novel-bin Chapter 9 Grain Price Increase
Chapter 9 Grain Price Increase
"I heard that the grain store truck was attacked by a monster this morning, Zag, is that true?"
This time, Zag heard him clearly and quickly explained, "Yes, all the vehicles overturned because of an attack by an eagle-winged hag. Although I went to find the investigators for help as soon as possible, the grain store still suffered heavy losses... If possible, buy more grain and store it in the next few days."
He dared not say that the grain store had staged the whole thing with bags of stones; he could only hint at it as much as possible.
Lily joined the discussion: "No wonder the price of bread went up by a penny per pound when I went to buy it tonight!"
Zag clicked his tongue in astonishment: "It's already 5 pence per pound?"
When he went shopping last Friday, the bread was only 4 pence a pound!
In modern times, no one would care if rice that costs 4 yuan per kilogram rose to 5 yuan. But in this world of scarce resources where many people may still be struggling to feed themselves, a 25% increase in the price of bread per pound is a remarkable figure.
David took a swig of beer, shook his head, and said, "That's terrifying! I remember this time last year, bread was only 2 pence a pound, right?"
Lily nodded: "Yes, darling. I remember last fall, bread was as low as 1.5 pence a pound! But somehow, it skyrocketed all winter, reaching 4 pence in the summer, and now it's a whopping 5 pence! If it keeps going up like this, bread might be more expensive than an iron sword!"
Listening to David and Lily's discussion, Zag took a bite of the perfectly grilled sausage with a sense of guilt.
The minced meat has a smoky aroma, and the juices and oil burst in your mouth. Even the slight saltiness makes this grilled sausage incredibly delicious.
Zag hadn't eaten meat in so long that he almost bit his tongue.
Snowball was frantically pacing around, practically ready to pounce: "Give me a bite! Give me a bite right now!"
Zag remained unmoved, glancing at it secretly without making any move. Instead, he deliberately chewed exaggeratedly, making the sausage in his mouth smell delicious.
It wasn't that he was unwilling, but he couldn't possibly feed the sausage to Snowball in front of everyone, could he?
If David's family were to see him feeding sausages to some unseen being, no matter how good their relationship was, David would probably grab a hammer and hit himself on the spot to avoid being corrupted into a monster, believing in some evil god, and harming his family.
The beer taken from the cellar was very refreshing, and paired with the slightly greasy grilled sausage and soft roasted potatoes, it instantly gave Zag the illusion of being back in modern society, sitting on a small stool on the street and having a barbecue with his friends.
"My eldest son's craftsmanship is actually quite good. He tanned and hammered these knee pads himself. It's a pity that the kid always wants to be a guard, and even told me that he most wants to be a sentinel like you, who can come into contact with unusual events. I gave him a good scolding—is this a job that just anyone can do!"
After drinking too much, David became more talkative.
He held the bottle in one hand and slapped Zag's left shoulder with the other, causing Snowball, who was lying on Zag's right shoulder in a state of self-isolation, to roll over and almost fall off. The claws hooked Zag's shoulder, causing a sharp pain, and he barely managed to cry out.
David, oblivious to Zag's grimacing, continued talking: "Luckily, I made him go and collect the ore these past two days, otherwise he would have been chasing you around asking endless questions, driving you crazy!"
Zag didn't have a strong impression of David's eldest son, so he could only agree by downplaying the issue: "Yes, being a sentry isn't a good job; you're easily corrupted."
"Exactly! Although he earns more, there's also more danger! Even going to church every week for pollution treatment is a hassle, isn't it? Besides, he has to be literate, and with his handwriting, which is so terrible he can't even write his own name, how could he possibly do it!"
Seeing that David had drunk enough and Lily had gone upstairs to sew leather armor, Zag, having grown impatient with his parenting rants, casually brought up the topic he'd been wanting to discuss: "By the way, I heard you're the most skilled blacksmith in the Eastern Frontier, even surpassing everyone in Eastern Frontier Port. Does your Anvil family have some special heritage? Do you have some kind of forging manual passed down through generations? That would be so cool!"
"You know what! Hiccup—" David, flattered by the praise, let out a loud hiccup and boasted happily, "There really is one! It's a book of forging that my great-great-great-grandfather traded with the fleeing Gore people. It even contains the art of armor enchanting!"
"Unfortunately, when I was young, my father took me to the church at Golden Helmet Fortress to have my spirituality tested, and it turned out I was completely incapable of learning those forbidden things..."
"My eldest son is more gifted than me, and may even achieve what I cannot. It's a pity that this brat has no interest in forging; he's only interested in becoming a martial arts guard. It's infuriating!"
Then, David started rambling on about his parenting struggles.
In fact, a bottle of beer wouldn't be enough to get David drunk, but he thoroughly enjoyed Zag's compliments and envy, so he didn't mind Zag's curiosity.
Just think about it! Even including the association, there are hardly any literate people in the whole town. The mayor can only recognize characters but not write them; at most, he can draw his own name!
In this context, a "cultured person" like Zag would be held in a particularly prestigious position, even if he was just a sentry...
The sentries at the association's outposts are no ordinary sentries!
This made David, who was also literate, feel from the bottom of his heart that in the town, only people like Zag were "one of their own," unlike those peasants.
How novel! A literate "upper-class" person wants to take a look at the forging book passed down in his family, which requires sufficient spirituality to learn. What reason does he have to refuse?
It's impossible for the other party to learn it after just a few glances, and then instantly become better than me, a blacksmith who has been working with iron for half my life, and then open a new blacksmith shop in the town and steal my business, right?
So when Zag asked to see the forging book from the Gore, David agreed without hesitation.
The illiterate peasants in the small town wouldn't understand the value of this book, or if the lord's mage advisor wanted to read it, he might seriously consider the other party's motives. As for Zag...
A sentinel devoid of any spirit?
That must be pure curiosity!
"Of course! Of course! To be honest, only you can truly understand its value! My brother, after all, you've been dealing with those unusual events for years!"
David was even pleased; humming a completely off-key tune, he went upstairs to his bedroom and took a thick book from the safe…
"This book is made of iron!?"
Zag touched the book cover in surprise. It was cool and hard as iron, with a beautiful silvery-white color that even shimmered under the kerosene lamp.
————————————Divider Line————————————
【Gray People】Gray People are refugees from the Darklands. They resemble pure-blood elves but have grayish-white skin. The pure-blood elves of the Kingdom of Lunaran have acknowledged that the Gray People are one of their hybrid races, hence this race is also known as Gray Elves or Grayborn.
However, the Gore people refuse to acknowledge any common origin with the pure-blood elves, because the two groups have completely different beliefs and inherited myths.
The Gore people once established a prosperous nation called Ourodia in the Darklands before the Great Cataclysm. After the Great Cataclysm, the entire nation perished. Some fled to the Quen Isles, while others migrated to the Eternal High Kingdom, gradually mingling with the local population.