Opening of Change, Trading License!

Whenever capital became involved in a market, the information ordinary people received was bound to arrive a full step slower.

That was true for news of disasters, and it was also true for news of rising grain prices.

Perhaps when the Game Panel had notified the lords of the various territories half a month ago, those large territories that held the dominant positions had already informed them in advance and begun plotting the entire plan.

At first, they might have promised these lords certain benefits. They might also have made them some kind of guarantee. That was likely why the news had remained hidden.

But by now, at least one thing was certain.

The hail disaster had already passed.

But on the wasteland, the disaster belonging to ordinary people had only just officially arrived!

"What? The grain price in our territory has actually risen to two Trading Points per kilogram—seven times the original price! This price is even more expensive than in the Tian Yuan Territory. Has that old bastard Philip gone insane?"

"Damn, 2.8 Contribution Points for a kilogram of old grain and 3.1 for a kilogram of new grain? Why doesn't he just rob people?"

"What? You want me to bring grain back from the Tian Yuan Territory? How is that possible? Don't you know how much tax an individual has to pay to transport grain out of a large territory? It's several times the grain price at the very least!"

"Something's wrong. The grain price in the Tian Yuan Territory has gone up too. It's three Contribution Points per kilogram now."

"It went up too? Damn it, before the disaster, I was still wondering whether I should stock up on some grain. Now we're screwed."

"That's incredible. Our small territory of just over a thousand people is