Annan's fondness for Starshine City came from its name, which reminded him of Star-Moon Bay. His dislike came from the city withholding his box-office earnings after the Mad Dog Duke started the war.
The ten percent Commercial Tax on Magic Films was nowhere near enough to satisfy the nobles. Five thousand Gold Narls in two months... They wanted the whole business for themselves.
The Mad Dog Duke's attack gave them their chance.
The nobles had no qualms about kicking Annan while he was down—and Annan had no qualms about collecting his debts by force.
When Mr. Swaro appeared at the Theater and hauled its owner to the City Lord's Mansion, the Theater Owner said humbly, "Whatever Annan paid you, we'll pay double."
Knowing the Theater Owner had no authority to make that offer, Mr. Swaro looked at the City Lord. "He gave me half the Magic Film's earnings."
"...Give the money to the Mage," the City Lord said at once.
With an Epic Mage collecting his debts, the Mad Dog Duke probably couldn't do anything to Annan. The City Lord abandoned his greed, opened the Treasure Vault himself, and handed over five thousand Gold Narls.
Hoping someone else would suffer the same misfortune, the City Lord watched Mr. Swaro step into the Portal.
The next morning, Mr. Swaro delivered thirty-four thousand Gold Narls.
The treasury went from deficit to surplus in an instant. With another four hundred thousand Gold Narls due in two days, Annan started spending.
The Mage Tower? Why stop building it? The Port? Build it to rival the Tartun Empire's largest! Mountain Copper? Buy all they could get! Why would the Blacksmith Shop stop? They had only a thousand Musketeers now, but in a few months, they would have two thousand, then Three Thousand! And Magic