Milo found himself with men who were petitioning for talks. Unlike the other venues where they were preparing for the ‘defense’ of the Mence. There were only a few of them willing to talk it out. It was not a matter of right or wrong. It’s the easiest way out to just prepare. People tend not to take the harder road, but Milo was a fool. He had to take the harder road and try.

Not because he was righteous. But because it was the right thing to do. War wasn’t elegant and Milo had seen wars. Wars that would scar the soul and leave only regrets. He’s not so delusional either to think that there will be compromise. Wars are done because there’s a need for it. Useless. A waste of lives. It’s all true, but war is made to gain something that people can’t through talks and trade. Power, land, and simply just conquest. Milo had a long talk with the people in the venue. Understanding what drives the Kingdom to seek war with the Republic of Mence.

Was it hate? It could be. Milo learned that there were agreements that weren't properly met. Even as the Kingdom separated from the Republic. It still held disagreements. The transition from state to Kingdom and to Empire was done somewhat with little violence and was done through a masterful play at diplomacy.

Their emperor was a master diplomat and saw having relations with the Republic was worth the effort. Honestly, reading through his history had made Milo understand how much of that skill was lost. He was going to petition for a team of diplomats to be sent instead.

Sun beating down the road. The road seemed to have been heated up. The shades produced by the buildings of the city created spots for citizens to walk under the overbearing heat. Despite the discussions happening. The people of Perlshaw seemed uninterested. Going on about their lives, casually mentioning what they’ve done or about the musician on a bar who played great tunes.

Milo entered a building full of same-minded people. Taking his petition with him. He submitted it on the box and sat down on the corner while observing the people doing the same.

It was hard to guess about the intentions of the Premier. She seemed to have thought about it thoroughly and Milo had to admit he didn’t have the full scope of the problem. He didn’t have any information beyond what was told and what will be told. Milo was someone who did not trust any government, he believed that no government in any world or reality would be so kind and transparent. Propaganda is everywhere and perhaps he was suffering under it too. Still, Milo at least believed, he as a whole outside, could judge them partially and believed the Mence would lose out more. But that alone was his own perspective, it does not change what others think and there are many pitfalls needed to be crossed before any understanding is met. When there’s a need for something. One procures it. If one was hungry, they would need to find food. How to procure it was based on the levels of need. One might see food, but think nothing of it. But if one was starving for three weeks, and the stomach emptied, one would think only of food.

How does one determine their need? What would be their requirements? What will they won’t compromise on?

As Milo thought of all these. He himself had forgotten one thing about himself. The madness that drove him to walk wastelands remained even when he now walked another world.

Milo never once considered himself as a good person. Even when he was traversing the wastes, escorting the refugees back in his past life. He had that evil in him that allowed him to be reasonable. Yes, it was good to preach goodness and peace and talk, but one simply just can’t live with mad dogs.

Peace talks were only possible when there’s an understanding on both sides. In any world, no matter what, Milo was so sure that just flaunting ideals wouldn’t make everything magically work.

He had seen people flaunt their ideals.

It doesn’t work like that.

Peace is a transaction itself.

Peace brokered with ideals and promises creates more hatred than ever. Unless both sides get what they want. Nothing can be done.

Milo’s goal right now was to find out what the other side wants. It was much of a bigger problem than he thought it was. Then again, he had always thought he was an easy fool who’d get easily convinced. But he was also a fool who’d choose sides easily. He wasn’t an all-loving man. He had learned harshly in his past life how the heart could only have so few in it.

Milo had done things for love and hate.

He had killed for family and lovers.

He had times where he ran out of patience and pulled the trigger of his gun without consequence in mind.

But lessons are learned when you fail and when you are taught. The greatest lessons usually come from failure. Most of the lessons he learned were based on said failures and so he had the experience to understand how these people thought. He also understood that thinking you know people was the most ignorant thing one could ever think about.

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People are different. Their minds were a collection of random thoughts and truly understanding one was impossible. But guessing them was a different matter. Sure, true understanding was impossible, but you can guess what they want. At the moment, Milo could clearly tell the Empire aiming for the republic wanted something.

Milo needed time to know what that was. Then he needed someone who had enough power to move a narrative. He was lacking power. Those who gathered in the halls were trying to use their petition to move things, but it’s not going to be enough.

***

Milo bid the Mayor and his wife goodbye. He also had requested them to send the letter he wrote to the Parish and how he might not be coming back for a while.

With most of the guests done. Milo made his way back to the place where he had been conspiring with to write articles. Columns of papers he had been eagerly pushing out. He had met a rich merchant named Strash who was part of the petitioners.

“I will release the articles. The Mence will try to censor us, keep our voices down, but we will not tire,” Strash said.

“I ask this. Why do this?” Milo asked.

“Why not?” he smiled. “My friend, war is a terrible affair. I simply want us to talk instead of wage war. Of course, I don't think we'd lose to an Empire not blessed by the Elven-kin. But we aren’t pushovers either. BUT I cannot help but feel like we need to be in the in-between. The tales tell that the action of the Doctor who broke the world did it because he hated choosing both sides! My friend, there is always a third option. NEVER settle for the right and wrong side.”

“Others would call that fence-sitting,” Milo said.

“And let them think what they want! You cannot reach your destination if you only take one direction! You have to go left and then right!”

Strash wasn’t the kind who’d easily picked a side. Of course, he also forgot to mention he had branches on the Empire with the same publishing company. He’d heard rumors from the Empire and there were already people from the Empire hoping to take control of his publishing company and use them for their own gains.

Strash cooperated with the Empire and they were able to acquire what the headlines were and the contents of their news were. Milo had spent the last days reading through the samples smuggled out of the Empire. Most of the articles were mostly before and after the assassination.

The opinions of the masses. The problems of the Empire and what they were worried about were printed in the newspaper. Of course, they had to discern the facts as well. Matching the rumors with actual disasters.

For example, some of the news was simply a hoax. One of the villages that had ‘rebellious’ tendencies seemed to have been taken out because of a disease. Because the village was close to the water, they changed the narrative, and blamed it on the creatures near the water, allowing the Empire to go to that part of their region without worry. Their true plan was to get rid of the disease and they thought to use this to ‘show’ that they will take action to those who have thoughts of rebelling.

It didn’t work too well. Honestly, even Milo was questioning their choice as it only brought loyalists who got afflicted, leading to an outbreak. Going further, it seemed that this disease might have been from their neighbor, which meant that they were blaming the disease on them.

It was also at this point Aurel and Eldoria started their disagreements. One could say it was Eldoria’s fault for hiding this disease, but Aurel itself was rash on how it handled the situation. Without reason, they became strict on the goods, and as tensions grew, those who had hatred with Aurel used this chance to light the fires of hatred against their neighbors who refused to be part of their Empire.

Aurelian arrogance caused rumors to float. And it didn’t take long for them to gather enough discontent and hate. Because in the mind of the people around them. Eldoria had afflicted them with a disease. Of course, the disease had been contained, but it was convenient for Aurel to keep the rumors so they could leverage this against Eldoria. Tariffs were raised and with the greed of those who would take advantage of this.

It became unreasonable. Milo read in one of the smuggled newspapers that there was trouble between Aurelian and Eldorian companies, clashing on the trade routes, leading to quite an extensive skirmish that caused blood to be heated between companies.

Milo wasn’t aware of this. He did hear some of the rumors while on the road, but this clash seemed to have been hidden well.

Disease, greed, and even a violence. The Eldorian diplomat being killed and then the death of King Alexander and Queen Genevieve made things worse.

Still, it didn’t make sense to Milo why they would involve the Republic in this affair. Then, Milo noticed that there were bankers who visited the Empire of Aurel two years before all this started. He remembered it since it was quite a party. These bankers were from the Mence, and they seemed to have loaned the Empire of Aurel quite the money to industrialize the Empire and build up their armed forces.

Were they hoping that starting a war would allow them to escape their debt? The Empire itself had many colonies beyond the thousand islands, but their grip had loosened. Many of these colonies were reclaiming their freedom and pulling on the chains would require quite the funding.

War was a great motivator and with war they could escape their debts. Milo thought surely they would also know that doing this would mean these bankers would also act. Fund their enemies and make sure they get their money back even if it means taking the land they owned as theirs.

It wouldn’t surprise him if the ones who dragged the Republic to this mess would get the Republic involved through this. The Republic had reasons to take some of the lands back. Aurel separating from the Republic had been a sore spot and many still think that some part of the Empire rightfully belonged to the Republic.

Milo wouldn’t be surprised if this was planned as well. Maybe the Republic itself was hoping for this to happen and in the eyes of its neighbors, the Republic would remain the righteous ones who are simply defending themselves from a greed-stricken Empire.