Chapter 54: The Price of Passage
There was no choice but to accept it.
The lessons taught by those who came before—lessons written in blood—had made one thing clear: the Nubilian Union was indeed the best and most stable route through the border.
And so, the Nubilian Union’s high fees became that much more "reasonable."
Illiya shared everything he knew with his companions, and in return, he was met with a lot of shocked expressions.
None of them could believe that a major nation could behave with such shamelessness.
Among them, the most visibly shaken was the young master of the Taeharin family, someone who had clearly never experienced the darker side of the world.
"No way? As far as I know, the Nubilian Union is quite wealthy. One of my family’s biggest sources of income is their orders. How could such a rich nation stoop to something so... so coercive?" Eoryun’s voice faltered near the end, falling into an awkward silence.
He seemed to remember that the Nubilian Union was their golden customer and hastily substituted his words with something less blunt.
Illiya, who knew a bit about the Taeharin family’s circumstances, gave the young master a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, hoping to offer some comfort through the gesture.
"It’s not entirely the Nubilian Union’s fault. It’s because the Border is the only passage to the Dragon Race, the Sky Race, and the Demon Race. These three races must use the Border if they want to maintain contact with the outside world. While a race might survive through self-sufficiency, thriving and progressing requires communication with the rest of the world."
Still unwilling to accept this, Eoryun retorted, "But is the Nubilian Union the only access point to the Border? We can’t let this kind of bad precedent continue!"