"Why is it so noisy outside? What happened?"
When the great fire first started, the tents where the grain supervisor and the others were staying were far away, so they naturally did not notice it immediately. By the time they sensed something was wrong, an abnormal light seeped through the tent entrance, and the air inside had grown hot and scorching. They had indulged in wine that night, allowing its effects to invade their entire bodies, leaving their reactions sluggish. When the horrifying thought It's so bright because there's a fire finally surfaced in their minds, their whole bodies shuddered.
At that moment, hurried, disorderly footsteps came from outside the tent.
They were accompanied by panicked cries from the soldiers.
"Something's wrong! Fire!"
At that shout, the other drunken companions inside the tent also jolted upright. The grain supervisor's legs went weak as he rose, and he pitched forward. If he had not reacted quickly enough to brace himself against the table, he would have fallen face-first.
"W-what?"
His voice was filled with disbelief.
Then he shouted uncontrollably, "How could there be a fire?"
Although the weather was dry and the air arid, this place was an important link in the Northern Desert's strategic deployment. Naturally, every possible fire-prevention measure had been taken. Patrols were tight, and they had even spent considerable labor constructing large aboveground storehouses. Each storehouse had several layers of fireproofing, inside and out. Water-filled vats had been placed every thirty to fifty paces so that any fire could be extinguished with water as soon as it was discovered.
Canals and wells had also been dug outside the camp where the grain stores stood.
The soldiers were held to even stricter standards.
Regardless of who they were, anyone whose negligence caused a fire that reached the grain