711: Chapter 1 First Visit to South Ridge, The Fief is in Rebellion (5500)_3 711: Chapter 1 First Visit to South Ridge, The Fief is in Rebellion (5500)_3 Even so, the increase in food prices was inevitable, and many restaurants in the city had already closed their doors.
Only a few budget seafood places remained open, and even wealthy folks couldn’t purchase the usual pastries, let alone candies.
“Sugar is also a workshop material, isn’t it?
We’re in a state of war preparation now, with priority supply going to the military,”
the shop owner prattled on.
“As long as we can kill a few more brats from Fiery Fla Land, not having sweets is no big deal.”
Ian felt the situation wasn’t so simple because the fog on the shop owner’s body was light red.
But it might just be his personal bad luck, so Ian went out again, visiting several other pastries and bakeries that were still open.
It proved that what the young owner of the first shop had said was indeed correct; almost all grains and sweets had gone up in price or were simply not available for purchase at all.
And these shop owners all had the normal grey-white aura of fortune.
“It seems I was right to ask Yisen Gard to prepare enough food for .”
Holding his baked cakes, Ian walked up to the watchtower of Breeze Bay, eating his pastries and enjoying the breeze while overlooking Nauman City—the most important trade and industrial town to the north of the city.
His gaze lowered, contemplative.
“The reduced grain harvest South Ridge didn’t disrupt the order of the towns around the three-city trade route.
Pastries are still for sale, albeit at a higher price.
But the fact they are for sale ans there are still custors.
The residents might complain at most, but they don’t panic, not fearing starvation.”
“But it might not be the sa elsewhere.”
“The Agate Stone Plains, a grain-producing area, will first bring misery not to the Imperial People but to the Mountain People.”
“The Mountain People’s Autonomous Region to the west and the Empire’s colonies can’t imdiately stop the spread of the biowarfare plague.
Their reduced grain harvest will definitely be more severe than around Nauman City, which is the main target of Fiery Fla Land’s attack.”
Leyan Territory is among them, naturally.
At that mont, a sea breeze hit him head-on, the cool autumn air mingled with the scent of the sea caressing his face like a thin veil.
It carried along falling leaves, and Ian reached out, plucking one from the wind.
“The pestilence continues.
It seems Fiery Fla Land is still active.”
With a flash of silver in his eyes, Ian thoughtfully released the bug-eaten leaf back into the wind.
“The situation in South Ridge is more severe than what I’ve heard in the Imperial Capital—and the common folk are even cut off from the news, unaware of this.”
He turned his head to look towards Nauman City, where the dense arrangent of rooftops and a forest of chimneys made up a jungle of buildings.
The workshops there were also fully operational, spewing out large volus of white steam or alchemical dust.
The huge alchemy towers in the city even faintly echoed with sounds like tolling bells.
That place is the only legal site to produce Armor Suits in Nauman City.
Even that facility running at full capacity proves that the so-called ‘total war’ is on the horizon, as well as the dire situation in South Ridge.
Two baked cakes were clearly not enough to satisfy Ian’s appetite.
Although he appeared slim, he had a hearty appetite.
The new shop owner’s skills were even better than his father’s, having added so fragrance-enhancing spices to the at filling.
The taste lingered pleasantly in the mouth, justifying the higher price.
So he returned to the pastry shop, intending to buy two more for snacking on the road in Nauman City.
He planned to inquire about the owner’s situation as well, to help him avoid any potential misfortune that might befall him soon.
Good skills indeed rit preferential treatnt.
But as Ian approached the street where the pastry shop was located, he saw two fully ard guards stationed at the entrance while two knights clad in sturdy armors were inquiring inside the shop.
“Please stop…
sir,”
the knight guarding the entrance noticed Ian’s approach.
Seeing Ian’s alchemist robe and the silver ‘Elite Alchemist’ badge on his chest, he imdiately bowed his head and said in a less harsh tone, “We are conducting an important investigation here, please step aside.”
Ian heard a stern interrogation coming from inside the store, “Are you sure you’ve told the whole truth?!” “Please be aware, sir, if you don’t tell the truth, that’s treason!”
“Treason?”
He raised an eyebrow, Ian looked at the guard knight who seed eager to continue to drive him away.
He took out the badge of the Knight Order of Inspectorate from his bosom, and the Water Elent Origin in his hand made the air around them moist.
The young man spoke indifferently, “Tell the situation, knight.”
“This…”
The gatekeeping knight was startled.
As a civil servant, he clearly had not done his howork, failing to recognize the badge of an Inspector Knight imdiately but feeling it was familiar, the kind that one should not offend.
Furthermore, such a young Alchemist and Sublimator…
He exchanged glances with another gatekeeping companion, then stood upright, “I must report to the commander.”
The knight went inside the store.
Soon, a squad leader with more complex armor and leg power structures appeared before Ian.
Just one glance at the badge Ian held, the squad leader imdiately stood straight and saluted, “Reporting to the commander, Nauman City guard force, squad leader Piman, am leading the team in pursuit and identification of Fiery Fla Land agents!”
“Report to ,” Ian said lightly, noting the shopkeeper watching him with an unsettled expression, “Why is he under suspicion?”
“Reporting to the commander,” Piman, the squad leader, wasn’t surprised by the presence of an Inspector Knight, as their top boss, Marquis Barton, was a high-ranking mber of the Knight Order of Inspectorate.
He spoke fluently, “A week ago, the Mountain People’s Autonomous Region around the Bison Mountain Range experienced a large-scale rebellion.
We discovered that agents from Fiery Fla Land have developed traitors within our ranks, providing weapons and food to the Mountain People through our internal channels.”
“This shopkeeper’s raw material channels have so overlap with the channels of the internal traitors.
We can’t overlook any clues!”
Nonsense.
Ian thought to himself, how many sources could there be for ample and high-quality food supplies at this ti?
If it didn’t overlap, it would have been truly miraculous if the shopkeeper’s situation didn’t warrant an investigation.
Moreover, a rebellion of the Mountain People?
Which Mountain People are rebelling?
The Elder Mantle and others have been collaborating with The Empire lately, haven’t they?
Marquis Barton is their partner.
However, indeed they can’t represent all the Mountain People.
“No wonder I haven’t received a response from the Dragon Worship Cult in the past two weeks.
It turns out there was a fire in the backyard, and even the situation was quite serious.”
Ian realized suddenly, already having so guesses.
But he continued to instruct the knights, “Elaborate on the rebellion of the Mountain People.
What is the extent of the impact, and what are the consequences?”
“Reporting to the commander,” Piman noticed that this Inspector Knight probably had just returned to South Ridge not long ago and that questioning the shopkeeper wasn’t a priority task, so he simply continued to report, “The Mountain People’s rebellion is very complex and has affected a wide area.
Mordor, Odor Colony have already fallen, the Frodo Autonomous Region is resisting in support of The Empire, and the Southern Sea Navy is on its way to provide support.”
“The Midra Autonomous Region and the surrounding nobility’s territories have already plunged into war; however, the conflict is currently limited within the Bison Mountain Range.
The Agate Stone Plains are under patrol by the Marquis’s Knight Order and have not been affected.”
“And the Leyan Territory?” Ian nodded slightly, getting to the core, “What’s the situation?
I rember that area is also under the managent of Hillsman Knights; it hasn’t been affected by the rebellion, has it?”
Piman considered it for a mont and nodded, “Yes, commander, the Forr Leyan Territory is now out of contact.”
——Ha, I knew it.
Sighing inwardly, Ian shook his head.
He knew things weren’t going that smoothly.
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