CHAPTER 38: FOOD FROM GRANDMA IS ALWAYS DELICIOUS

Xavier had been trained as the crown prince, so Aegon wasn’t surprised he could make up scenarios and lie so easily. He was cunning when needed and just acted differently around the people he knew he could let his guard down with.

’Not like you need to be a crown prince to be a scammer.’

Old Bai looked troubled at Xavier’s words as he sighed yet again, "I am sorry, young man, but I’ll have to refuse you. You two are great and I hope you find the work. It’s just that this old man doesn’t have any money to give to you."

"Do you have something to eat?" Aegon asked.

"Yes, I had saved up grains and other things so I at least don’t starve," Old Bai responded.

"Then, that’s all we need." Aegon smiled.

Old Bai tried to argue, but Xavier skillfully handled the situation and convinced him to let them work for one day at least. That was all they needed after all.

In the end, Old Bai agreed, as he really wanted some help in the farms, and brought them outside the city on his bullock cart. The two of them silently sat on the back and enjoyed the bumpy ride.

’Now that I think about it, it’s my first time riding a bullock cart,’ Aegon thought as his body jerked sideways due to a bump, but he managed to stabilize himself easily. ’It’s actually pretty fun. Noted! More bullock cart rides in the future.’

They passed by many farm fields after they exited the capital and noticed something common. All the fields were empty, and even the usual grass wasn’t growing on them.

Everywhere they looked, a sight of black soil with a strange brownish color to it imprinted itself in their minds.

’Things are worse than I expected. What’s happening?’ Aegon wondered and asked, "Is the situation like this everywhere?"

"No. His Majesty is using a separate part of land and mages to grow enough food for the kingdom. Even if we can’t export, we won’t have to starve. That’s what His Majesty believes probably," Old Bai answered.

’That does seem like something Uncle would do.’

It was a short ride as Old Bai’s farm wasn’t far from the capital. He had two farmlands in total, and both were currently barren.

The only fortunate thing was that the lands weren’t completely dried up, but at the rate things were going, it was a certain future.

Old Bai stopped the bullock cart near a wooden hut and slowly got off, "I’ll go tell my wife to prepare some food, and while she makes it, we can bring more water."

"Sounds like a deal to me," Xavier answered with a smile.

"Then, you can put the water in that container."

There was a giant stone container on the side in which they poured all the water. It was already somewhat filled, but Aegon knew even when fully filled it wouldn’t be enough for both farms.

"Say, Gon, what about the wells?" Xavier asked, as he leaned against the rough surface of the container. "Only the river is affected, right?"

"I believe the river’s water level affected the water level of the whole area, so even the wells might have run dry," Aegon explained. "Even if it isn’t the case, just think about it. The whole situation is a conspiracy against the kingdom, so the enemies might have also taken care of the wells."

"That’s true as well."

Aegon went over a little deeper into the farm and crouched down. Taking some of the soil in his hand, he frowned, ’Something feels off with this. I’ll take it back to check properly.’

He took out three boxes and put soil from different areas into them before throwing all three into the inventory.

’I have two choices. Either wait for the system to give something good and helpful for the situation or try to solve it myself. The second one seems more reliable considering the things the system has been giving me most of the time.’

Just that day, Aegon had received three liters of ice water. He had to admit the system was always creative when giving him these random rewards.

By then, Old Bai had come out of the hut, so they decided to go back to the river to bring more water. Xavier could have asked him to lend them the bullock cart and let him rest, but he knew it would just come off as suspicious.

Because of the Great Tragedy, these poor farmers were already suffering, and giving the bulls to two unknown young men could mean they would steal them.

So, the two of them didn’t voice out their thoughts and simply helped by bringing more water from the river for the next hour or so.

Due to their great physiques and the bulls also being quite good, the work was done quickly and the stone container was filled to the brim.

"I can irrigate a part of my farms and also have enough water for the livestock," Old Bai’s wrinkled face was full of smiles as he patted their backs. "I’m really grateful to the two of you. Come, my wife cooks really good food."

The two of them went inside the hut, which was the definition of a humble abode of these two elderly people. Although there was some stench, they didn’t show it on their faces and happily greeted the elderly woman inside.

Under the dim lights, both of them ate porridge as the two elderly people looked at them lovingly. Of course, Aegon was the first to take a bite as he had poison resistance. Only when he confirmed everything was good did he nod at Xavier, who also devoured the food readily.

"It’s delicious," Aegon said honestly. It lacked many flavors that he would get from the food Xiu made or the maids prepared, but there was something else in it that made it addicting.

"I’m glad you liked it. You two can come here to eat tomorrow if you don’t find any work," Grandma Bai said, her eyes filled with strange warmth, making them confused. "I’ll cook for you."

"We had two sons and both of them entered the army," Old Bai said, as if sensing their thoughts. "They never returned back after a battle in the North. You two reminded us of them, so don’t misunderstand our goodwill."