Wizard Farming Guide

Chapter 90 Northern Famine

Half a month later, Rhodes finally saw the first caravan arrive at River Mouth Town.

It was Adlich of the Sword Tomb Merchant Guild, and almost every member of the caravan following behind him carried a shovel.

When they arrived, they dropped their shovels, panting heavily.

I was exhausted from clearing snow from the roads all the way.

"My lord, your decision to purchase food at the fortress was absolutely wise!"

Adlich approached Rhodes, and upon recalling the situation at Dragon Fortress when he left, he couldn't help but shake his head.

Rhodes asked curiously, "How bad is the situation there now?"

Although a letter was sent to inquire, the contents of the letter were insufficient to explain the situation.

Rhodes knew the problem was serious, but he lacked a concrete understanding of how.

Adledge said fearfully, "Half of the farmland in the river valley plain is gone! Not many people froze to death; according to the news circulating in the fortress, less than ten thousand died."

"What's frightening is that food prices have gone crazy; they've increased three times in just one day!"

"The cheapest potatoes were 1 copper coin a pound during the day, then 3 copper coins a pound by noon, and skyrocketed to 6 copper coins a pound at night!"

"This is insane! This price used to buy the best quality wheat! Now it only buys a basket of rotten potatoes, and even so, the residents are still snapping them up."

Adlich suddenly seemed to regret his words, "When I left, the price of barley and rye had already exceeded 20 copper coins a pound."

This was already the umpteenth time he had sighed in his heart.

If you could run a grain business, the money you make in one day would be enough to last you for several lifetimes!

From Adlich's words, Rhodes could sense the panic among the fortress residents.

The Dragon Fortress supports more than 500,000 residents, and its daily food consumption is astronomical.

The panic caused by the food crisis was even greater than that caused by the hundreds of thousands of barbarian troops!

After all, the latter has been proven unable to breach the fortress, while the former can easily dismantle it from within.

In the days that followed, new caravans continued to arrive at Hekou Town.

This allowed supplies to circulate again in the town, and also allowed Rhodes to update the intelligence within the fortress.

Food rationing is currently in effect there, and large numbers of troops are patrolling the city streets.

The Grand Duke of Northern Frost controls the fortress using an absolute policy of oppression.

It is forbidden for any nobles or merchants to hoard grain or maliciously raise prices to create panic.

According to the newly arrived caravan, the Grand Duke beheaded more than twenty nobles in just one day, and countless merchants were killed.

The blood flowing from the corpses even stained the entire market red.

But the situation has indeed improved.

According to the Duanlong Fortress City Hall, a large shipment of grain from the Great Plains is on its way, so all residents need not worry.

Rhodes had thought the unrest would gradually subside.

Until Baron Jeff, a neighbor of the Duchy next to Rivermouth, suddenly came to visit.

To be honest, Rhodes was quite surprised to see Baron Jeff and his ten guards.

Although they concealed it well, Rod was still able to spot the problem.

The group of people had sunken cheeks and a sallow complexion, clearly indicating that they had been frequently hungry recently.

Things aren't looking good at my neighbor's house.

The Icebreaker Beast was brought back from the other party's territory, and since it had come to visit, Rhodes did not refuse.

A small banquet was held in the town's castle to welcome them.

The food was very simple: a few plates of grilled fish, a whole roasted lamb, and plenty of bread.

By the standards of aristocratic banquets, it was pitifully shabby, not even worthy of the name "banquet," but merely a gathering of wealthy peasants.

But we have to consider the overall environment when it comes to everything. Nowadays, food prices have risen outrageously, and it's good enough if we can just have enough to eat.

And if he shows off, what will happen when the neighbors ask him for food?

Whether you agree or disagree is the question.

As it turned out, Baron Jeff didn't find it disgusting at all; on the contrary, he ate with great relish, wishing he could chew up the bones of the lamb leg and swallow them whole.

Noticing Rhodes's gaze, Baron Jeff awkwardly wiped his greasy fingers.

"Well, it's a tradition here in the duchy that you have to swallow meat in big gulps like this."

He explained with a forced smile, and only breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Rod nod in understanding.

Rod didn't mind such a small matter and said, "Enjoy your meal. Would you like me to show you the scenery of the Coldwater River? It's just that the sun will be setting in two hours, and the road will be difficult to walk on then."

His tone was concerned, but the meaning behind it was quite clear.

There wasn't much trade between the territory and the other side.

Rhodes could tell that the other party had come for food and just wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Baron Jeff, who had finally had a full stomach, couldn't help but let out a burp.

He understood that Rod meant to see the guest out, but after hesitating for a moment, he finally asked:

"Sir Rhodes, there's no need for a tour. My territory is currently facing a minor food shortage; perhaps I could purchase some from you?"

Seeing that Rod only gave a polite smile, which implied a refusal.

Baron Jeff quickly added:

"Just a little bit, even just a few hundred pounds! I'm willing to pay a high price! Thank you for your generosity."

Isn't this neighbor's situation a bit too bad? Rod's eyes showed doubt.

For a few hundred pounds of grain, he could actually hear the pleading in the baron's voice.

Since the other party had gone to such lengths, Rhodes couldn't refuse any longer.

They exchanged 200 pounds of grain for 50 silver coins from him.

After seeing the baron off, Rhodes sent people to gather information and gradually gained a deeper understanding of the current situation.

The Dual Dragon Fortress and the principality's territory to the south are indeed settling down.

But the area north of the fortress is different!

In this principality territory, a large-scale famine broke out due to the cold wave killing a large number of valuable livestock for meat, and the lack of food supplies from the rear.

Moreover, it seems that the Northern Frost Duchy does not intend to send anyone to manage it in the short term.

"Racial issues are getting more and more complicated."

After obtaining sufficient information, Rodley understood the reason.

The territorial nobles south of the fortress are all descendants of the kingdom's pioneering nobles, as well as members of the same ethnic group as the Grand Duke of Northern Frost.

That is the true Duchy of Northern Frost.

However, the situation is different in the northern part of the principality, which is closer to the north.

The territorial nobles here are mostly other peoples from the North, such as the Lorosa of the Wolf Chief and the Ansaro of the Tiger Chief.

Only the governor in charge of the region would appoint the Grand Duke's people; Rhodes's aunt, Elena, was one such example.

The main task was to ensure the stability of these foreign nobles.

Even so, the chaos in this region never ceased, with rebellions occurring from time to time.

Baron Jeff, on the other hand, was a member of the Kingdom and his ancestors had made significant contributions to its development.

But he was originally a commoner with no powerful backing, and his family could only serve as a baron on the dangerous border.

The Northern Frost Duchy is busy dealing with problems in the south and has no time to attend to matters in the north.

But they could ignore that; Rhodes and his pioneering knights, who were located further north, could not.

The end of famine will inevitably lead to even larger-scale riots!

(End of this chapter)