Empire of Shadows

Pedro lives in Yawa. According to the translation of the world language combined with the local language system, this name means ”a small puddle.”

It refers to the Yawa Lake in the city.

Before human civilization had challenged nature, whether it was humans or any other animals, they would live around water sources.

A water source is the source of life, which can provide people with the water needed for daily survival. Perhaps a long, long time ago, people had lived here.

Because of this lake, irrigation became very convenient, so there were many farmlands around Yawa Lake, and they would draw lake water to irrigate the farmlands.

Fortunately, the entire Yalan region is not short of water, so the lake surface has never dropped.

Yawa has a population of about 300,000, which is considered a not-so-small city in Yalan. The surrounding farmland needs people to take care of it, many people.

Of course, Pedro was not one of them. Pedro was a high school teacher, a very respected person locally.

Yalan has only two universities, and both are established in the Jede Republic.

One is the ”Jede National University,” which is said to have been jointly funded and established by the major families of Jede, just to cultivate talents for themselves, for the country.Jede National University can be said to be the highest hall that all students in Yalan yearn for. To study here costs no money, but on the contrary, there will be a subsidy of about seven to eight Federal Sols a month.

There are too many poor people in Yalan. They know very well that even if someone can go to college, and has this ability, it is very difficult for them to come up with the tuition fees for college.

So Jede National University simply recruits students from all over Yalan, and also exempts tuition fees.

All students who graduate from the university need to work for Jede’s enterprises or government for five years, which is an alternative way of paying tuition fees.

After five years, they can be free, or they can continue to sign a contract with the enterprise or the government, and continue to work.

So people who can be admitted to Jede National University will be regarded as having completed a class leap.

However, it is very difficult to want to join them. The university’s entrance examination is very difficult. They are different from the universities in the Federation.

The universities in the Federation mainly use a written examination and an interview score to determine whether a student is qualified for admission, and the interview score is clearly more important.

But here, what they test is ”hard power.”

As long as you can complete the questions they set, you can enter Jede National University.

There is also another university, a non-public university, ”Jede Emerald School.” The professors, the lecturers employed here are basically all famous teachers from all over the world.

In the eyes of the Yalan people, this school is a aristocratic school, because the people who can study here have to bear high tuition fees, and also need to have a little background and connections.

Just having money is not enough.

The students who graduate from the school will also eventually become high-level executives of enterprises, high-ranking officials of the government, a class that the ordinary class can never reach.

There is not much discussion about Emerald University among the people. On the contrary, there is more discussion about Jede National University.

Pedro also often uses the matter of Jede National University to encourage the students in his class.

”As long as you can complete your high school studies with an A, I will help you to apply for admission to Jede National University!”

In fact, to want to enter the national university does not require a recommendation. The application that Pedro was talking about here was to apply for the travel expenses of a poor student.

After the application is approved, he will take the students who meet the standards to the capital of Jede, to let these students participate in the entrance examination.

If someone passes, he will get a bonus to motivate him to continue to work hard to provide talents for Jede.

If no one passes, it doesn’t matter either. He will return to Rapa with these students.

The fastest way from Rapa to the capital of Jede is by boat, which only takes two days, and it doesn’t cost much money.

”...Write down these knowledge points, and remember them firmly.”

”This is your last year. To be able to change your destiny, it all depends on this last year.”

”Last year, four students from our school had entered the national university. When they graduate from the national university, their lives will be completely different from yours.”

”Many people regard going to school as an opportunity to change their destiny. Although I don’t agree with this concept, it is indeed true!”

”So whether it’s to not let down your life of more than ten years of hard work, or for your future, I hope you all work hard.”

He raised his wrist and glanced at it. ”Alright, class is dismissed.”

There is only one high school in the entire Yawa City, and the source of students is seriously insufficient.

For a poor place, even if some families know that going to school is an opportunity to change their destiny, it is very difficult for them to come up with the fees for their students to go to school.

And a person who is not in production to study will increase the burden on the family. Many people of Rapa will give up after completing the primary school education, or even not complete it, or simply not go to school.

Seven or eight years old, ten years old, although they can’t do any heavy manual labor, there are always things that are suitable for them to do.

Those who can come to high school, and can finish high school, are basically all middle-class, or the kind whose family’s financial situation is not bad.

After walking out of the classroom, Pedro had just walked a few steps when he frowned and looked at the dusty road in the distance.

These two days, many vehicles had been constantly coming and going, which had made the dirt road in the suburbs constantly kick up dust.

The office couldn’t even open its windows. In an afternoon’s time, a layer of dust could fall.

Because there were not many students in the school, the office also seemed very empty. There were only about twenty or so teachers in the entire school, all concentrated in a large office.

Pedro returned to his own seat and sat down. He couldn’t help but complain, ”The dust outside is flying again. What on earth has been happening these few days?”

A teacher sitting next to him followed his words and said, ”Someone is collecting grain.”

”Collecting grain?” Pedro glanced at the desk calendar on his desk, a little dazed. ”It’s already October?”

”But even if it’s collecting grain, there haven’t been so many cars coming over before!”

In the past, after the grain was harvested, it was all transported by horse-drawn carriages. It was very rare for such a truck to appear. After all, a truck had to burn gasoline.

And a horse-drawn carriage only needed a handful of wild grass on the side of the road.

The male teacher he was talking to smiled and continued to talk about some of the things he had heard. There are always such people, who are curious about everything, have a desire to explore, and also have the ability to act. Then they will spread the news they have explored to others to satisfy their simple demand for happiness.

”I hear they are foreigners. They have given a price of 28 Federal Sols to buy grain. I hear that many of the producing areas are harvesting.”

Some discussion came from the room. They used Paras. At present, the price of a pound of wheat on the market was one Para, and a pound of wheat flour was about 1.3.

Converted, the price given by these foreigners was much higher than the consumption in their own country.

In Paras, a pound of wheat could be sold for 1.1 to 1.2, which was already a lot.

The ruling groups in Rapa, including their great president Diego, they all knew very well what kind of people they were. This made Pedro a little worried. ”I hope they don’t sell too much grain. Otherwise, what will we eat?”

The teacher who was specialized in gathering information laughed heartily and said, ”They won’t. I hear they are just selling a part. There is news from the Presidential Palace that they are planning to continue to build roads this year.”

”I hear that on the Zhuolan side, there are already foreigners who have started to invest. They have brought more income and tax revenue. But they have also requested the construction of a more complete highway system.”

”The Yalan League has done a good thing this time. Many people were still worried that the opening of the market would be impacted. Now it seems that it’s actually pretty good.”

The others also agreed with this view. If there were more investors, people would become rich, and the living conditions would get better.

They were very much looking forward to the life on the Jede Republic’s side. It was said that the life of the Jede people was not much different from the life on the Federation’s side.

If it weren’t for the fact that they had many reasons why they couldn’t leave this place, they would also consider leaving this place of Rapa and going to Jede.

However, Pedro vaguely felt that this was actually not a good thing.

But he also didn’t know what was not good about it. He just chatted casually with the others about some of the changes since the market had opened up.

For example, the price of some of the daily necessities imported from the Federation had been reduced, the goods were abundant, and you could also see foreigners.

As one of the few high-level intellectuals in the city, he always felt that the current development trend, in the end, might not be a good result.

But he also didn’t know what it would be, and why he would have such an idea. He could only let it go.

A few more days passed. He had heard from his colleagues that the price offered by the federal people was even higher, and they were already buying wheat at a price close to 30 Federal Sols a ton. More people were selling.

”The Federation is also a major grain-producing area. Do they not have enough grain to eat?”

When he had no classes, Pedro sat in his office and chatted with his colleagues. They were smoking their self-rolled cigarettes, blowing clouds.

His colleague had a ”I know everything” expression on his face. ”The war on the Tanfit continent has broken out even more fiercely. It is said that Ander has also fully joined the war, and many countries have begun to be passively or actively drawn into the war.”

”The Slad people have launched an ’Autumn Harvest Plan.’ The losses on both sides are quite heavy, and a lot of grain has been burned in the fields.”

First, the Slad people had burned the farmland of Dantra on a large scale. The Dantra people would certainly not sit by and do nothing. They also had spies in Slad. By means of firing high-explosive shells, and also by secretly setting fires, they had also caused the already not-so-much grain production to plummet.

”Now they are more dependent on importing grain from the Federation, so I think they are probably doing it for the money?”

”If they can give a price of 30 a ton, plus the shipping costs, it means that they can sell it for at least 35 a ton!”

”These federal people really know how to do business. If I had a shipping company, I would also be transporting grain to the South Continent.”

Pedro’s attention was different from his colleague’s. His attention was on whether the country’s grain was enough to eat.

In fact, the grain in Rapa had always been very tight. It could only be said that it was barely enough.

The climate here was too good, and there were also a large number of primitive jungles and edible animals, fruits, and nuts.

So even if some people could not eat their fill, as long as they were willing to work, they could also buy cheap food from the hunters.

Like a kind of food that they locally called a ”wheat tree.” The trunk of the tree contained a lot of starch. By crushing it, washing it, and letting it settle, you could extract a relatively clean, edible starch.

This starch, when boiled with water, would form clumps, one by one.

With a little seasoning, you couldn’t say it was delicious, but at least you wouldn’t starve.

Compared to the one-Para-a-pound wheat, this wheat tree flour only cost fifteen cents a pound.

This was not even counting the various wild fruits, all kinds of nuts, and the wild game that were available almost all year round.

His colleague, on the other hand, did not think there was any problem. ”They are giving so much money. We can go and buy from other countries.”

”And in the middle of next year, the new season of wheat will be down. I believe that even our president... right, he wouldn’t really not leave any grain behind.”

Pedro still felt uneasy, but he could only believe what his colleague had said.

October soon came to an end. The various grain-producing areas had basically all been harvested. The large trucks that had been kicking up dust had already disappeared, leaving only the bare farmland.

During this period, there was also something that had happened, and that was that the price of the wheat crops on the market had also risen quite a bit.

The price of a pound of wheat was already selling for 1.2, and the price of wheat flour had directly risen to about 1.55 a pound.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that the increase was only 20%, but some people had already begun to be unable to afford it.

The price of the wheat tree flour had also risen by a few cents, and there was also some increase.

As a high-level intellectual, Pedro’s income was still okay. He and his family usually ate bread or wheat kernels. The price increase still had a relatively large impact on his family.

Now he and the main labor force in his family were all eating steamed wheat kernels, and would occasionally eat a little bread or something.

As for the women, the children, they were basically just eating wheat tree flour.

At first, the children were still very happy, and felt that the wheat tree flour was not hard to eat, but after eating it for a few days, they no longer wanted to eat it.

But if you don’t eat, there’s nothing you can do.

Pedro, as a direct victim of the rise in wheat prices, was even more worried in his heart.

He was really afraid, afraid that the great president Diego would be so envious of the high price that he would sell all the wheat, and not leave any.

Facts had proven that his worry was right.

Diego sat on his sofa, panting. Obesity had made his breathing painful and tired, but at this time, his panting was not because he was uncomfortable, but because he was excited.

”Mr. Diego, we are willing to continue to buy wheat at a price of 35 a ton.”

Roger had recently begun to adapt to having an equal dialogue with a country’s president. For him, this was a very new and strange experience.

At first, he had been a little nervous, but as he had had more contact, he had begun to become calm and composed.

They had already bought a lot of grain. In fact, it wasn’t just Rapa’s grain that was being bought on a large scale. The grain of the entire eleven countries was being bought at a high price!

Like Rapa, it was actually already considered not bad. There was also a small country next to it with a population of only 4 million. They were selling even more!

Diego’s chest was heaving violently. His gaze fell on Roger’s face. Roger had avoided his target, and with a smile, he had lowered his head slightly to show his respect.

”The wheat... we have already sold a lot. Our original plan was to only sell 15%, but now we have already sold more than 20%. We can’t sell anymore.”

What he had said was not at all resolute. It was precisely this lack of resoluteness that had made Roger feel that he was not unwilling to sell, but was more greedy!

Now the price had risen by almost 50%, and they didn’t have to bear the shipping costs themselves. This price, let alone Diego, anyone might not be able to withstand it!

A look of some difficulty appeared on Diego’s face. ”If we sell any more grain, my people may have nothing to eat.”

Roger laughed lightly. ”Your Excellency Great President, with money, are you still afraid of having nothing to eat?”

”Actually, I’ll say something that I shouldn’t have said. If it weren’t for the fact that the orders on the Slad side have soared, our own grain would also be enough.”

”Now we are buying grain from all over the world. As long as we have met the demand of the orders, we will stop.”

”Maybe it will be a week later, maybe it will be the day after tomorrow, maybe it will be tomorrow, and it is also possible that it will be... today.”

”This is the highest price for wheat in a hundred years. There will not be a time when it is higher than this!”

”If you miss this time, I’m afraid there won’t be a next time.”

In fact, even without Roger saying it himself, he also understood some of these matters. He looked at the people around him. ”We need to discuss it.”

Roger and the people from the chamber of commerce stood up. ”As you wish, Your Excellency Great President.”

They soon left the room. The people from the four major families who could make a decision were all in this room.

”What do you think?”

A local who looked to be in his fifties said in a low voice, ”The money is not enough. We have to add more.”

”If they can give 35, they can give 36, 37, 38, or even 40!”

”We still have about 1.5 million tons of grain. Let’s sell another 500,000 tons to them, but the price has to be high!”

”To be 500,000 tons of grain short, at most it means that each of them will have a few less wheat products a month, but for us, it is almost double the profit!”

”It’s equivalent to the 1 million tons of grain I sold in the past!”

When he had said these words, his eyeballs were a little red!

500,000 tons, 40, that’s 20 million!

If they had sold it according to the previous specification, it would have taken seven or eight years to get so much money!

After everyone had gotten a share, it would be a few million. This had made Diego also a little unable to control his emotions.

”Will anyone make trouble because they can’t afford to eat?”

Another person snorted coldly. ”Who would dare to make trouble?”

”It’s not as if we haven’t left a portion of the grain, and the public also has their own farmland and reserved grain. They may be a little hungrier than in the past, but there certainly won’t be too big of a problem.”

”Besides, the army, the guns in our hands, are not just for show.”

Soon they had reached a consensus. Just as Roger had said, an opportunity with such an outrageous price was definitely a once-in-a-century, or even a once-in-a-millennium opportunity!