Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Chapter 1597: Chapter 175: The World Begins to Descend into Chaos

’Lu Huayu’ reluctantly accepted his fate.

Sometimes, he had no idea where those dog ears from ’Snow Cloud Peak’ had reached, nor how many territories those dog paws had invaded!

Every time this happened, he could only comfort himself... Luckily, all that was already past memories, and now he didn’t need to be too tangled up about it.

Then, after repairing his family’s property, he led the newly joined family members who came from afar to Cain Valley to practice their levels... They no longer needed Aesces to bring them stone creatures for experience, as the massive sea monsters by the coast were increasing, and the members of Proud Sky Alliance began expanding their territory little by little.

As for the defenses on the outskirts of Cain Valley and Little Gourd Mouth, they were entrusted to Doomsday and Wenjian completely.

Regarding the inner side of the valley, including exchanges with Basia City, all were handed over to the Battlefield Family.

’Battlefield Lightening’ really liked this task.

After all, Eden would really send him refreshments every time.

Even if they ultimately could only fight to their deaths and return to the city, for Thunder, that was a treat... After all, to send the Knights Corps back home, it would at least take several times the casualties.

What made Eden the most resentful was, they couldn’t make a move in front of Ditte, especially after Ditte publicly declared that these people were delivering basic supplies for his Knights Corps.

No choice, the summer in Aesces was a bit overly long... So long that wildfires would spontaneously ignite without wind.

Basia City was originally a city with little fertile land, although rye could keep them fed, vegetables and fruits practically changed prices daily.

The newly appointed Count Stelter, living outside Basia City, was able to provide his subordinates and even city officials with fresh vegetables and fruits at such low prices, causing Ditte’s reputation to soar almost instantly.

The previous Count Stelter completed the transfer of city control almost without any preparation... Although he didn’t intend to create trouble for his son, the speed was somewhat surprising.

And he was a bit amazed at his son’s luck.

But Ditte didn’t think he was lucky.

He was just good at making friends.

If he hadn’t insisted on his choice at the beginning and compromised directly with the undead left behind in Basia like the Stelter Family did, why would Thunder travel all the way to make deals with him?

Moreover, Lind, his brother, always thought of him.

’Battlefield Lightening’ was a good friend, but he was never that meticulous, and in Cain Valley, the only one considering his uncompromising nature towards Eden was Lind.

To say ’Battlefield Lightening’ never learned to hide things, when Ditte asked, he answered.

So, compared to his father and other members of the Stelter Family, Ditte spent much less on nurturing his subordinates.

The Stelter Family wasn’t incapable of buying things, but the feeling of spending money like water made them suffer a bit.

But when the Undead Tribe initially entered Aesces, there was an agreement: they couldn’t affect the world’s prices.

That meant, if they were eating for themselves, they could use the original prices in William’s Space-Time Shop. But if they wanted to resell, they had to buy those specifically meant for sale... Naturally, the prices would rise as well.

Even if they offered the Undead Tribe a wholesale price, it was still a rate that ordinary nobles found daunting.

Of course, survival items like black bread were another matter.

After all, let’s not mention other temples, the Sun and Moon Temple also provided cheap food... It was unappetizing but kept people alive.

The Undead Tribe’s only advantage was they could always purchase available stock.

Initially, Ditte shopped at those few Lu Huayu stores, though it was a bit expensive, he could afford it, and at that time, he was no different from anyone else.

But as the temperature got hotter, the long embankment of the Undead Tribe even revealed a third of its former underwater parts, turning these luxury-level fruits and vegetables into sky-high prices, and the nobles in Basia City were less inclined.

Instead, in Lind’s Cain Valley, timely replanting and the natural aura left by some Nature Mage led to an early harvest, and seeing his brother possibly going broke, Lind invited ’Battlefield Lightening’ to bring the Knights Corps to deliver supplies once.

Then, realizing his brother might be short on funds, Thunder without hesitation started making deals with Ditte... It was produce they grew themselves, even Aesces couldn’t stop them from selling at low prices.

Ditte initially didn’t plan to agree, but ’Battlefield Lightening’ shared an interesting piece of news with him... In Lind’s valley, not to mention fruits, the vegetables grew extremely rapidly, with even the ones that matured the latest almost ready within a month.

Not to mention the breadfruit... Ditte first learned there existed such trees that could naturally grow white bread, with each tree capable of yielding thousands of fruits.

In Cain Valley, it’s said they planted several thousand trees, and it’s continuously maturing.

The best part is, the nearly life-threatening temperature outside had little influence on them.

Because their valley, which was naturally warm in winter and cool in summer, had ample cloud cover blocking the formidable sunlight... Proud Sky Alliance came up with this peculiar idea when the heat began affecting crops’ growth.

Fortunately, they had maintained a good relationship with Hill, so those owning such things really had a large enough number, and practically the entire Cain Valley was shielded by colorful clouds.

Some people who studied colors even created a few sets of fixed patterns... letting the cloud platform move slowly at a certain speed and direction would alter the pattern.

Lind raised his head and could see clouds shaped like cats or dogs, or even forest and sea, occasionally turning into red firs and golden bears, though quite rarely.

Knowing the Undead Tribe always called that Great Sage Little Bear, Lind could somewhat understand their rather cheeky probing.

Yet, that one showed no reaction at all... surely they didn’t paint the pattern double-sided, with a different one on the other side?

Hill, of course, saw it.

But he paid no attention to such provocations... to be honest, seeing such normal patterns almost made him shed tears of gratitude.

He always remembered the flower fields stretching thousands of kilometers outside his Teraxil domain.

It’s said many undead were still contributing updated and interesting patterns for those fields... As a place considered very safe outside Saral Country, and with such a powerful mage nearby, it’s probably because no minor noble wished to live in such a novel place.

Hill suspected William had slightly curbed the undead’s creative zeal.

Ditte once raised concerns about the pricing, but upon seeing the undead’s shopping panel displayed by ’Battlefield Lightening’, he approved the transaction.

Ditte had his pride... He knew he owed a debt to his friend, but was willing to owe such a debt, believing he wouldn’t fall short of it.

Basia City maintained stability within such a peculiar atmosphere... After all, truly destitute people wouldn’t consider those indulgences, having fish and black bread already satisfied them.

But other places weren’t like this.

Even if the Undead Tribe and the Major Temples also provided cheap food to the poor, the middle class and even minor nobles couldn’t accept their current predicament: do they need to fight the destitute over black bread?

Some territory nobles, including municipal officers, started exploiting excessively... After all, the poor wouldn’t starve to death, and the money was already worthless to them.

Yet, how was it worthless?

Especially in water-scarce inland cities.

Even if the Undead Tribe and some mages were willing to sell water, it still required money to purchase!

However, an army that used to respond swiftly, solving all these issues, and even managed them in the name of the Royal Family, showed no movement this time.

Because the Danboro Royal Family had already lost control over most of the areas.

The army could only resist foreign enemies but couldn’t handle these officials violating royal laws... even the army itself was facing hunger.

After all, these local officials once showed respect to the Royal Family, voluntarily sending food to the stationed troops, but in times of need, what was the army worth?

Great Sage Ismael, albeit naturally kind-hearted, existed far above and never considered the minor issue of army food, let alone how the taxes he viewed as minimal suffocated countless lives.

Danboro now resembled a powder keg, with a long fuse already ignited... occasional extinguishing by the Undead Tribe prevented it from exploding too quickly.

Fortunately, although the Undead Tribe couldn’t take initiative against officials who went too far, when these officials were foolish enough to ’accidentally’ injure undead actively aiding the poor, they still faced fierce retaliation.

Materializing weapons and handling assaults were skills most undead were quite adept at.

Yet Danboro was already the best-performing country.

Especially after locusts started appearing, more collapsed officials and nobles emerged... Various disputes and conflicts continued to rise.

’Snow Cloud Peak’ soon got busy, with intelligence flooding towards him like a fountain.