MAD ELECTRICAL?

For maximum protection the fuse (fusible link) should be as close to the power source as practical. This lowers the risk of damage from a short in the wiring before the fuse. Right off the starter relay is the best point for the fuse.

Like in a house, in a car electrical system there are “main fuses” and sub circuit fuses ( breakers in a house). In a house the power comes in and goes through the main breaker first thing. Then it goes to the sub circuit breakers. The main breaker keeps your house from taking down the power grid. The sub circuit breakers protect the circuits in your house.

Same in a car. The fusible link is the “ main breaker “ equivalent in a car. From there the power goes to the fuse box. The fuse box can be located some distance away from the power source, since the wiring to it is protected by the fusible link. The fuses in the fuse box protect the individual circuits and keep one short from taking down the whole car electrical system. The fusible link keeps you from shorting out the battery in case of a short before the fuse box. An unfused short on a car battery is likely a fire.

Sorry for the long winded answer, but once you figure out what the designers were trying to do with wiring, a lot of the electrical stuff isn’t that hard, it is just not obvious sometimes.