Shimuin, located in the Southern Seas, was an island nation made up of thousands of large and small islands. More than half of its population and infrastructure were concentrated on the central islands of Shedor and Larupa, so naturally, the royal capital was also located on the central Shedor Island.9

The same went for Shimuin’s warp-gates. Apart from Shedor and Larupa, no other island had any warp-gates constructed on them.2

As convenient a service as warp-gates were, they were just as expensive to install, and even after installation, they required a constant maintenance fee to operate. As such, warp-gates were not installed on the other islands that had much lower population numbers than Shimuin’s main islands.2

Under such circumstances, the people of Shimuin were still heavily dependent on maritime trade. Sailing ships were commonly used to trade with the islands that lacked warp-gates, but apart from those islands, the ships were also used to trade with the small countries that neighbored Shimuin as well as the savage tribes of Samar.1

While it might have been better to just install a few more warp-gates than to go through such trouble, there was an unavoidable reason why more hadn’t been installed until now.3

This ancient island nation had been founded on the maritime trade long before warp-gates had become commonplace, and countless citizens were dependent on the industry.0

From the guilds of the small shipbuilding firms that made smaller fishing vessels to the guilds of larger shipbuilding companies that made warships and passenger ships, as well as the trading guilds, all depended on the sea.2

Since countless people would lose their jobs just from the installation of a few warp-gates, who on earth would take responsibility for the loss of their livelihoods and push for more warp-gates to be installed?6

“Though perhaps they might have a secret set of warp-gates for personal use, like in Yuras,” Eugene murmured as he flipped through a guidebook.0

The Holy Empire of Yuras might be recognized by the public as one of the most advanced countries on the continent, but with the exception of the capital, there were hardly any warp-gates installed throughout the nation. However, that was only true on the surface. In the basement of the Tressia Cathedral, there was a hidden warp-gate that was kept secret from the common people and used only by high-ranking clergy members.0

“The situation in Yuras is...0