It is said that if Kise province was known as the Golden Coast for its wealth due to foreign trade, Hashidate province would be called the Grain Capital as most of the rice produce of the land feeds the rest of the Central plains.
Due to this, many rice traders who started out as simple farmers quickly became affluent merchants as the most common sustenance is under their free control. This, however, became the sparks that started an unquenchable fire that quickly swallowed the land into a series of trade wars and political infighting that even the great samurai families of the land cannot hinder.
To this day, the farmsteads of Hashidate province keeps on changing hands from one landlord to another, sometimes through trade or to write-off the previous owner's debts, but most of the time, it is simply because a "close relative coincidentally claimed the land at the same day as the death of the previous owner".
After deciding that all of the attempts on his life can only be resolved by him taking the matter to his own hands, Iwasawa Hiroshi, Lord of Kiko province, ventured to the aforementioned land along with a few men who swore to help their master's investigation mission. What they will learn about this land would make them question the depth of humanity's natural evil. And as for the safety of the people who have become victims of said evil… only he can choose it at the time it confronts him.
Will Hiroshi endanger himself for total strangers?
That is something that even he would ask to himself when the time comes.
Yes, we posted this early because someone got motivated enough to do it. Who knew that a steak dinner from our usually glum-faced author could motivate that brat?
-Editor ZERO