CHAPTER 224: FOOD SCARCITY

"Your cooperation ensures their safety," Gabriel stated, his tone leaving no room for debate. He turned to Sophie and Cassie and ordered, "Secure the area. Cassie, do a headcount and note any wounded. Sophie, with me."

The operation was methodical and efficient. There was no grand speech, no unnecessary violence. Gabriel’s sheer presence and the reputation that preceded him were enough to quell any fleeting thoughts of rebellion. Under the leader’s reluctant guidance, they reached the storage room.

The door was opened, revealing disappointing but expected goods. There were crates of canned food, sacks of grain eaten by weevils until almost dust, and a few boxes of low-quality ammunition. The weapons rack held a collection of poorly maintained rifles and melee weapons.

"It’s not much," the leader mumbled, slightly ashamed.

"It’s a start," Gabriel replied, his expression unreadable. He wasn’t disappointed; he had expected as much from a minor warlord’s camp. "Sophie, supervise the loading. Take all the food, every last can. Leave the weapons for now."

Sophie nodded, her emerald eyes gleaming as she began directing a few of the more able-bodied camp inhabitants to start carrying the provisions to the cargo truck. She worked with a quiet competence that commanded respect.

While the loading commenced, Gabriel turned his attention to the people. He climbed onto the top of the truck, the metal groaning under his weight. Every eye turned to him.

"Crane is dead," he announced loudly. "The chain of command that failed you is broken. You have a choice now. You can stay here and slowly starve, defending this patch of dirt until the next Crane comes along. Or you can come with me and join my Broke Dawn Guild."

He didn’t promise them paradise. He didn’t offer them empty words of glory. He presented a simple, brutal fact.

"My camp has walls. It has discipline. It has a future. The work will be hard. The rules will be strict. But you will eat. You will be protected. Those who can fight will be trained. Those who cannot will contribute in other ways. The choice is yours. You have three minutes to decide."

Gabriel jumped down, ignoring the immediate buzz of conversation that erupted. He didn’t need to persuade them. He was offering survival, and in this world, that was the most compelling argument there was.

Sophie frowned, feeling that three minutes was a very short amount of time for them to make a decision, but she didn’t comment.

When the three minutes were up, the result was unanimous. Not a single person chose to stay. They gathered their meager belongings and fell in behind the truck as it began its slow journey back to Gabriel’s base.

Most of them didn’t have access to the internet, so they didn’t know Gabriel’s full reputation. Still, they had caught rumors of what he was capable of.

Besides, their instincts told them that following the red-haired man was the best choice for now.

---

The return procession was a stark contrast to Gabriel’s swift departure. The large cargo truck, now loaded with supplies, moved steadily at the front, followed by a slow-moving line of over six hundred people. Gabriel rode in the passenger seat, his eyes constantly scanning the horizon, while Sophie and Cassie drove.

Back at the main camp, the guards on the newly reinforced walls spotted the approaching column long before they arrived. Sniperbowlegend spoke through the comlink.

"Incoming vehicle and a large group on foot. It’s the leader. And he’s... brought company."

By the time the truck came to a halt outside the gates, Anna, Bunny, Ragnarok99, and the other core members were waiting. Their eyes widened slightly at how quickly it had taken to capture the camp and return.

"They took over the camp in the span of two hours," BrawlerX whistled.

"Wrong, you’re including the travel time going and coming back. If we remove that, it’s much less."

Gabriel was the first to step out. "Open the gates. Anna, Bunny—get these people processed. Find them temporary shelter in the empty barracks. Ragnar, organize a detail to distribute water and get healers to attend to the wounded."

The camp reacted with surprising efficiency, even surprising Gabriel. Little did he know his team had been anticipating this. With swift orders and guidance, the crowd was guided inside.

Meanwhile, the former leader of Crane’s base watched everything, his jaw slightly slack. He had expected a bandit stronghold, but this was something else entirely. The walls were impossibly sturdy, the people moved with purpose, and the chain of command was seamless. A profound sense of relief washed over him; he had made the right choice.

As the new arrivals were settled, Gabriel called a brief meeting in the surveillance room with his core members, plus Sophie and Cassie.

"The food we brought back is a stopgap," Gabriel began, cutting straight to the chase. "It might buy us three, four days at most with our increased numbers. The mission to the northern trade route is now critical."

Suddenly Sophie raised her head and asked in a soft yet pleasant voice that made the hearts of some men present tremble, "Can I speak?"

"Yes, go ahead," Gabriel nodded as he leaned back.

"Instead of attacking the northern trade route, why don’t we buy food from the Valerian Kingdom instead?" she suggested, her expression thoughtful.

Gabriel tapped the table twice, his eyes fixed on her. "Sounds good in theory," he said evenly. "But let me explain why that won’t work."

"First: distance. The Valerian Kingdom isn’t next door. Moving a convoy that far with this many mouths to feed is suicide. Bandits, otherwoldwers, beasts, they’d bleed us dry before we even got halfway."

He raised a second finger. "Second—money. We don’t have a functioning currency reserve. The kingdom doesn’t take promises or scraps of gear in exchange for food. They want Valerian dollars, and lots of it. Even if we pooled every copper here, it wouldn’t be enough to buy a week’s rations for over three thousand people."

"Third, and most important of all." Gabriel’s tone became serious, and everyone stared at him intently.

***

AN: Just incase you missed it, this book has the Kingdom Building Tag.