Chapter 95: Grains, Whispers, and Rising Tensions
He had left every time they stopped in one of these small roadside villages.
"He said he was going out," Rex reported. "Said he’d be back by the time we’re ready to leave."
"Where does he always go?"
"He mentioned something about a church," Rex answered. "He took a bag of Moongrain from the wagon with him."
"He brought Moongrain? We were carrying that kind of stuff?"
Moongrain was a grain grown in wet rice paddies. Each grain was large—much bigger than wheat—and it filled the stomach more effectively. It had a chewy texture and was satisfying to eat. It could be dried and stored, and whether it was steamed or boiled, it tasted good. It was also versatile when ground into powder. It was an excellent grain, but it only grew in warm places with plenty of water. That’s why it was one of the main crops in the Kingdom of Nabradia.
Shiao Yi had been quite surprised when he saw the unprocessed seeds for the first time.
"This looks like rice... but it’s huge. About the size of an almond. I thought it was some kind of potato or dumpling when I first ate it. I even used it as a thickener in soup. Huh, so it’s high in calories too. They say things change depending on where you are, but this really caught me off guard."
Just eating three grains of Moongrain could make a person as full as if they had eaten a loaf of bread.
In Rosaria, it wasn’t only a common food; it was also stored for emergencies and used heavily for military supplies.
"Captain Dominic, didn’t you check what kind of goods Aaron was carrying?"
"There’s no need to worry about that, is there? It’s for cover. Just leave it to Aaron."
Louis looked surprised by how casually Dominic dismissed it, then turned to Rex and asked, "What’s Aaron planning to do by taking Moongrain to the church?"
They were currently eating breakfast at a table. The food didn’t include any dishes made with Moongrain, probably because Dalmasca didn’t get many imports of it.
Overall, the quality and quantity of the food weren’t good.
They realized now that the first town they stayed in had the best meals.
That was probably because it was closer to Rosaria, where the supply chains were stronger.
Dalmasca didn’t have much land suitable for farming and they often lacked water.
The food situation here might actually be pretty bad.
In a country like that, bringing in Moongrain could make for a profitable business.
"There’s an orphanage at the church," Rex explained. "It looks like he’s donating the Moongrain there. But knowing Aaron, there’s no way he’s doing something that noble for free. He must have something else in mind. Maybe the church hired him to investigate something?"
The temples weren’t located everywhere, so each village or town had its own local church instead, which handled daily worship and blessings.
The churches also took in orphans and children without families, playing a key role in keeping towns running smoothly.
They also performed blessings for newborns and at the same time, checked their magical power.
That information would later be sent to the Central Magic Association.
While churches were part of the temple system, they also worked closely with the Central Magic Association.
"More importantly," Louis lowered his voice and continued, "it’s getting pretty tense around here now."
He had gone out to the tavern again last night.
Amal nodded at Rex and followed up. "They’re recruiting way more soldiers than when I joined. I joined for the decent pay, but now it’s like they’ve given up all pretense and are grabbing anyone they can. The tavern was full of old folks. Everyone was complaining that there’s no one left to work. Tensions are definitely rising."
"Are the military factions trying to gather as many soldiers as they can just to gain an advantage over their rivals? Seems like they only care about their own power, not about the people at all."
Rex shook his head in disappointment and stabbed his fork into a piece of overcooked tough meat.
Amal took a sip of his tea and then looked up, his expression turning serious. "After traveling with all of you and seeing the villages along the way, I’ve started to wonder if overthrowing the monarchy might’ve been a mistake. People like us at the bottom never really knew what was going on. One day we just heard that the army had taken control. We were told the evil king was gone and that a better era was coming. So we all celebrated, even though we didn’t really understand anything. We just thought, ’If the army did something that amazing, joining them must be a good idea.’ That’s how most young people felt back then. We all signed up. But life didn’t magically get better. The army life was hard and the way we lived didn’t improve at all. The roads only got more dangerous. Now I look back and wonder what all that chaos was really for."
Rex gave up on the tough meat and looked up. The edges of the meat were so burnt they had turned to charcoal.
"There are people in Mitromica who’ve come to their senses, just like that," he said. "Amal’s trying to make contact with them. Why not let him handle it?"
"If we can form an alliance with a group that’s against the current military regime, it’ll give us more freedom to move," said Dominic. "Rex, you help him out. Louis, stick to the original plan—make contact with the people loyal to the Supreme Commander who’ve gone underground. Something might happen before we even reach Mitromica. Don’t let your guard down."
"Got it," Louis replied.
With a soft clink, Shiao Yi placed his teacup down on the table.
"Since I have no magic, I can sneak in without anyone noticing me. I’ll use my five senses and thoughts to read the presence of others."