Divine Ashes

If you have courage, you can revel in slaughter on the battlefield. If you have strategy, you can command a thousand armies with a single move. If you have a sharp mind, you can make money by the cartload in the business world. But none of these was King of Kings Alansalain's greatest achievement. It was the slow, graceful way he wore down his rivals over time, making even kings who ruled vast territories bow to him when they reached the pinnacle of glory.

--From the introductory chapter of the History and Philosophy of the Esolon Joint Business Academy, New Lain Duchy, in a later age.