Ayesha, Nancy, and the others rested for a while before immediately continuing their journey.
Clatter, clatter…
When passing through the checkpoint, thanks to Ayesha's presence, they weren't subjected to the same strict inspection as last time. Any checks would be handled over at the customs.
"We're almost there. Past the grain fields ahead is Sedona City," Ayesha said happily.
After being away, she was finally back in Sedona City. She somewhat missed Sedona City's food, her bed, and everything else. She wondered if there were any new changes in the city.
"Ayesha, after arriving in Sedona City this time, are you still going back to the territory?" Nancy asked curiously.
"I probably won't go back." Ayesha shook her head and said softly, "I told Big Sis that I can't be of much help in the territory anyway, and they'd have to get distracted to look out for me. So, I'll just stay in Sedona City and visit the territory when I have free time."
"That... alright then," Nancy replied helplessly. She knew the cow-horned girl made some sense.
Currently, the territory's main focus was to feed its people, not to expand, so it didn't really matter whether Ayesha was there or not.
Moreover, the cow-horned girl actually had a mission for this trip to Sedona City. She had brought Bella's requests to negotiate with Lucas.
"Since you're in Sedona City this time, stay an extra day. I'll take you out to eat some delicious food," Ayesha said happily.
"Sure." Nancy nodded; she still had to wait for the results of the negotiation anyway.
Clatter, clatter, clatter...
The rapid sound of hooves approached, drowning out Ayesha and Nancy's conversation. They turned to look and saw Parkin urging his horse forward to catch up with them.
"Lord Pakin, is there something that matters?" Nancy asked strangely, thinking to herself, Is this old man trying to sweet-talk us again?
"Cough, cough... I just wanted to come and understand the situation here," Parkin coughed twice.
"What situation?" Nancy frowned.
"The cultural situation. For example, literacy and the cultivation of grain," Parkin said in a deep voice.
He wanted to get a grasp of Sedona City's situation so it would be easier to sweet-talk... ahem, to develop believers later.
"If it's about Sedona City, you'll have to ask Ayesha. We aren't familiar with this place." Nancy shifted the topic to the straightforward cow-horned girl, waiting to watch a good show.
"Oh? Then Miss Ayesha, could you please tell me about the situation here, so that I may spread the faith of the Divine Lord?" Parkin said amiably.
"Sure." Ayesha nodded. Talking about non-confidential matters regarding Sedona City wasn't a problem.
"May I ask, can the people of Sedona City eat their fill every day now?" The corners of Parkin's mouth curled up. Food was always an issue, and he always used it as his starting point.
"Probably, they should be able to. I'm not entirely clear on this," Ayesha frowned. She was only a patrol captain responsible for catching criminals. She genuinely didn't know much about whether others had enough to eat.
But these words took on a completely different meaning in Parkin's ears. Using words like 'probably' and 'should' clearly showed a lack of confidence, meaning she was just trying to save face.
Digging deeper, it meant that the commoners of Sedona City couldn't eat their fill. A situation like this was the best for him; starving commoners were the easiest to trick.
As long as he gave them a little food, and did so a few times, he could perfectly convert them into believers. Then, by picking a few as role models and manipulating things from behind the scenes, he could easily incite a riot.
Of course, his goal wasn't a riot. Developing believers would simply allow him to live a better life here before finding an opportunity to return to the Yadian Kingdom.
"Then is there a lot of wheat planted? I heard the wheat yield here is very low." To be safe, Parkin decided to ask a bit more.
"Not a lot, I think. I really don't understand this." Ayesha recalled the things planted in the fields; there were so many varieties, and she didn't even recognize most of them.
"So that's how it is," Parkin nodded and said faintly, "What a pity. Our Yadian Kingdom plants a great deal of wheat; even ordinary commoners can eat wheat bread."
"That's good?" Nancy asked in surprise. She exchanged a glance with Obi, both of them practically ready to suggest going to the Yadian Kingdom to pillage it.
"..." Obi frowned. He was wondering if the Yadian Kingdom was far from here. If it wasn't far, they could expand over there and borrow some food to bring back.
"Of course. Our Yadian Kingdom is a kingdom blessed by the Divine Lord," Parkin said proudly.
"We've reached the grain fields," Ayesha suddenly spoke up. She looked at the expansive fields before them, filled with busy people everywhere, many of whom were harvesting vegetables and other crops.
"This..." Parkin was dumbfounded. What was going on? This massive expanse of planted crops was even larger than the grain fields near the royal capital of the Yadian Kingdom, and its layout was several times better.
Wasn't Sedona City supposed to be a small city? Didn't the people not have enough to eat? How could they be growing so much food?
Could it be?
Parkin immediately thought of a possibility: the nobles of Sedona City were extremely greedy and levied heavy taxes, leaving the commoners with barely enough to eat.
He knew the new Queen of the Yadian Kingdom was implementing reforms, including a tax reform that reduced the previous 60% tax rate to 50%, making many commoners endlessly grateful.
It was also from this point that he learned commoners would become completely devoted as long as they were given a little bit of benefit. Therefore, he decided to thoroughly promote the Yadian Kingdom under the rule of the Divine Church.
"The changes are so huge," Ayesha sighed with emotion. Before she left, it was a vast sea of green, but now much of it had turned a mature golden yellow.
"It's passable. This grain field is only a little worse than those in the Yadian Kingdom. It's quite good," Parkin said faintly.
"Is that so? I definitely have to go take a look at the Yadian Kingdom when I get the chance," Ayesha said with interest. She was still very curious about other kingdoms.
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200 power stones.
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