Chapter 458: Ivina: Creating Food out of Thin Air, Sothing Only Gods Can Do
Susan's sudden inquiry caught Ivina off guard.
Having spent two years in the northern territories, the most barbaric region of the empire, she had naturally witnessed famine and even participated in church-led relief efforts, but she had never experienced that feeling firsthand...
Without waiting for Ivina's response, Susan sighed and said, "Just eleven years ago, due to successive wars in the western border of the empire, there was a significant reduction in food production. Then those noble lords and wealthy rchants, just like today, began to purchase large quantities of grain. Although it wasn't as terrifying as this ti, it was still sothing we couldn't afford..."
At that ti, she and her husband relied on odd jobs in the slums to earn so ager inco, barely making ends et. After deducting the cuts from the guild, they couldn't even earn a single silver coin per month. With the soaring price of grain, even if they emptied their savings, they couldn't afford more than a few loaves of black bread.
"Didn't the church and the empire intervene or provide relief?" Ivina furrowed her brow, questioning, but soon realized the inadequacy of her words and quickly corrected herself.
"I an, don't those bishops often talk about God's rcy to mankind?"
"How could those high and mighty bishops care about us..." a middle-aged man with dark skin self-deprecatingly shook his head.
Eleven years ago, the precious resource of fire oil hadn't been discovered, and this city wasn't as important as it is now. It was just an ordinary small city in the western territories, and they were the most inconspicuous among the poor within the city.
Indeed, the empire did distribute so relief food, but halfway through, it was all plundered by the local nobles and wealthy rchants, leaving barely anything for them.
Susan choked up as she spoke, recounting how one of her children, who had just been born at the ti, starved to death because she was too weak to produce enough milk—she could only grind grass roots and tree bark into a soup to feed the baby...
And as a result... her child couldn't even survive for two days.
"Grass roots, tree bark... can they be eaten?" Ivina exclaid in astonishnt.
"Most of the grass roots can be eaten, but it depends on the type of tree bark..." the middle-aged man muttered.
Because of Ivina's identity as a wizard, which garnered considerable favor among the people, coupled with Susan's lantations and complaints, the hundred or so townspeople gathered around the granary couldn't help but share their own experiences of surviving famine.
So condemned the cold-bloodedness and inaction of the noble lords, so tearfully recounted how their younger siblings were snatched away and eaten alive by a group of starving villagers, and a young man in his twenties even shared how he survived the most difficult days by eating a certain type of yellow soil...
Unfortunately, his father didn't make it!
If they didn't want to gnaw on tree bark or eat soil, they had to venture deep into the jungle at the risk of their lives to obtain food, but more likely, they would end up as food for so ferocious monsters!
Listening to the hundred or so townspeople discuss which tree bark was the best to eat and which grass was non-toxic and filling, Ivina was deeply shaken.
As soone born into nobility, she had never imagined that grass, tree leaves, or even dirt could be put into one's mouth as food.
Although she had witnessed famine in the northern territories and even witnessed cannibalism, Gustav had told her that these people were corrupted by demonic forces, their souls on the verge of descending into hell, which led them to commit such evil and terrifying acts.
"Only the wizards would consider whether we can eat our fill..." an elderly townsman said, carrying a few grains of wheat, his voice trembling slightly.
Ensuring three als a day was a normal welfare for Lynn's laborers, and it could also prevent turmoil in the kingdom, but it was different for the poor.
They had never received such attention before!
In Susan's view, the wizards who ruled the City of Fire Oil knew that they couldn't afford the soaring wheat prices, so they suddenly announced the provision of three als a day. This kindness made her and her husband imnsely grateful.
Only those who had experienced famine understood how terrifying it was. They had barely survived the last ti. What about this ti?
So, after discussing with her husband, Susan decided to sell so of their grain to the council.
During the previous high grain prices, thanks to reminders from the bakery, they had emptied all their savings and bought hundreds of kilograms of wheat. They had already sold half of it...
Half was for her and her husband, and the other half was for their two children. Susan originally didn't plan to sell it, but yesterday she suddenly heard that the reason the council kept lowering
the purchase price was because the reserve funds were running out, so she took out another portion.
With limited ability, she could only do a little. Maybe their share of wheat was in the bread they ate at the workshop!
The other townspeople also spoke up about their experiences. Like Susan, they experienced being valued for the first ti and realized that there were people who cared about them—the lowest class of peasants.
They praised the power of magic and the kindness of the wizards, and because of Ivina's identity as a wizard, many praises were directed at her.
Ivina fell silent, each word of praise piercing her heart like a sharp knife because no one knew better than her that the so-called grain war was Monroe's idea, and the rumor spreading throughout the kingdom was also their doing.
"If only those nobles weren't here, this place would be just like paradise!" Susan couldn't help but say.
"Paradise?" Ivina didn't know what expression to make, nor did she expect this term to be used in the territory ruled by the wizards.
Just as Ivina hesitated, the tightly closed granary doors finally opened, and Susan and the others imdiately surrounded it, eagerly speaking up.
"Wizard, what's the price of wheat today?" "Is the council's grain reserve still sufficient?" "This is so wheat I've stored myself. It's not much, but please accept it."
The hundred or so townspeople gathered around the granary clamored, handing over the wheat they had wrapped in various pieces of cloth, and so even felt that the three als provided by the council were too much—they could actually get by with just one al a day, saving a lot of grain.
Amidst the eager anticipation of the crowd, Pearson did not accept the wheat but expressed his apologies. "Thank you for your help, but starting from today, the council has no plans to purchase wheat anymore!"
"Why? Wizard? Is it because the reserve funds are insufficient?" Susan hurriedly asked.
The other townspeople wore worried expressions.
"No, it's not as you think!" Pearson shook his head with a wry smile, then his face showed a hint of pride. "In fact, Dean Lynn has completely solved the problem of food shortages... From now on, no one needs to worry about famine anymore!"
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