Inside Hel's room, she glanced at Niv, the cat-girl with a feline face who was deep in thought.
"What's wrong?" Hel rubbed her fluffy head and pulled her into her arms.
"Just curious, meow." Niv wrinkled her nose—apparently still irritated by the lingering poppy fragrance Mortia had left at the door.
"In Niv's database, goblins once experienced the rise of capitalism. But because of the war with the dwarves, capitalism had barely begun before it was crushed by the Empire. But judging from what Niv knows of capitalism, many of their ideas are similar to the policies Master is using in your territory. Is Master not interested in that society, meow?"
"You said it yourself—just similar in some ways." Hel flicked Niv's little nose and glanced once more toward the door.
"In a world with supernatural power, trying to reform social systems is basically hell difficulty."
"Master doesn't think they'll succeed, meow?"
"No. Not at all." Hel nodded.
"Their failure is inevitable. For the strong, a king can grant privileges. But what can merchants offer them? In this world, bottom-up systemic reform is hell-tier difficulty. But top-down reform? All it takes is one sentence from a powerhouse.
The only reason I could carry out those reforms in my own territory is because I have absolute control there. And the local nobles—most of them were already dead.
But if I tried to transplant that system into a kingdom, I'd immediately face hostility from every neighboring country. Because I'd be shaking the very foundation of their rule."
"Niv thinks she understands now."
She nodded thoughtfully.
She remembered the history of the goblins: capitalism bloomed for barely a hundred years, while the militaristic imperial system lasted tens of thousands. It aligned perfectly with what Hel had just said.
The Goblin Empire followed a "strong stay strong" Matthew Effect—every emperor was born with exceptional talent and received all the resources of the empire. And like the current human empires, the emperor would abdicate upon reaching term to devote themselves to cultivating, strengthening the imperial foundation.
That was how their royal line survived for tens of millennia.
If humanity's three great empires had more time, perhaps they too could have grown into giants like the Goblin Empire. But time was running out—only 600 years remained before the end of the epoch.
Niv wondered whether her master could break past the demigod stage and ascend within those 600 years. If Hel was still stuck at demigod when the epoch ended… then the two of them could only face doom together as a pair of tragic lovebirds.
"All right," Hel said, lifting Niv and turning to Anna.
"Anna, do you want to come with us to the New City Market District? I want to see what type of business might be worth developing."
"Ah? Yes—right away!"
Anna hurriedly pressed a hand to her ear—her pointed ears from her true form had just popped out and she quickly forced them back down under her hair.
This was a unique ability of the Bloodlust Elf tribe—minor transformations of flesh and blood.
When they came to Savent City, Hel had specifically warned them to hide their elven features. In a place that housed Skoll Academy, revealing their race casually would not be wise.
Once Anna was fully disguised, the three set off for the New City Market District.
After an afternoon of scouting, Hel was shocked—the variety of goods was astonishing, and the commercial prosperity far exceeded even the royal capitals of Selphis and the Aela Court.
Inside some workshops along the commercial street, she even spotted advanced magitech lathes.
But those shops were all run by the Mechanical Academy, and the Mechanical Academy wasn't dumb enough to sell their golden goose. Everything was non-for-sale.
"As expected of a nation of scholars—every profitable industry has already been monopolized by the academies."
Hel stroked Niv's head and spoke through the soul network:
"To think I once wanted to invent a Jenny Spinning Machine and monopolize the entire textile market… I was too naive."
"Master, with your alchemy and mechanical skills, making money shouldn't be hard at all, though."
Niv tilted her head in confusion.
Hel nodded—money wasn't the problem. What she lacked was a legitimate reason to keep Tina by her side.
After pondering for a long while, she decided to leave that troublesome question to Tina herself.
Hel went instead to the café in the city center.
She had heard from local vendors that if you wanted to gather intel in Savent, this was the best place. Information brokers lingered here looking for clients. Students from the seven academies often held speeches or debates as well.
Hel came today to gather information about the deans of the seven academies—she needed to know their strength and current movements. Only after understanding that could she pick the softest target to question about the Healing Witch.
And if she could gather intel on the neighboring Garden Nation while she was at it, even better.
But the moment she stepped inside, she ran into someone she knew.
Spark Society officer Mortia was standing in a corner organizing documents. Beside her, a well-dressed brown-haired young man stood on a raised platform, passionately delivering a speech.
"Why should the old aristocracy enjoy privileges solely because of their bloodline? True value is created through intellect and labor. Look at the merchants of the Tred Exchange—they're the ones driving the world forward with their wisdom and diligence! Meanwhile the dukes of Ymir still quarrel over who gets to step out of the palace first…"
The young man spoke with fervor. Below the stage, a mixed group of men and women listened attentively.
Among them, one girl stood out—she wore a high, dark-violet ponytail and was taking notes with intense seriousness, recording every word the speaker said.