"Yes, traveling merchants move between kingdoms and races, bringing goods from one land to another. But that's nowhere near enough."
She paused for a fraction of a second.
"What I learned bef—"
The words caught in her throat.
She had almost revealed that she learned it during her time as the Luna of the Midnight River Pack.
A dangerous mistake.
Only her family knew that part of her past. If the council caught on, questions would inevitably follow, questions she wasn't prepared to answer.
Without missing another beat, she smoothly corrected herself.
"What I learned from the Midnight River Pack is that becoming self-sufficient wasn't the only reason they prospered."
"They didn't stop after expanding their farms and livestock. They opened trade routes with neighboring races, particularly the dwarves and the elves."
"They exchanged agricultural goods for dwarven machinery that improved productivity and elven silk and craftsmanship that elevated their industries."
