Gretel seemed to have been punched head-on. He was staggering, and if the phantom pony hadn't automatically protected the summoner, he would have almost fallen off the horse.
At the banquet, the chef and the count’s second son proudly boasted once again:
"This kind of pig grows up in oak pastures with sparse woods, grows up eating wild herbs and olives, and when the acorns mature, they feed almost exclusively on acorns..."
"The black pig grew up eating herbs, olives and acorns, and was carefully marinated and matured. The meat is light and soft, mixed with the unique aroma of acorns..."
"The carefully selected baby pigs eat the fruits of the oak tree with strange powers. They are Luo Si Kang's delicacies, the treasures among treasures, enough to serve as a feast for the queen and a sacrifice to the gods..."
Such delicacies, such delicious food, are enough to become a regional representative and a key product that stimulates the entire regional economy. But, what is the price?!
The price was that almost all the places in the entire county that were suitable for oak woodlands were occupied by the nobles and used to raise the black pigs unique to County Roscommon;
The price is that if the poor want to go into the woods and pick up acorns to satisfy their hunger, they will be hung up and whipped...
That acorn is bitter!
It’s bitter!
It must be cooked for a long time to remove its bitter taste, and it must be ground into powder before it can be swallowed!
Who would go to the woods to pick up acorns to eat if it wasn't a last resort, if they weren't forced to starve to death!
2,500 square kilometers, 200,000 people, 80 people per square kilometer, a population density that can survive by catching birds, fishing, picking wild fruits and digging grass roots, but there will also be situations where people will starve to death.
People are worse than pigs!
Humans are worse than pigs!!!
At this moment, Gretel subconsciously clenched his palms. His fingers clenched, opened, clenched again, and opened again. The magic wave in the palm of his hand was faintly boiling.
I really want to backhand a fireball and blow this place up!
Even the fireball technique was not enough! If anger could add to the spell, he highly doubted that he could create a big Ivan.
Sometimes, it really takes a spark of fire to turn into a prairie fire to clean up the dirt and filth...
However, at this time, stronger fluctuations rose from the right side. Gretel turned his head to look, and quickly urged the phantom colt to move over, tilted his body, and pressed Cerrela's palm:
"Cerilla, no!"
Killing people doesn't solve the problem!
Pure violence cannot solve the fundamental problem!
Even if we kill all the whippers, all the guards in this village, or even all the nobles in this county,
Oh, killing all the nobles can indeed temporarily solve the problem, but it will not cause fundamental changes. Think about it and establish a better order instead of relying on simple destruction...
"Gretel!"
Cerira backhand, stretched out her hand, and picked him up from the horse. However, Grete was too lost in thought and moved too fiercely. When his body leaned forward, he almost slipped off the phantom horse...
"Well……"
Gretel struggled and fluttered for a long time, and was finally thrown back on his horse by Cerela. As for the fact that he had been trained as a knight for several months and advanced from a level 1 warrior to a level 3 warrior, well, don't worry about it.
He coughed as majestically as possible and straightened his clothes to make himself look less embarrassed. He glanced ahead and saw that the villager who was cracking the whip and several other villagers standing with him were all behaved.
He lowered his head and tried not to look up.
Are you afraid of seeing his embarrassment and offending him? Or...
No matter what, it’s fine that I didn’t see him, or maybe I didn’t look at him. Gretel covered his ears and raised his face, urged his horse to take two steps forward, and looked down at the whip holder:
"I understand the situation. Since the fight has ended like this, then, let's call it a day, right? No more fighting?"
This was a negotiation, an intercession, and an order. Gretel knew that that person would definitely agree, whether it was because he was intimidated by the majesty of a master like him, or because he was afraid that he would really throw a fireball.
Sure enough, the man threw away his whip and bowed back repeatedly:
"Of course, sir, of course. Since you pity him, sir"
As he spoke, he turned his head back at a 90-degree bend, suppressed his voice, and yelled at his subordinates:
"Why don't you put this person down yet! Didn't you see your instructions?"
The two men hurriedly untied the farmer from the shelf and dragged him in front of Gretel's horse. Gretel jumped off the horse and raised his hand, and the healing spells fell on him bit by bit, wiping away the blood marks on his body:
"Do you feel better?"
The farmer reluctantly climbed up, his legs softened, and he knelt down in front of Grete again. Grete sighed helplessly:
"Get up, get up. Are you feeling better? Can you walk with me?"
As he spoke, he touched the space bag and threw a piece of bread. The farmer didn't have time to get up, catch the bread, lowered his head and took a big mouthful, followed by another. He choked immediately, knelt down on the ground, his face was red and his ears were red, and he rolled his eyes.
.
Gretel: "..."
He had no choice but to use a mage's trick to make a crude water bottle, fill it with water and pass it over. While watching him drink, he secretly mobilized the spell model, ready to summon a force field hand to perform the Heimlich maneuver at any time.
Fortunately, after the farmer drank some water, he actually washed down the bread stuck in his throat. He took a few more bites, cherished the remaining half of the bread and stuffed it into his arms, and bowed deeply:
"No problem, sir. You can send me wherever you like!"
"Okay." Gretel frowned and looked at the ground. Fortunately, there was just a lot of mud and no cow or pig manure. He looked around:
"Take me to your fields."
"I have no land, my lord."
"Then, take me to your farmland to see it!"
The farmer pulled his tattered clothes to cover a little of his back, and led the way with a grimace. Gretel followed behind, listening to his constant pointing:
"This land belongs to the lord...it is planted with wheat...the harvest is not good this year, no, there is no harvest at all..."
"This land is also the land of the lord... It was planted by the Lothar family... It is also planted with wheat... Wheat? The lord transported last year's wheat away, leaving nothing behind... It is like this every year...
"
"This land? This land is fallow. Some alfalfa has been planted. I originally hoped to raise a sheep. Sheep? The sheep will be given to the lord..."
"This plot is planted with potatoes...the yield of potatoes is high! Such a small piece of land can feed our family!"
Having said this, the farmer touched the bread on his chest and laughed with satisfaction:
"And the lord doesn't want potatoes. Yes, he doesn't want them. We can keep all the potatoes and eat them for a year! But there are no potatoes this year...it's too cold and the potatoes won't grow..."
Grete walked slowly, pointed, and asked questions here and there. From the farmer's answer, he roughly understood the cause of the famine:
All the land in Russell County, or almost all the land, belongs to lords of all sizes. The lords don't care how many tenants there are. Anyway, it doesn't take many people to look after and drive the pigs.
Give them enough land, and the pigs can find grass blades and acorns to eat without starving to death.
Then, the small amount of land that remained, land that was more suitable for farming than for oak trees, was mostly planted with wheat. Some of it was provided for the lord's consumption, and most of it was carted away, probably towed and sold.
Considering that Earl Russell Kang and the Earl's eldest son, as well as most of the local nobles are not here, but in the distant royal capital, the possibility of these harvests being dragged and sold in exchange for money for the nobles to spend is really too great.
Too big.
As for the local sharecroppers?
Doesn’t this give them a share of the land? As long as they cultivate the land of the lord, the harvest from the remaining land will all belong to them!
What about a big pile of potatoes! Feeding them will not be a problem!
"Didn't anyone tell you that there will be a great famine this year? Didn't they ask you to stock up on food?" Grete asked slowly:
"Isn't there anyone who will lead you to grow grain, lead you to pray, and lead you to use holy power to produce grain?"
"...No, sir." The farmer bent down deeply. Under his rags, his dark back was almost bare. Even if the weather wasn't hot, beads of sweat kept rolling down:
"A cousin of mine in the south of the city rented land from the mage masters, and actually helped the mage masters do a lot of work. He built warehouses and carried grain. It is said that you can even borrow grain from them and pay it back next year."
At this point, the farmer's eyes were full of envy. Grete nodded secretly:
It seems that the local Mage Tower in Roscommon County still did a good job last year. Unlike the local lords, they really don’t do human affairs. Also, the Council will inspect and assess the Mage Tower every year. Those who fail, the Mage
Tower resources are reduced, and the host is transferred...
He has personally experienced how inconvenient the research work is for a magician who has lost his magic tower. For this reason, the local magician system will also work hard to do a good job.
"But we can't do it, sir, we can't do it. We are the lord's people, we can't work for the mage masters... Moreover, there is not so much food to borrow..."
Grete closed her eyes sadly. Behind her, Cerira leaned down from the phantom horse and asked impatiently:
"What about the priests of nature? What about the ministers of nature? Didn't they look after you?"
"Sorry, beautiful lady." The farmer subconsciously took two steps back, fearing that he would touch this beautiful and exquisitely dressed lady, even if she had pointed ears:
"I don't understand...what are you talking about? I don't understand..."
"That's it."
Grete took over.
He took out the oak staff from his breast pocket, and with a slight breath of natural force, the short oak wood of the pen length grew in the wind, turning into the shape of an eyebrow stick. The phantom on his body rotated slightly, and the exquisite mage robe turned into a rough linen gown.
:
"That's the kind of person. Haven't you seen the kind of person who goes to the village and the fields, treats you, and guides you in your planting?"
"No, no." The farmer kept shaking his head and kept backing up, until he fell into the field with a "plop" and fell backwards. Grete turned his head in disappointment, turned to the back and squeezed, being careful of the villagers who were following him.
:
"Have you seen it?"
"...I've heard of it, sir." After a long silence, an old farmer, or rather, a farmer who looked older, stepped out from the crowd and bowed deeply:
"When I was a child, I heard the elders in my family say that when they were young, there were people dressed like this who would come to our village to treat patients, deliver babies, and teach us how to grow grains. But then they disappeared. My whole life,
Never seen..."
no yet?
Are the priests of the God of Nature no longer walking in this county?
What happened? What made the servants of the God of Nature abandon this land?
The Mage Tower didn’t report it? Last year, the parliament ordered the parliament to cooperate with the Nature God Religion to promote grain production and accumulate grain. The Mage Tower didn’t report this news?
Gretel was awe-inspiring. He slowly walked through the village, checked the storage situation (no one dared to open the door, but it couldn't block the mage's mystical eyes), and asked several villagers. Finally, he severely intimidated the management of the tenants.
A meal:
"Don't hit people! Don't retaliate against them! I'm coming again! If I find you hitting people, I'll kill you!"
In order to increase the credibility of his speech, he also manifested a fireball and held it in his hand. The fireball crackled and exploded in his palm, roasting the village chief's hair. He scraped the ground with his heels and retreated.
, keep bowing:
"I won't fight! I won't fight! Master Mage, don't worry! I will never lay a finger on them!"
Gretel visited four more villages in a row the next day. After running through five points, except for the real estate and tenants occupied by the Mage Tower, which was indeed passable, other areas were completely indescribable.
Especially the territories of nobles in various places and the territory of the Spring Water Temple. The Temple of the God of War is slightly better, but it can only be maintained so that the soldiers can be full, and the families of the soldiers can also eat until they are half hungry and half full...
The most important thing is, why did the Order of the God of Nature disappear?
Gretel returned to the mage tower full of doubts. When he asked bluntly, the presiding mage hesitated:
"I was also transferred from another place. I have been here less than 20 years. When I came here, the God of Nature Order had already left... After asking around a few times, it seems that they had some conflicts..."
No, who did you ask?
Local lord?
Local temple?
Have you actually asked the Order of the God of Nature in the next county?
Gretel was speechless at the host's ability. He rubbed his brows and asked seriously:
"So now, where is the relocation work stuck? The local lord refuses to release the people? What methods have you used?"
"We visited several times to request and asked the local temple to put pressure. We also wrote to the royal capital and asked the royal mage group in the royal capital to help put pressure."
The eighth-level mage who presided over the mage tower couldn't stand up straight in front of Gretel, who was also at the eighth level. He frowned and sighed. He talked about his efforts one by one for half a sentence.
Hour:
"We have tried every method, but they just don't pay attention. We can't just lift the table and kill all the nobles here... We can't lift it anymore..."
Gretel believes that the saying that it cannot be lifted is true. Yesterday’s dinner, the people present at the Temple of the God of War and the Temple of the Goddess of Spring were all ninth level or above. Although the local noble family heads have all run away, according to Bernard, there are also
Two knights can fight him for a while...
If this kind of power is gathered together, the Mage Tower can more than protect itself. It is really a joke to want to kill all the nobles.
So how to apply pressure?
The local host looked at him eagerly. Behind the host, a fifth-level mage and two second-level mages looked at him eagerly.
According to the general habits of the Mage Council, most of these low-level mages are the children of local nobles. If the Mage Tower wants to overturn the table, these people are probably not able to help. It is very likely that they will tip off the information or even hinder...
Gretel sighed.
If it were him, who could lift the table with all his strength, he should really try his best to fire the fireball, and push the power of the fireball to above level 9, or even to level 10, he should be able to do it.
If you can't carry out the council's sign and the teacher's sign again, why not take action together with Serira? To be honest, an adult silver dragon is more than enough to suppress the nobles of the entire county. I guarantee that they will not have any
Superfluous words.
Gretel believed that the host of the Mage Tower in Roscommon County must have thought so. However, the council sent him here, and he certainly did not think so.
If you die, the people will suffer. If you thrive, the people will suffer. If you can break the local social order, try not to break it. Think about it, is there any other way to do this well within the rules...
He was filled with simmering anger and wanted to shout. At this moment, a bell rang loudly. Soon, an apprentice was holding a rectangular wooden box, walked quickly, and raised his head at the door.
One piece.
"What's this?"
The presiding mage raised his voice and asked. The apprentice bowed and said:
"This is the gift from Count Rothkom to Master Nordmark. Can you send it in now?"
The wooden box was delivered to the center of the living room and the lid was opened. A ham lay quietly in it, wrapped in dark red silk, with only a short section of pure black hoof exposed.
Gretel didn't even need to untie the silk to feel the pure and familiar power of nature.
"This is……"
"It's Rothko ham. The best kind." As the apprentice entered the mage tower, the knight who came specially to present the gift bowed deeply to Gretel:
"My Lord Count said, I hope the Master will like it."
Gretel lowered his eyes and laughed softly.
"Like it? I really like it. I like it very much."
The messenger breathed a sigh of relief and left with peace of mind. Gretel stared at the ham for a moment, then raised his head and looked directly at the presiding mage:
"Can you give me a map?"
"What?"
"Give me a map." Grete still had a smile on his lips, but there was a layer of ice in his eyes:
"A map of Luosikang County and the surrounding counties. I'm going to take a walk around and take a look at the surrounding counties. If not, there will always be the presence of the God of Nature in the counties farther away. Alright?"
"Of course there is!"
Mr. Mage shuddered, immediately let the students go in, and copied a detailed map. Cities, mage towers, hills, water bodies, lord's manors, and temples all appeared clearly on the map.
Gretel lowered his head, his fingertips brushed across the surface of the map inch by inch, and stopped for a moment on the mark of a large oak tree:
"I'll go take a look. I'll come back tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow at most. At that time, I hope you can let me visit the ancestral home of Earl Luo Si Kang's family, is that okay?"
He walked away. He took Cerela and Bernard with him to the wilderness and walked out of the border of Roscommon County. He immediately changed into a cloth robe and rode on the back of the Silver Moon Deer.
In his hand, between the eight green leaves on the head of the oak staff, a small black and white snake was swimming up and down.
****
Please subscribe, ask for monthly tickets, ask for recommendation votes, ask for book reviews, ask for all kinds of...
Please take a look at your fan value. If it is less than 500, subscribe more. Only those with a fan value of more than 500 are eligible for the lottery!
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
I saw many people asking how to check the fan value. The answer is to post a book review immediately, and then look at the mark behind your name. If you are an apprentice or above, you have a fan value of 500 or above.
(In other words, only traineeship cannot be drawn)