Genoa Peninsula, Cadman City, Chardo Port, Transia, True Otherworld, Brass Dwarves, Mirian, Avalon, Murphy 1042: The Feast of the Frenzied Fish, Phase One Settlement Begins-Here, the Mermaid You've Been Waiting For

It turned out that even something as wonderful as sharing technology required a certain foundation to make use of it.

The bigwigs of the Explorers' Guild acted quickly. "Otherworld technology" was shared with Transia in a steady stream, but before Mirian's excitement had even worn off, she discovered, to her dismay, that Transia's pitiful industrial capacity made it impossible to produce any of these newfangled contraptions.

So, with no other choice, the Scarlet Archon proposed setting up the Explorers' Guild's headquarters in Chardo Port.

It was a truly brilliant move.

Only the technologically advanced Halflings on this continent had the ability to absorb this knowledge and turn it into practical applications in such a short time.

It was also a risky move.

If the Halflings packed up and left halfway through, Transia and the people from the Otherworld would have thrown their investments away.

But the good news was that the famous continental "dream-makers," the Twilight organization, had pushed the Halflings firmly to Murphy's side with a disaster. At least until the memories of that disaster had faded, the Halflings, who had suffered so terribly, weren't going to reconcile with Twilight.

There weren't many Halflings, and they weren't a race known for reproducing. At their peak, their population was about the same as that of the Brass Dwarves, never exceeding three and a half million. In the Otherworld, they were undoubtedly an "ethnic minority." A disaster on the Genoa Peninsula had reduced their numbers by ten percent in just a few months, not counting those displaced, injured, or disabled.

It was a calamity that had struck them to the core.

The little folk might not be good at fighting, but they held grudges. So, once they learned that the recent production plans were all aimed at striking their enemies, enthusiasm