There was little Patrick could do about the population growth rate. Hedonism had prevailed among the High Elves for thousands of years, and having children was barely a consideration for ordinary High Elves.
Now that the Third War was about to begin, Patrick had secretly drawn up an entirely new set of management policies for the Floating City. As its Highlord, he also had an administrative body under him-the Decision the Council. When Patrick founded the Floating City, he had not sold off its land rights. Instead, he had paid for all the infrastructure himself, then put public officials in charge of management and operations, with all property rights held by the Decision the Council.
Patrick had watched the Sun Temple develop step by step into the Floating City of today. A tiny sapling had slowly grown into a towering tree and borne abundant fruit. Now it was time to share it with his own core followers.
At first, Patrick had considered many operating systems, but none had been particularly satisfactory. Playing the capital game came with many limitations and would also cause all manner of instability in administration and development. In the end, Patrick decided to place the principal property rights of the entire Floating City under the joint ownership of the Decision the Council.
Although quite a few Elves resisted, this was within Patrick's expectations. If he allowed capitalist forces to rise and take shape, once their influence exceeded Patrick's control, they would inevitably challenge the supreme ruler's authority.
King Anasterian was one example. Although the Council directed administrative, judicial, and legislative affairs throughout Quel'Thalas, its major industries and core energy resources remained in the hands of the Royal Family. These were principles on which the Sunstrider family would never compromise.
In the day-to-day affairs of Quel'Thalas, Anasterian