conversations.from: human
conversations.value:  "Miss Claire, do you remember the underlying beliefs of the Nur Empire’s policies?"
conversations.prefix: Claire:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value:  "I believe it was meritocracy, the same ideology the late King l’Ausseil supported."
conversations.prefix: Claire:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value:  As expected of an educated lady like Claire. She was well informed about neighboring countries, not just her own. But her answer lacked something. "The empire takes meritocracy to a much higher level than our kingdom does."
conversations.prefix: Claire:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value:  "Oh?"
conversations.prefix: Claire:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value:  "You know how the empire is invading and annexing countries left and right?"
conversations.prefix: Claire:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value:  "But of course."
conversations.prefix: Claire:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value:  "People from those annexed countries who show promise are given citizenship without question." The heads of the conquered vassal states despised this policy, but those in the lower echelons of society embraced it with open arms. For people whose talents might never otherwise see the light of day, being annexed by the empire could be a heaven-sent opportunity. Of course, not everyone saw it that way. "The empire’s minister of foreign affairs was originally from an annexed country to the north called Rasha."
conversations.prefix: Claire:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value:  "You’re telling me they let a non-native handle the country’s foreign affairs?!"
conversations.prefix: Claire:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value:  "Indeed. It wasn’t always like this, though. It took decades after the current empress came to power for these policies to become so well established." The empire had always taken an aggressive approach to diplomacy, but it hadn’t been until the current empress, Dorothea, unified it under her brand of rationalism that it achieved its current form. Dorothea Nur had been born the second daughter of the prior emperor. For generations, the eldest son had inherited the throne, with women shut out of the line of succession. But Dorothea had overcome that with her resourcefulness, willingness to use violence, and harsh rationalism. She had usurped her own father. "This was simply the fastest way," she’d said apathetically as she killed her father. At the time, she had been a mere seven years old. Of course, she’d had adults backing her usurpation, but they hadn’t been able to make her their willing puppet after the impact she’d had on the empire.
conversations.prefix: Claire:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value:  "That’s quite the harrowing story."
conversations.prefix: Claire:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value:  "I can tell you for a fact that her talent is the real deal. She’s not just a strong leader; she’s an unparalleled warrior known as the Sword God. Master Rod mentioned her, didn’t he?"
conversations.prefix: Claire:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value:  "Yes, he said the empress routed an entire battalion of Sousse soldiers single-handedly. But that had to be an exaggeration."
conversations.prefix: Claire:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value:  "Not at all. It’s the truth." The empire was a dictatorship, but it was held together by its charismatic and competent leader, Dorothea. Maybe you’ve heard something like this before? Better to live in a dictatorship with a competent leader than in a democracy with an incompetent one. While I didn’t agree with the idea, there was some truth to it.
conversations.prefix: Claire:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value:  "Oh, Her Majesty isn’t that scary." The Nur man guiding us flashed us a wry smile. His tone wasn’t one of admonishment but rather of reassurance. He seemed used to correcting people about the empress.
conversations.prefix: Nur man: