South Los's Old District was even more dilapidated and cramped than he had imagined.
With its uneven rooftops and pothole-riddled roads, it was, on the whole, more than twice as bad as Mule Street in the Dort District. At least on Mule Street, Arthur could still sense a trace of dignity.
But in the Old District?
Every street gave him the same impression-
Decay!
It was the kind of decay that came after glory had faded into utter decline, only for everything to then be smashed to pieces in the most literal sense.
He could even call it...
Shattered!
Before the Seven-Year War began, South Los's Old District had been its wealthiest district after the Shire District, and the one with the largest population.
But once the Seven-Year War began and large numbers of men were drafted from the Old District, everything changed.
Especially after the old Count of South Los suffered defeats on the battlefield and the Old District had to send another wave of men, its decline became unstoppable.
During those seven years, every household in South Los's Old District sent at least two men to war.
Sometimes, all the men in a family went to war together.
And after the war ended, how many of them managed to return to South Los?
Fewer than thirty percent.
So, to preserve South Los's former prosperity, the old Count began accepting large numbers of people left homeless after the war.
He had little choice.
But it was also something that drew fierce criticism.
The influx of outsiders naturally led to conflicts with the original residents.
These conflicts were particularly common in the Old District, where men were in short supply.
To address this, the old Count established the New District.
The New District had originally been created to settle the