired further.

"What kind of cooperation are you offering?"

"I will assist Otheni in the Grand War, and in return, Otheni will grant me autonomous land. Of course, it's fine if that land is situated in the western border. With that, Otheni won't be too burdened by this war, and furthermore, pressure from Arkmenom could be reduced with the autonomous region I possess as a buffer between the Oziloth Forest and the state of Otheni."