The Roman Merchant Guild-a name that carried tremendous weight across the entire continent.
As the leader of the world's largest merchant alliance, the Roman Family had businesses spanning trade, medicine, magic device research and development, disaster relief, and many other fields.
From bustling cities to remote villages, traces of the Roman Merchant Guild could be found in almost every inhabited place.
They opened shops, invested in workshops, funded medical institutions, and even organized large-scale relief efforts during years of disaster.
On the surface, they were a charitable commercial giant that benefited society.
In reality, however, the Roman Merchant Guild's true objective was not simply to do business and make money. Through the penetration of capital, they gradually brought a country's economic lifelines under their control.
Whenever disaster struck a region, they swiftly intervened in the name of relief, providing supplies, funds, and manpower to help restore order.
In the process, they bought land, acquired controlling stakes in businesses, and forged connections in government and commerce, extending their tendrils little by little into the country's core systems.
By the time the locals realized what was happening, the Roman Merchant Guild had already become an indispensable part of their lives.
It was a subtle form of invasion. Without a single soldier, they needed only gold coins and contracts to turn a country into their economic vassal before anyone noticed.
And now, the disaster in the Imperial Capital had undoubtedly presented the Roman Merchant Guild with a perfect opportunity to intervene.
A massive airship was slowly entering the airspace on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.
The airship was silver-white from end to end, its streamlined hull gleaming softly in the sunlight. Its stern bore the Roman Merchant Guild's emblem: a gold coin encircled by a gear and ears of wheat.
The airship's