Our Family Has Fallen

Large-scale operations further exacerbated an already severe situation. Now, the price of grain had completely exceeded what ordinary people could afford.

Those in the middle-income bracket with some savings could still hold out. However, the lower classes could no longer even afford black bread mixed with sawdust, a situation that ignited the current chaos.

”Doesn’t the Governor care?” Vick frowned. If something like this happened, the Lord would likely have intervened already.

It was known that when Hamlet’s farm owners had used similar tactics, the Lord had personally stormed their operations, and all those individuals were thrown into labor farms for re-education.

”Of course, they care!” Walter replied with a smile. ”Those individuals are quite determined. They dispatched the city defense force, which killed quite a few people. Many others were driven out of Ovando City, temporarily quelling the chaos.”

”Have they gone mad!” Vick was about to criticize but then seemed to understand something. He calmed down, a hint of mockery in his tone as he commented, ”I suspect the Gene Commercial Group gets a cut of the money those individuals make. They couldn’t possibly stop the trade; they might even be eager to increase it. After all, there are plenty of ordinary people. They aren’t their own kin, so if commoners die, more will be born to replace them. Only Gold Coins are truly their own.”

Walter nodded in agreement. It seems this young man, Vick, finally understands that not everyone is like our Lord.

And the lives of ordinary people weren’t as stable as those in Hamlet, who enjoyed the Lord’s sanctuary. What was happening now in Ovando City—that was the norm.

”What do we do now?” Vick asked, looking at Walter. The Lord had given him a great deal of power.

But Vick was well aware of his own inexperience. He knew he lacked the ability to perceive the hidden undercurrents and needed guidance from his seniors.

”First, tell me about your trip.”

”The chaos has isolated most areas. However, some relatively nearby towns are better off, at least somewhat aware of the situation, and the price of local grain there has also risen considerably. But some remote areas are oblivious to the wider situation because most merchant caravans aren’t traveling. This has caused prices for goods to rise, yet grain remains cheap. We made a significant profit on this trip because of that.”

Walter was not surprised. Ever since the Great Catastrophe, the nobility in Hamlet had been completely absent. The Lord’s subsequent withdrawal from public life further exacerbated these divisions, leading to various areas becoming autonomous.

Their merchant caravan was able to move between different places by relying on such circumstances, making money through price differences.

It was even more so now, exploiting the information blackout to acquire this grain practically for free.

”How was security on the road?”

”We were targeted by looters three times, but our equipment was superior, and we quickly repelled them with minimal losses. The other encounters were just with some refugees. They were unarmed and merely blocked our path, begging for food and drink. I directed them all towards Hamlet.”

Vick said this casually, and Walter understood why he could.

This was because the retired soldiers who had joined the Guard were genuinely formidable in combat, and they were well-equipped. The manor’s militia were now being trained by them, and there had been a visible improvement in their readiness, though the upkeep was considerable.

But at times like these, combat strength was paramount.

He himself had once been a soldier in Hamlet and understood this simple truth.

Vick’s words also explained how those refugees continuously found their way to Hamlet; this, too, was part of the plan.

Walter processed the current information and quickly formulated a plan. He then turned to Vick and posed a question.

”Do you know why Gene and the others dared to abandon Ovando City?”

”Because the common people’s money has long been squeezed dry. This means the market no longer holds any value. Commercial ventures always shift according to where the profits lie.”

”Exactly. Even if we managed to lower grain prices to what they were two years ago, it would be futile. Ordinary people simply can’t afford it anymore, regardless of the price. So, who is currently buying up grain in the market?”

”The grain merchants and the rich!” Vick exclaimed, now understanding who Walter intended to target.

”This high grain price won’t last long. The winter wheat planted last year is about to ripen. Once this harvest hits the market, it will undoubtedly drive prices down. So, we must seize this period of high prices to sell our grain for Gold Coins. Then, we’ll use that money to procure various resources Hamlet urgently needs—especially gunpowder, steel, cattle, and horses. Furthermore, the city is currently chaotic and unstable. Many talented individuals can’t even afford to eat. I will reach out to them and find a way to bring some of the most capable ones back to Hamlet.”

Walter began to lay out the next tasks for their merchant group. The plan was straightforward: exchange grain for money, then use that money to acquire resources and deliver them to Hamlet.

This meant their caravan couldn’t afford to stop for the foreseeable future. They would transport supplies from Ovando City back to Hamlet. Along the routes, they needed to fill their remaining carts with grain to transport back to Ovando City for sale. Then, from Hamlet, they would bring salt and salted fish to exchange for money and more grain with the towns and villages along the trade routes.

This constant back-and-forth would form a perfect cycle.

The plan was perfect, but Walter still felt a twinge of dissatisfaction.

”What a pity. Our strength is still too limited to project our influence to the frontlines. Otherwise, we could make a fortune from Snowflake Salt alone.”

People need to eat grain, but they also cannot do without salt. Go three days without salt, and people become weak and lethargic; warhorses, not to mention, can’t even run without it.

But currently, the scale of their merchant group was barely enough to manage commerce within the Hamlet Region. They simply lacked the manpower and caravans to expand operations further afield.

They couldn’t afford to take on greater risks. Even with the salt, Walter hadn’t dared to release much of it in Ovando City; instead, he marketed it as an exotic luxury from Totnes.

And truth be told, he had already fleeced the wealthy of Ovando City once with it. If those people discovered the actual price, who knows how they’d react.

”Sigh... So many people are without food, forced into becoming refugees, while those scoundrels are exploiting this crisis to make a killing. Is there no...”

As he spoke, Vick realized his own naivety. Expecting those people to have a moral awakening is less likely than teaching a dog not to eat excrement!

At this thought, he couldn’t help but grit his teeth and curse angrily.

”Hmph! These rotten maggots! One day, the Lord will purge them all.”

Compared to the indignant young Vick, Walter was far more composed, even managing a lighthearted quip with a smile.

”Without them, our efforts to reclaim the territory would likely be much bloodier. The actions these people are taking now are, ironically, helping us reclaim the territory more efficiently.”

Truthfully, Walter didn’t much care. He was a merchant, after all, long accustomed to such sordid affairs—he had even actively fanned the flames himself at times.

This included driving up grain prices, unscrupulously buying up various supplies, luring away skilled individuals, and forcing ordinary people into destitution as refugees.

Everything he did was aimed at draining Ovando City’s war potential, preparing for the Lord’s eventual reclamation of the territory.

The situation in Ovando City would only continue to worsen. Those Bureaucrats, in their bid to maintain stability, would kill even more people, gradually exhausting the populace’s will. Hamlet would be the sole beneficiary.

As someone who had witnessed Hamlet at its zenith, he too harbored a particular dream—to make Hamlet great again!

「 」

The fleet that departed from Hamlet, laden with various goods, had a remarkably fortunate journey. It encountered no Pirates and arrived smoothly at its final destination, Totnes.

Little John, accompanying the fleet, was utterly stunned when he first laid eyes on the immense city.

Along the way, they had passed several bustling port cities, but none could match its scale.

As they entered the port of Totnes, they saw all sorts of ships. Little John had initially thought his own ship was quite impressive. That was until he saw a massive cargo vessel with five decks, towering over ten meters high even without its masts. The sight left him completely awestruck.

However, his attention was soon captured by other, even more novel sights, his face alight with excitement.

Yet, Little John failed to notice an individual with a peculiar appearance on another cargo ship, also entering the port, whose gaze was fixed upon him.

”Destiny is guiding...”