You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 337 Black Iron Princess
The Khao came from the White Horn River, rowing with wooden oars, and their fleet carried grain.

This amount of grain, several million kilograms, is enough to sustain the entire Blackburg for more than a month.

The Blackburg Guard had made contact with the grain convoy long ago, and before Khao even entered the city, a team came to meet them.

The Blackburg's garrison is called the Iron Guard, numbering two thousand. They are equipped with helmets, breastplates, arm guards, and other gear, all made of black iron—a mixture of orogenic copper and iron, entirely black in color, sturdy and durable. Each set of this gear costs an average of three to five gold coins and can last for ten years without damage.

The Iron Guard Captain's name is Turner Malold.

He greeted Khao warmly, and then began unloading the grain without hesitation.

Blacksburg has been experiencing food shortages for some time.

The merchants in Blackburg, backed by nobles, hoarded goods and made exorbitant profits, completely disregarding the starving people who died because they couldn't afford food.

Grain transported from outside was looted by thieves time and time again. Less than a million catties of grain were actually brought in.

Turner led his men to suppress numerous demonstrations by the poor, and the conflict had already reached a point where it was only a matter of time before it became difficult to end. Without killing tens of thousands of people, it would be impossible to quell public resentment.

But if they were killed, the conflict between His Majesty the King and the Papacy would not be resolved.

Because Io III killed a large number of believers of the gods, it was an act of declaring war on the Papacy.

The entire Blackburg was filled with unease, and even the Iron Guards were filled with doubt, wondering if there would really be a war that would endanger the entire land in the future.

This is a batch of life-saving food; it needs to be moved into the city as soon as possible to stabilize public sentiment.

Kao did not stop them. He turned his head and saw the starving people wandering outside the city. They were all emaciated and had bluish cheeks. They rushed over as soon as they saw the grain, but were stopped. The crowd grew larger and larger, as if they were going to attack the grain convoy. In the end, the Iron Guards violently suppressed them, killing more than ten people and dispersing all the reluctant onlookers.

Kao watched them walk away backwards, trying to grab something but unable to. His expression was one of unfulfilled longing, his eyes dim, filled with emptiness and despair.

He remained expressionless, but Sanna felt a pang of anxiety. She wanted to say something, but then she saw Kho give her a cold glance. Dick, wearing a mask, stood behind Kho like a statue, acting as his bodyguard without uttering a word. She pursed her lips sadly.

The grain transport fleet uses both water and land transport. The ships and carts all originate from the city and are to be taken back. However, several million catties of grain is no small amount, and the unloading and transportation alone will take one or two days.

Khao ordered his troops to rest and set up camp.

A banner woven from thorns, iron rings, and sharp swords fluttered in the wind.

Turner observed that they were well-trained and disciplined, and their armor did not appear to be much weaker than that of the Iron Guards.

Turner heard that the King of the Valley was capturing slaves on a large scale, grinding them with stone mills, and then using their flesh and blood to irrigate the land. He also used sorcery to grow food and an army. He was an ambitious and evil king, and his courtiers had repeatedly advised His Majesty that he was a wolf in sheep's clothing and extremely dangerous.

He understood that the claim was baseless.

The young king's wealth was immeasurable, and his army won victory after victory.

In Turner's eyes, if there were ten thousand elite plate-armored soldiers, then unless there were towering castles, no one on this land could stop the new king's expansion.

He will eventually emerge from that remote place like an Arctic pirate.

Turner sighed inwardly, then focused on directing the porters to move the grain faster.

Sanna sat alone by the river, feeling dejected.

When she first arrived in Origin City, she was just a young girl; now she's grown into a beautiful young woman, her figure has gradually developed, and she's spent the happiest years of her life so far.

She wanted to go on Kao's expedition and see the most magnificent city that Grandpa Garin had described, a city that was said to be able to accommodate the entire population of Origin City and Plenty City.

Sure enough, she was stunned when she saw it.

Compared to the towering stone city, the houses in Origin City, though beautiful, are quite low, and the settlements are scattered throughout the city, like a collection of villages that barely qualify as a city.

But the city before us is truly a magnificent city. Yet, beneath this magnificent city lie countless skeletons, and outside its walls wander hungry refugees.

The beauty of Origin City blinded her, but what she saw and heard along the way awakened seemingly distant memories, and she realized that she had once been such a humble life as dust.

A bitter life, a struggling life.

She wanted to help them, but even more so, she wanted to help herself during that helpless period.

But even if she mastered her magic, the witch's magic, she couldn't do anything.

The sky was overcast, and the wind blew from the river.

She suddenly heard the clattering sound of armor plates. Turning around, she saw Turner and a group of Iron Guards kneeling and worshipping a woman in white by the dock, dozens of meters away.

She twitched her ears and clearly heard Turner address her as princess.

Oh! Princess!
She's actually the Black Iron Princess?!

Iotahina, the eldest daughter of Io III, the Iron King.

The king doted on her, and she remained unmarried even though she was over twenty. It was said that if all her suitors jumped into the river, it would dam the White Horn River.

She saw that the woman in white was beautiful, elegant and powerful, with long hair like a red river, wearing a white robe, a silver belt around her waist, slender and tall, with broad shoulders.

She was extremely envious when she heard Gavier mention that Roman called her princess, but she knew that Gavier wasn't.

Now she met a real princess, strong and sturdy, like a ray of white light illuminating the dark and gloomy world.

She thought herself incredibly beautiful, the Iron Princess Iotashina, beautiful yet cold, like the winter wind and the white stones of a high mountain. Royal blood flowed through her veins; she was a true royal descendant.

She hesitated when she saw Khal, unsure whether to kneel. In the end, he only bowed slightly. The princess glanced at him thoughtfully, then looked at the man in the iron mask behind him, but said nothing more.

The princess then turned her head, her emerald green eyes fixed on her, and then walked towards her.

Sanna was startled.

But the princess's steps were steady, like a swift whirlwind, carrying a chilling scent, as she approached her.

“Witch, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” said the Black Iron Princess.

Sanna gasped inwardly, momentarily losing her composure as she faced this person of such high status alone.

But she quickly noticed Kao's gaze: You're dead if you dare to show weakness.

That look inexplicably gave her a sense of support, and she began to see the princess as someone like Roman.

She asked, "Your Highness, how did you know I was a witch?"

“The King’s Eye is the Eye of the Heart; I can see the true nature of everyone. And you do not wear amber,” Tashina said. Many believe that amber contains the wisdom and power accumulated and passed down from ancient times, and this is indeed true.

Sanna barely grasped the concept: all kings are special.

Princess Tasina is one of the best among them.

She inherited the blood of the conquerors.

Red hair, blue eyes, high nose bridge, deep-set eyes, strong physique, dressed in white.

Sanna had a strange feeling that the person in front of her was not a delicate princess, but a tough general.

(End of this chapter)