Chương 190: Chapter 187 - The Siege Ration

"Yes, sir!" I saluted, accepting the order. While the current situation was dire, I was giddy inside. This was a great opportunity. I was on the edge of becoming a Tier-3 rune master. The only thing stopping me was my lack of proper knowledge about how to form cores outside the body. Until now, I had been researching and trying to figure it out using House Cicero's notes, but now I no longer had to worry about that. With the Captain's order, I could learn these things from a proper master or actual rune books.

After receiving my confirmation, the Captain nodded.

"Lady Flavia will meet you after this meeting." Then he turned to Lieutenant Crispus, who had just finished giving his report.

"Lieutenant Crispus, how is it that we only have forty days of food remaining? Last time I checked, we had six months of inventory."

"Captain, most of the food from the merchant district was looted," Lieutenant Crispus replied.

"The only food that remains is the grain and some animals from the commoner district, and even that was partially ruined by the flood."

"Is there any way to save those wet grains?" the Captain asked, gritting his teeth, frustration now clearly showing in his voice. The lieutenant sighed.

"No, Captain. I asked the cooks and farmers. Fifty percent of the grain, almost all of the outer layer, is ruined because dirt slurry washed over it. The middle portion is wet, but with the help of fire mages, we can dry it out. Only the innermost grain is safe from damage." He paused before adding, "If we ration it properly, this should give us a forty-day supply, with soldiers eating twice a day and commoners eating once." Murmurs immediately spread across the room. A few loud voices mixed in with them.

"Silence!" the Captain shouted, spreading his mana across the hall.

"One at a time." He nodded toward a town guard standing near the back, the one who had been making the loudest noise. Not expecting to be called out, the guard's face turned nervous.

"S-sir, I am in charge of defense in the commoner district, especially the poorer part of it," the guard said.

"There are people there who did not even get one proper meal a day before this disaster. Many of them are not counted in any official records. If we ration food like this, many of them will die, and the rest will start rioting. In the current situation, that will make defending the town much harder." The Captain simply nodded, listening to his concern, then pointed to another person who had been speaking loudly.

"Sir, for soldiers, rationed food twice a day will be highly demotivating. Higher-tier soldiers at Tier-3 should be fine, but the rest will start feeling the strain within a few days, especially if we expect them to perform their duties and defend against a siege." The Captain nodded once more, then waited silently for anyone else to come forward.

"I know we have these problems, and I am open to suggestions, but I cannot create food out of nothing," the Captain said, looking around the hall.

"If you have any ideas, speak."

"Can we not fish?" one of the Royal Army lieutenants asked. The reply came from one of the town guards.

"There are not enough fish in the river. Even if we catch every fish we can, it will not be enough to feed this large of a population."

"Actually, my calculations already include fish," Lieutenant Crispus added.

"Before the attack, I had planned to use them as an additional food source and a way to provide an important morale boost."

"Can we not give the soldiers rest for a month, or maybe forty-five days?" someone from the back asked. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. This time, the Captain shook his head.

"No. The enemy has already proven that, if needed, they can open a small gap in the domain. Reducing security could be fatal. Even if they do not attack us directly, they could damage whatever progress we make toward strengthening the defense. Moreover, one month of rest will affect the soldiers' preparedness." While all this conversation was going on, I was busy with my own thoughts.

"Why are we not washing the outer layer of grain?" I asked, without waiting for anyone to fully process the Captain's words. Everyone looked at me. Then they looked at Lieutenant Crispus. Lieutenant Crispus probably did not like being questioned by a sergeant. He looked at the Captain, as if expecting me to be reprimanded. But the Captain only nodded at him, silently ordering him to answer.

"It is not possible to completely clean the slurry from the grain," the lieutenant replied.

"Washing it will remove the outer cover. There is also a strong possibility that much of it has already been crushed, making it useless." After listening to the lieutenant's explanation, the Captain looked at me, waiting for me to acknowledge the answer. Instead, I paused for a second. I might have a way to provide some relief in the food department. While my Earth knowledge had not been especially useful until now, I finally had something that could help save almost everyone here.

"Is it dirt slurry?" I asked the lieutenant. He gave me a questioning look.

"I mean, is the outer section only covered in dirt slurry, or is there sewage mixed into it?" I explained.

"It is mostly dirt," Lieutenant Crispus replied with a frown. I ignored his irritation and looked at the Captain.

"Then there might be a solution to our food problem." The Captain's eyes narrowed.

"Explain."

"With the help of earth mages, we can clean the ruined grain and extract starch from it."

"Starch?" the Captain asked.

"Yes, the white substance that comes out when you cut potatoes. It is present in grains as well."

"How is that going to help with food?" Lieutenant Crispus jumped in before I could explain.

"We can turn the starch into long strips, dry them, and later cook them with vegetables or broth. It will not be pleasant food, but it will be food." This time, before the lieutenant could interrupt me again, I raised a finger to stop him.

"First, we crush all the grain we are planning to throw away, including the grain mixed with muddy slurry. Then, with the help of earth mages, we create large washing basins and settling pits."

"The upper section will be perforated and covered with several layers of tightly woven cloth. Beneath it, we will build a settling tank."

"When we wash the crushed grain with clean water, the cloth will stop the husks, stones, and most of the mud. The starch will pass through the cloth with the water and collect in the tank below." I paused for a moment before continuing.

"Then we leave the liquid undisturbed. The heaviest sand and grit should settle at the very bottom. Above that, the starch should form a pale layer, while lighter husk fragments and dirt float near the surface."

"Once that happens, we remove the floating waste, drain away the dirty water, and collect the starch without disturbing the grit at the bottom. Then we mix the starch with clean water and repeat the process several times." I looked at the Captain.

"After enough rounds of washing and settling, if the separation works as I expect, we should be able to recover a layer containing mostly starch. We mix a portion of the starch with boiling water until it becomes a thick paste. Then we work the remaining dry starch into it until the mixture is firm enough to press through small holes or roll and cut into thin strips. Once those strips are briefly boiled and dried, they can be stored and later cooked with vegetables, meat, or broth." I looked around the room.

"These starch strips should last for more than two months if they are dried properly. But the first batches will need to be tested. We can begin with small portions given to high-Constitution volunteers under a healer's supervision before distributing them more widely. I can write down the complete process and draw the design for the basins, but we will need clean water, tightly woven cloth, millstones, earth mages, and workers." After listening to my explanation, the Captain did not reply immediately.

Instead, he looked around the room, as if giving his lieutenants a chance to judge whether my idea was possible. Everyone looked at each other, trying to process what I had just said.

"How do you know all this, Sergeant?" the Captain asked while the rest of the room was still engaged in discussion.

"I did not know you knew cooking." My eyes widened. In my eagerness to help, I had forgotten to think of a proper explanation for how I knew how to make starch strips. Collecting my thoughts for a second, I replied, "Actually, Captain, I do not. It is just something my father taught me when some of the grain in our house was ruined in a similar way." I made up a clumsy lie on the spot. Thankfully, the Captain accepted my explanation and nodded. Then he looked toward his lieutenants.

After a few seconds, I saw several of them nod. Lieutenant Crispus nodded as well.

"We can try it," he said.

"It does not hurt to attempt. If it works, a lot of our problems will be reduced. We can use these strips to stretch our meat and vegetable supplies, making sure we have enough food for longer. I cannot estimate how much food we will have until the strips are actually made." The Captain looked back at me.

"Thank you, Sergeant. If this method works, we will have a solution to one of our most pressing problems. Provide us with all the details before you leave." Then he turned to the room.

"I will take care of creating the basins. Arrange the men and materials. All work related to these strips will be done under supervision." His expression hardened.

"And make sure no one talks about this outside this hall. For some time, it would be better if the enemy continues believing we are running out of food."