As they navigated through the streets that had now become somewhat crowded, Ravian quietly waited for Adrian to answer.

With the smell of oil and burning coal permeating the air, the buzz of the crowd around nearby food stalls made the surroundings feel incredibly lively.

’That merchant hadn’t seemed like a bad person.’

He had seen a lot of bad people visit the Graveshroud mansion; most of them were nobles. It was easy to identify them by their behavior. They would be rude, disrespectful, and would have a habit of raising their voice every other second during a conversation.

That merchant, on the other hand, was calm, respectful, and spoke with courtesy even though the two of them were children.

But that was not to say that the crowd of people or the ones leading them were bad people. Sure, they had shouted at him and made angry faces, but that was because Ravian had intentionally tried to provoke them.

In the end, he had no idea which side was correct, which was why he had asked that question.

Adrian slowly raised his head and looked at the sky, watching the sun slowly dip below the horizon.

"It’s not that simple; to say that one side was wrong would be incorrect‌. More than that, you are thinking that the conflict had only two sides, but in truth, there were three. The merchant, the blacksmiths, and the public."

’The public and those five people in the front were on different sides? But didn’t they all have the same objective?’

Although confused, Ravian still nodded, prompting Adrian to explain further.

"Starting with the merchant, I had initially thought that he would be an opportunistic individual who was trying to enter a new and budding market to profit as much as he could before washing his hands of it all. But that didn’t seem to be the case at all."

Adrian paused briefly.

"Based on what I saw of him during our interaction, he didn’t seem that short-sighted to me. He seemed like someone who was genuinely trying to plant his roots in a new market and grow along with it. So, no, I wouldn’t say that the merchant was in the wrong."

Ravian let out an internal sigh of relief.

In truth, he wouldn’t have minded all that much if that merchant really was in the wrong. After all, they had their own agenda, and they weren’t there to fight for justice. Still, it would’ve left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Now, about the blacksmiths, you must’ve realised that they were the ones who rallied all those people and instigated this whole incident, correct? Their reason for inciting all those people actually had nothing to do with steel or craft. They had a more practical reason."

’What the-?’

If they were lying, then didn’t that mean they were the bad guys? They rallied other people for a false reason.

Adrian continued.

"Blacksmiths purchase ore, forge weapons using that ore, and sell those weapons. This is how they earn a living. But for them to earn anything, the weapon’s price must be higher than the price of the ore they bought. Also, keep in mind that it takes time to forge weapons, and they aren’t sold too often since weaponry is not a necessity like food."

He sighed.

"So blacksmiths add a forging cost to the weapons they forge, and this cost varies between blacksmiths. But that extra amount is something like a premium brand value, with the blacksmiths themselves being the brand."

Ravian tilted his head.

’Premium brand value? What the hell even is that?’

Adrian was using strange words again. Well, it wasn’t anything new. Besides, he got the gist of what Adrian was trying to say, so he nodded along.

"Magitool weaponry, on the other hand, needs a forged weapon to create. And those weapons will obviously be supplied by blacksmiths. But if the blacksmiths sell the weapons at the usual cost, the price of magitool weaponry will be too much for people to purchase. And since the blacksmiths weren’t the ones who created the finished product, they will have no justification to charge the extra price."

Ravian’s blows slowly furrowed.

"Adrian, I have a hard time following all this, even with Mnemosyne. Can’t you... simplify it a bit?’

Adrian turned and stared at his face. Although he remained perfectly calm and neutral as always, Ravian felt as though Adrian was frowning while looking at him.

Adrian let out a tired sigh.

"In conclusion, if Magitool weaponry becomes too prevalent, blacksmiths will die of hunger and poverty since they won’t be able to earn a living. So those blacksmiths instigated that whole incident in fear of such a future."

Ravian could only stare into the empty air with his mouth open.

’I don’t know what to say...’

The blacksmiths were doing what they could since their very future was at stake. He didn’t feel that he could criticize them for this. But...

"I get it, the blacksmiths had their reasons for doing what they did. Still, wasn’t it wrong of them to lie and manipulate all those people for their own benefit? I would still say that the blacksmiths were in the wrong."

Adrian sighed for the third time, causing Ravian to tilt his head.

’What’s with that reaction? I don’t think I said anything wrong.’

"Ravian, you have to understand, people are not stupid. Sure, some of them may have been manipulated by the words of those blacksmiths, but most of them must’ve also understood the real reason. But they all still chose to follow those blacksmiths. Why do you think that happened?"

Ravian opened his mouth, but no words came out.

’Why did the people willingly get manipulated? I... have no idea.’

"Because those people had their own agenda in that incident," Adrian answered his own question. "Ravian, are you aware of the technological revolution that happened about fifty years ago?"

At that question, Ravian divided his consciousness and entered the Library of Mnemosyne. Floating in the middle of the vast cylindrical hall filled with books, he willed the book containing memories related to a technological revolution fifty years ago to float towards him.

But no matter how long he waited, no book came towards him.

’Looks like I have no such memory.’

In the real world, Ravian awkwardly scratched his head.

"I don’t know about it. Is it something important?"

Adrian shook his head.

"It’s important, but it’s not something someone your age would know about. Still, I had asked just in case. But if I had the same ability as you, the first thing I would do is record all knowledge in the mansion’s library. After all, knowledge is power."

’That’s some good advice, I will do just that as soon as I return to my mansion.’

"Anyways, back to the matter at hand." Adrian continued. "Fifty years ago, a technological revolution directed by the imperial faction turned magitools into common-use items instead of things like relics. Apparently, magitools weren’t so commonplace back then."

Ravian was nodding along, but suddenly paused near the last part.

’If magitools weren’t commonplace, then how did people even live during those times?’

Nowadays, magitools are everywhere and are necessary for a lot of things. Even the light inside the carriages was created using magitools. Did people travel while carrying burning torches fifty years ago?

"But the problem is, to either produce a magitool or use it, the most basic requirement is that one must be capable of using mana. So most commoners can neither produce nor use them. Thus, the more magitools become part of the empire’s economy, the more commoners will get sidelined."

Ravian nodded after a brief pause.

’I see.’

The situation of blacksmiths and other commoners was not much different. The more magitools become popular, the worse things will get for them.

Although he had had a hard time understanding everything Adrian had explained, he still knew that things were bad. Because only a tenth of the people living in the empire were mana users, and that was, of course, if he included the nobility.

This meant that the system was making most people suffer for the benefit of a few.

"But that’s not even all. You know that the value of ‌money depreciates the more time passes. A gold coin worth a thousand lux becomes only worth nine hundred lux after enough time passes. Tell me, Ravian, where do you think that hundred lux went?"

Ravian tilted his head.

"What do you mean, doesn’t it just... disappear?" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

It wasn’t like someone took that hundred lux; it went to no one. Nobody bought anything with that hundred lux, and nobody would ever be able to, so where else could it have gone instead of disappearing?

No matter how much he thought, that question sounded like complete nonsense. But of course, since Adrian was the one asking that question, it couldn’t be nonsense. There must be an answer.

But in the end, Ravian simply sighed in defeat.

"I have no idea, so please tell me."

Adrian replied in a low tone.

"It is imperial tax."