Ch.83How to Increase the Population

In Poly Story, there wasn’t exactly what you’d call an ending, but many users considered achieving a city of 10 million people—which earned the title of “Grand Sovereign”—as the game’s unofficial ending.

If that’s the case, I would certainly need to gather a population of 10 million, but the problem is that population doesn’t just grow rapidly by constructing a single building.

Moreover, while medicine is more advanced compared to the actual Middle Ages (they even saved me when my brain was exposed due to a severe injury), most commoners can’t access this advanced medical care. Outside the barrier, demons and monsters swarm, and inside, there are criminals like bandits, plant-type monsters, wild beasts, and mindless slimes—all of which inevitably lower the population growth rate.

[Question] Hey, how do I increase the population?

-I’ve already defeated Fahrenheit but the population isn’t growing… it fluctuates between 600,000-700,000. What should I do?-

And naturally, explosive growth should occur after a war, but player nations with small workforce pools typically face one major problem at this point: population shortage.

Until now, many refugees have entered the player’s nation because they were originally heading to the massive nation of Fahrenheit, and when denied entry there, they reluctantly knocked on the player nation’s gates.

It’s like how Jupiter guides various asteroids toward Earth.

Similar to how Central American refugee caravans enter Mexico hoping to reach the United States?

-Did you change the immigration policy to welcome refugees?-

ㄴ-If you don’t change that, refugee influx is cut by two-thirds by default.-

ㄴ-(Original poster) I tried that once but the crime rate skyrocketed, so I couldn’t continue-

ㄴ-Set up a refugee district outside the city walls, then expand the walls to include them once the crime rate stabilizes. Since there are occasional wall-climbing events, keep the walls adjacent to the refugee district fully staffed with security personnel.-

ㄴ-(Original poster) But there aren’t any refugees wandering around here anymore…-

ㄴ-That’s probably because other nations absorbed the refugees heading to Fahrenheit. Send soldiers to the roads around Fahrenheit to bring refugees back, and that should solve it.-

ㄴ-(Original poster) Wow, are you a genius? But won’t Fahrenheit and other nations complain?-

ㄴ-Your reputation takes a small hit, but you can offset it with gifts to make it net zero. Plus, your reputation should have increased from fighting alongside them in the Fahrenheit war, so give it a try.-

ㄴ-(Original poster) Thanks! I’ll try it.

And naturally, with Fahrenheit’s downfall, the flow of countless refugees wandering the continent would inevitably cease.

While there were various factors in Fahrenheit’s surrender, it was primarily due to the loss of their powerful deterrent, the Sword Master, along with their completely shattered economy and food supply issues. Since it wasn’t due to labor shortages, the flow of refugees had to stop.

Refugees want to enter nations with good social safety nets, abundant jobs, high wages, stable public security, low cost of living, and no discrimination—not nations devastated by war.

But if that’s the case, I just need to change my approach.

“Advisor.”

“Yes?”

“Until we reach a population of one million, let’s implement ‘human hunting.'”

“Ah… human hunting, sir?”

“Yes. Human hunting.”

The advisor wore a reluctant expression but soon had no choice but to accept.

*

As the somewhat—no, blatantly direct term suggests, “human hunting” meant using the military to forcibly make wanderers, slash-and-burn farmers, or refugees into citizens of the state, much like capturing wild animals and confining them in pens to domesticate them.

Of course, most refugees were in dire straits—to put it mildly, they looked no better than beggars—and many would literally welcome a lifeline from heaven. But refugees can’t be lumped into a single category.

From fallen nobles who managed to salvage their possessions to the extremely impoverished on the brink of death—anyone could become a refugee when a nation collapsed due to the death of its sovereign.

Thus, those with at least some wealth, like fallen nobles, despised and tried to avoid human hunting that restricted their choices, while those who hadn’t had a drop of water for days would willingly surrender themselves to human hunters, begging to be taken even as servants.

Of course, since the targets of human hunting could potentially become citizens of unintended nations, it had to begin with the consent of neighboring countries, as it essentially meant monopolizing all refugees heading to other nations.

“Thank you for your consideration. Though it may not be adequate compensation, you will soon possess beautiful bone porcelain from Amurtat.”

“Haha… I owe Amurtat a debt from the last war, so this much consideration is the least I can offer. Well then, I’ll be waiting.”

“Yes. I express my gratitude once again.”

Fortunately, obtaining the consent of neighboring countries was easy.

They had fought together as members of the alliance, and Amurtat had distributed various treasures, but in truth, they secretly hoped Amurtat would become a counterbalance to Fahrenheit.

Although Fahrenheit had been defeated, it remained a great nation with a population of 10 million, and its collapsed economy would soon recover.

Regardless of the relationship between leaders, the armies of the alliance and Fahrenheit had already crossed spears and fought each other. How would the people of Fahrenheit, who lost their fathers and mothers to the alliance’s armies, feel about the alliance? The answer was obvious.

So Amurtat, being closest to Fahrenheit, needed to grow stronger.

After all, Amurtat was the origin of all this, and the death of the Sword Master—the fundamental reason for Fahrenheit’s downfall—was caused by Amurtat’s soldiers. Before something serious happened, the former alliance nations could breathe easier by shifting responsibility.

Cold and ruthless, but that’s the nature of international politics.

Tiberius himself would betray the entire alliance if it meant Amurtat’s survival, and other sovereigns would kill Amurtat if it meant their own nations’ survival.

In this world where the sovereign is the state, betrayal for survival wasn’t too great a price to pay.

*

The central part of the continent was home to the most prosperous nations, had the highest concentration of countries, and was the main source of refugees.

While the northern, southern, eastern, and western regions had nations separated by great distances, the central continent had numerous countries clustered close together, naturally suffering from extreme population density and resource shortages.

With such high populations came beasts and monsters that craved human corpses, as well as demons pretending to grant wishes while plotting betrayal—all at much higher densities than other regions. Central sovereigns would send out thousands or tens of thousands of troops to gain just one more plot of land, with blood flowing like rivers and lakes as an everyday occurrence.

As a result, most core fragments were “produced” in the central region. Creating core fragments wasn’t “particularly difficult,” but using them caused the sovereign—the supreme commander—to fall into a comatose state for a certain period. And since expanding territory this way couldn’t prevent enemy invasions, most central nations typically had quite small domains.

Of course, despite this chaos, some succeeded in reducing neighboring countries to former countries and absorbed core fragments to expand their territories. Their authority was literally like the voice of heaven.

While others trembled as they mobilized thousands of troops, these grand sovereigns could deploy armies of one million in their front yards if they wished, and others feared their power.

In this central chaos and endless warfare, it was always the common people who suffered, and they had only one way to survive:

To escape this insane world and go elsewhere.

“P-please spare me… I haven’t eaten anything for days…”

“Don’t worry. You will never go hungry again. Lord Tiberius desires your loyalty.”

But as always, there was no salvation in the places they fled to.

There were only people who saved people.