Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon-Chapter 283 - 282 Food Crisis

Chapter 283: Chapter 282 Food Crisis

Chapter 283 -282 Food Crisis

This time, the two met in the conference room of a hotel.

Apart from the young Mr. Zhao, there were several middle-aged men sitting around the long table—judging from their age and demeanor, they looked more like leaders than the one at the head.

On the other side of the long table sat the familiar faces of Lanqi’s acquaintances. For instance, the owner of Thistlefort Sawmill, Kash, the manager of Baiye Freight Company, Sergey, and so on… They each had their own mansions and were not affected by the recent chaos, so it was unlikely they needed refuge. In other words, they must have been “invited” by the Paradise Sect.

Upon Earl’s appearance, a hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the others.

“Take a seat,” Xue Quan patted his shoulder, then sat down beside Chaoyang, “Everyone is here.”

Chaoyang nodded, looking towards Lanqi, “Good evening, we meet again.”

“May I know… why have you called me here?”

“We’ve conducted a simple survey of public opinion, and found that since you became the lord, you haven’t done anything significantly evil or cruel. Of course, some have pointed out that your governance is inadequate, and you’ve made mistakes with the Kingdom’s laws, but those are minor issues,” Chaoyang said lightly, “The most severe criticism in the survey focuses on the aftermath of Airco Camp taking over Thistlefort, accusing you of releasing a pack of greedy, bloodthirsty wolves, but we all understand that you are also one of the victims.”

Upon hearing this, Lanqi couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief.

But he quickly snapped back to alertness.

What was he thinking?

He was the Earl, and only the King His Majesty had the right to judge him, yet for a moment, he acknowledged their judicial authority.

Lanqi took a deep breath, straightening his back as much as possible, “So?”

“You are free now, how you proceed is up to you,” said Chaoyang, pausing to take a sip of tea, “But I must ask you a few questions first. Were you in charge of managing Thistlefort’s granary?”

“…Are you asking about the stock records? Normally the civil officer is in charge of that, but I occasionally review them…”

A bad premonition suddenly flashed through Lanqi’s mind.

“Could it be… there’s a problem with the food?”

“The granary is empty,” Xue Quan answered, “We need to know, was it empty before or did it become so after the troops rebelled?”

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“It was full before!” Lanqi answered immediately, “I always ensure that the warehouse has around three months’ worth of food! Thistlefort doesn’t have a food company nor the conditions to farm, so we use tax money to buy food from the west, restocking every week! Sergey, you know all about this!”

“Um… yes,” Sergey wiped the sweat from his forehead, “Five train cars’ worth, until two weeks ago. According to the contract, we should have received new supplies, but now, with Duke Longjiu taking up arms against the Royal City, food prices have skyrocketed and the shipments just stopped coming. I wanted to discuss this with you, but Keerqi Camp just wouldn’t let me see you.”

“So, the thirty horse-drawn carriages that Airco rented from me, don’t tell me they were used to haul away the food?” Kash said angrily, “I still haven’t received the rental fee for that!”

For a moment, they all looked at each other.

This was undoubtedly suggesting that Keerqi Camp, in the time they controlled Thistlefort, had secretly taken away the reserves of food from the city. But the army needs to eat as well, so where could they have taken the food?

In fact, it wasn’t just food that was gone. According to reports from Xue Quan and others, ironware, copper ingots, cloth… many things had been pilfered, leaving none to be found in the barracks. In other words, this Kingdom’s frontier army had been secretly emptying Thistlefort all along; their intention was never to become rulers of their own mountain stronghold.

“I originally thought Airco wanted to be a warlord,” Chaoyang murmured to Xue Quan, “but it seems I underestimated him. His betrayal was not a matter of chance, it must have been instigated by someone.”

Xue Quan nodded in agreement, “He didn’t touch the lumberyard, which shows he wasn’t planning to take everything. The fact he targeted merchants was to gather funds, and he was so rushed that he didn’t have the energy to maintain appearances. However, this gives us a clue; such a large volume of resources would have to rely on railways or roads for transport. We might be able to trace back to Airco’s backers through this information.”

“A third-party force…” Chaoyang contemplated. Without a doubt, this power was neither loyal to the Laurel Family nor obedient to Duke Longjiu. They seemed to have made preparations for independence soon after the civil war erupted.

“If we include ourselves, that makes us the fourth party,” said Xue Quan with a smile, “but that’s a discussion for later. Today, when we went to check the granary, the locals took notice. In a few days, the news will spread throughout the city.”

“This news is bound to spread! What will we do when it does?” Sergey exclaimed. “We must think of a solution, whether to prepare for suppressing a riot or to expel the populace from the inner city! Count His Excellency, Mr. Zhao, no matter which method we use, we need to form a temporary armed force!”

“Oh, I forgot to mention something to everyone,” Chaoyang said, interrupting the other’s words with an even tone as if he was introducing an ordinary dish to the guests, “Lanqi Brindon is no longer the lord of Thistlefort. Starting today, this city will be managed by the Paradise Sect. Of course, this doesn’t mean we’ll completely reshuffle the upper ranks; as long as you abide by the laws promulgated by the Paradise Sect, your property, rights, and personal safety will be protected by us.”

The others looked at Lanqi in surprise, their eyes showing more astonishment than after his long absence.

Somehow, a surge of courage erupted within Lanqi, and he faced Chaoyang, “I must remind you that only a monarch can appoint lords or decide their fates. Your ability to easily defeat Airco’s forces doesn’t mean you can contend with the entire Kingdom. If the Paradise Sect insists on this, it will surely incur the enmity of all the nobility!”

“I’ve received your reminder, thank you,” Chaoyang said with a smile.

The earnest words seemed to hit a wall of cotton, cooling the passionate blood surging through Lanqi’s chest.

This man is either incredibly powerful or an outright madman!

“Actually… Thistlefort is not our destination, the Paradise Sect has come here to liberate the City of Defense,” Chaoyang casually added.

And that statement set off a bombshell among the people!

“The City of Defense?”

“The city swallowed by the mists!?”

“No… Mr. Zhao, are you aware of what you’re saying? That place has been corrupted by the Evil God! How do you plan to liberate a city that no longer belongs to this world?”

This man is a madman! A complete madman!

Lanqi screamed inwardly.

No… it’s very likely that the Paradise Sect is a newly emerging Heretical Cult, and cults tend to attract each other! Thistlefort is doomed!

“Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant; I’m merely explaining our purpose in advance,” Chaoyang pressed down with his hand, signaling everyone to get quiet, “Thistlefort is the last barrier en route to the City of Defense, which is why we’ve come to visit. Back to the main issue, the food problem is currently the city’s biggest challenge. I’ve summoned you all here to resolve this crisis, as suppressing the starving is unquestionably not a viable option. The moment Thistlefort falls into disuse, the City of Defense will become a dead end.”

“Thus, we must confront this difficulty head-on. In other words, fill the granaries before the panic spreads.”