Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

These mining grounds are like isolated islands within a desert, both belonging to the local area and not belonging to it. Our supplies have nothing to do with the local Star Domain, they're brought directly by the ships transporting minerals from the Central Star Domain. Anyway, the ships come empty, bringing a little doesn't hurt.

Life supplies unrelated, maintenance parts unrelated, security is provided by a hired security provider from the Central Star Domain, personnel arrangement is also unrelated, we've got our own power plant for energy consumption, output is also unrelated to the local Star Domain. Economically speaking, the Shattered Stone Star Domain has completely lost these mines; they don't provide large-scale high-paying employment, nor cultivate high-tech personnel. I even suspect the company doesn't pay taxes to the local Star Domain government, because our wages are paid through the Central Star Domain channels. This is a significant advantage for us, because future pensions and medical benefits are also enjoyed according to Central Star Domain standards.

The mines and mining areas that could have originally benefited millions of locals have now become a small treasury for a few thousand corporate employees, and behind our high profits and high wages lies the plight of countless locals. Realizing this, I can understand that my high income isn't entirely derived from my skill output, but owes to this unfair distribution, thanks to the Federation that won the civil war at the time. I now even believe 'Vels' should increase my salary by dozens of times, after all, behind me are tens of thousands of local residents who have lost basic guarantees. Back then, I was just touched without understanding, now I think I should ask where these wealth originally belonging to the Star Domain and Federation, aside from a small portion given to us employees as 'high official salaries,' the rest have gone.

If the Central Council distrusts the fallen and failed Northwestern Star Domains, unwilling to return these industry revenues to the local Star Domain to avoid supporting enemies, it seems reasonable, but nearly a hundred years after the civil war ended, we still haven't paid taxes to the local Star Domain government, obviously the big figures in the Central Star Domain don't really want to leave this wealth locally.

I believe the Federal Upper Echelon hasn't sincerely forgiven the Northwestern Star Domains. If the Federation hopes here to become a prosperous Star Domain, it doesn't even need to allocate funds annually, just transfer 20% of the local mining area's revenue to local government, and the local economy would become active.

This doesn't only happen in the mineral production industry. After the civil war victory, the official took over local star domain's water, transportation, electricity, transport, communication, agriculture and livestock market, as well as import and export of all trades. These industries originally had local leading enterprises, but were dismantled by the council, because they were suspected of supporting the enemy, considered unreliable, as financial backers behind the resistance forces.

Afterward, these industries were replaced by giant companies brought in from the Central and Southeastern Regions, many high-paying positions related to basic living aren't open to the locals, and the profits they earn are largely taken away, leaving only sparse leftovers for locals to fight over.

I don't deny, the people of this star domain have gained stability again, much more stable than during the civil war, but how will most ordinary people continue their lives? Many aren't fanatics sympathizing with the defeated side, they can't get good jobs, nor have good social security, how are these people supposed to continue living? Just like how our income doesn't pay local taxes, those industries controlled by giant businesses from the Central Star Domain also won't pay local taxes. Sometimes I even wonder how the local star field government is maintained. If civilians can't obtain guarantees from regular channels, they'll turn to the gray areas, seeking refuge with rebel forces, over time, the government's authority will weaken, which isn't beneficial for the Federation's long-term governance.

Judging from policies left by Her Highness Emuralin, there should have been plans for local Star Domain transformation and restoration, unfortunately, Her Highness Emuralin departed too early. After her death, no strong leader could carry out this plan with bold vision. After all, this is the defeated side, if as a politician you're too good to the Northwestern Star Domain, you'll be suspected of being remnants of the former enemy. To cater to the victorious side's sentiment in the civil war and for the benefit of one's own faction, many seemingly incomprehensible situations gradually became clear.

Why has there always been resistance armed forces in the Northwestern Star Domains? Politically, there may be many explanations, but to me, this is when people are driven to despair, they have to fight; whether dead or alive, for many of the Northwestern Star Domains' dissatisfaction and resentment, in my view, it's actually those greedy giant businesses and politicians driving people mad—naturally, they'll want to resist.

You ask why are the big figures in the Central Star Domain so cruel? It's not entirely so. Many celebrities and songstresses from the Central Star Domain sympathize, they also hold many charitable activities, but many celebrities and songstresses find it hard to link the poverty in these places to the lack of resources they occupy, because it requires personally coming for long-term investigation to realize the truth, and since the Northwestern Star Domains are relatively barren and unstable, few celebrities are willing to come.

The impoverishment of Shattered Stone Star Domain doesn't contain conspiracy, it's purely maximizing short-term profit, valuing profit over long-term political benefits. Many locals have died, society is numb and depressed, but what does this have to do with those of us working in the 'isolated' mines? We've received promotions and bonuses, their life and death have nothing to do with me.

——————

This is a self-narrative record by a corporate employee from about 200 years ago. At that time, this article resonated widely, exciting many local residents, and over the following decade, Northwestern Star Domain erupted multiple times in resistance and tens of large-scale protests each year.

This situation improved in 1036. Back then, Ella of 'Azure Bamboo' from Northern Starfield, this girl with silver-gray braided hair, formally promoted to 'Dawn Tier' songstress, received support from all other Northern Star Domain songstresses and votes from all Beastmen. Under her leadership, the Northern Star Domain's political power greatly increased; for balancing the Central Star Domain family gate valves, she supported the Northwestern Region's political power, proposed in the Central Council, passed the return bill, returning the tax rights of livelihood-related industries to the local Star Domain government.

In the ensuing fifty years, the Northwestern Star Domains gradually recovered vitality, though still relatively poor compared to other star domains, at least could survive. From then on, the insurgency forces in the Northwestern Region gradually ceased, slowly entered a stable state.

However, 'Azure Bamboo' Ella failed to become a 'Scorching Sun Level' songstress, she passed away 80 years later, and then the Northwestern Star Domains lost their voice again, after all, their economic foundation was too poor to compete with the Central Star Domain forces holding massive resources.

Time keeps flowing, over the next hundred years, Northwestern Star Domains also produced several songstresses, but these songstresses, either slowly assimilated into the prosperous Central Star Domain or didn't enter 'Moon Class', remaining limited in influence.

...

In a small and dim room, Blanchi sat on the seat below the projector, watching the scenes flashing on the screen, including the scenes of suppressing resistance forces, workers wielding old-style weapons burned to ashes by flamethrowers, scenes of large-scale protests happening, with papers flying everywhere, and banners held high, on which lines of words written in tears with fiery red letters.

'We want to live.'

'The pollution-caused mutation turned my child into a "monster".'

'Give those facilities back to us.'

In the photos like a gray curtain, people held hands facing fully armed firearms step by step forward, many dusty all over, it's hard to imagine this is an Interstellar Era scene, and leading them, a mother knelt on the ground, holding high the baby in her arms, whose appearance was bizarre and tilted one eye, instilling fear.

The images gradually darkened, and those crimson letters in the projection, like dried blood stains, slowly solidified and froze.