Ch. 60 - Then, Nothing Happened

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Phepa is a fancy word invented by a rather brainy Paladian a few years after the Second War ended. During such times, people were in dire need of a house, and when no one was to aid them, Mongola Braton stepped in and invented, or rather, reimagined the concept of renting houses.

With Prope Portam now fully splitting away from Osmania, lots and lots of the tenthouses were either uninhabited or completely thrown away for the royals hastily moving back to Saphrith. This opened opportunities for those hurt by war to find a new place to settle in. Morians, Paladians, Erans, you name it. It didn't matter, people needed to get back to their feet, at least, for a little while.

However, that little while turned out to be more than five years, and eventually, the kindness of Paladians seemed to be played as an excuse to bend things a little more.

"Can I get a prettier carpet? Can I get some more meat for dinner?" were only two of the seven most common questions asked from the hurt, but then again, no one batted an eye until a couple of Paladians working in food farms and whatnot decided to go on strike, refusing to slaughter animals, pick rice or harvest other foods.

Quickly, this became a rising problem, and the first who complained was, obviously, the freeloaders. Mongola reached his hand out from the crowd, vowing that, a new system should be held in place.

Pheris, as in, borrowed, and Patent, as in... just patent.

Soon, everyone in town, including those who lived for free (others had to pay for food or other equipment), had cut down costs for general items, instead replaced with an overall tax concerning the entire city. This, in turn, strangely enough, spiked a growing interest in living in Prope Portam. "Freeloaders" who moved in years ago stayed for longer, with only a few instances of people moving house, and it seemed that tension among Paladians eased out, as it usually does.

Phepa spread itself across the entirety of Mainland Errarion, even reaching the newly joined Shimori. Wendigo and Magna both have the Phepa system, with an inclusion of their already existing inns, which cost separate Silver instead of being included in the tax. However, in such places, Phepa is cheaper.

240 Silver per season in Wendigo and Magna, 320 Silver in Prope Portam, and 650 in Saphrith. I'd mention more, but some towns don't have Phepa, and the others have more complicated additions to the simple Paladian mind.

One Eran once thought that Phepa was so great that he tried directing the system onto others of the same race, living on the outskirts of towns or in remote areas, far away from civilization. His thoughts were quickly diminished with two other questions, one, mentioning the fact that he is one of those Erans, and two, how would you treat places without any money to spend?

Orania was one of those places, and although not necessarily a town for people to live in, it seemed to promise housing for what one would refer to as freeloaders. You'll learn in a bit!

"Sorry for that." she giggled, hiding her mouth, strutting forward. Her long, ginger hair ended right below her shoulder blades and seemed to mix into her thick, white clothes. "It was just my way of proving defences."

"P-Proving defences?" Rowan made a very strange face. "Lady, you almost killed us back there!" they walked up to the witch, shaking their fist.

"Well, it wasn't anything you..!" she raised her eyebrows. "Klakunhoi, couldn't handle."

"Ah." Rowan quickly breathed out, a little embarrassed. They fixed their glasses, quickly folding their arms. The witch, once again, turned around with a giggle. It seemed that, wherever she stepped, lights, much like an aura, presented themselves, illuminating the forested area. Dark greens quickly change into a soothing lime.

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