As for the neighboring Federated Provinces and the Republic, the situation there was even worse. So much so that Vineta philosophers like Conte once sarcastically commented, "The Provincial Army is not the military of the Federated Provinces; the Federated Provinces is the nation of the Provincial Army."
As the first regime to overthrow the emperor and aristocracy on this continent after the ancient Muro Republic, each member state of the Federated Provinces was still groping its way in constructing a political system for the post-Imperial Era. To this day, none had been able to satisfactorily answer the simple yet troublesome question, "What do we do without an emperor?"
"Oh, and there's this." Antonio pulled out a small basket covered with a white cloth from under the table and pushed it towards Winters with a smile, "Take a guess, what's it?"