Suspicion

Faced with the scattered swarm of insects, everyone had no choice but to split up and act separately.

After a night's rest, the battlefield has shifted from outside the province to within. To catch up with the swarm, Hudson has no choice but to "charge" again.

Based on intelligence provided by the Griffon Cavalry, they raced eighty miles before finally intercepting a swarm of insects.

The frustrating thing was that they couldn't find the Bug King inside, which made Beldens furious. He activated his Gravity Domain and kept weaving through the swarm of insects.

No matter how much Hudson tried to persuade him, it was no use. He only stopped when the swarm of insects scattered and fled.

Looking at the dead locusts, Hudson felt no pity whatsoever. They deserved their short lives, yet they tormented the locusts relentlessly.

Wouldn't it be better to have the final battle in Qiaomu County?

Even if it meant relentless attacks all night long, Hudson accepted it.

Anyway, as long as the bear can hold on, he won't back down.

At worst, you can just sleep on the bear's back. With the Earth Guardian magic, your safety is guaranteed.

The scattered swarms of insects now fill the Southeast Province, with each group far apart.

The distances between them range from a few miles to hundreds of miles, greatly increasing the difficulty of the pursuit.

The worst part is that after running for hundreds of miles and catching up with the swarm of insects, you can't find the Bug King anywhere.

All that work for nothing; now we can only go find the next swarm.

Hudson was prepared for this situation. Yesterday, he captured and killed more than a dozen Bug King, leaving very few remaining.

Whether these intelligent creatures would dare to enter the Southeast Province is still unknown.

Even with the drug that lures locusts, its allure is no longer so deadly to a being like the Bug King, which has ascended to the level of a magical beast.

Otherwise, the Governor's Mansion wouldn't need to go through all that trouble; they could simply release Locust Luring Potion in one area and let the locusts come to their deaths on their own.

Simply attracting ordinary locusts is of no benefit to the overall situation and is not economically viable.

After all, the effect of the pesticide is limited, while the locusts reproduce at an almost limitless rate.

Under normal circumstances, a female locust lays dozens of eggs at a time, which hatch in just over twenty days.

However, once Bug King appears, this speed can be further accelerated. Not only does the egg-laying speed double, but the hatching time is also shortened to two days.

If the Bug King is not killed, a locust army of hundreds of billions could be amassed in a short period of time.

It is estimated that even setting traps to kill locusts might not be able to keep up with their reproduction rate.

After two whole days of hard work, they had only managed to harvest one Bug King. This pace was unacceptable not only to Beldens but also to Hudson.

Fortunately, it wasn't just them who couldn't take it; the situation wasn't much better for other powerful figures as well.

The intense battle, which left everyone exhausted, failed to yield the desired results, severely dampening everyone's morale.

As the locust plague spread and affected their own territory, the people could no longer tolerate it!

After the first representative took his leave, the others followed suit.

The Bug King must be captured, but the most urgent task is to take care of ourselves first.

If the Bug King is spotted, you can easily seek help from the nearest location. Given the generous reward, no one will hesitate to lend a hand.

Hudson was no exception, and promptly resigned from his post as Governor of Pierce.

As for the rewards, apart from the gold coins for the bounty on the Bug King, the others will need to be negotiated privately by everyone.

There's no rush for this. We can discuss it slowly after the locust plague is eradicated.

Overall, this operation exceeded expectations. The reward for capturing eight Bug King is eight thousand gold coins.

The resources that can be exchanged behind the scenes are likely much greater than this.

In particular, the order to "capture them alive" was given by Caesar III, and given his style of doing things, it was unlikely that he would let everyone work for nothing.

The specific reward is unknown, but there will definitely be some return. Otherwise, Caesar III's reputation among the lower and middle classes wouldn't be as good as it is now.

Upon entering Laite County, Hudson immediately sensed something was wrong. Despite being in the southernmost part of the province, the locust plague was worse than in other areas.

The main force of the locust army was severely damaged by the experts organized by the Governor's Mansion, and the scattered swarms were hunted down by the nobles and lords along the way. Logically speaking, there should have been even fewer locusts in the rear.

Without bothering to investigate the reason, the man and the bear quickened their pace. As for the locusts along the way, Beldens naturally dealt with them.

As an ambitious bear, Beldens aspires to become a large rancher.

According to the plan, it was going to raise 10,000 sheep, 10,000 cows, and 10,000 beehives, and then have an endless supply of animal milk and honey, and an endless supply of roasted meat every day, thus reaching the pinnacle of bear life.

Locusts are undoubtedly a major enemy of rancher bears. Seeing them means either killing the wrong animal or not letting them go.

Under the influence of Gravity Domain, not only did the locusts along the way suffer, but other small insects also perished.

It would be even more perfect if it didn't accidentally damage any flowers or plants. With this natural pest control bear, you'll never have to worry about pest threats again.

Watching the thick smoke rising along the way, Hudson breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly, the noble lords had not yet given up, which meant the situation had not completely collapsed.

Unharvested grain is essentially doomed. However, if locust control is timely, autumn planting can still be saved.

Although this season's harvest wasn't great, it's better than nothing. We can get through next spring's harvest and be back to full strength.

Of course, this is just an ideal scenario. Anyone who has experienced a locust plague knows that it can cause problems for up to ten years.

Even if the locusts are completely eradicated, the eggs scattered across the land can be reborn the following year. Complete eradication is virtually impossible.

Even if the response is timely and a locust plague is prevented, these grasshoppers scattered across various regions still pose a threat to agricultural production.

If nothing unexpected happens, starting next year, everyone will have to learn to eat grasshoppers.

In the face of a large-scale reduction in grain production, taking extraordinary measures as an emergency measure is a last resort.

After taking Beldens on a tour of the territory and eliminating all the large-scale locust swarms, Hudson returned to the lord's manor.

"What happened? Why is the disaster so severe in the territory?"

Frankly, Hudson was satisfied with the disaster preparedness work in the territory. Although many problems arose, his plans were generally completed.

In the context of widespread locust plagues, not feeding all crops to locusts is a success in itself.

"Sir, I don't know why locusts are swarming into Leighton and Huaidun counties. The situation is better in the remote Mountain Territory."

The situation was truly dire in the plains. Several unfortunate lords had their crops completely devoured by locusts.

Even Baron Cayo, despite organizing a massive locust eradication campaign, ultimately saw Falling Leaf Town reduced to a wasteland.

Not only were crops completely devoured, but vegetation was also severely damaged. Even some wooden houses were attacked by locusts.

Strangely, the areas most severely affected by the disaster were the territories of the local nobles, while the territories of the Northern Nobles suffered slightly less damage.

Rumors are circulating that the locust plague was brought by the Northern Nobles. There are even whispers that someone has released Locust Luring Potion in the two prefectures.

A few days ago, our patrol team spotted someone acting suspiciously and found two small vials containing medicine. It's a pity they got away, otherwise..."

After hearing Tom's explanation, Hudson began to doubt whether he was the chosen one. Someone had come to poison him, but not only was he caught by the patrol, he didn't even have time to break the bottle.

Looking at the two medicine bottles in front of him, Hudson didn't rush to open them. Instead, he patted the Young Bear's head, signaling Beldens to go and check.

There was no other way; this world had too many underhanded tricks, and Hudson didn't want to die young.

On the contrary, the Earth Bear have very few methods, especially the Beldens, an unusual bear that is practically immune to all poisons.

It will put any kind of random food into its mouth. Even during the locust extermination campaign, many of the locusts that were roasted until crisp ended up in its stomach.

Poisonous?

If the Earth Bear was afraid of poison, Beldens wouldn't be alive today. Having followed Hudson for so long, I've never seen it get an upset stomach.

They haven't even had a single minor ailment like headaches or fevers. Their antiviral capabilities are definitely among the best in the entire Aslant Continent.

According to Beldens, Earth Bear are immune to all toxins and negative energy, and juvenile bears are also immune to most of them.

Beldens opened the bottle, sniffed it, and before it could give an answer, Hudson heard the buzzing of locusts.

Without the slightest hesitation, Hudson immediately went up and capped the bottles. Then he silently pondered how to dispose of the two bottles of reagents.

Hand it over to the Governor's Mansion?

It seems like we won't get much in return. Everyone knows that someone is releasing Locust Luring Potion in the Southeast Province, but we can't confirm the identity of the person involved. So, just two bottles of pesticides are meaningless.

Perhaps having this thing makes it easier to track down the mastermind, but you'll only be able to find the nobody pushed to the forefront.

The powerful forces behind all this wouldn't be foolish enough to leave such obvious traces. Even the person responsible for the poisoning might have been an unlucky hired hand.

Stay?

It made no sense to Hudson either. Although the thing could lure locusts over to kill them, with Beldens in charge, Hudson felt there was no need for such a fancy thing.

Bear Stearns had finally established a grand rancher's plan for his bears, and at this moment, Beldens was at the height of his confidence. If a swarm of locusts dared to come over, they would not be able to leave alive.

According to the agreement reached by both parties, Hudson will transfer 500 sheep, 200 cattle, and more than half of the beehives in the territory to Beldens.

In addition, it also provides breeding technology, as well as supporting industry services such as the leasing of herdsmen, forests, and grasslands.

As for the money, it'll have to be owed for now. The 8,000 gold coins reward isn't even enough to pay off the previous debts.

However, none of this is a problem. Based on their performance during this locust plague, the subsequent rewards will be enough for Beldens to pay off their debts.

Only bears with money in their pockets have the confidence to acquire property. If they were penniless like before, how could they even dare to ask for anything?

Now that the bear has its own industry, it's extremely protective of its offspring. It absolutely will not allow anyone or any insect to affect its food supply.

As for protecting Hudson's territory, that was just a side effect. After all, locusts can fly, and if they aren't nipped in the bud, they can easily spread.

"With the disaster so severe in Falling Leaf Town, didn't Baron Cayo ask his family for help?"

Hudson asked, puzzled.

A large-scale locust plague would be an astronomical loss for any lord.

This year's autumn grain harvest suffered heavy losses, and there's no hope for next year's autumn harvest either, or even the year after that.

A large number of locusts have entered the territory. If the eggs are not eradicated, then we can expect to be visited by locusts every year!

Once it reaches a certain scale, another locust plague will immediately follow. It can be said that it is like a wildfire that cannot be extinguished, and the summer wind will bring it back to life.

"It is said that they have asked for help, but the Dalton Family is too busy taking care of themselves to deal with a town."

The information comes from hearsay and may not be accurate. Because the Dalton Family is involved, we dare not plant intelligence agents there.

Andrea, who was in charge of intelligence, replied.

Hudson had no choice but to hand over the intelligence organization to an outsider who had only recently joined him.

Building an intelligence organization when you have nothing is no easy task.

Let alone gathering classified information, even collecting some public information is extremely difficult.

Who can explain the low population mobility?

In most territories, the situation is that no stranger will appear for ten days or half a month.

Any stranger approaching will attract the attention of the local residents. If you're not capable enough, they can easily track you down and find you.

Hudson only wanted to gather information; he had no intention of making enemies of his neighbors. Such animosity was something he absolutely couldn't do.

It's better to just leave it to "outsiders" so that if things get exposed, Lord Hudson can just say he didn't know anything.

They insisted that someone had planted a spy to sow discord among them.

If you don't believe me, you can check; these guys definitely have questionable backgrounds.

No matter which faction is implicated, it will clear Lord Hudson of suspicion. Since everyone is a victim, naturally everyone should direct their hatred towards the guy who planted the spy.

These are all lessons learned through painful life experiences. When it comes to shifting blame, Hudson is now a master.

As for the potential dangers of an intelligence organization growing stronger, that's pure overthinking. Under the current conditions, Hudson's intelligence organization simply doesn't have the potential to expand.

The servants used by nobles were all those who served the family for generations, bound together by their descendants, making it impossible for outsiders to infiltrate.

If you want to play the trick of selling yourself into slavery, then you'd better be a slave for generations first! Without the efforts of several generations, you simply cannot gain the master's trust.

Loyalty is hard to guarantee even after decades of espionage, let alone after several generations. Such a test of human nature is simply laughable.

Even if loyalty remains intact, the protracted infiltration process means that before the spies even get close to the core of power, Hudson will be on his deathbed, suspecting he's already dead.

Even spies can't infiltrate, so bribery is even harder. I reckon the moment the terms are agreed upon, someone reports you.

Decades, even centuries, of indoctrination cannot be shaken by a few words. The interests of servants have long been tied to those of the nobility.

Once the power of a faction declines, the servants who follow it will also suffer. Even if they want to betray, they need a master willing to accept them.

The extremely low population mobility meant that organizations like the Embroidered Uniform Guard had no place to survive on the Aslant Continent.

It's easier to bribe the nobles under one's command than to bribe their trusted servants. These people are united by shared interests and are equally capable of betraying one another for the same reason.

As long as the price for betrayal is high enough, there's no need to worry about people not betraying you.

Unfortunately, if he could afford that price, Hudson himself would have been a high-ranking nobleman long ago. Why resort to these underhanded tricks when a direct negotiation would suffice?

"Just keep an eye on them from a distance; there's no need to get too close. Observing the situation in the two counties, I have a feeling that someone is deliberately stirring up conflict."

Hudson said meaningfully.

It wasn't that he was being paranoid; the rumor of "poisoning by Northern Nobles" was just too fantastical. This was a locust plague, nothing more.

Although the territories of the Northern Nobles suffered relatively minor damage, it was only "relatively" minor; the actual losses were still considerable.

A year of crop failure might not starve the local nobles, but for the people of the North, it was a life-or-death ordeal.

If not handled properly, starvation is inevitable. The loss will not only be financial, but also the morale of the people in the territory.

For the Northern Nobles, causing a locust plague was a classic case of "killing eight hundred enemies while losing three thousand of their own."

In contrast, the local nobles were more motivated to do this. As the dominant force in the area, they could easily use their resource advantage to cripple these outsiders.

With this capability, there were only five or six local noble families implementing this plan.

Because of the lord's personal abilities and the level of investment from his family, there are even fewer people who have the ambition and motivation to do so.

As one of the main suspects, Hudson can be ruled out, so the mastermind is most likely another beneficiary.

If a large-scale food shortage were to break out, there would be very few families in the entire Southeast Province that could provide food to help everyone get through the crisis.

Fortunately, the Dalton Family behind Baron Cayo possessed this power.

With so many coincidences happening all at once, it's hard not to make Hudson think things through.

Suspicion aside, since the Dalton Family is involved, Hudson wouldn't easily make a statement without solid evidence.