Seven Fiefs, Five Offices Coordinated

In the depths of Blackpine Fief's Inner Fortress, the dull thud of hammers against stone walls went on without end.

Auxiliary Soldiers had completely cleared the two floors below, smashed through the dividing walls, and carved out five broad halls by sheer force.

Five iron plaques had been crudely nailed to the Oak Doors: Military Supply Office, Fortifications Office, Population Office, Post Road Office, and Workshop Directorate.

Fabien stood in the stone corridor, watching the manor that had once housed the nobility being hammered into a military headquarters.

He did not understand these unfamiliar administrative divisions, but the way everything had been sorted into separate offices carried an inexplicable air of expertise.

So he turned to Shien as he approached and asked, "My lord, why divide internal affairs into these five parts?"

Shien was leafing through a stack of old, musty parchment scrolls, his brow slightly furrowed over some thought.

When he saw that Fabien was asking, he answered casually, "In the old Long Night Fief, one steward handled everything from food to latrines. I'm not saying that was wrong, but it was inefficient and prone to mistakes.

"With tens of thousands of refugees across the Seven Fiefs to manage now, bringing everything together won't be easy. Dividing the work among five offices, each with its own duties, makes things clearer without requiring too many more people."

Shien pointed to the five doors one by one.

"The Military Supply Office handles only weapons storage and wartime distribution. The Fortifications Office works from the plans and handles walls, trenches, and other defenses. The Population Office manages people and their assignments. The Post Road Office builds the roads and Echoing Platforms connecting the seven cities."

Shien's gaze fell on the last door. "As for the Workshop Directorate, it makes weapons.

"Each group