Charles rode atop his warhorse, listening as Charlotte spoke of the Land of Chaos from the perspective of an ordinary resident.
Charlotte said, "My lord, I am already an old man. If you had not appointed me mayor, I should have lived and died in that town."
"When I was young, I traveled about too. I worked as a mercenary, guarded caravans, and even spent some time as a slave trader."
Charles chuckled. "With your strength, you could be a slave trader?"
Charlotte's old face reddened as he continued, "Though I am not particularly strong, I could still manage a little business here and there."
Charles nodded. "Go on. Tell me about the Land of Chaos."
Charlotte thought for a moment before slowly saying, "The Land of Chaos is vast, yet in some ways, it is also very small."
"My lord, you came from the Avenor Elven Court, so you know what things are like in the south."
"I have been south. The people there do not live well either. The half-elf nobles do not see us as their own kind."
"I have also been north. The great orc tribes see everyone as slaves. Of course, not only humans—even ordinary orcs hold a low status, scarcely better than slaves."
"The farthest place I ever reached was the snowfields. The giants there were even more savage."
"For ordinary people like us, wherever we go, life is the hardest and most miserable."
"Even when I was a slave trader, I had to worry about being robbed at any time."
"In the Land of Chaos, setting aside the southern half-elves and the northern orc tribes, the central region is ultimately ruled by six factions."
"My lord, the moment you entered, you provoked the powerful Howling Children of the Wasteland."
Charles nodded slightly. "Do