"So, you leaned toward human intervention?"
Zhang Lin did not dare say it outright, but the answer was plainly written across his face.
Bian Chunchou looked at Wen Xu-Xu, then at Chen Zui-Zui, thinking, With just the three of them Golden Cores, could they really uncover the cause? That was putting far too much faith in them.
Besides, to make such a vast, hidden, all-encompassing plan yet target only ordinary people—the purpose behind it was highly suspect. Cultivators had always been forbidden from directly attacking ordinary people, yet this flood disaster was aimed squarely at common folk. What kind of grudge did that take?
As Bian Chunchou let his imagination run wild, he heard Wen Xu-Xu speak. "I heard from the City Lord's Office steward that Jingyuan City has seen a great deal of population migration in recent years. Of those who left, were there more ordinary people or more cultivators?"
Zhang Lin thought for a moment before answering. "To be honest, very few citizens of Jingyuan's main city actually leave. Most city residents are under the protection of aristocratic clans. Even if floodwaters spread right to their doorsteps, those clans distribute Water-Avoidance Talismans to the residents within their protection. The people truly struck by disaster are... those in areas outside the protection of aristocratic clans."
"...That works too? But wouldn't that make the demand for Water-Avoidance Talismans far too great?"
"That is indeed the case, which is why the city also has dedicated emergency shelters. Though the floods have been severe these past years, there have not actually been many casualties." That was also why Zhang Lin could only issue a medium-rank sect mission. If matters had truly become so grave that countless people were dead and injured, an uncontrollable situation, he would not have needed to issue a