In the Outer Region, the highest level of power a kingdom could attain was that of a Rank 4 Practitioner. Rank 5s—like the Wandering Merchant—were rare visitors, showing up only for business or to revisit the lands of their birth, chasing the ghosts of old memories.
The reason for that ceiling was simple yet absolute: resource scarcity. Even entire races, ruling over their own territories, lacked the materials needed to push beyond.
Advancing as a Practitioner required far more than talent. It demanded access to rare Sparks and a near-endless supply of energy resources that most kingdoms simply couldn't provide.
And for someone like Adyr, that meant an ordinary kingdom would never be enough.
