Chapter 193: Eternal Person (13)

When the magical arts exchange conference had lasted into the second day, Aaron's grain export ban crossed the strait and reached Weilan.

Almost at the same time, Levinde's export ban and news of soaring grain prices in the international staple market also arrived.

The speed was very fast, clearly using many special means of information transmission.

It seemed like only the blink of an eye, and the related news spread throughout the streets and alleys; while the common folk of Weilan felt nothing much yet, the high-ranking officials were already panic-stricken.

Because everyone knew deep down that Weilan's grain supply was insufficient.

If grain could not be bought from the White Continent, many people would end up hungry.

The news arrived in the morning.

By evening, the officials' panic spread like a flood from the mountaintop, overflowing all the way down to the base.

By the morning of the third day, the grain price in Weilan's capital began to rise uncontrollably.

The atmosphere of panic in the city naturally spread to the magical arts exchange conference.

When the conference opened, mages from the various allied countries began to whisper to each other, discussing heatedly.

As foreigners, they originally need not worry about Weilan's grain shortage, but many mages had originally planned to stay in Weilan.

Now that Weilan has experienced this, it instantly caused many to feel hesitant.

These mages are outstanding talents, with intellect and insight far beyond ordinary people; they could naturally see that the current international situation was strange and somewhat frightening, so they worried that Weilan might not be able to withstand it and a major problem would arise.

In the venue, Aaron's former Minister of Government, Ruifa, was also discussing this with his old friend Luwakaduo.

"This matter is somewhat troublesome, and its later impact will also be very great."

Ruifa said in a low voice.

Luwakaduo nodded lightly, then said: "At least our Kao has not announced an export ban, so Weilan can still buy grain from Kao."

Ruifa curled his lips: "Kao indeed has not issued a ban, but Kao's people are the most numerous while its land is the least, so it itself lacks grain; at a time like this, even self-preservation is difficult, let alone having the capacity to support Weilan."

"In my view, Levinde and Aaron must have conspired to this end, aiming to besiege Weilan through grain in order to seize its interests."

Luwakaduo remained silent, because he knew Ruifa was right.

After a long silence, he spoke again: "Although Weilan lacks grain, it's only a matter of one or two years, and it's not completely without food; enduring it will see it pass."

Ruifa immediately pointed out: "Then it depends on how severe the shortage is."

"If the shortage is minor, the Duke's prestige will surely see them through; if it is severe, coupled with troublemakers, it will definitely lead to major problems."

When people's stomachs grow hungry, all etiquette, morality, loyalty, and faith are cast aside, transforming them into pure beasts, with only the option 'fill the stomach' left in their minds.

At that point, whoever can let them fill their stomachs becomes their father.

Whatever the father says is right; if he tells them to rebel, they will rebel, and Aaron and Levinde would surely be delighted to play the role of 'father'.

Especially Aaron, they have long been accustomed to acting as Weilan's father.

Not only does Aaron still have a large faction domestically that wants to reclaim Weilan, this wayward son.

Within Weilan there must also be a great host of filial sons and virtuous grandsons who wish to welcome back their father, continuing to be the beloved simpleton heir.

Aaron is nearby, and the two sides exchange glances, instantly hitting it off, which will surely bring great trouble to Weilan.

If it were before, Ruifa would feel nothing about it.

But now, he feels very anxious.

He was planning to spend the latter half of his life in Weilan, and he does not wish to see this place descend into a chaotic ruin.

His words are very sound, and Luwakaduo also does not know Weilan's grain reserves, so he once again has nothing to say.

But he also absolutely does not want Weilan to encounter problems, both out of personal feeling and self-interest.

Because he runs a new-style training program in Kao, specifically to send mage talent to Weilan.

For each one he sends, the Duke gives him at least 200 Ogres, and he relies on this income to live an extremely comfortable life.

If Weilan encounters trouble, his training program might not be able to continue.

After holding back for a while, he finally managed to say: "Don't worry, the Duke surely has a way to resolve this."

Ruifa spread his hands: "The Duke is a High Ring Mage, not a god; could he possibly conjure grain out of thin air?"

"Besides, even a god couldn't manage this."

"Look at the Bohemia Duchy—such a huge grain-producing nation, with Milin City, one of the three great natural holy cities, located within its borders, yet people still starve to death there."

Luwakaduo was completely at a loss for words.

He felt terrible.

Just then, a squad of black-clad guards reappeared in the front rows of the venue, the Duke appeared again, and then once more mounted the conference podium.

The Duke's expression looked calm, showing no anxiety or irritation; faintly, it seemed to carry a hint of joy and satisfaction.

This detail instantly reassured Luwakaduo, who declared full of confidence: "Sometimes the Duke is even more formidable than a god; he surely has a solution this time!"

Ruifa spread his hands and said nothing, thinking his old friend had become a bit fanatical.

Not long after, the Duke's voice like that of the high heavens came from the stage.

His tone was as gentle and clear as two days prior, with no detectable emotional fluctuation, as if the grain shortage panic flying everywhere outside simply did not exist.

"Quiet down~ everyone quiet down~~"

The Duke's prestige remained high; soon, the venue's murmuring chatter vanished, and every mage focused intently on the podium.

Many had a premonition that the Duke's emergency appearance would surely concern the grain issue.

Ruifa whispered: "The Duke probably has no mind to continue the conference; he will likely announce an emergency adjournment."

Luwakaduo shook his head without hesitation: "Impossible! The Duke said the conference would last half a month, so it will definitely be half a month—no stopping midway, not even a minute less!"

Ruifa began to feel that Luwakaduo was becoming unreasonable, outright like a fanatical naturalist.

He decided to say no more, and simply focus on observing the Duke's reaction.

After the venue fell completely silent, the Duke's voice continued to come from the podium.

"I imagine you have all heard some unpleasant news—Aaron and Levinde almost simultaneously issued grain export bans, causing international grain prices to spike instantly."

Last night, the price of one ton of potatoes was 14 Ogre; this morning it shot past 20 Ogre and is still rising.

Potatoes are still cheap. Flour, even the lowest-quality black rye flour, costs over 25 Ogre per ton, whereas last year it only needed 5 Ogre.

Moreover, many unscrupulous merchants mix sand and gravel into flour, selling Shitou at astronomical prices.

This news was astonishing, and many mages began to feel uneasy.

Because the situation is getting out of hand, not to mention Weilan, even their own countries will surely be greatly affected.

This made every mage present lose interest in the meeting, calculating an early exit to hurry home and deal with this dreadful turn of events.

Ruifa couldn't help but whisper, 'This time not only Weilan will suffer, but many people on the White Continent will also go hungry.'

The White Continent has many purely urban residents who own no land and rely entirely on their wages to survive.

Many lower-class city dwellers meticulously budget every copper coin, with no emergency savings in their pockets.

This group has extremely poor adaptability to external changes; now that grain prices have surged, their lives will inevitably be severely affected, eight or nine out of ten will likely go completely bankrupt, homeless, wandering the streets, even starving to death. And society is a whole—no one can remain untouched by this.

Therefore, if grain prices are not quickly restored to normal, the White Continent will likely soon see large-scale turmoil.

The well-informed former Aaron politics minister couldn't help but curse silently.

'These kings have nothing but their thrones in mind; they never treated commoners as people!'

From then on, the Duke's voice sounded again from the stage.

'But I must say, no matter what happens, this year's Arcane Exchange Conference will proceed normally, and all scheduled events will be unaffected.'

Luwakaduo gave his friend a meaningful glance: 'Watch.'

Ruifa spread his hands: 'Now it's not a question of whether the Duke will open it, but whether the mages are willing to continue attending.'

He sensed that many mages were already preparing to leave.

The Duke's voice sounded again from the stage.

'Regarding the export bans on Aaron and Levinde, as well as the surge in international grain prices, they have indeed had a considerable impact on Weilan.'

'I must admit this, but as Weilan's Dawn Duke, we had already anticipated this months before it happened and made some arrangements.'

'I know you're all curious and want to know what arrangements we made.'

'I really shouldn't say this, or rather I wanted to announce it later, because the new achievement isn't quite mature yet.'

'But since the situation has come to this point, everyone needs confidence, so I can only announce this not-yet-mature arcane achievement early.'

As soon as these words were spoken, the mages in the hall were greatly astonished, not knowing what the Duke meant by this.

Many mages who had intended to leave and go home also stopped their steps.

The Duke also didn't speak directly, but waved his hand.

Instantly, many attendants appeared in the hall, each holding a tray bearing stacks of small round loaves resembling coarse wheat bread.

The attendants began distributing these small round loaves, and soon every mage present received one.

Ruifa and Luwakaduo each received one as well.

Ruifa was somewhat puzzled: 'What does this mean? Does it indicate that Weilan has a lot of stored grain?'

Luwakaduo remained silent, picking up the loaf to examine it closely, then taking a light bite and chewing carefully.

As he chewed, his face gradually showed an expression of shock.

Soon, not only did he notice something odd, but many mages also did, and after some speculation, gradually some faces showed shock.

Ruifa also gradually came to his senses, asking softly, 'This can't be real, can it?'

Luwakaduo didn't answer, his heart full of disbelief.

Because he had once used this trick to deceive Count Robert, nearly succeeding, yet he never expected that the Duke who had exposed his deception would now employ the very same tactic.

But it was a trick; since the Duke dared to announce it before so many thousands of mages, it must be genuine.

He instantly felt his heart go 'thump-thump' pounding.

He certainly knew the immense significance of this arcane achievement, which possesses the power to change the world.

Then, the Duke's voice came from the podium,

'That's right; we in Weilan have unexpectedly obtained an arcane transmutation formation that can acquire arcane power on a large scale. Based on this formation, we have developed a large-scale food-production technique that turns "wood, weeds, straw," and other otherwise useless materials into edible flour.'

'Whoosh~~~~'

Indeed, the hall erupted in a clamor! Countless mages jumped to their feet in astonishment.

Many mages instinctively clenched the coarse wheat loaf in their hands, deforming it, while others began to carefully taste the flavor of the coarse wheat bread.

'The loaves in your hands are all made from wheat straw; they have a wheaty aroma, a slightly coarse texture, but they are more than enough to fill the stomach.'

Ruifa took a big bite of the loaf, chewed it carefully, and then gave his assessment: 'It's passable, but not delicious.'

Luwakaduo also ate, grinning: 'Not just passable—this texture is far finer than the bread many commoners eat.'

After a few bites, he wore a triumphant grin: 'Ruifa, my good friend, the Duke has now accomplished something even the gods could not.'

Everyone knows what this signifies.

With this astonishing arcane achievement, Weilan will never lack grain; if this achievement spreads, the entire Natural Alliance will also never lack grain.

The ever-worsening food crisis caused by population growth will be greatly alleviated, perhaps even cease to be a problem.

And Weilan, the inventor of this arcane achievement, is practically the savior of the Alliance, a holy land of human arcane arts.

Immediately afterward, the Duke of Weilan, who is like a god among men on stage, proceeded to announce another piece of news akin to a divine oracle.

'I know this achievement is enough to let Weilan's people fill their stomachs, and even earn them heaps of money.'

'But as the main contributor to this arcane achievement, I have no intention of doing so.'

'Here, I, as Duke of Weilan, solemnly declare that the basic arcane transmutation formation and the basic large-scale food-production technique will be shared free of charge with all major kingdoms, duchies, and arcane academies of the Natural Alliance, for everyone to study and improve.'

'I do this in the hope that grain will no longer become a weapon for the Alliance's countries to fight each other!'

'I hope that in a few years, the Natural Alliance will see countless arcane bread factories, enabling everyone to easily fill their stomachs.'

'I hope that from now on, the Alliance will have no starving people!'

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall erupted again.

Everyone knows the value of this achievement, and if such an astonishing achievement were kept for oneself, it could practically funnel all the wealth of the Nature Alliance to Weilan.

But the Duke freely shared this technology, and even proclaimed the grand vision of 'a union without famine'—a vision not even Mother Nature dares to utter.

The key is that this grand vision is no castle in the air—it can truly be realized! How is it different from the savior of myth and legend? No, it is greater than the mythic savior! 'Clap clap clap~~'

Not only did someone clap at times, then the applause swelled into a wave, then rose to the heavens, lasting without cease.

Mages are the wisest among humanity.

Because they are the wisest, they are also the most proud and arrogant, and rarely submit wholeheartedly to anyone.

But now, this group of the wisest people in the entire Nature Alliance has been utterly convinced by Duke Weilan on stage.

Ruifa is no exception.

He clapped until his palms turned red.

Amid thunderous applause, he shouted with all his might at his old friend.

"Aaron's Male Lion, Kao's Black Rose, Levinde's Lord of Platinum are nothing but a wisp of insignificant cloud in the river of time."

"But Weilan's Dawn Duke—no, it's Duke Luosen—who is truly the eternal one!"

"He used wisdom comparable to the Creator's and mercy surpassing Mother Nature's to divide the history of our Nature Alliance into the Age of Famine and the Age of Paradise!"

"He is the savior of the Nature Alliance!"

"The Alliance—no, the entire human race—will forever remember his name!"

(End of Chapter)