Ether City-State: A Story of Growth and Division

Author: Wei Dai, 1kx Research Partner; Compiler: 0xxz@Golden Finance

Once upon a time, there was a prosperous city-state called Ethera, famous for its innovation and wealth. At its peak, Ethera was the heart of the world's economy, and its bustling markets, vibrant art, and thriving trade made it the envy of everyone. But prosperity brings growth, and growth also brings pressure. As Ethera's population swelled, its infrastructure began to collapse. Events such as the Great Summer Farm and the Fine Arts Frenzy attracted a large number of farmers and art collectors, causing unprecedented congestion and a surge in the cost of living.

The city's leaders saw the impending crisis. "Ethera is choking on its own success," they warned. Their solution? Expansion. "The future of Ethera is multi-urban," they declared, and encouraged citizens to establish new settlements outside the city's borders. These new cities would continue to be influenced by Ethera, allowing the metropolis to grow without losing its core identity.

The migration began. At first, the new settlements were similar to Ethera, but over time they developed their own culture and characteristics. For a while, the plan worked. Ethera flourished as its people expanded into new lands. But soon, a new problem arose: the roads connecting these cities were not standardized. Some roads were paved with stone, others with dirt, and many required complex tolls and paperwork to traverse regions. What had once required only a short walk to exchange goods now became a long, winding journey across a fragmented network.

Trade slowed. Ethera's once bustling marketplace grew eerily quiet, and tax revenues dwindled as fewer merchants returned to the capital. Once the center of the world, the Ethera city-state now faced a slow decline.

Then came the Blob Boom, a technological breakthrough that enabled satellite cities to expand quickly and cheaply. As these outlying regions prospered, their trade routes bypassed Ethera's marketplace entirely. Trade was conducted over blob-enhanced highways, further draining Ethera's lifeblood.

To make matters worse, many of the new cities began to impose their own taxes, choosing to keep wealth within their borders rather than send it back to Ethera. These cities, once part of a larger alliance, gradually became independent powers, forming new alliances and leaving Ethera behind.

Meanwhile, across the world, a new metropolis, Solara, rose up. Unlike Ethera, Solara did not encourage its people to spread outward. Instead, its leaders focused on vertical growth, investing in futuristic technologies like flying cars, airflow turbines, and towering skyscrapers. This allowed Solara to develop without expanding outward. Goods and people moved freely within its borders, and soon Solara's population surpassed that of Ethera.

In Ethera, heated debates broke out. "Our satellite cities are parasites!" some shouted, frustrated by their growing independence. Others argued that Ethera should follow Solara's lead, growing upward and investing in cutting-edge technology. But some warned against simply copying Solara. “Vertical growth can only take us so far,” they warn, noting that Solara, too, is beginning to face limits on its expansion. Instead, they propose another solution: build universal highways—standardized, seamless roads that reconnect all of the cities in the Ethera Federation. These highways, they believe, will restore the flow of goods and taxes, reigniting the trade that once made Ethera great. “The true strength of Ethera,” they argue, “lies not in how high we build, but in how well we connect.”

Ethera now stands at a crossroads. Should it emulate Solara’s soaring skyline, or focus on repairing the fragmented roads that have divided the Federation? Can it collect federal taxes without alienating its most prosperous satellite cities? The choice will not only determine Ethera’s future, but also set a precedent for decentralized economies around the world.

In the shadows, a small group of engineers quietly works to realize a bold vision—one in which towering vertical buildings and interconnected highways can coexist, ushering in a new era of prosperity. Their plan even promises a strong tax system to sustain the capital and satellite cities. It’s an ambitious idea that could reshape the world for generations to come.