216: Chapter 130, The Neighbors Didn’t Hoard Grains_2 216: Chapter 130, The Neighbors Didn’t Hoard Grains_2 In the small teams formed by each, there was no place for Baron Ezekiel.

The desire to form alliances was met with collective opposition from all sides.

Neutral nobles weren’t fools.

How could they associate themselves with someone who only had a false reputation?

No matter how good his persuasion tactics were, they couldn’t outweigh everyone’s ability to weigh the pros and cons.

If this pattern continues, the reputation he painstakingly accumulated would quickly diminish.

…

In Dardiel City, the situation compelled the nobles of the North to convene and discuss strategies.

However, their discussion wasn’t about picking fights, but rather gathering enough food.

“Honorable Baron West, life has become unbearable.

Please come up with some solutions!”

Due to the locust plague, the Bertelli Territory’s fall harvest was less than a third of the normal yield.

Even before the plague, the sown areas were minimal, and now this.

To reduce food consumption, I’ve ordered all my domain people to halt procreation, and have also reduced food supply.

Even my lordship’s food standards have been brought down accordingly.

Now, I dare not eat even a piece of roast meat but have switched to soup in order for my subjects to get some meat broth.

Still, it is like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water.

If the current food storage persists, we will run out of food within three months.

The locust plague still rages on and anyone who can move in the territory is already fighting in the locust extermination.

Yet, the locusts seem endless.

We kill one swarm, and another one appears, we can’t catch every last one.

Looking at the current state, we can’t count on fall farming.

I have no clue how we’ll survive the upcoming days.”

Baron Bazell spoke with deep concern.

While his claim that they will run out of food in three months may be an exaggeration, a famine is indeed imminent.

In anticipation of an emergency, Bazell had truly done his best.

Inside his territory, even the slaves had started catching and eating locusts.

Even though they knew locusts were poisonous, dying from poison is better than dying from hunger.

Thanks to their robust physical resistance, some orcs survived, while many others lie on hospital beds howling in pain.

If nothing unexpected happens, these incapacitated beings are now at the risk of elimination.

Not only are the slaves miserable, but the serfs also have it difficult.

Their food supply has also been drastically reduced, and driven by hunger, many have also resorted to eating locusts.

While witnessing all this happen, Baron Bazell turned a blind eye.

For the Bertelli Territory, if they don’t procure a new food source, then the only effective strategy to combat the crisis is to reduce the population.

“Alright, Bazell.

At least there’s a small river in your territory where you can catch some fish for sustenance.

My territory is in an even worse situation.

Apart from bare land, we have nothing left.

Those damned locusts are not even sparing wild vegetables.

If this continues, I might have to eat soil.”

Knight Justin bitterly satirized the situation.

It doesn’t get any worse, only more so.

Perhaps native nobles believe the locust disaster faced by the Northern Lords less severe, but the damage suffered is equally devastating.

…

Listening to everyone’s relentless grievances, Baron West could only feel his scalp tingle.

“To wear the crown, one must bear its weight; to grasp the rose, one must endure its thorns.”

In enjoying the privileges of being the leader, one must also shoulder the responsibilities.

Not to mention, the former wealth and prosperity of Dardiel City were propped up by these subordinates.

Now that his subordinates are on the brink of starvation, how as their leader could he not respond?

Regrettably, Baron West is also short of food.

Although he successfully hoarded a batch, the end of this locust disaster is nowhere in sight.

With his own territory reducing food consumption, how could he have the resources to assist others?

“The situation faced by you all is similar, and the essence of all issues ultimately stems from food shortage.

The scope of this locust disaster is too wide.

All local nobles have temporarily suspended external food sales.

In the short term, we can hardly purchase enough food from the Southeastern Province.

As of now, we can only organize merchant teams to visit other human kingdoms and explore if there is a possibility of procurement.

The closest kingdom to us is the Black Forest Kingdom, but unfortunately, the Black Stone Mountain Range blocks our path, forcing us to take a long detour.

Sending people there is simple, but transporting large quantities of food back is a significant challenge.

Besides the prolonged time that will be spent, half of the food would be consumed on the way back.

The simplest method would be to take a water route, but unfortunately, most of the coastal ports are under the control of the Dalton Family.

Considering Governor Piers’ hostility towards us, the possibility of him allowing us access is slim to none.

Even if permission is granted, the vast ocean is extremely dangerous.

It’s not surprising if an entire army is lost at sea.”

Baron West’s words undoubtedly poured cold water on everyone.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to find solutions.

However, he has exhausted all possibilities and none is reliable.

They cannot buy enough food locally and although food can be purchased externally, the problem is the inability to transport it back.

The total population of the nobles of the North present there was around seventy to eighty thousand.

Including the slaves, the population exceeded a hundred thousand.

Consideration must also be given to livestock.

Not to mention cattle and sheep, food for war horses surely cannot be reduced, right?

To solve the food shortage, a minimum of tens of millions of pounds of food have to be imported.

Managing such a huge deficiency and having to detour almost a thousand miles, land transportation is out of the question.