Carts rumbled, horses whinnied, and every traveler wore bow and arrows at their waist.
The endless procession moved along the not especially wide road like a colossal dragon, its head nowhere in sight and its tail nowhere in sight, winding from the eastern horizon all the way to the western one.
This was the migration convoy of the Gold Coin Federation's merchant faction.
To avoid war, the Goddess of Wealth ultimately proposed the plan of "merchants north, nobles south," splitting the vast Gold Coin Federation in two.
Though the small merchants and minor nobles of the middle and lower ranks had many objections, the great merchants and high nobles accepted the proposal after negotiations.
No matter what, it was still better than going to war.
Although both sides wished they could kill the other and seize all the other's wealth, even the nobles, who held the advantage, did not truly possess overwhelming odds of victory.
Or rather, even if the noble faction as a whole had a chance of winning, any particular great noble could not be certain that the gains his family received from the future war sweeping across the entire Gold Coin Federation would make up for its losses.
Since that was the case, it would be even better not to lose anything at all.
Thus, despite opposition from the northern nobles and southern merchants, the matter was ultimately settled.
Once it was settled, the long migration began.
Merchants went north, nobles went south.
This was likely the largest migration since humanity's great migration. The total population involved on both sides might approach one million.
Originally, the merchants had suggested that everyone relocate only their property and families, leaving behind the people of their territories—they had even offered to pay to redeem those nobles' subjects. But after discussion,