“To change things from ‘the way it has always been done’ would easily be one of the hardest things to do in this world. Far too many stubborn people will cling to the old ways even if the new one is objectively better in every way imaginable.” - Garth Wainwrought, Dean of the Levain Institute for Higher Learning, circa 690 FP.
“Still bothers me a bit, though, Miss Aideen,” said Kino while they supped on some minced lamb patties with some flatbread. For all the debacle with the fish, the restaurant’s cook proved to have a good handle on mutton, and cooked it in a way that made the meat’s gaminess center to its flavor profile while making it delicious at the same time. “Clearly the way we did things in the Lichdom is better and more beneficial both to the people and even the rulers of the place. Why didn’t more places follow after our example? We never kept them a secret as far as I know?”
“Well, for one there’s the old prejudices from older days when necromancy wasn’t viewed positively, something that many still hold on to even now,” said Aideen with a wistful sigh. “And even when they do decide to adopt more efficient ways, implementing them is easier said than done. You should remember that river barges were heavily used in the Elmaiya Empire, yes?”
“I do, yes,” replied Kino, having recalled seeing said barges when Aideen had taken her away from the Empire back then. Unlike in the Lichdom though, the Empire used regular beasts of burden and even manpower to drag the barges upriver.
“Although they adopted its use heavily, especially after Lucea came to power, there were simply not enough rivers with easily traversable roads running alongside them to use them as much as we did in the Lichdom. Their own geography worked against them in that case,” explained Aideen. “On top of that, using living beasts or people to do the labor is also a lot less efficient than undead labor.”
“They lacked the number of skilled necromancers to supply the amount of undead labor needed, but even if they do possess them, I doubt that they would make use of undead labor too heavily.”
“Why so?” asked Kino.
“Because that would put too much power into the hands of the necromancers, if they ended up being a crucial part of the Empire’s lifeline and could upend things on their whim,” was Aideen’s reply. “No ruler in their right mind would give that sort of power to a group that they did not control completely. In our case, everybody in the Lichdom obeys Grandpa, so it’s not an issue, but that’s not a luxury other rulers have.”
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“Then there’s also the other difficulties involved with such projects to begin with. Say the Empire wants to make use of more of their rivers and build roads to make use of them? That meant years if not decades of work as creating new roads are far from the easiest thing to do, much less in the dense jungles they have,” added Eilonwy as she scooped up some local dish of mashed eggplants flavored with some sort of nut and oil, all blended into a creamy consistency, using a piece of flatbread. “That sort of huge project? Even if it’s in the name of national interest, many people would try to get their fingers on it.”
“Local nobles would attempt to make the most out of any new roads that pass through their territories. Some would go as far as abusing their own people in order to please the Empire with a quickly finished job, all while hiding how it was done,” she continued. “Once benefits come into play… all too often rationality and decency were the first things to be cast out of the nearest window.”
“And that’s all before you even consider the ecological issues,” noted Aideen with a shake of her head as she munched on a floret of cauliflower, which had been simply roasted to char the outside with some oil and salt as seasoning. It was a surprisingly delightful dish despite its simplicity. “In the Lichdom we were fortunate since most of our rivers go through plains. The Empire isn’t as fortunate.”
“They already made use of pretty much all the convenient rivers for transportation purposes. If they wanted to use the rest, they would have to carve through the jungles. That in turn would cause yet other issues,” explained Aideen patiently. “You were taught in your lessons how the roots of grass and other vegetation are what allows soil to retain its integrity, yes? Especially near bodies of moving water?”
“That is the case, yes,” replied Kino as she recalled the things she had been taught along with Áine, Rhys, and Eilonwy back then.
“In the jungle, often the roots of larger trees and the bushes in the undergrowth also shared this burden. You pretty much have to clear those things out of the way if you wish to create a road through the region, however, which in turn means that the road by the riverbank would be more prone to erosion,” said Aideen. “If it was done poorly, they might end up looking at a collapsed road and a widened river within a decade.”
“There’s also the political considerations to add as well,” elaborated Eilonwy. “The current Empress of Elmaiya is in her last half century or so of her life. She is expected to abdicate in the near future in favor of her son, the Crown Prince,” she said. “As a mother, she likely wouldn’t want to saddle her children with long-term projects that she started yet wouldn’t really show results until after another generation had passed.”
“True. The Crown Prince might feel obligated to see such projects through since it was, in a way, a duty their mother passed down to him. If everything went well, then everything would be fine, but should the project be a failure or cause losses to the Empire…” Aideen suggested. “Then it wouldn’t be a good thing for the Imperial Family and their authority in general.”
“So much headache…” complained Kino. “I really wish everywhere could be like home, where grandpa would give the orders and everyone would do it.”