Akiba

Akihabara, usually shortened to Akiba (アキバの街), is the largest of the five main cities (五大都市 go daitoshi) on the Japanese server of Elder Tale and is the hometown of half of the Japanese players. The others cities are Shibuya, Minami, Susukino, and Nakasu.

Overview
In Elder Tale, Akiba is located where Tokyo would be on the map according to Japan's Half GAIA Project. It is the also location where new players on the Japan server first appear after joining the game.

Akiba has the appearance of an old, overgrown city with streets lined with crumbling, derelict buildings and rough stretches of asphalt buried under carpets of moss and entwined with vines. Annexes and additions have been stacked organically onto the ruins, and the roots of trees spread out across the roads. Considered the holy land of the Ancients, it is an old ruined concrete city now smothered in verdant green.

Shiroe notes at the beginning of the series that a warm, moist wind rustled refreshingly through the treetops beneath the dazzling early summer sunlight. More than just heat, the radiant light burst from sky with an overwhelming intentness over both trees and buildings and cast deep shadows on town's main road that wrapped around itself the dark soil and dilapidated asphalt.

Despite its underlying concrete framework, Akiba is quite organic. On multiple occasions, Shiroe makes note of the smell of the damp earth, the whispering of leaves and grasses, and the humid breeze that sweeps between the abandoned buildings. Ginko and Elm trees have grown up around the old buildings, splitting the showy multi-colored signs and breaking down walls. The side streets are covered in leaf mold and emerald-green moss.

Later in the series, as most people have adjusted to their new lives and purchased buildings, Akiba appears more livable. The city has been cleaned and repaired to a degree; streets are swept clean of debris, and buildings repainted or decorated. The outer districts of the city are still overgrown and degraded, though some buildings have been refurnished such as Log Horizon's Guild Hall. The flood of immigrants from Shibuya has also made the city less barren and abandoned. The city's inhabitants, instead of clearing away the foliage, have incorporated it into the city's design. At night, the city is aglow with Magic Lights.

Geography
As Akiba the starting location on the Japanese server, many guilds use the city as their home base. To cater to the resident and transient Adventurer population, the city is filled with inns and bars.

The center of the city is a large intersection behind the train station plaza (駅前広場). A large monolith-shaped "intelligent building" made of complex materials stands at the corner of the intersection. The atmosphere is of a lively open-air market, and players often congregate here to kill time, recruit for quests, and sell or buy items. Many people of the land run shops alongside adventurers here.

Both Adventurers and People of the Land have taken up residence here and there among the abandoned buildings, and the streets are dotted with temporary stalls operated by Landers selling food and other goods. .

Noteworthy Locations

 * The Big Bath: A public bathhouse, it was created after the establishment of plumbing.
 * Crescent Moon Refreshment Stand: A food stand created by the joint efforts of Log Horizon and the Crescent Moon Alliance, it revealed the secret of real food preparation to the Yamato server.

Areas Surrounding Akiba
 * Birdland Duvacha: A path through a small forest, this area, around 40 minutes outside of Akiba, is host to level 80 monsters. The Black Sword Knights train there in small groups, and Akatsuki goes there to train as well even though she can't gain any EXP by killing the monsters due to her high level.

Post-Catastrophe Situation
After the Catastrophe, the security situation in Akiba deteriorated badly. Although outright fighting among players is not allowed within city limits, the number of PK incidents in the area around the city increases, and members of the city's large, influential guilds begin throw their weight around and act arrogantly. The general despair created situations where PKing was seen as something to occupy time with.

Significantly, after the Catastrophe, all zones in Elder Tale became available for purchase. In Akiba, this amounted to about 50 zones within the city and 300 hunting grounds outside of the city.

Round Table Alliance
With the creation of the Round Table Alliance, along with the discovery of actual food creation and inventions, the city of Akihabara has begun to stabilize and grow all thanks to Shiroe's efforts. The new discoveries created a renaissance within the city. What was once considered by the People of the Land, as nothing more than a disorganized mob of Adventurers, is now being noticed by the major cities, primarily the League of Freedom Cities Eastal as a major regional player.

Due to the fact that the Adventurers are far more powerful than most of the native inhabitants, respawn after dying, and have knowledge of techniques and technology that did not previously exist in Elder Tale, the leaders of Eastal have become wary and curious, with many seeking to enlist their powers and inventions in order to gain more even footing in negotiations or gain advantage over their rivals.

Currently, the city has a population of 20,000; 15,000 players, and approximately 5,000 People of the Land who operate many of the cities mundane functions. An influx of economic immigrants has increased the population to a degree. A town bath house has been constructed and a daily newspaper was established. The new foods and inventions, such as the steam engine, have sparked a demand for new products and the drive to earn more money to buy them. Hunting for ingredients and material now provides far more work for the combat guilds in terms of bodyguards and city defense to keep the city clear of monsters and other enemies. Taxes collected though use of the Guild Building is used to research the now-dormant Fairy Rings and run the Round Tables operations to facilitate the cities elevated status. The resurgence has also bred loyalty among the citizens of Akihabara who see the city as a home and safe haven in a world that is largely dangerous and unknown. Any enemy hoping to attack the city will find that fifteen thousand adventurers and five thousand people of land to be more then they could handle.

Though the new economy still has its flaws (such as estimating value for labor), the citizens are now given more to do and the feelings of despair and boredom have disappeared in the rush to invent, explore, and fight. With the rumors of good food, new inventions, and the establishment of the Round Table Alliance to govern the city, the number of People of the Land has increased significantly. Many have traveled from distant regions to work as employees at the Guild Meeting Hall or to start a new life and experience the foods and innovations. The lure of a new world has been viewed as a threat by many of the cities neighbors. The economy has also increased the amount of money flowing through the city which has made the city a major economic power which in turn attracts more inhabitants who bring more work to the bustling metropolis.

Return of the Goblin King
In addition to the new food recipes and inventions, Akihabara is also considered as a major military power, due to the high number of Adventurers residing within its boundaries. With strong combat guilds such as D.D.D, Black Sword Knights, Honesty and West Wind Brigade, (with most over Level 70), the city has a formidable, though unofficial and disjointed fighting force. Additionally, it boasts exceptional support, production and tactical guilds such as Log Horizon, Marine Agency, and Crescent Moon Alliance. Due to their combined efforts during the Return of the Goblin King event, Akihabara is recognized as the equal to the League of Freedom Cities Eastal, despite being only one city. As proof of its prowess an army of only fifteen hundred adventurers defeated a force of goblins twenty times its size.

After the defeat of the goblin hordes, Akihabara has signed a non-aggression pact and free-trade agreement with the League allowing the cities adventurers new opportunities to explore and fight.

Libra Festival
By the time of the Libra Festival, Akihabara has become a huge center for exports and imports. The products made by the Adventurers are highly sought after and their production methods are great sources of interest to nobles and merchants alike. Due to the difficulty of obtaining ingredients and materials, the Adventurers prefer to purchase these items in bulk from the People of the Land, then use their skills to create products for sale and distribution.

At this point, Akihabara has its first encounter with the League of Freedom Cities Eastal's main rival, the Holy Empire Westelande. Wanting to discredit the Corwen Family and weaken the authority of the Round Table Alliance, spies were sent in to cause random disturbances, while Lord Marves suddenly arrived with supposedly 500 tons of cargo for storage. This scheme quickly fell apart due to Shiroe's counterattacks and the apparent stupidity of the nobleman which caused quite a bit of embarrassment to all involved.

Fallen Guardian Arc
Akihabara's main defensive system against invading monsters and inner-city violence was turned off in order stop the Mobile Armor's advantage, which was being exploited by a rogue member of the Royal Guard who was killing Adventurers out of spite and hatred. As a result, the city is now vulnerable to any monster attacks, unless the Adventurers themselves fight them off. The system cannot be restored for over 10 years. The cities defense is now solely reliant on the guilds. A week after the shutdown, it is stated that patrols by combat guilds keeps monsters out of the city. The players are not fighting as a result of the mutual cooperation of the many guilds and/or the threat of the city's combat guilds.

However, this fact, combined with Westelande's desire for war with Eastal, has left some of those in Akiba aware of this fact wary of war.

Trivia

 * Akiba is named after the a real life district of the same name in Tokyo's Chiyoda ward. The real life Akihabara is known as a center for electronics and anime culture.