"Do you know what you did wrong, young man?" Avela asked, folding her arms as she watched her son fidget nervously on the couch. Arin shifted under her gaze, clearly searching for an answer that might get him out of trouble without making the situation worse. After a moment, he raised his eyes toward her and put on his most innocent expression, hoping that a little honesty might soften her heart. "I didn't tell you before I left to annoy Grandpa and Grandma," he admitted, giving her the sort of puppy eyes that had occasionally worked in his favour when he was younger.
"Yes, that is the problem, so don't do it again," Avela replied, refusing to be distracted by his expression. "You should count your lucky stars that you were caught and that you came back in one piece." Despite the sternness of her words, she had no particular reason to be angry with her son, since she had anticipated that something like this might happen sooner or later. She was simply relieved that Karl had found him so quickly, before his little act of rebellion could turn into something much more troublesome.
Avela knew herself well enough to understand how easily the situation could have developed into a vicious cycle if Arin had stayed away for too long. The longer he remained missing, the angrier she would have become, and the angrier she became, the less willing she would have been to forgive him when he finally returned. Arin, in turn, would probably have stayed away until she had calmed down, which would only have given her more time to become frustrated with him. It was precisely the sort of pointless situation she wanted to avoid, and she was glad that she had been spared the trouble this time.
"Really? Thank you, Mom. I love you!" Arin exclaimed, immediately taking advantage of her answer before she could reconsider her leniency. He sprang from the couch and hurried toward his bedroom, moving with the speed of someone who had just escaped a dangerous situation. Avela watched him go, well aware that his sudden enthusiasm had less to do with affection than with his relief at having avoided a more serious punishment. Still, she allowed him to leave without calling him back, content that the matter had been settled for now.
While the situation in the United States had kept the world's attention occupied throughout the previous month, the rest of the world had hardly stood still. Governments, businesses, and political factions had continued pursuing their own interests, and several important proposals had been making their way through the European political system. Among them was the merit system proposed by the Great Houses, a bill that would influence the relationship between individuals, factions, banks, and the institutions responsible for managing their resources. It had already become a major subject of discussion in parliament, and the debates surrounding it had been far more extensive than many had initially expected.
During the final two weeks of the month, as the situation in the United States finally began to calm down, the merit system moved to the forefront of European media coverage. The proposal affected too many different interests to remain a matter for politicians and specialists alone, and the public was eager to understand what it might mean for their own futures. News programs devoted entire segments to explaining its provisions, while political commentators debated the advantages and disadvantages of introducing such a system. With so many people potentially affected by the decision, the discussion quickly spread beyond parliament and became a subject of widespread public interest.
Generally speaking, the proposal received a positive response because it offered protection to the interests of ordinary working people. Since they represented the vast majority of the population, few politicians were willing to challenge a bill that could be presented as a measure benefiting so many citizens. That did not mean every politician supported it out of genuine concern for the working class, however, as there were also practical financial reasons to welcome the proposal. For many of them, the merit system offered an opportunity to strengthen the central bank and reduce the likelihood of sudden financial shocks.
One of the proposal's most important features was the assurance that 70 percent of a person's money would remain in the bank while that person held merit points. This arrangement gave people a reason to maintain their funds within the banking system rather than withdrawing everything whenever uncertainty arose. It also meant that the bank would retain a substantial reserve of money belonging to people who participated in the merit system, making a sudden shortage of available funds less likely. From the politicians' perspective, this was an attractive safeguard against situations such as a bank run, when fear could cause large numbers of customers to withdraw their money at the same time.
Although the vast majority of Europeans did not belong to a faction operating under such a system, there were enough people who did for the proposal to have consequences far beyond the Great Houses themselves. The military, in particular, had already begun considering whether a similar arrangement could be adopted within its own ranks. Its main difficulty was that it possessed too few mana veins to support the cultivation needs of all its troops, leaving it unable to provide everyone with the same opportunities for advancement. A merit system would offer another way to reward service and provide soldiers with access to valuable items or opportunities, making it an appealing possibility for an institution that needed to develop its personnel despite its limited resources.
The business community also saw little reason to oppose the proposal. Admittedly, the requirements imposed on participating businesses were somewhat demanding, and companies would have to accept certain obligations if they wished to take part in the system. Nevertheless, those obligations came with potential benefits that made the arrangement worthwhile in the eyes of many business owners. Whenever a member of a faction exchanged merit points for an item or opportunity supplied by a business, that business could receive money back from the bank, creating an additional financial incentive to participate.
With advantages for ordinary citizens, politicians, the military, and the business community, the bill appeared to have very few serious weaknesses. It was comprehensive, legally compliant, and had already been examined from practically every angle by the news media, whose commentators had thoroughly dissected its provisions. After all that scrutiny, journalists had struggled to identify any substantial flaw that could serve as the basis for a convincing criticism. There was, however, one exception to this general lack of opposition, and it came from a politician whose objections were hardly surprising to anyone familiar with European politics.
Kaiden Matthews, the leader of the European Union's separatist bloc, had made the bill a target of his criticism. His political movement had been declining since around 2056, and over the preceding three years its support had entered what could only be described as a free fall. The only reason it still possessed enough parliamentary seats to be considered a bloc rather than merely another political party was that no new elections had yet taken place. Under those circumstances, Matthews was eager to find an issue that would allow him to regain attention and present himself as a defender of national sovereignty.
He consequently denounced the proposal at every opportunity, claiming that it deprived individual countries of their rights and bound the member states of the European Union even more tightly together. According to his arguments, the merit system represented another step toward centralisation, threatening the independence that his movement claimed to defend. Yet his complaints attracted considerably less attention than they might have received in earlier years. The media had more pressing subjects to cover, and the public was far more interested in the practical consequences of the bill than in another round of speeches about the dangers of European integration.
The change in how Matthews was treated by the media was particularly noticeable because, only a few years earlier, he and his movement had received considerable screen time. Back then, their statements and confrontations had provided news programmes with easy material that could attract viewers, even when the underlying political arguments offered little new information. Now, however, the same approach no longer generated enough interest to compete with the other developments taking place across Europe. The media had gradually moved on, leaving Matthews to complain about a proposal that most viewers were more interested in understanding than condemning.
In a sense, the media's earlier attention had also contributed to the separatist bloc's apparent strength. By repeatedly giving its leaders a platform, news programmes had made the movement seem more influential than its actual support might have justified. That attention had helped keep its name in the public consciousness, allowing it to maintain a presence even as its political fortunes declined. Without the same level of coverage, its weaknesses had become much more visible, and Matthews was finding it increasingly difficult to turn his complaints into a serious public controversy.
Rather than focusing on him, journalists and commentators devoted much of their attention to the merit system itself and to another major undertaking that was beginning to take shape: the Silk Road. The proposed trade route offered enormous economic possibilities, and its development had attracted the interest of businesses, historians, economists, and many other specialists. News programmes brought together economic professors and experts from different fields to examine what the route might mean for Europe and the wider world. The business community, in particular, was becoming increasingly enthusiastic about the opportunities it could create, as companies began considering the potential profits that might follow from renewed trade along such an important corridor.
One of the most heavily discussed questions concerned whether the route should remain primarily a land-based network or whether a sea route could now become a practical alternative. Historically, the conditions that had made overland travel the more viable choice had placed significant limits on the use of maritime trade. However, the world had changed, and people now possessed considerably more knowledge and capabilities than they had in the past. As a result, some commentators questioned whether those old limitations still applied, especially when the Suez Canal remained open and could potentially serve as an important part of a maritime connection.
The possibility of using the sea route therefore became a recurring subject in newsroom debates. Experts examined whether the route could be made viable, while the business community considered whether the potential returns would justify the resources and risks involved. The question was not simply whether ships could travel along the route, but whether doing so would make economic sense under the circumstances. Even if a maritime connection appeared possible in principle, its practical value would still depend on the available infrastructure, the people capable of operating it, and the profitability of the trade it could support.
For the time being, however, the number of available ships remained insufficient to make the sea route an attractive option. Even after three years, European trade had not yet reached a point where the existing opportunities were fully saturated, meaning that businesses could still earn substantial profits without venturing into more dangerous and complicated undertakings. From a purely economic perspective, there was little reason to accept unnecessary risks when profitable markets were already available closer to home. The overland route therefore retained a considerable advantage, not necessarily because a sea route was impossible, but because the existing opportunities made it difficult to justify the additional investment.
There was also another obstacle that money alone could not easily solve: the shortage of experienced captains capable of making the journey. The few captains who possessed the necessary abilities were not interested in undertaking it, leaving the proposed maritime route without enough qualified people to operate it. Even if businesses could secure more ships, those vessels would still need captains willing and able to navigate the route. Until that problem could be addressed, the sea route would remain a subject of heated discussion rather than an attractive alternative to the overland Silk Road.