That is true. While we are not nearly as fanatical about engineering projects as the Chinese seem to be, we are more than capable of putting everyone to work if needed, thought Annemiek with a sigh. Just imagining the endless television debates and political protests was enough to make her tired. There would be experts arguing against it, activists protesting it, and politicians pretending they had not planned it all along. Yet despite all the noise, she doubted anyone would truly be able to stop it once the governments made up their minds.
"Yes, of course there will be protests. There always are," Karl said with a laugh. "Only this time they can't really stop it." He leaned back comfortably in his chair while staring at the ceiling. "No one in power wants millions of people sitting around living leisurely lives, especially when the entertainment industry is still struggling to recover and most people have nothing productive to do."
Annemiek could not help but laugh at that. The image of governments desperately trying to keep bored citizens occupied was amusing in its own way. Human history was full of examples showing that idle populations eventually caused trouble for their rulers. Whether it was riots, revolutions, or simply widespread dissatisfaction, the result was rarely pleasant for those in charge.
"Yes, you are right," she admitted after calming down. "But I take it you have heard back from those houses?" Her tone became more serious immediately. There were far more important matters than infrastructure projects occupying her thoughts at the moment. Matters that involved centuries of grudges and bloodshed.
Karl's smile faded slightly, though not entirely. "I have." He folded his arms and looked toward the large window overlooking the forest. "It basically comes down to them wanting peace. They don't want to spend the next few decades worrying about us showing up at their doorstep." His voice carried a quiet confidence. "And honestly, they are right to be concerned. We are more than capable of reaching them now."
The old barriers that had protected distant territories no longer mattered nearly as much. Modern logistics had collapsed, but the Sonnenbergs had never depended heavily on modern logistics to begin with. Living off the land was practically second nature to them. What most people considered wilderness, they considered a comfortable work environment.
"So are you going to accept it?" Annemiek asked carefully. She already knew many of the methods those great houses had used to ensure the old conflict stayed buried. She found some of those methods disgusting, but her emotions could never quite match the hatred of those born and raised deep within the Crimson Forest. It was one reason the family revealed its history gradually.
She had seen it happen with her own son. Before Johny was born, Teun had listened to those stories with interest. After his son was born and inducted into the family traditions, something changed. The old wounds suddenly felt personal. It was as though every generation inherited a small piece of the anger carried by those before them.
"Sure, I will let it go for now," Karl said casually. "I just need to convince the rest of the family." The relaxed expression on his face completely caught Annemiek off guard. For a moment she simply stared at him. This was not the reaction she had expected from someone who had spent years cursing those same houses.
"Oh, it seems I can still surprise you," Karl laughed. "That is good." Annemiek immediately shoved his shoulder and called him a bastard. The two of them ended up laughing together despite the serious topic. Looking at them from a distance, nobody would have guessed they were both well over eighty years old.
Eventually Karl calmed down enough to continue. "Are you surprised by how relaxed I am about this?" he asked with an arrogant grin. He already knew the answer, but he enjoyed hearing it anyway. Sometimes teasing Annemiek was simply too entertaining to resist.
"Yes, a little," she admitted honestly. "I distinctly remember how angry everyone became after reading the historical records." She crossed her arms while studying his expression carefully. "So what changed?"
Karl's smile became more thoughtful. "The answer is simple. We do despise them." His tone carried no hesitation whatsoever. "But we also have to recognize reality. Those events happened because risks were taken, and consequences followed." He paused briefly before continuing. "Besides, we already hurt them far more than most people realize."
That statement immediately caught her attention. Karl noticed and continued speaking. "Those great houses were counting on replacement families. The lackeys who were supposed to inherit the networks of those merchant bastards are all extinct." He snickered softly. "That hurt them far more than anything else."
The disappearance of those replacement families had created problems that lasted centuries. Networks of influence could not simply be rebuilt overnight. Trusted relationships, trade routes, hidden agreements, and countless obligations vanished alongside them. The great houses had spent generations attempting to recover what was lost.
"Which is also why we were forced back into the forest," Karl continued calmly. "Part of the agreement was that we stay there for at least three hundred years." His expression remained neutral as he recalled the old records. "The patriarch and elders of that time accepted those terms willingly."
At first glance it seemed like a humiliating compromise. In reality it had been a strategic retreat. The elders understood something that many warriors of the era refused to acknowledge. The world was changing rapidly, and traditional archery was slowly losing relevance compared to firearms and industrial warfare.
"According to the records, they realized our skills would eventually fall behind modern technology," Karl explained. "Retreating into our territory was considered the smartest option available." He shrugged slightly. "Then after 2000 we looked around and decided things were still working fine, so we stayed."
Annemiek nodded thoughtfully. That much made sense. The family had preserved itself remarkably well through isolation. While others chased influence and profits, the Sonnenbergs had focused on maintaining their traditions. Looking at their current situation, it was difficult to argue against the results.
"But how are you going to convince everyone else?" she asked. "Not everyone is going to be as practical as you are." Many family members had spent decades dreaming about revenge. Simply telling them to stop would not work.
Karl grinned. "Simple. I show them the revenge operations." The pride in his voice immediately set off alarm bells inside Annemiek's head. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Karl suddenly seemed far too pleased with himself.
"Wait." Her voice became dangerously calm. "What exactly do you mean by previous operations?" Karl failed to notice the warning signs. "You are really good at hiding things from me."
"Of course I am," Karl said proudly. "If I want something hidden, nobody finds out." He puffed out his chest slightly before continuing. "As for those operations, they happened because the great houses themselves didn't actually break the rules."
Annemiek blinked. That was not the explanation she had expected.
"The problem was their lackeys," Karl said, and genuine anger entered his voice. "Those idiots were supposed to come negotiate. They were supposed to persuade us to stop supporting that noble house. Instead they decided to think for themselves."
His expression darkened noticeably. Even after all these years, that particular subject still provoked real fury. The conflict between the Sonnenbergs and the great houses had never truly started because of the great houses themselves. It started because ambitious subordinates decided they knew better.
Those subordinates had been selected to replace the dominant merchant family of the region. They were supposed to inherit influence gradually while remaining loyal to the powers above them. Instead they became drunk on their own importance.
"They already saw themselves as masters of the land," Karl said bitterly. "Our existence annoyed them." He pointed toward the forest outside. "We would continue living on territory they considered theirs, but we paid no taxes and answered to nobody."
That alone had been enough to create tension. Unfortunately, the situation became far worse. The lackeys also viewed the Sonnenbergs and the assassin family as potential threats. Neither family was easy to control, which made them dangerous in the eyes of ambitious men.
"So they decided to eliminate all three problems at once," Karl continued. "At the time, the assassin family was staying temporarily in the Crimson Forest." His voice became colder with every sentence. "Both families were preparing for a major mission ordered by a traitor within the merchant family."
The arrangement had made perfect sense at the time. Neither family trusted outsiders, and cooperation improved the chances of success. Housing everyone together reduced casualties and simplified planning. Unfortunately, it also presented their enemies with an irresistible target.
"So they burned the forest," Karl said quietly.
Annemiek remained silent.
"They set the entire thing on fire." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Half the forest burned." Even now the damage remained visible in certain regions. Generations had worked to restore the land, yet scars still lingered. Some wounds healed slowly, whether they belonged to people or forests.
The attack achieved the opposite of its intended purpose. Rather than destroying the assassin family, it convinced them to disappear completely. After surviving the catastrophe, they chose to let the world believe they had been exterminated.
"Their existence had become too public," Karl explained. "The merchants made them famous, and that created problems." Remaining hidden became the safer option. So they vanished and waited for history to forget them.
As for the lackeys responsible, their fate had been considerably less pleasant.
"The families hunted them down," Karl said. "Every last one." There was no satisfaction in his voice, only certainty. "And they were not killed quickly."
The punishments became infamous among those who knew the truth. Entire bloodlines disappeared. Fortunes vanished overnight. A handful of examples became cautionary tales whispered for generations afterward. Even today, some old families remembered those stories with unease.
That retaliation created a dilemma for the great houses. They could not simply ignore what happened because doing so would damage their authority. Yet they also could not retaliate too heavily because the other trade families knew the truth.
"They understood why we did it," Karl said. "Nobody felt sorry for those idiots." The trade families viewed the destruction of the lackeys as justified punishment. Any excessive retaliation by the great houses would have created far more problems than it solved.
"So everyone settled for theater instead," Karl concluded. "A carefully managed conflict where both sides preserved face." He leaned back in his chair and smiled faintly. "That theater lasted until now."
Annemiek stared at him for several moments before shaking her head. Somehow every time she thought she understood the family's history, she discovered another hidden layer beneath it. And judging by Karl's expression, there were probably still plenty of secrets left to uncover.