0355 Chapter Seven: The Wisdom of Mortals (Section 61)
The old coachman twirled the thing in his hand, then put it in his mouth and took a lick, his eyes becoming more and more surprised.
At the same time, Master Logist on the second floor of the hotel adjusted the angle of the scene in the crystal ball to the maximum, with the same confused look on his face.
He felt... the stuff in the box seemed, maybe, probably... a bit like rice bran.
Whether in the underlying universe or here, rice bran is usually mixed into private conversations and fed to livestock, or stuffed into cloth bags to use as pillows.
In times of disaster, it can satisfy hunger. In fact, after deducting most of the harvest that needs to be handed over to the upper city, the people in the lower city will always eat this food for dozens of days a year.
In the final analysis, rice bran is just something made by crushing and grinding the seed husks of grains such as rice. It tastes very bad, has a rough texture, and irritates the throat. But it can indeed fill the stomach, and it also has basic nutrients to keep people alive.
For the residents of Xiacheng District, although it is not a good thing, it is definitely useful.
The question is, what is the reason for such a lowly thing to be transported with such fanfare by the eldest lady who is so knowledgeable?
And what is the purpose of hoarding such a large quantity to the lower city?
In the backyard, the old coachman unbelievingly opened the second box, and then the third. He deliberately selected the one with the largest difference in shape and size to try, and without exception, the wooden box was filled with rice bran.
After being stunned for a long time, the old coachman was startled by the sound of someone getting up late in the hotel and came back to his senses.
He hurriedly tore a piece of paper from his arms, wrapped the rice bran leaking out of the box into a paper package as big as a small fingernail, then wrapped it and tied it tightly with a straw rope.
Then, he took out a fat... hamster? from his pocket.
The little guy's two round black eyes flashed with wisdom. He sniffed the small paper bag wrapped in rice bran, and then flexibly used his two front paws to take out a large pile of melon seeds and millet from his mouth.
Messy food.
In the blink of an eye, the fat rat's head became tapered. Then, it stuffed the small paper bag in the old coachman's hand into the space vacated in its mouth, and propped the rat's head back to its normal shape.
The old coachman showed a fatherly smile to the hamster, and gently stroked the shiny down on its back with his fingers. The little guy rubbed the old coachman's fingers very humanely, and disappeared into the night in a flash.
Another half a day later, Master Logist's motorcade arrived at the handover point arranged by Ms. Geisha. He usually just abandoned the stall and left first, but this time he kept an eye on it and followed him to see it.
The people from the Artisan Gang showed no intention of stopping them and allowed Lord Logist to follow along with the old coachman and a few other cronies.
They carried the wooden box through the narrow alley manually and came to a small courtyard. Then they regularly tapped the lid of the box in several different directions, and then opened the lid.
The contents of the box did not bring any surprise to Mr. Logist, because it was not some precision instrument wrapped in rice bran to act as a buffer, but just pure rice bran.
When the people from the Craftsman Gang moved the boxes, many people were already surrounding them. They each brought their own bags or pots and bowls, and they divided the entire box of rice bran in less than an hour.
Master Logist looked confused. Just...that's it?
At the same time, Count Constable looked at the opened paper package in the old butler's hand, with an expression similar to Lord Logist's.
Gu/span At some point, a slender and sharp nail grew on his left index finger. It was as long as an ice pick and as hard as steel. It pierced a fat, still twitching hamster and nailed it to the wooden table.
"Are you watching? What did they do?" Count Constable seemed to be disturbed by the sudden incoming information. He had severe dark circles under his eyes and a gloomy face.
Of course, no one can be sure of this conjecture, because the old guy usually has the same dead face when he is full of energy.
"Sir, if I read it correctly, this thing may be rice bran. Of course, the specific conclusion cannot be confirmed until it is tested." The energetic old housekeeper carefully replied.
Obviously, he also knew that this answer would not satisfy his master.
"What is that?" The Earl was stunned. The Speaker of the House of Commons was obviously very unfamiliar with the corresponding knowledge.
The old housekeeper Leckie organized his language and explained: "Animals' feed can be eaten by extremely hungry people.
It may be because the farms below have a poor harvest this year, and the orders we received here have suddenly increased the proportion of high-end blood wheat. As a result, after turning in the materials this time, some people may not be able to survive the next harvest."
"This is the first time I have heard of this. Have you calculated how many people will die? Do you need to introduce deserters?" The old earl touched his thin chin and asked doubtfully:
"So...are those two ladies here to do good deeds? Missionaries of the Knights of Holy Light who do good deeds without leaving their name? Or are they so naive that they think that by buying the hearts and minds of those mortals, they can threaten the rule of Daofan Baier?"
"Not many people will starve to death. Last season's harvest was good, and most of those mortals have a little surplus. The four major gangs will coordinate themselves, but there is no need for adults to intervene,"
The old housekeeper hesitated, but finally decided to speak out: "Actually, there is another problem that seems more obvious."
"Say what you have to say in one breath." The Count said angrily. Thinking of Zhen Cheng's possible intentions made him very anxious.
"Your Excellency, you should know that the land of Fanbaia has long been infiltrated by the Great Way of the Divine Ancestor and the Holy Emperor, and is now the only red soil in the world.
Only on such land can special crops such as blood wheat and other specialties of Vanbaia be grown. And ordinary grains and grains growing on terracotta will naturally absorb blood energy.
Long-term consumption can improve the physique and even bloodline of mortals, making the people of Vanbaia's strength, physique, and even affinity for arcane magic much stronger than the mortals in the underlying universe.
But these rice bran...I can't feel any trace of blood energy from them. Although the final conclusion has to wait for the test results, I can basically conclude now that this is not something produced in Vanbaie."
"In other words, this is not just a show, but a premeditated and quite involved political conspiracy? So... what about the two ladies who suddenly appeared? At least their details have been found out, right?"
A drop of sweat slipped from the forehead of Butler Laiki: "My subordinates have tried their best to trace it, but nothing has been gained.
They seemed to have popped out of thin air. The records of the boundary between the lower city area and the wasteland and the upper city area were clear, and there were no traces of any manipulation.
They are either natives of Xiacheng District, which is of course impossible. Or... they came through the established teleportation circle."