The red moon returns

Chapter 417 Is this a coincidence?

Back to where it all began.

Lynch still clearly remembered that this was their first stop when they entered the city three days ago. It was here that they heard the crazy old man screaming at the top of his lungs for the first time, and saw Ms. Swain beating a naughty kid in the street for the first time.

It was already six o'clock in the evening and dusk was approaching, but the crazy old man was still standing on the straw pile outside the barn, dancing and shouting at the top of his lungs.

Looking at him, Lynch felt a mixture of laughter and tears, and suddenly he realized something.

This damn old bear was standing in the most problematic position from the very beginning, using the most conspicuous way to give the most straightforward warning.

However, the four idiots from the party kept passing by without realizing this. They went around in circles like fools and finally returned to where it all started.

So who is the fool?

"The end is coming, no one will survive, and everything will return to nothingness..."

The crazy old man's voice was like a poisonous needle in the twilight, piercing people's hearts with every word. But today, the people around the drying yard have become numb. They just look up at him when they pass by, and no one gathers around to point fingers anymore.

There were not many people drying their clothes in the field, and even if there were, they were just passing by in a hurry. The news of the incident in the past few days had spread to the public, making the citizens panic and return home early. Even the naughty children running around disappeared, and the whole city seemed to have become empty and desolate overnight.

Doctor Swain remained in the fortress and continued to work. She placed all her trust in the four outsiders. Knight Terry accompanied them with a changing expression.

Walking around the straw pile occupied by the old madman, the two men's eyes met in the air. The old madman showed a crazy smile, and Lynch secretly gave him a thumbs down.

Laugh at you, I hate you prophets the most.

As soon as they entered the huge barn, everyone felt that something was wrong.

The barn has always been a paradise of life, with thousands of insects, rats, birds and sparrows. You can often capture a few flying sparrows with a casual wave of a sack.

But when he came in, there was nothing there, the whole barn was lifeless.

If people had not expected it, they would at most find it a little strange and no one would have made too many associations. But at this moment, including Knight Terry and several soldiers, everyone felt a sinking feeling in their hearts and a chill on their backs.

Several stacks of new wheat were piled in a corner of the barn, exuding the aroma of fresh malt. They were golden yellow and looked very lovely.

However, they didn't know whether it was an illusion, but under the light of the torches in the soldiers' hands, the four people always felt that a layer of green light would occasionally flash on the wheat pile.

These are probably the things that were ground to feed the guards at the South Gate and the two messengers. Further ahead, the travelers who died should also have been victims of these things.

Lynch pondered and turned his questioning eyes to Terry: "Who does the grain here belong to? The city lord's mansion? Where do other citizens keep their harvests? In their own barns?"

"This is actually a public granary. Every year before the harvest season, the granary will be emptied. When the grains are ripe, each family will transport the daily harvest here. These are land rents and city taxes. They are inspected one by one by the City Lord's Housekeeper Rocky before being stored in the warehouse."

The armed knight whispered to the four people. This was the first time that Lynch had come into contact with rural life in another world since he traveled through time. Although it was in ancient times, it was still quite novel. But wasn't this just like the landlord collecting rent? Lynch sighed when he heard it. It seemed that no matter where he was, he couldn't escape the threat of taxes and rent:

"After paying all these fees, the remaining harvest of each household will be transported back to their own barn for temporary storage. After the City Lord's Mansion has taken all the grain here to the mill for processing, the donkeys will be lent to the citizens for them to process their own grain."

To Lin Qi's surprise, the person who understood these customs the best was the pampered Miss Diana. She understood immediately: "In other words, until all taxes are paid, this year's new wheat will be in the hands of the City Lord's Mansion?"

"Yes." Lin Qi also asked: "And unless you plan to grind it yourself, even if someone secretly hides the new wheat, there is no way to grind it into flour?"

"Correct."

Lynch and Miss Diana looked at each other and nodded thoughtfully.

This means that no matter what means the other party uses, at least until this year's taxes are paid, these plague foods can be controlled and are in the hands of the City Lord's Mansion.

"I suspect there's something wrong with the new wheat that was harvested early, but I'm still not sure whether it was tampered with or if there's something wrong with the wheat in the fields itself." Lynch explained in a low voice, "The existing evidence still can't prove who the mastermind behind this is, or even that City Lord Jackson knew there was something wrong with the grains. But at least we can assume that someone in the City Lord's Mansion knew and pushed the incident to where it is now, just to complete his experiment."

Lynch's attitude was very tactful and objective, and he did not guide Knight Terry to think in the direction of the city lord. In his experience, when dealing with such loyal subordinates, the more he guided them, the more he would actively find excuses for his superiors. Only when he could figure everything out by himself would he accept the reality.

Therefore, Lynch simply laid out all the possibilities one by one and let the loyal knight think for himself. Sure enough, Knight Terry was silent for a while and nodded in approval.

"So let's wait and see. Let's first figure out the method. I hope someone just poisoned the wheat and there's nothing wrong with the wheat itself. Otherwise, this matter will be even more troublesome."

"Ok?"

Hearing Lynch mumbling, Officer Natalie glanced at him in confusion, but Lynch just shook his head without further explanation. He grabbed a handful of new wheat, and even through the gloves, he felt uneasy.

'Neighbor, is it dangerous for me to touch it directly?'

[You have come to this conclusion on your own. Its mysterious properties will be activated only when mixed with gastric juice.]

'Thanks. '

Lynch took off his gloves and gently stroked the ears of wheat, and a faint pressure came from his fingertips.

It shouldn't be wrong, it's just these that went wrong.

But Lynch showed no joy, he just fumbled with the straw and fell into deep thought.

"What's wrong?" Natalie motioned for Judy not to translate, then whispered, "Are you worried that there's something wrong with the wheat itself? Does that make any difference?"

“I wonder how long it takes for wheat to be harvested from sowing?”

"Looking at the climate and the environment here, it should take five or six months..."

Miss Diana's face suddenly changed when she was halfway through her answer. She couldn't continue, but Officer Natalie and Judy still looked puzzled.

Lin Qi continued to ask: "How long has the city lord's son been buried?"

"Half a year."

Now Natalie and Judy also understood that the timing was highly consistent.

"Wheat grows from the ground, and the body of the youngest son was also buried in the ground. Something went wrong with the crop of grain that was buried, and on the day it was confirmed to be effective, the body was dug up. Is this a coincidence?"

(End of this chapter)