“Because of our proximity and trade agreements, we eat the same food and live pretty much the same way,” the caravan leader said. “But once you move past Aphasi, no one bothers keeping track of individual countries anymore.”

“There are just too many. Their names change, their borders shift—one lost war here, one revolution there, and the map you bought yesterday is already useless today.”

“Do people in Verendi really fight that much?” Nyka asked, stunned.

“Sadly, yeah.” The merchant nodded. “Up until about two years ago, things were more stable. Don’t get me wrong—neighboring countries still clashed all the time, but there was a balance.”

“Then everything collapsed. While people were still trying to pick up the pieces, Tyris came down like a storm. The sky went black. Anyone too slow—or too stupid—to get out of her way died.”

“After she left, a lot of Verendi’s key figures were gone. Conflicts spread across the continent like a disease. Since then, there hasn’t been real peace for more than a few weeks at a time.”

Nyka glanced at Solus, who gave her a subtle nod.