Sacrifice?

It was afternoon, Distant Harbor was faintly filled with the aroma of wheat.

At dozens of distribution points throughout the city, hundreds of thousands of people lined up to receive free wheat.

The grains are golden and plump, without any grit or impurities, and emit a captivating aroma.

Only the granaries of lords and nobles would contain such fine grain.

Men supported their parents, women carried their children, one family after another.

They have learned to line up.

Even though the number of Suppressors of Rebellion responsible for maintaining order was far less than last time, the citizens remained orderly, without any noise or disturbance, neither anxious nor pushing.

There were still clever people who tried to receive the food multiple times, but they were all identified on the spot, stripped of their identification, flogged, and had their food confiscated and thrown into the street as a warning to others.

They were met with disdainful and contemptuous stares from others.

The so-called combination of kindness and severity.

Trust was strengthened once again.

Trust is most easily solidified when it is wavering. Many people present had complained about Kang De during those difficult ten days because of soaring food prices and hunger. But now that food has fallen from the sky and His Highness has generously provided food for five days, the little thoughts and doubts that had once appeared in their hearts have long since vanished. They even have a compensatory mentality, determined to draw a clear line between themselves and their past doubts and wavering. The best way to do this is to praise and extol His Highness Kang De even more.

In this psychological shift, a profound impression will gradually be left.

His Highness Kang De is merciful.

His Highness Kang De is cruel.

Your Highness Kang De... is just.

Everything was orderly, everyone wore a smile, and their eyes were full of hope.

This is Distant Harbor today.

... a part of...

"It's all over! It's all over! It's all over!"

For every person who laughs, there is someone who cries.

While the common people happily received their food, after a long and agonizing midday filled with hunger and fear, the heavily guarded city hall, with its doors tightly shut, finally opened.

In the Justice Hall, one by one, dejected nobles hurried out.

In stark contrast to their previous high spirits and elegant arrogance, they staggered, looking like stray dogs, heads bowed and faces hidden, as they ran away as fast as they could.

The Tulip District, where the elite gathered, was now shrouded in a cloud of fear.

The fragrant gardens were no longer filled with joyful songs. All the salons, afternoon teas, and balls had come to an end. The beautiful young ladies had retreated to their boudoirs, the ladies had hastily canceled all their schedules, and the dashing young men had all gone home. All the family members were trembling with fear, not daring to utter a sound, including the maids and servants.

Because the head of the family... every head of the family is unleashing their thunderous rage.

And endless fear.

In the Hoyce Family mansion, the current head of the family, Count Hoyce, roared loudly in his antique study. He was in his prime, with slicked-back black hair and an elegant monocle. He was a well-known gentleman in Distant Harbor. His family controlled one-third of Distant Harbor's sugar business and owned more than a dozen farms in the Azure Waves Province. Of course, he had also gotten involved in this economic war.

And now, ever since he returned from city hall an hour ago, he has been roaring and roaring.

His collar was ripped open, revealing his bright red chest. At this moment, Count Hoyce had completely lost his composure, his eyes bloodshot, like a wild beast.

He cursed wildly, cursing himself, cursing the shameless Han Zezheng, cursing the incompetent Governor Norman, cursing the useless elves, and cursing the damned dragons.

But one person was always intentionally or unintentionally omitted from the list of targets of the curses.

However, this does not mean that there is no anger in his heart.

It's just that fear outweighs anger.

Count Hoyce, pacing back and forth and yelling in frustration, suddenly caught sight of the bookshelf. A surge of anger erupted within him. "Cathay! Cathay! Cathay! Why is it always Cathay!"

He grabbed the piece of Cathay porcelain from the bookshelf and reached out to smash it.

But the next moment, the count shuddered, and the muscles in his hands, which were about to slip away, tightened again with the speed and pattern of a conditioned reflex. He held the nearly broken Cathay in his hands tightly and carefully, as if holding a baby, placed it back on the shelf.

Then he roared, "Bastard! Bastard! Bastard! How could this happen!"

Six or seven people stood in the room, heads bowed, silent and barely daring to breathe.

These people belong to the monkeys.

From the moment they witnessed Kang De distributing the grain, the heads of the Hoyce Family's businesses knew something terrible was about to happen. The grain trade, which had been bustling just a moment ago, was completely halted. Even those who had paid deposits turned around and left. The spectacle of grain falling from the sky was seen by the common people as a miracle of the god of harvest, but to them, it was the horn of destruction.

They waited for a long time at the manor before the master was finally released. But the usually shrewd and wise master did not put their minds at ease. Instead, he acted like an ordinary person, raging, roaring, and smashing things.

The henchmen remained motionless, their eyes fixed on their toes, listening to their master's furious roar.

Yet, a feeling of inexplicable contempt welled up within me.

"You're nothing special..." They felt a surge of satisfaction.

Even though they had also secretly invested money in this booming grain business, and even though they knew they would inevitably suffer heavy losses this time, they were still not as badly off as the head of the family. Besides, they had already found ways to shift many of their losses onto the Chamber of Commerce.

As for other things... that's none of their business.

It's such a pity, all that vast estate, those magnificent buildings, and that beautiful young woman...

The door was quietly pushed open.

A fragrant breeze wafted in, and a graceful noblewoman leaned in. She was about thirty years old, plump and supple, with well-maintained skin. Her hair was styled in an elegant updo, and she exuded nobility from head to toe. Only the most noble ladies could possess such grace—meaning they were completely free from labor and had plenty of time to spend on pampering themselves every day.

The moment she entered, the somber study instantly warmed up, as if a whiff of meaty aroma wafted in. Several henchmen, heads bowed and hunched over, glanced quickly at their sister-in-law before hurriedly lowering their heads again; some were still stealing glances.

Count Hoyce glanced at his wife and sighed, "Annie, you go first..."

"My dear, I've just returned... from Mrs. York's salon," the lady whispered. "I heard some things happened... Mr. York returned without even saying hello."

The frustrated count wanted to lash out, but a glance at his wife left him with nowhere to vent his anger. His face fell, and he slowly exhaled, "Yes, it's over, Annie, it's almost over."

He slumped back into his chair, looked at his wife, and gave a bitter smile.

"I regret it so much, Annie, I should have listened to you..."

The count buried his face in his hands and shrugged weakly.

Mrs. Annie gestured for the people in the room to leave. After they left, she came forward, placed her hand on her husband's shoulder, and whispered, "What happened?"

Hoyce's body trembled uncontrollably.

It was a powerful sense of shame and fear, and no matter how gently his wife comforted him, he could not suppress this instinct.

He recounted, in fits and starts, what had happened in the Justice Hall that day.

Han Zezheng his troops into the sacred noble hall, immediately revoked the governor's appointment, and issued Kang De's temporary decree. With the threat of weapons, no one dared to utter a word of dissent.

Then these nobles were put under strict control, like prisoners, and taken one by one to a series of strange magical devices. In front of those dark, gaping eyes, they held up signs, had their front and side photos taken to record their identities, and then swore an oath to that eye.

I swear to the Sula, the Sun God that I will not leave Distant Harbor until my suspicions are cleared and the Distant Harbor Provisional Government lifts my confinement order. Otherwise, I will voluntarily relinquish all honors, titles, and dignity, and voluntarily accept all punishments, treatments, and tortures without complaint.

They were also coerced into adding a sentence to their oath.

"Just like those former nobles who tried to incite the common people and betray His Highness Kang De during the Distant Harbor riots."

This is the ultimate humiliation.

The reason for this was their dissatisfaction with Kang De's treatment of those traitors, so they launched this economic war in an attempt to demonstrate their power and show Kang De their strength.

Now, however, they are trapped in their own territory and forced to say such things.

--Don't want to talk about it? That's okay.

Then you will be imprisoned as a criminal suspect accused of manipulating prices and harming civilians, awaiting investigation and sentencing—as for whether your family will be leaderless, whether your family business will be torn apart in this food crisis, and whether your wife and property will be seized by your relatives and brothers...

That's none of our business.

The resolute and unyielding nobles of the Distant Harbor all gave in.

After they had done all that, they were sent home.

Count Hoyce did not see this as kindness.

This is a cruel irony.

"He wants to see us struggle..."

At this point, Hoyce was trembling like a leaf.

Supervising commodity trading, suspending all lending activities, and demanding tax payments... these were like sharp arrows, precisely piercing the vitals. He could almost see the cruel smiles of the Cathayan.

"He's retaliating against and punishing us..."

With such enormous profits from grain speculation, nobles with limited cash naturally mortgaged their properties and businesses to borrow heavily. They believed they could make a quick buck and leave, deciding to sell as soon as they had enough. However, Kang De's timing was extremely cunning, and once he made his move, it was Shi Potian and ruthless.

The waves of wheat cascading down from the sky were like Forbidden Spell.

An economic Forbidden Spell.

In the most domineering, ruthless, and brutal way, it shattered all market confidence in one fell swoop.

"All grain trading has stopped... no one will buy anymore..." Hoyce said, trembling, "Because Kang De announced that he would be giving away grain for free for five days..."

"Ordinary people won't buy it anymore, because there are free options..."

"The merchants won't buy anymore; they're terrified by that mountain of wheat... If Kang De could move one, he might move ten or a hundred... Nobody dares to gamble..."

Hoyce turned his head, his eyes bloodshot, and looked at his wife. "The most vicious thing is that he gave us a five-day deadline. After five days, he will continue to sell grain at a price of five copper coins per pound. This price is one-seventh of the current grain price, and it was the stable grain price before the Battle of Distant Harbor..."

Annie's expression shifted, and she pondered for a moment before saying, "Five copper coins a pound... there might still be some left."

"It's hopeless..." Hoyce said sadly, "Kang De had already factored this in... If we nobles were united, worked together, and had no selfish motives, we could indeed put up a price war, but he gave us five days... he gave us five days..."

The count lamented, "Even the strongest alliances crumble within five days, because everyone wants to minimize their losses..."

He closed his eyes in despair as he said this, "Annie, I really regret not listening to you..."

His wife had given him a clear warning as the food price frenzy swept through the country.

Annie said that His Highness Kang De would never compromise or back down because of this, and that the nobles' provocation would only provoke him to greater anger, making him willing to retaliate and punish them at any cost.

He still clearly remembers what his wife said that day.

"It's not because of pride... I've heard rumors about His Highness Kang De and followed what he's done in Distant Harbor. He is undoubtedly benevolent, but this benevolence is neither hypocritical nor powerless; rather, it is built upon a firm will and great strength. This is evident in his Valentan Speech, which has been quoted countless times, and in the meticulous care he showed when distributing food to the common people of Distant Harbor."

"And his mercy is impartial, divine, loving every living being."

"So, what will be the consequences of the nobles driving up food prices? The common people will go hungry, and may even die of starvation, even if that's all... His Highness Kang De will not hesitate to punish everyone involved in this matter in any way he can... It will definitely be like that..."

That's what Annie said.

But even now, Count Hoyce cannot understand why Kang De would favor and favor such a lowly populace—why would they be so hostile towards us? We are far more powerful than them, and capable of offering far greater help, loyalty, and contributions. Why?

I don't understand, I still don't understand.

But the results have already spoken for themselves.

The wife's view is correct.

But at the time... he ignored it.

"What to do... what to do..."

He muttered, "It's all over, all over..."

In his quest for a fortune, he mortgaged his sugar business and family assets to borrow a huge sum of money, even at exorbitant interest rates, without batting an eye—because grain prices were rising even faster, and buying sooner meant making more money, so why not?

Now, all the stockpiled food is stuck in their hands.

Kang De first distributed grain for free, and then, five days later, forcibly locked the price of grain at five copper coins per pound. This move completely shattered the distorted grain market at that time. It is conceivable that within those five days, grain prices would experience an avalanche-like collapse, and panic selling would instantly push grain prices to unimaginably low levels.

However, he took out the loan when grain prices were extremely high...

It needs to be repaid.

Because it is a short-term, targeted loan.

The interest rates are very high.

It needs to be repaid.

Otherwise, the mortgaged family property would...

From beginning to end, Count Hoyce never even considered "reneging on the debt".

It doesn't mean he was an upright and trustworthy person.

It was Dragon Island that lent him the money.

What kind of free spirit would dare to renege on a debt with a dragon!

"--Calm down."

Hoyce, on the verge of collapse, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.

Looking up, he saw his wife staring at him with an unprecedentedly serious gaze.

He never imagined that those small hands, which had never held anything heavier than a teacup, could possess such strength.

"Darling, calm down. What's done is done. What we need to do now is minimize the losses, save our family business, and at the very least, save us, save me and my daughters..."

Hoyce thought of his girls, and his heart ached. "But..."

"There are no 'buts' about it; it's our responsibility as parents."

Annie's beautiful, round face was solemn. "First, we must make the most of our current assets, namely the grain we've stockpiled. Grain prices in the Distant Harbor are bound to collapse. Even if we sell at any cost, we won't be able to sell it..."

"The same applies to the entire Azure Waves Province; the trend of collapsing grain prices will inevitably spread from Distant Harbor to other areas."

"But it's different in other places!"

"Goth's other regions! Even overseas! Ultimately, this year's harvest on the mainland is excellent, and there is no food shortage. The soaring grain prices are inherently unreasonable. The reason for the extremely high grain prices in the Azure Waves Province is entirely due to external factors, which are closed and unique. In other words, grain prices in other regions will remain at their original levels... We need to sell grain to those places!"

"We need to get the grain out and sell it before anyone else figures it out!"

"Only in this way can we recover the maximum amount of funds!"

Hoyce blinked.

He stared at his wife in disbelief, as if he were seeing her for the first time.

After marrying her, this beautiful wife settled down to be a lady of leisure, spending a lot of time on pampering herself, watching plays, socializing with other ladies of leisure, and educating her children. She lived like this every day, and he gave his wife the same life as if it were his due.

Occasionally, his wife would chat with him about business matters, and after listening for a few words, he would laugh it off and change the subject. He believed that the lady of the house didn't need to understand these things; otherwise, what would be the point of having a man?

But now...

His wife's words were like a flash of lightning, illuminating his heart.

Overwhelmed by fear, panic, and helplessness, he suddenly realized what was happening.

"Yes!" he shouted, "We must minimize the losses!"

"Someone come here!"

The chamber of commerce leaders who were waiting outside rushed in.

The grain was taken out of the warehouse, vehicles were mobilized, and the captain and sailors were contacted to prepare for loading onto the ship.

Then a plan was devised, buyers were identified, and the grain was transported out of the Distant Harbor and Azure Waves Province as quickly as possible.

Everything proceeded smoothly and methodically.

After his underlings left, Hoyce breathed a sigh of relief and finally smiled slightly—he felt much more relaxed. He turned around, intending to praise his wife, but he saw that Annie's expression remained serious.

"... Annie, thank you," he said. "Is there anything else we can do?"

"No... rather, the real work is only just beginning."

The count asked blankly, "What?"

Annie looked out the window. In the sky, dragons were still circling, having played a major role in the attack and suppression earlier that day.

The noblewoman said softly, "My dear, I just thought of something—do you think that without Kang De's permission, would Dragon Island have entered the Azure Waves Province without authorization, borrowed money recklessly, and made a fortune?"

Hoyce didn't understand at first, but then his pupils contracted sharply.

The count took two steps back, his face contorted with shock, anger, fear, contortion, and hatred. He seemed to realize that it was all a setup, a trap set by Kang De —the evil Cathayan!

"We will have a hard time repaying our debts to the dragons... The dragons have plenty of ways to squeeze all our wealth out of us, especially with Kang De's promises or even instructions."

Annie said softly, "Unless..."

Hoyce seemed to see a ray of light in the darkness.

"Unless what?"

His voice had become hoarse.

"Unless we make some choice and... sacrifice."

The beautiful woman answered softly, biting her lip, her face pale. "You, me, even... the children... everyone in the Hoyce Family has an obligation to make sacrifices."

The count instantly understood his wife's unspoken meaning.

He revealed a twisted rage. He was not surprised by this. Because nobles had been high above others for many years and enjoyed too many pleasures that ordinary people could not imagine, their pleasure threshold was extremely high. In order to pursue more pleasure, they would always find newer ways to play.

The marketplace is like a battlefield, where bankruptcy, war, and disasters are common occurrences. Once-illustrious families fall into ruin, and once-noble and beautiful women lose their protection, sometimes even being pushed forward by their former protectors in exchange for a chance to rise again... Almost nobility cannot resist this temptation.

Count Hoyce also enjoyed it many times.

Those once beautiful and noble ladies, whose husbands held titles and positions even above his own, and those youthful and beautiful girls who once sweetly called him "uncle," now lay beneath him, murmuring softly with tears in their eyes. The unparalleled excitement and pleasure he felt captivated him, leaving him with endless aftertaste.

But when it comes to my own situation...

"I will absolutely not allow it!"

He said sternly, "We'll sell the grain outside! We'll raise some funds! Then we'll sell some of our assets, using the profits from the sugar business as collateral, and beg the Dragon Clan to extend the deadline! I will pay off this debt! Even if I go bankrupt, even if I lose all face, I will never let you and the children use your own..."

The next moment, there was a loud knocking on the door, and the stewards who had gone out to do errands rushed back with expressions of grave alarm, shouting, "Sir! The docks and shipping routes have been blockaded by the navies of the three nations, and the trade routes leading out of the city have been blocked by the Survey Corps. The cargo terminal and docks have received clear instructions from His Highness Kang De: not a single grain of food is allowed to be shipped out until this matter is resolved!"

Hoyce's mouth opened slightly, but he couldn't utter the rest of his bold statement.

He swayed, staggered back a few steps, and bumped into the bookshelf behind him.

Amidst the violent tremors, the Zhen Cathay porcelain piece placed on the bookshelf fell to the ground, shattering into pieces with a crash...

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PS1: I wrote too much today, seven or eight thousand words, but the rest is incomplete, so I can't write anymore. I'll go to sleep now... This chapter is six thousand words long. Goodnight.

PS2: I just discovered that I accidentally pasted the text twice while editing, resulting in two or three hundred words being repeated. I've already corrected it, and I'll be giving away a few hundred more words for free tomorrow. That's all.