Book 4: Chapter 4
“And finally, we need to talk about Mealtars.”
It was right before they had set off for the city. Wein had finished his explanation on the Imperial princes, just about ready to wrap things up.
“The city of Mealtars in Systio province was originally aligned with the faction of the eldest prince, Demetrio. This could be attributed to the influence of the governor-general who had just been appointed at the time.
“However,” Wein went on, “after the failed rebellion, Mealtars submitted damning proof of contact with the West.”
“Why would Mealtars do that?”
“The governor-general was the one who had ordered communication be made with the West, threatening the people to obey. They wanted the governor-general to pay—or so Mealtars claims.”
“……”
“Incidentally, reports surfaced that a donation of an enormous sum was attached to that evidence… In other words, they used the governor-general as a scapegoat and escaped investigation.”
This wasn’t the first time: Mealtars had lent money to the Empire under many other pretexts. In exchange, they received certain privileges. That was why the city was essentially an autonomous region for merchants.