Other than territorial expansion, nothing particularly significant had happened in the Northwest Republic over the past few years.
That was hardly surprising. The Northwest Republic lay on the frontier, possessed great national strength, and had a highly stable system of its own. For such a powerful nation, let alone ten years, even twenty or thirty years might pass without any major events.
Wars often broke out between nations in this world, but no army, no matter what kind, could hope to cross such vast distances and attack the Northwest Republic.
As for its neighboring countries—the steep Desolate Mountains lay east of the Northwest Republic. This mountain range was nearly impossible to cross, and could only be traversed through several gorges. Even after passing through those gorges, one would find either an endless Gobi Desert or a vast snowfield beyond, neither of which was suitable terrain for marching armies.
Moreover, farther east of the Gobi and snowfields lay the "Western Wasteland" of the Orc Empire. It was the province where the Orc Empire's rule was weakest. So long as nobody went looking for trouble with them, the Governor of the Western Wasteland would be thanking the heavens—how could he possibly turn around and cause trouble for the Northwest Republic?
As for the north and west of the Northwest Republic, both were boundless seas. There were civilizations in the ocean as well, such as merfolk from the distant seas and fishfolk from the near seas. However, His Majesty Void Mask, the power behind the Northwest Republic, was the guide of the Goddess of the Sea—roughly equivalent to a master or foster father. Unless the sea races had water in their brains too, they would never dare provoke the Northwest Republic.
Of course, it would not be easy for them to come looking