Aningsbe's development faced many problems, the most important of which was the issue of race.
There were also the fights between the various tribes.
The whole map was practically a mess, like a painter's palette!
The countless divisions between races had left the Demi-humans split into tribes of just a few hundred people each!
Even the larger tribes were merely alliances between multiple tribes.
In Lynn's eyes, they were one village after another.
You might ask why these tribes hadn't been unified into larger powers.
In theory, it was possible, but just think about the racial conflicts on Blue Star.
The Demi-humans had it even worse. They were divided into Demi-humans, Dog Demi-humans, and Cat demi-humans, then further subdivided into groups like the Blue Cat Tribe and the huskies.
There were some cases of Demi-humans uniting to resist the Orcs and humans. They did form alliances, but only when all Demi-humans were threatened.
Under normal circumstances, each tribe was an independent village. Slightly larger groups might build their own cities.
Some might even have castles left over from the old Demi-human Kingdom.
In Western stories, a city being equivalent to a country was indeed a thing, but what era was this now?
How could those Demi-humans dare to found a country and declare themselves kings?
You needed a claim.
Without one, how could you call yourself a king?
Your title would lack legitimacy, and you wouldn't be able to fight your way into power.
Even if you declared yourself king, no one would recognize you.
And so, the Demi-humans' Princess, the true heir, was brought by Lynn to discuss a trade agreement.
At the settlement of the Tiger demi-humans and Cat demi-humans.
There was a rare sight here: a city, proof that this tribe was wealthy.
You might ask why they were still called a tribe when they had a city.
They couldn't farm, their technology was backward, and they had only one city. What else could they be but a tribe?
That was what people called uncivilized barbarians.
The Dragon Race was arrogant, but were humans any less arrogant?
That was how the books described them: the various Demi-human tribes.
Lynn didn't mind. People back in his hometown liked calling others barbarians, too.
But Lynn didn't insult the Demi-humans to their faces. Their Princess was right beside him, after all—and she was the cat-girl system that had helped Lynn pursue his heroine for five years.
In any case, Lilim was brought along to the negotiations.
"She's your Princess." Lynn pointed to Lilim, who was standing beside him in a mage's robe.
"So?" asked Karl, chief of the Blue Cat Tribe.
Lilim produced the token she had prepared long ago. "So, although I won't declare myself queen, I still hope you'll submit to me."
"This is the symbol of the Demi-human King: Cecilia, the White Priestess's staff. I'm the last member of the royal family, and I still have the staff."
"So you're finally dropping the act, human?" The chief looked at Lynn. "I don't know how you got so lucky as to find the last member of the royal family, but this is a vicious trick, human!"
"Lynn, he says you're vicious." Lilim turned to him. "Looks like they're still quite hostile toward you and don't want to submit."
"Lilim, translate for him. We're here to mine iron, build roads, and explore for resources, so we have to set up an administrative system. Once he joins us, we'll turn the area where his tribe lives into a village, and he'll be its village chief. His position won't change. We can also teach them advanced institutions and farming techniques, but we'll collect taxes, such as Agricultural Tax and mining tax."
"We can make laws together, too. For instance, we can establish a Lower House where everyone votes democratically and drafts a constitution."
Lilim began translating into the Demi-humans' language. "Chief, trust me. This will benefit everyone. Ever since the Demi-human Kingdom was destroyed, haven't you all missed the kingdom?"
"Aningsbe means 'Land of Extreme Cold' in the human dictionary. The Demi-humans live here and have to worry about surviving winter every year. There isn't enough food or fuel for warmth, and slave traders capture you, too. But Aningsbe can also mean 'People of the Land of Extreme Cold.' We're all People of the Land of Extreme Cold, so why should we reject one another?"
"From what I've learned, the Tiger demi-humans were recently devastated by the Wolfkin, so you took in some of them. You're all Demi-humans. Does that mean the Cat demi-humans haven't discriminated against the Tiger demi-humans?"
"And have the Tiger demi-humans never attacked the Cat demi-humans?"
"My Father King, Otto XVI, told me that we're all Demi-humans and shouldn't be divided into Cat demi-humans and Dog Demi-humans. So why should we be divided from humans?"
"Humans may discriminate against other races, but haven't humans also faced discrimination from other races?"
"Even when humans are discriminated against, they still accept other races. Dwarves, Elves, and Demi-humans all live in human countries. But here, we hardly ever see any Dwarves or Elves."
"Unification would be best. If you think humans can't be trusted, since we've only worked together for a short time, we have a compromise. You can submit to me, and I'll invite the various Demi-human tribes to join the Lower House and discuss matters together."
Lynn knew exactly how to bring different races together. After all, racial conflicts were really conflicts among the upper classes. The common people in every country were much the same: hardworking people struggling to get by. They had plenty in common.
Before you continue