Natural Disaster and Man-Made Calamity

In the agrarian era, food production was a nation's top priority. The escalating locust plague quickly drew the attention of the Alpha Kingdom.

At the Emerald Palace, with urgent reports frequently arriving from all over the world, Caesar III's mood remained unsettled.

"Has the matter of the locust plague been investigated?"

Did it happen naturally?

Or was it deliberate?

Faced with the King's soul-searching questions, all the ministers lowered their heads.

If the cause of the locust plague were so easy to find out, the problem would probably have been solved long ago. The provinces wouldn't be in such a panic now.

Unlike other situations, where the Royal Capital can send reinforcements, this level of locust plague cannot be eradicated even if all the nation's top experts were gathered there.

All we can do is find the Bug King that has transformed into a monster as quickly as possible. As for the remaining insect swarm, we can only use crude methods: smoke and fire.

Of course, organizing manpower to hunt and kill them is also essential. Using cloth, nets, and other methods to capture them are all standard operating procedures.

In the realm of the Lord of Dawn, the insignificant Locust God is of no use to the noble lords.

"Your Majesty, the locust plague came too quickly, breaking out in almost several provinces at the same time, and then rapidly spreading to the surrounding areas."

Judging solely from the corpses of the slain Bug King, it is indeed possible that some Bug King were artificially bred.

To confirm this, we need more samples. Ideally, we should capture a live Bug King.

Even if it's confirmed to be a deliberate act, with the current intelligence, it's difficult for us to determine which faction was responsible.

The Duke Newfoundland answered with a forced smile.

When faced with a powerful King, the prime minister's life is destined to be difficult. Caesar III was too shrewd; the usual bureaucratic maneuvering of appeasement and playing it safe simply didn't work here.

Knowing that the truth would not be satisfactory, the Duke Newfoundland still revealed the truth.

"As long as it's confirmed to be deliberate, that's enough. There are many powerful forces capable of orchestrating this, but not many would resort to underhanded tactics against us."

It was either the Beastfolk or the Church. Even if they act under the guise of Heretical Cult, they can only fool children.

"Pass down the order: capture the Bug King alive if possible. Since they're capable of such a thing, they can't be blamed for retaliating."

"That's what Caesar III said coldly."

The truth often doesn't need to be so precise. Anyway, there are only two families suspected, so it doesn't matter who did it.

Other major powers either have no enmity with the Alpha Kingdom, or they need the Alpha Kingdom to act as their gatekeeper.

They have no motive to do something underhanded. They can't just be bored and look for trouble, can they?

It's important to understand that creating a locust plague also comes at a cost. To really cause a stir, you'd need to cultivate at least one Bug King.

Most locusts only live for two or three months. The price they would have to pay to advance into magical beasts in such a short time is considerable.

Even if the Bug King were created, it wouldn't be under anyone's control. The intelligent Bug King wouldn't be foolish enough to be manipulated.

It is a biological instinct to unleash a locust plague, but the direction in which the disaster is released and when it is unleashed are all decided by the Bug King itself.

Some Bug King are even able to travel across several countries on their own before unleashing a massive locust plague.

Although the Alpha Kingdom is currently the one suffering, if the disaster isn't contained, who knows how many more countries might be affected in the future.

The probability of planning such an action backfiring is by no means low.

For example, even now, just by suspecting that the locust plague is man-made, Caesar III feels he should also prepare a share for his enemies.

Happiness lies in sharing.

How could the Alpha Kingdom enjoy such a rare and precious event as a locust plague all by itself?

Even if the judgment is wrong, it doesn't matter. Anyway, it's the enemy who gets hurt, so no matter how much trouble is caused, it's still a joyous occasion worth celebrating.

"Your Majesty, we must be cautious about the matter of revenge!"

It wouldn't be a big deal if it were just the Church. Anyway, everyone has already fallen out, so even if the Church finds out, they can't do anything to the kingdom.

As long as no evidence is left behind, the countries on the mainland will see the Church suffer a setback. No one will be on their side.

But the Orc Empire is different. A locust plague could very well lead to an earlier-than-expected invasion by the Beastfolk, and then the kingdom..."

Before the Duke Newfoundland could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Caesar III.

"Judging by the days, it's about time for a new round of Beastfolk invasion to begin."

The Behemoth Emperor, that old codger, has already celebrated his 300th birthday, and he has forcibly placed his youngest son on the throne.

The situation seems very favorable, with the peace faction firmly in control. But how much longer do you think that old codger can live?

Even if that old man doesn't die, it's the same if Crown Prince Alex dies.

The Behemoth Clan are born warlike. Any young crown prince who ascends the throne will be a representative of the pro-war faction.

Although the Behemoth Emperor enjoys great prestige, he is ultimately getting old. The emergence of a war-loving crown prince could also disrupt the current balance.

Behemoth Imperial Court is like this, the other royal courts are even more impatient. They've all been itching to act for a long time; the day when the Beastfolk invade the south is not far off.

Whether there's a locust plague or not, this won't change. Rather than waiting to be passively attacked, we might as well cause them some trouble first.

At the very least, a major famine would reduce the number of their vassal races. That would stop them from constantly resorting to swarm tactics, which is utterly disgusting.

Years of famine call for war.

Although it may sound hard to understand, that's the magic of politics.

If the locust plague is not too harmful, the Alpha Kingdom, which is still accumulating strength, will naturally not cause trouble at this critical juncture.

But if the disaster escalates and even affects next year's food production, then there is no other way but to go to war!

Asking for help doesn't guarantee food from other countries. But once the Orc Empire invades the south, none of its neighbors dare to refuse to provide food.

As one of the most powerful nations in the human world, if the Alpha Kingdom were to collapse, the probability that its surrounding neighbors could withstand the onslaught of the Orc Empire would be equally low.

At that point, it won't be a matter of loyalty or interests, but a life-or-death struggle between the two races of humans and Beastfolk.

Countless races suppressed by humans could seize the opportunity to launch a counterattack. A misstep could jeopardize humanity's dominance over the continent.

In more serious cases, there is even a risk of extinction of the entire race.

This was, in a sense, a high-stakes gamble. The stakes weren't just on the Alpha Kingdom; they involved the fate of the entire human race.

It may seem somewhat irrational, but for the Alpha Kingdom, this is a gamble they must participate in.

It was precisely because of its willingness to gamble and its ability to force human nations to join the gambling table that the Alpha Kingdom was able to withstand the Beastfolk' military might for hundreds of years.

If it had been weaker, facing the threat of the Beastfolk, it would have lost one city today and two more tomorrow, and the Alpha Kingdom would have long since disappeared into the annals of history.

Early the next morning, Hudson was awakened from his sleep by his maid. After a quick breakfast, he joined the assembled ranks.

Knights and mages alike mounted their warhorses and, led by Count Pierce, headed straight for Qiaomu County.

The feeling of galloping on horseback is truly exhilarating, but my kneecaps hurt a bit and my buttocks were also a little injured.

At one point, Hudson even considered abandoning his warhorse and riding a bear instead. At least the Beldens were stable enough that there was no need to worry about being thrown off.

Everyone was riding warhorses, and even the supposedly fragile young mage was now displaying the demeanor of a female knight.

As expected, the legends are all lies. While mages are said to be physically weak, that's only relative to knights of the same rank; compared to ordinary people, their bodies are still much stronger.

There are indeed fragile mages, but those weaklings don't even deserve to be here.

We're here to exterminate locusts, not for a picnic. Those mages who get exhausted after casting a few spells are just a burden.

Hudson's pitiful pride made him abandon the idea of riding the bear.

After all, there were so many people present, and quite a few of them owned magical beasts, and they all chose to ride warhorses.

The stated reason is that the monsters' powerful movement could disturb residents along the way.

When did you, sir, become so concerned about the people's livelihood?

Hudson admitted that his knowledge was somewhat insufficient. Rather than that, he preferred to believe that these guys couldn't control their monsters.

As highly intelligent beings, who doesn't have some dignity?

If you dare to use Warcraft as a laborer, be prepared that once you get to the battlefield, they might abandon you and leave you stranded.

Just like his own bear, when has he ever appeared in an event without paying a fee?

We insist on fair trade, where everyone gets what they need, so as to avoid repeating the tragedy of that unfortunate Chi You.

Fortunately, the warhorse, possessing a trace of magical beast blood, had greatly enhanced endurance and explosive power. The journey of several hundred miles was completed in a single day.

Aside from Knight Order composed entirely of knights, only the air force possesses such speed. Any other unit daring to advance at such a pace would surely exhaust its soldiers to pieces.

Seeing the familiar faces who came out to greet him, Hudson felt a deep sense of warmth, as if he had encountered the warmth of spring.

People who are not on the same path will not enter the same door.

Teaming up with a bunch of cultivation fanatics was also a kind of torture for Hudson.

They either remain silent, or once they do speak, the conversation almost always revolves around cultivation. Even if they don't directly discuss cultivation, they will automatically shift to exchanging cultivation experiences after a while.

This greatly upset Hudson, the Intermediate Mage /knight. He couldn't understand what they were saying, and he was easily misled by them.

Some of their bizarre ideas were constantly pushing the limits of Hudson's understanding. If someone were to be misled and follow their proposed methods of cultivation, no one knew what would happen next.

Despite these guys' repeated claims that it was their own unique cultivation method and that they had achieved their current strength by using these methods, Hudson firmly believed that it was all nonsense.

Who would be foolish enough to hand over their cultivation method to someone they're not related to? This is a skill that's essential for making a living and passing down through generations; even disciples might not necessarily teach it to them.

They explained even the details so clearly, it's obvious they just wanted to trick the Little White into training and provide them with data for reference.

Even when he tried not to listen, these voices kept echoing in his ears. This led Hudson to believe that these guys were plotting against him and had deliberately set a trap for him.

Seeing Count Pierce's equally dejected expression, Hudson abandoned the idea. The indiscriminate attack was clearly intended to lure all the talented youngsters into a trap.

The results were naturally not very good. Geniuses, after all, are never fools. They haven't even finished learning their own family's skills; why would they become Little White for others?

If he's really that stupid, he deserves to die. At least now that he's been fooled and ruined, only he himself is dying. But if he gets fooled again in the future, his whole family will suffer.

Reuniting with old friends should be a cause for celebration. But with a locust plague looming, there's really no joy to be found.

To allow everyone to conserve their energy, the welcome banquet was cancelled. All activities were kept simple, and even old friends didn't come to catch up.

This was undoubtedly a wise decision. After a long day, everyone was exhausted. Hudson was in that state, and the others weren't much better off.

Strong people have a strong will and can endure pain that ordinary people cannot, but that doesn't mean that everyone is immune to fatigue.

Reaching the county seat does not mean the mission is complete. Tomorrow we must go out again to intercept the locust swarm; to minimize losses, venturing into neighboring provinces is inevitable.

The Governor's Mansion will handle the communication in this matter; it's not Hudson's place to worry about it. All he needs to do now is prepare for battle and make sure he doesn't become a hindrance if they encounter a swarm of locusts.

As for fighting, that's the bear's job. Hudson's fighting prowess mostly lies in his archery.

There are those who bend their bows to shoot down giant birds, but who has ever seen someone bend their bow to shoot down locusts?

There was no banquet, but there were still plenty of small meetings. As the host of the main fighting force, Hudson was very honored to be present.

"The situation has changed. We just received a magical message from the Royal Capital. This locust plague may be man-made. We are instructed to capture the Bug King alive if we encounter it."

Reinforcements are on their way, but don't get your hopes up too high. Our mission is to find the Bug King from the locust army; luck plays a bigger role than having more skilled fighters.

This is true; the locust swarm posed little threat to those present. In past locust plagues, it's rare to hear of any skilled individuals perishing.

As they spoke, Hudson clearly felt everyone's gazes converge on him. His intuition told him that these guys had entrusted him, the "chosen one," with the crucial task of finding the Bug King.

At that moment, Hudson suddenly understood why he was so highly regarded. It turned out that besides his tough bear skills, everyone also valued his luck.

The aftereffects of the carefully crafted persona have surfaced.

So many legendary things happened to him. Although most of these stories were embellished for artistic effect, the sheer number of coincidences makes it hard not to believe them.

In normal times, this kind of "lucky" persona is most likely to impress people.

Unless absolutely necessary, no one wants to go against the "chosen one." Historical experience tells us that going head-to-head with the chosen one usually doesn't end well.

Those who enjoy the benefits of a "persona" must also bear the corresponding backlash. Fortunately, this time it's just about finding the Bug King, so safety is guaranteed.

Locusts, those tiny little things. Even if they were to advance to become magical beasts, their combat power would still be among the lowest of all magical beasts.

If it weren't for the fact that the Bug King could fly fast and command a large army of locusts, its meager combat power would not have been taken seriously at all.

"Your Governor, if the locust plague is controlled by someone, is the Bug King also controlled by someone?"

The Bug King, controlled by humans, can easily evade our sight and act as an ordinary locust, darting into our Southeast Province from any corner if it chooses to hide.

Ordinary magicians would find it difficult to distinguish between the Bug King and locusts, let alone ordinary people. This would inevitably increase the difficulty of identifying the Bug King.

Hudson decisively resorted to the tactic of shifting blame.

Since the Royal Capital says the locust plague might be man-made, then the lack of encounters with the Bug King is easily explained.

"Don't worry, Baron Hudson. The Bug King isn't so easy to control; even magical beasts have their own dignity."

Even forcing them to sign a master-servant contract won't make them genuinely cooperate. The Bug King might even intentionally reveal the identity of its controller.

Next, all we need to do is strengthen our defenses. We trust that the great Lord of Dawn will protect his followers and will certainly not allow the locust plague to continue unchecked!

Count Pierce gave a formulaic reply.

It's all correct nonsense; they've even chosen a scapegoat. If they fail to capture the Bug King, it's because the Lord of Dawn isn't protecting them, not because he, the Governor, isn't trying hard enough.

In the Fengyun Province, a rampant Demons plague swept across the land, devouring unripe wheat, soybeans, and all the crops that had not yet matured.

This was still not enough. The locust army, seemingly insatiable, not only devoured crops, but also the weeds and leaves in the fields.

The locusts devoured everything in their path; their massive army swept across the land, plunging the entire world into a deathly silence.

Having escaped the onslaught of the locust army, the noble lords then organized the serfs to hunt down the remaining locusts.

The sparsely scattered army of insect catchers, their pale faces etched with despair.

"A year of disaster has arrived!"

Any experienced farmer knows that in a year of great disaster like this, simply surviving is the greatest fortune. To have enough to eat is practically a dream.

Unsurprisingly, the noble lords issued orders to reduce rations. Not only did the food standards for serfs decrease, but the food standards for many minor nobles were also forced to be reduced.

Even though they were now served meat broth, and could still vaguely see bits of meat in their bowls, no one showed any joy as they looked at the food.

The locusts devoured everything, and there was not enough fodder on the ground, so the noble lords had no choice but to painfully slaughter their livestock.

Eating a good meal now means enduring a much longer period of hunger in the future.

As you can tell from the food, rye has temporarily been phased out of the staple food, and everyone is eating grains that were harvested in advance and are difficult to store for long periods of time.

In this desolate world, a special caravan constantly travels through the fields and villages.

The caravan's main business was to buy livestock slaughtered by noblemen, preserve them, and transport them to major cities for sale.

Such a brilliant idea is something most people wouldn't come up with. Other caravans only buy furs, but they even take the meat.

Exclusive sales do not necessarily guarantee a profitable business. Unless one is a nobleman, very few ordinary people can afford to enjoy cured meat products.

Especially in years of major disasters, people with money will prioritize purchasing food rather than luxury meat products.

None of this affected the old man's decision, because even if his business didn't make money, he had never lost money.

No matter how bad a product is, there will always be a sucker who will buy it at a price higher than the market price.

"Grandpa, these locusts are actually gnawing on the wood!"

As they traveled through this oppressive world, the little girl's innocent voice became a source of joy for the caravan.

But this time, no one was really happy. Locusts gnawing on wood was definitely not a good thing.

If all locusts were to evolve this ability, the disaster would be even more severe.

They might wake up one morning to find the carriage gone. For caravans traveling through the disaster area, this would be an absolute catastrophe.

"Guna, you're amazing! You even noticed that. But these locusts are no good; stomp them to death if you see them!"

As he spoke, the old man kicked out a pile of pebbles, which flew out and wiped out all the locusts in front of him.

The accompanying crew also sprang into action, constantly checking for locusts that might have infiltrated the convoy. If any were discovered, swift and decisive action was taken.

"Grandpa, you're lying! Someone saw it last time..."

Before the little girl could finish speaking, the old man covered her mouth and patiently instructed her, "Little girl, don't talk nonsense!"

These locusts have mutated and are now highly poisonous! If you want meat, Grandpa will cook it for you, but don't be greedy...

The little girl looked at the old man with a wronged expression. When did she ever say she wanted to eat locusts? It was clearly...