CHAPTER 150: CHAPTER 150: HOARDING GRAIN_1

"Ah!" Tiffany hadn’t expected her own family to be included in the arrangements and immediately voiced her objection, "Why this arrangement?"

"Rest assured, I will have someone prioritize their protection and ensure their safe arrival as much as possible."

"No, why do we have to go outside when it’s so safe in the city?"

"Ah," Lance sighed heavily and then explained, "You should know that most of the Empire’s grain is produced in the central plains. With the current situation, everyone has fled. Even if rain eases the drought, there’s no one to cultivate the land. It’s fair to say that recovery within a year or two will be difficult.

Now, every place has some grain reserves to rely on. Can you guess what will happen after some time?"

Tiffany fell into thought, processing Lance’s words. She seemed to understand the situation they were facing.

"When grain scarcity hits everywhere, the price of grain in a city like this will absolutely skyrocket, further agitating the people. You grain sellers will definitely be targeted first. Tell me, does that sound safe to you?

Walter is now managing the entire farm in Hamlet, so he doesn’t have to worry about food or drink at all. Although the conditions there are a bit worse than here, it’s safe. Let Walter worry about this place himself."

"But..."

"No buts. Go if you want, or stay if you choose. I’ve said my piece; whether you listen or not is up to you.

Just make sure to arrange the other matters today and ensure that tomorrow’s operations won’t be disrupted."

"I understand. I’ll go arrange it right now." Tiffany quickly grasped the implications.

More importantly, without him, her merchant company would have dissolved long ago. This man had no reason to harm her.

Tiffany hurried off to handle these matters, while Lance’s expression grew grave.

I must hurry; there isn’t much time left.

"Welcome back!"

When Lance heard that Dismas and the others had returned, he quickly left his quarters to greet them, just in time to meet Dismas and Reynard, who had taken off his helmet.

Seeing their haggard faces, Lance understood that their journey had not been easy. It could be said that the two had ridden day and night for three days straight; not just the men, even the horses were almost at their limit.

"You didn’t encounter any danger on the road, did you?" He raised his hand, casting a Bless and Strengthening spell on both men and horses to refresh them, then approached with concern.

As he spoke, two plainly dressed people descended from the carriage: a woman with a gentle face, and beside her, a boy who had already grown up and was almost as tall as his mother.

"This is the Lord," Reynard prompted, stepping forward to address the woman and boy.

"Good day, My Lord," the woman greeted respectfully, but the boy’s face showed clear defiance.

He didn’t say a word, instead scrutinizing the so-called Lord with dissatisfaction.

Lance saw the boy would be difficult to deal with and sensed Reynard must have had some trouble on this trip.

But Lance’s role wasn’t to be a silent, reserved father like Reynard. He immediately adopted an earnest expression, walked over, and took the woman’s rough hands, explaining apologetically,

"Madam, I am truly sorry. Reynard has been following me in establishing this territory, fighting against enemies for so many years without being able to return to see you.

The fault is entirely mine for his many years of absence. Now that the territory has just stabilized, I suggested we bring you over. After all, we are all family here."

Although Lance quickly let go of her hands, his enthusiasm left the woman somewhat overwhelmed, and an awkward expression appeared on her face.

"What are you doing? Let go!" The boy, seeing his mother’s distress, showed no fear of Lance’s status and stepped in front of her, determined to protect his mother.

Reynard frowned at his son’s actions and rose to intervene, but Lance raised a hand to stop him.

Instead, he met the boy’s gaze with a smile, patted him on the shoulder, and nodded in approval. "That’s right. As a man, you should protect your family. No wonder Reynard constantly tells me his son will grow up to be a true man. You haven’t let your father down."

The boy, perhaps not expecting such a reaction from Lance, turned to look at the father he had hardly known since childhood.

This made Reynard a bit embarrassed, but Lance, unfazed, continued to spout flattering words with ease.

"Reynard always talks to me about you..."

Lance continued to praise him, and in no time, the boy, who had been defiant in front of Reynard, was placated.

Children of that age fear neither heaven nor earth and always respond to softness rather than harshness.

Moreover, Reynard had left home when the boy was very young, so he was naturally unimpressed by this father who had suddenly reappeared.

But this was no great challenge for Lance. He went to great lengths to extol Reynard’s care for them, taking the blame upon himself to temporarily bridge the emotional gap between father and son.

"Alright, you’ve all been tired for so long. Rest well before we talk further."

They had been traveling by carriage for several days, so Lance naturally wouldn’t keep them standing. He made sure they were comfortably settled.

After arranging their accommodations, Lance turned to Dismas and Reynard.

"What was the situation on the road?"

"Refugees. We saw them all along the way, but thankfully, we weren’t attacked."

Natural disasters and human calamities... chaotic times are dawning, Lance mused. He quickly realized that in such situations, whoever controlled the food supply held the initiative. He immediately gave instructions:

"Food will definitely be in short supply in the next year or two. After you return, tell Walter not to sell grain but to collect it, regardless of quality. We need to get our hands on all the nearby grain. Money is no object; the more grain we have in storage, the better.

At the same time, start selecting some of the refugees to join the army. Use those thirty as the core, and expand to at least a hundred men..."

Hoard grain, hoard weapons; in times of chaos, I shall be king.

"My Lord, are we setting out again?"

Both men understood the implication. They had just traveled for three days, and although their physical exhaustion had been dispelled by the Bless spell, their mental fatigue was not so easily erased.

"I, too, would like to have the time to slowly appreciate the beauty of this world, but don’t forget what we’re up against. Every minute we delay, the corruption spreads deeper, the crisis draws closer. The people of our territory are waiting for us; the world is waiting for our salvation."

Hearing this, even Dismas couldn’t help but straighten up. "Don’t worry, My Lord. We will ensure the mission is completed."

"I’ll start preparing right now." Reynard also picked up his helmet, readying to stand up.

"No rush. We’ll set out tomorrow." Lance stopped them with a raised hand, soothingly saying, "It takes time to coordinate personnel and supplies, so rest easy for now. That way, you’ll be energized."

With that, Lance roughly explained the events of the past few days, both to divert their attention and allow them to relax, and to make them aware of the situation here.