The empty houses of Star-Moon Bay filled with residents from Louis City.
Yi Gravel had no time to build new houses. Every available hand had been sent to reinforce and expand the City Wall.
The northern City Wall was two meters thick and five meters high. The southern and eastern City Walls were even more halfhearted—just two meters high. Anyone could clear them with a little jump. They could not even keep out a Dwarf.
If the Ratfolk continued north through the Rikaner Kingdom, they would run into a ten-meter-high City Wall. Then again, against an overwhelming Rat Tide, a two-meter City Wall and a ten-meter City Wall might make no difference.
After only a few months of peace, Star-Moon Bay was busy again.
The supplies Ulmit needed were gradually piled into warehouses. Star-Moon Bay could provide tools and cement, but grain and horses had to be brought in from Breeze City.
Ingrid reported the grain prices to Annan. "Wheat flour has only gone up two copper coins a pound compared with previous years, but as the Ratfolk draw closer, less and less grain will come from the south. It may stop coming altogether. We need to stockpile more."
"I'm worried that every bit more we buy means less for Civilians," Annan said hesitantly.
Ingrid told him there was no need to worry. By then, the nobles would have cornered the entire grain supply anyway.
Reassured, Annan signed the decree ordering Star-Moon Bay to buy up farmland on a large scale. Before the next issue of the Star-Moon Bay News Paper went on sale, he told Olmedo about it, only for her to say the City Lord's Mansion had already started buying.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought you knew... Aren't you buying grain right now?"
"Mm... I knew."