Chapter 444: Chapter 430: Porridge with Sand_2
The leader also showed a troubled expression on his face and said helplessly: "You know the situation, those damn nobles embezzled the relief grain distributed by the Empire. If it weren’t for the Eldest Princess discovering the corruption, we’d have nothing to eat but water."
The apocalypse is coming, there’s a food shortage everywhere, and the bloody Count of the Northern Territory is still transporting food north. Where am I supposed to find something substantial for you?"
Even so, the leader indicated that he would try to find a way.
After all, at least they still had porridge to eat now, and weren’t having to boil and eat belts. If he thought hard enough, there was still a way.
It wasn’t long before the porridge was finally ready. The cook stirred the pot of slightly thicker porridge and started calling everyone over for a meal.
Due to adding a lot of water, it looked to be much more than the amount of porridge they initially poured in, yet the aroma remained rich and enticing.
In such circumstances, everyone’s expressions naturally became much more relaxed, because even thin porridge could fill their stomachs.
Soon the man returned to the cook, trembling as he handed over his bowl.
The cook said nothing more, only offered a friendly smile and filled a large bowl of thin porridge for him: "Don’t be nervous, buddy, we’re not bad people. We’re just a group banding together for warmth. As agreed, you can have another bowl."
"Thank you!" The man gratefully received his bowl, quickly took a sip, and thanked him again, then sat aside contentedly drinking the porridge.
Though not as thick as the wheat porridge from the relief station, the steaming hot porridge brought satisfaction and warmth to the man’s already empty stomach, making him unconsciously feel relaxed.
Until the bowl of porridge was finished, the man smacked his lips, still longing for more, and looked again at the large pot.
He was allowed another bowl! He remembered what the leader and the cook had told him, stood up again, and approached the cook.
This time he handed over his bowl with much more determination, yet remained polite as he said to the cook: "Please give me another bowl, thank you."
"Sure, but this is a privilege only newcomers have. Tomorrow, you’ll only be allowed one bowl. I hope you don’t mind; everyone gets the same treatment." The cook explained, stirring the ladle in the pot before giving the man a relatively hearty bowl of thin porridge.
"I understand, being able to drink a little more is already great." The man was tactful, expressing his understanding to the cook, then sat down again to enjoy his soup slowly this time.
However, as he savored the porridge, he noticed something he hadn’t before, a thin layer of fine sand at the bottom of his bowl.
This puzzled him, for before coming, he’d cleaned his bowl well leaving no sand inside. And he hadn’t seen any sand when he drank the porridge earlier; where did all this sand come from?
While the man pondered, the leader came over with his own porridge, seeing the man’s puzzled look at his bowl and laughed: "Don’t be surprised, those heartless nobles mixed a large amount of sand into the relief grain. If you’re lucky, the porridge floating on top won’t have much sand.
But if you’re unlucky and drink from the bottom of the pot, you’ll find a lot of sand in your bowl.
Aaron is a good cook, but there’s nothing he can do. We boil thin porridge, and the sand mostly settles at the bottom. After eating, he has to scrape at least a bowl of sand from the bottom every day."
Upon hearing this, the man finally realized that the cook’s name was Aaron.
But that wasn’t the main point; it was the leader’s words that caught his attention, and he couldn’t help but ask: "Why is there so much sand? Isn’t this the relief grain distributed by the Eldest Princess?"
"Yes, the Princess wants to do good deeds and have the Empire government provide relief to the poor; otherwise, we wouldn’t even have porridge to drink!" The leader seemed to have no respect for the Eldest Princess but didn’t continue speaking ill of her, merely disdainfully telling the man: "Did you know? Initially, the Empire used bread to aid disaster victims! But those nobles thought it wasteful and unprofitable, so they sold off all the bread!
The quality black bread on sale recently is the relief grain they sold!
Can you believe it? Quality black bread issued by the Empire got sold by those nobles, and we were left drinking thin porridge!"
"Damn nobles!" the man cursed along with him.
In the past, he might not have joined in cursing, but hunger and the recent satisfaction made him realize which side to choose sometimes.
However, while cursing the nobles, the man curiously asked: "Doesn’t the Empire do anything about it?"
"They do, how could they not? The Eldest Princess personally led people to chop off the heads of those corrupted officials, but it’s useless. Besides this sand-mixed wheat, we have nothing else to eat." The leader said indifferently, with an air of nonchalance.
In fact, the leader clearly understood why the wheat they received was mixed with a lot of sand.
How this fact is conveyed and who conveys it can result in entirely different consequences.
So, even though the leader told the man about the nobles’ embezzlement of relief food, turning it into unwanted inferior sand-mixed food, what mattered most to the man was getting enough to eat.
"What does telling me mean? I’m just an ordinary person." The man was very clear about his position.
"So what if you’re ordinary? This world is ultimately built by many ordinary people like you and me. Without Steam Armor, those Knights are just like ordinary people, dying when hit by bullets or attacked by blades. They’re not much stronger than us." The leader’s expression became wanton and flamboyant. In his view, ordinary people could kill Steam Knights too, as long as they found the right method.
But this meant little to someone who had been surviving on relief food.
At least for the man, it was meaningless. As an ordinary person, he’d be willing to help if asked to do something, but expecting him to challenge the impossible was out of the question.
For instance, if the leader asked him to work now, he would have no objection, as he had eaten two bowls of porridge from them, and that would be repayment enough.
But asking him to do something against the King or Princess was beyond him. Especially since the Empire’s Knights no longer used small caliber clip bullets but opted for much more powerful and precise weaponry.
"Don’t worry, we don’t plan to make you duel those Steam Knights, that’s not your job." The leader understood the man’s fear of death; in fact, many people shared this attitude, but it didn’t matter. When they’re pushed to desperation, they will rise to resist.
For now? It was just quiet accumulation of strength, waiting for the right time.
But although there’s no rush, winning people’s hearts is always necessary, which is why the leader devised this fair-seeming method of food distribution, making everyone grateful to him.
These would become the foundation and capital for his future ventures.
Especially since he heard that the Imperial Center would eventually relocate to the Northern Territory, leaving the ruler distant, perhaps giving him the chance to overthrow this decayed feudal oppressive Empire and experience the extravagant lifestyle of the Prime Minister of France.
For now though, it’s best to gather more people to cook porridge together.