Chương 13: Food

Julie stumbled backward with wide eyes. She didn't take the book. She continued backward until her back hit the wall. Then she pressed against the book, as I tried to force it into her hands.

"I can't accept that," she hastily said.

"This is too much. Far too much." I shook my head.

"It's not. I have no use for this Skill Book. Nor is there anybody else for whom the Skill Book would suit this perfectly. I know I shouldn't trust you this easily, but considering the situation the Town is in, I am willing to make that gamble." Julie opened her mouth again, and I knew she was about to refuse, so I pressed the book firmly into her hands.

"You have to understand," I said.

"I can't take no for an answer. If this Skill allows us to combat the famine, it will be worth it. And if the stuff you create is more potent because of your Class, we could save thousands. So, I can't accept your refusal. I am sorry." Julie still worked her jaw, so I let go of the book. It dropped down and almost hit the ground before she caught it. I promptly left the woman with the herbs alone. She would accept. And once she accepted, the famine would be a thing of the past.

I was really lucky that Mila, the farmer from my first Simulation, had already dealt with a famine. He knew the basics but not enough for me to instantly find a solution. Just enough to push us in the right direction. The rest was up to Julie. I sighed. Another weight was lifted from my shoulders. I used Life Simulation. The skill was still on cooldown. But I knew it would soon. I walked out of the mansion and back to the courtyard. There I spotted Samuel, a few villagers, and my knights going about their business.

Multiple pots were arranged above campfires. Buckets of clay were standing at the side with multiple hills of poisonous weed next to them.

"Everyone!" Samuel yelled.

"You know the process. Start now. Call me once it's time to add the clay." The villagers nodded, while the knights just began the process. Most of them had taken off their armor, but kept their weapons. I was happy to see them help. I doubted I had enough authority to make them. They were doing it out of the goodwill of their hearts.

The process was quick and easy. The villagers were the most hardworking. It seemed that Samuel had convinced them that a solution was possible. I was glad to have him. As night began to encompass my new world, the process came to an end. It was completed with us feeding the mammals. Then we went to bed. The knights were kind enough to set up a few more tents for the helping villagers. Samuel was just about to head back to the village when I called out to him.

"Samuel," I said and the man promptly turned around.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Call me Ivor. Do you want to stay at the mansion? There should be enough room for you, and I would rather have you safe and near me." Samuel hesitantly opened his mouth, "I would like to. But I think I should already go around spreading the news. This way the process will go smoother tomorrow morning."

"You need to rest," I shook my head.

"You have been working non-stop, and we need to make sure the mammals don't die first anyway." He thought for a moment, and agreed. Samuel followed me into the mansion. He was as surprised to see Magret as Julie. They exchanged a couple pleasantries before she shooed us away. She and the other cleaners were playing some kind of board game. Magret was losing. I made sure to introduce myself and thank the two other cleaners—Emma and Jen. They thanked me back. I led Samuel to his room.

Then gave him the rundown of tomorrow. He agreed to my plan, and we both went to bed. I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow. I didn't even admire the absolute spotlessness of my room. It looked cleansed.

I woke up to the chirping of birds. I went down and all of the villagers were already up working, including Samuel. The knights were packing up—it was time for them to leave. On the other hand, the weed was a success. All mammals were alive and so the group split up. Samuel and a few others would gather the townspeople while the others prepared the food. I followed the knights to see them off. Sebastian joined me somewhere mid-walk. Once we reached the edge of the town, I called out to them.

"Are any of you interested in staying?" I knew the chances were low. I tried anyway. They shook their heads.

"We admire your change, young master Ivor, now Lord of Blackstone town," One of the knights said.

"But we can't stay. We have a duty to fulfill. The Count expects us back." This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I expected that much, but I was still a little disappointed. I just asked them to spread the way of eating poisonous weed in any town or village they would stop by. They agreed to my request. With that, they rode off into the distance. I watched their figures become smaller and smaller before eventually disappearing.

We turned around and began walking back.

"Have you learned anything interesting?" I asked Sebastian. The man nodded.

"Quite a few things. First, Baron Adrian's birthday is coming up soon. It doesn't mean much, but it's very likely he will invite us. We should prepare an adequate gift. Second, there seems to be a gang running rampant inside the town after most of the guard starved." I stayed silent for a moment.

"What do we know about Baron Adrian, and what's his reason for inviting us?"

"Not much," Sebastian shrugged.

"He is a greedy noble, but that's about it. There aren't any rumors about him being involved in anything nefarious besides corruption. As for the invitation, it's his way of getting some extra money while it allows us to connect with a few merchants and Town Lords nearby. It would be worth it to go even if we have to pay a small price." I nodded and agreed. I lacked the old town Lord's connection.

"Do you have the location of the gang?" I moved on to the next topic.

"Yes," Sebastian said.

"Do you want me to handle them?"

"How strong are they?"

"The leader is High Stone Rank. The rest ranges from low to mid-Stone Rank. Most are non-combative," Sebastian said.

"Gerald didn't take care of them as he knew most of them and knew they only did it because of their circumstances. Do you want me to handle them?" So around Level 10-25, I thought. Sebastian is in Bronze Rank, so he shouldn't have any issues still... It was something I could handle once I was Stone Rank myself, which should happen after my next Simulation. I could feel it would be soon.

"If they make trouble, handle the troublemakers. Leave the rest to me," I said. I wanted to test myself, but I wouldn't risk any townspeople for that. Sebastian just nodded. I knew he would have burned them to the ground should I have asked him to. We reached the courtyard of the mansion again, and it was more filled than usual. Kids were here for their breakfast, and so were their parents. The news had begun to travel. The kids ran up to us. Or rather, Sebastian.

"Uncle Flame!" One of the kids cried out.

"Show us another magic trick. Please! We already ate. We promise." The rest nodded eagerly and surrounded Sebastian while completely ignoring me. I smiled. The man had been responsible for distributing their food. It seemed like he was well-suited for that job. Sebastian kneeled on the ground and squinted his eyes.

"Hmmm, I think you are telling the truth. Alright, let me show you a new trick!" The man stood up and motioned for the kids to move back. They did so. Next, he summoned a small flame above the tip of his finger. This was already enough to force out gasps of surprise. Then the flame morphed into a small, puppy-like creature. It was a little rough around the edges, but the kids recognized it, to the point that one tried to touch the flame. It disappeared before the little one could.

"Be careful," Sebastian scolded.

"I will show you a trick again. But you guys will have to promise me that you won't touch the flame, okay?" The kids nodded hastily. I moved away as the kids continued to gasp and cry out the names of different animals. I was happy with the progress. The kids looked a little healthier. But most importantly, they were kids instead of starving husks. Their whimsical joy returned, and that made all the work worth it. I looked at their parents. In contrast, they looked much worse. Skinny limbs and sunken cheeks.

Pale faces and eyes devoid of life. Only a small, lingering flame of hope remained: the hope that they could eat today.

"I reckon you know why you are here," I said and captured their attention. After a few nods, I continued.

"Well, then let's not stand on ceremony. The food should be done soon. Remember to drink a lot of water. We will hand out as much food as possible, so don't worry. We just ask you to deliver more weed and clay to us, but don't worry about it too much. We will spread the method once everyone has gotten a little strength back." They followed me without words. Complaints took too much energy, and gratitude could wait after they had eaten.

After a few seconds, we reached the place where we had been cooking up the poisonous weed. I smiled as I saw the workers already eating. A couple had their eyes closed as they savored the food. A few others had tears streaming down their faces. You never knew how much you missed food until you hadn't eaten in a while. Then everything would taste like it was made by God himself. The group eating noticed us arriving. They stood up and bowed deeply. In unison, they thanked me. I felt embarrassed.

I felt even more embarrassed being called a Lord.

"Please," I put up my hands.

"You helped more than I did. Get our new guests something to eat once you are done." They didn't wait until they were done. Instead, they got to work immediately. Water was boiled. Pots were stirred. The townspeople worked fast, and within minutes the parents of the children were holding a bowl of porridge. It looked disgusting. They dug in instantly.

"Make sure you drink enough water," I reminded them. As the parents were enjoying their meal, their kids arrived. Each child held a stick of beef jerky and a piece of bread. They ate it with smiles on their faces. A few went and hugged their parents, and others offered their food. The parents refused.

"The kids will start eating more in one or two days," Sebastian said to me.

"They should be good by then. Make sure the townspeople also know not to eat too much and too fast. We have enough for everyone." I nodded and looked around the courtyard. It was surrounded by a wall made out of blackstone. Near the walls, pillars of weed rose into the air. We did indeed have enough. It was now not a problem of food anymore, but logistics. I remembered that Earth experienced the same issues. It was not that there was not enough food, but that it was poorly distributed.

Either a lot of it was wasted, or warlords made sure people didn't receive any aid. I kept that in mind.

"Sebastian," I said.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Make sure the people stay organized when they come to receive their food. Display your magic. Don't hurt anybody, but just shoot off a fireball into the air so everyone listens to you," I said. At that moment, Samuel and his few helpers returned. In the distance, I could see a crowd of people gather outside of the mansion. It was less than I expected. Either more people had died, or word hadn't spread enough.

"Samuel," I said.

"Make sure they stay outside the courtyard. They should form a line. Only those whose turn it is will be allowed to enter. Those who look like they have energy will help cooking. Those who look like they will die shortly will get to skip the line. Two meals per person. Every day for a week straight. Then we will spread the method. They should have enough strength by then to cook for themselves." Samuel and his helpers just nodded, and they went back towards the group nearing the courtyard.

Sebastian followed them a few steps behind. Since this was done, I decided to go back to the mansion. It was time to check up on my herbalist again.