Author: Wei Dai Source: X, @_weidai Translation: Shan Ouba, Golden Finance
Once upon a time, there was a prosperous city-state called Ethera, renowned for its innovation and wealth. At its peak, Ethera became the center of the global economy, with its busy markets, vibrant art, and thriving trade the envy of all. However, with prosperity comes development, and with development comes pressure. As Ethera's population surged, the city's infrastructure began to be overwhelmed. Events such as the "Great Summer Harvest" and the "Art Frenzy" attracted large numbers of farmers and art collectors, leading to unprecedented congestion and soaring living costs.
The city's leaders saw signs of crisis. "Ethera is suffocating from its own success," they warned. Their solution? Expansion. "The future of Ethera lies in multi-city development," they declared, encouraging citizens to establish new settlements outside the city's borders. These new cities would continue to be influenced by Ethera, allowing the metropolis to expand without losing its core identity.
The immigration began. At first, these new settlements resembled Ethera, but over time they developed their own cultures and identities. For a while, this plan worked well enough. Ethera continued to prosper as its people expanded into new lands. But before long, a new problem arose: the roads connecting these cities were not standardized. Some roads were paved with stone, others were dirt, and many required complex tolls and documentation to cross regions. What had once been a short walk to exchange goods became a long, complicated journey across a splintered network.
Trade slowed. Ethera's once bustling marketplaces grew quiet, and tax revenues plummeted as fewer merchants returned to the capital. The city-state, once the center of the world, faced a slow decline.
Then, the "Ripple Tech Burst" brought new technological breakthroughs that allowed satellite cities on the outskirts to expand quickly and cheaply. As these outside regions prospered, their trade routes bypassed Ethera's markets, further draining Ethera's lifeblood.
To make matters worse, many of the new cities began to impose their own taxes, choosing to keep their wealth within their borders rather than return it to Ethera. These cities, once part of a great federation, are now emerging as independent powers, forming new alliances and leaving Ethera behind.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a new metropolis named Solara has risen. Unlike Ethera, Solara does not encourage its people to expand outward. Instead, its leaders focus on vertical development, investing in futuristic technologies such as flying cars, air turbines, and towering skyscrapers. This allows Solara to continue to grow without expanding outward. Goods and people flow freely within its borders, and Solara's population soon surpasses that of Ethera.
Back on Ethera, a heated debate breaks out. "Our satellite cities are parasites!" some angrily accuse the cities of growing independence. Others argue that Ethera should follow Solara's example, growing upward and investing in cutting-edge technology. But others warn that Solara should not simply be copied. “Vertical growth can only take us so far,” they caution, noting that Solara, too, is beginning to face limits to its expansion. They propose an alternative solution: build “unified highways”—standardized, seamless roads that would reconnect all of Ethera’s federation’s cities. These roads, they believe, will restore the flow of goods and tax revenues, reigniting the trade that once made Ethera prosperous. “The true power 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 towering buildings, or should it focus on repairing the roads that divide it? Can it impose federal taxes without alienating its wealthiest satellite cities? The choice will determine not only Ethera’s future but also set a precedent for a global decentralized economy.
In the shadows, a small group of engineers quietly works on a bold vision—a future in which vertical structures and interconnected highways coexist, ushering in a new era of prosperity. Their plans even include a robust tax system to sustain the capital and satellite cities. It’s an ambitious idea that could reshape the world for generations to come.
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