The Northern Three Territories

After the Northern Exploration Fleet illuminated the coastal region north of the Rocky Mountains on the map, the Arda Government Affairs Council began pouring massive resources into its development.

This vast virgin land was naturally regarded as the Greiman Family's new territory. It was covered in dense primeval forests, beneath which countless precious mineral deposits lay hidden. It also possessed fertile black soil. To let such land remain undeveloped would be a terrible waste.

The indigenous tribes here—mainly the Forest Orcish—did not possess as strong a sense of territorial boundaries as the humans of civilized nations, and were even less particular about them than their Grassland Orcish kin. Products that could greatly improve their quality of life—such as delicious refined salt, sturdy ironware, brightly colored fabrics, exquisite porcelain, and so on—could be exchanged for their recognition of ownership over vast stretches of land.

And it was not only land that could be obtained so easily. Labor could be exchanged for as well.

Following Earl Paul Greiman's directive to "avoid conflict with the local tribes whenever possible," the development teams often chose lands that the Forest Orcish considered worthless as the sites for their settlements.

They felled towering trees, drained the stagnant water from swamps, and drove away dangerous beasts. At a speed that left the indigenous people clicking their tongues in wonder, they built fortresses, farms, and workshops in places once considered uninhabitable. Exploration and extraction of underground mineral deposits were also proceeding in full swing. Locally produced coal was already enough to help the members of the development teams survive winters here that were colder than those in the western bay.

To many Forest Orcish, the changes brought by the humans' arrival seemed almost miraculous. Those tall, sturdy buildings, those astonishingly vast fields, and those workshops producing exquisite goods—could