"I'm not doing this just to keep the workers employed."
In the lounge on the third floor of the City Lord's Mansion, Annan explained his reasoning to his elder sister and Olmedo.
"There were once two Island kingdoms locked in a generations-old feud. The first thing each new king did was declare war on the other."
"Since they were Island kingdoms, warships were their greatest weapons. But as war broke out again and again, sunken ships formed new Islands in the bay between them, and the wood they used to build ships grew scarcer."
"Both kingdoms began planting trees on a massive scale, but then they took completely different paths. The Aggressive Kingdom kept building ships and launching attacks while it planted trees. The Moderate Kingdom switched to a defensive policy and met the enemy at its coastline."
"So, who do you think won?"
Olmedo said casually, "Since you're asking, the Aggressive Kingdom must have won against all expectations."
Annan glared at her. Olmedo looked up from the parchment, adjusted her glasses, and remained unmoved.
"I think the defending kingdom won?" His gentle elder sister played along.
"Wrong. The Aggressive Kingdom won."
"Oh, what a shame." Idelia blinked with a soft laugh.
"You'll never guess why."
"No, how could we?" Olmedo lowered her head and turned a page of parchment.
Ignoring Olmedo's sarcasm, Annan revealed the answer. "On the surface, the Aggressive Kingdom kept building ships and attacking, while the defending kingdom drained its resources at very little cost. But trees take time to grow, and craftsmen eventually grow old..."
Olmedo raised her head. Idelia listened closely.
They both realized Annan really was making a point.
"The Aggressive Kingdom used up its resources, but it never lost the craft of shipbuilding. The defending kingdom thought it was clever to stop