After taking care of matters there, Roland returned to Lainer World.
The archdevils of Hell might not dare to intervene in person and threaten Atrelin with outright force, but they had no shortage of other methods, all of which would severely weaken Atrelin's economy and overall strength.
At the very least, Atrelin had suffered considerable losses from its frequent financial investments in the Doran Kingdom region over the past few years.
This would intensify tensions on all sides, while many problems with governance gradually came to the fore.
Against this backdrop, Atrelin attached ever greater importance to Lainer World. It even had to bring forward its previous plans for the world's advancement to mid-magic status, shifting some of its war-induced deficits onto it.
As a former colony and current "blood bank," Lainer World had to start shouldering more.
In the past, these payments had been called annual tribute and offerings, before becoming dividends, profit distributions, and taxes...
Now, financial extraction centered on Atrelin bonds had begun to emerge as well.
Roland pointed out, however, that despite all the intricacies involved, it still boiled down to the same old price-scissors scheme.
There was nothing new under the sun. Whatever names these methods went by, they were all plunder inflicted on Lainer World by Atrelin from its position of strength.
Although he regarded Lainer World as his own backyard, he still recognized reality and let it endure this exploitation for the time being.
In turn, however, the Seris School also began pursuing its own interests in the process.
First and foremost were the many newly risen elites in Lainer World created by industrial relocation, along with the faction established through the two Mage Towers and his own achievements.
A group of mages who had immigrated from Atrelin and Sinvira had gathered here.