I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 181: Battle of Wisdom and Courage (Part )

Mobi rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up from the bed. He stretched himself, and the fragrance became stronger and stronger, as if it was pulling him out of his sleep with a gentle but firm force.

Mobi turned his head slightly and saw through the open door that his wife, who had been married to him for more than ten years and was diligent in doing housework, was cooking in the kitchen. Two greedy children followed her and dragged at her skirt.

Mobi's home is not big, it just has a living room and a bedroom, so the living room has many functions. It is a dining room, a place for children to play, and sometimes it is even used as a temporary study.

A house like this would inevitably be a bit crowded for a family of four.

But there was nothing that could be done about it, as the land price in Oncandra was so expensive. Moby was able to have such a small house of his own, which was earned through his many years of savings as a master tailor.

If he were an ordinary person, he would not be able to buy a house in the city within a decade or so.

When Mobi finished his personal hygiene and sat at the dining table, his wife had prepared breakfast and came over with bowls and plates. While comforting the child who was noisy because of hunger, she distributed the food skillfully.

The oatmeal porridge that had been cooked till it was soft emitted a rich aroma. The wife skillfully served the porridge into bowls, one large bowl and three ordinary bowls. She placed the large bowl in front of Mobi, and the ordinary bowls contained food for herself and the children.

Seeing this, Mobi suddenly felt a little guilty. His wife is an adult, and his two children are still growing up. A bowl of oatmeal porridge can't fill their stomachs at all.

But his job is also very important, because it is the only source of income for the whole family. Mobi must eat enough so that he can maintain his energy throughout the day and not make mistakes at work.

"I'm sorry, I..."

Mobi tried to say something, but his wife raised her hand and placed her finger on his lips.

"I know, honey, but it's not your fault."

Yes, it’s not his fault. Mobi’s family still has savings, but the savings can’t buy food. For some reasons, Prince Chris’s supply and marketing cooperative still has food but refuses to accept Bagnia silver coins.

As for the reason, Mobi probably understood it, but he didn't want to say whose fault it was, because when people are hungry, few people can be reasonable.

After a simple breakfast, Mobi went out to work in his tailor shop. No matter what, life had to go on and he had to make money so that he could support his family.

However, something obviously changed in the city today that Mobi was unaware of. As soon as he left home and walked through a narrow and winding alley to the street, he saw a group of soldiers walking in the street in a swagger.

The soldiers' steps were a little messy, and their grey leather armor and iron helmets were a little crooked, making them look less like regular troops. However, the long swords and crossbows in their hands reflected a cold light in the sun, which was unmistakable; they were clearly deadly weapons.

How is this going?

Mobi immediately realized that these soldiers were not the original garrison of the city, and their presence was somewhat unfamiliar to the citizens.

"who are they?"

Mobi, who was wondering about this, heard the whispers of passers-by at this time.

"...these people are a force formed by the mayor and are called the police..."

"They look so fierce..."

"... doesn't look like a serious person..."

"Hey, Mobi!"

A familiar voice came from behind him. Moby turned around and saw his old friend, Thomas, who was also a tailor.

Thomas's face also looked a little anxious. He walked quickly to Mobi and whispered.

"Have you heard? Something happened in the city." "What happened?"

Mobi frowned, with a bad feeling in his heart.

"I heard that the conflict between the mayor appointed by Prince Chris and the Chamber of Commerce has escalated. The mayor refuses to exchange Bagnian silver for grain, and the presidents of the Chamber of Commerce are refusing to compromise. Food prices haven't dropped, and now the food supply in the city is becoming increasingly tight."

Thomas lowered his voice, a hint of worry in his tone.

"I heard that the Chamber of Commerce's warehouse was smashed and looted by a group of hungry people this morning. The mayor ordered increased patrols and sent the newly formed police force to the streets to prevent the situation from deteriorating further."

Mobi's heart sank. He'd known the food crisis would be a problem, but he hadn't expected it to deteriorate so quickly. Thinking of his wife and children at home, he felt a surge of guilt and worry. What would they do if the food supply continued to be tight?
"We have to find a way, Thomas."

Mobi whispered.

"We can't just sit there and wait for death."

Thomas shook his head helplessly.

"But what can I do? I heard that the farmers outside the city have stopped farming. Those so-called Wallace rebels not only killed our tax collectors and sheriffs, but also harvested all the crops on the land early.

Look at those beggars in the city streets. They used to be farmers. If they don’t have food to eat, where can we buy food?”

Mobi's expression was extremely ugly.

"Then where does Prince Chris get his food?"

"Perhaps the Earth Mother priest in the city can know something about oats."

Thomas told a joke with religious connotations, but Moby couldn't laugh at all. The whole family was almost starving, so how could he still have the mind to listen to a joke?

After saying goodbye to his friend, Mobi continued walking towards his workplace. When he passed by a commercial street, he heard a burst of crying at the corner of the street.

Mobi stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw a group of people gathered in front of a store on the other side of the street, crying and shouting mixed together. He walked over quickly and squeezed into the crowd. The scene he saw stunned him. For a moment, he didn't know whether to laugh or jump up and gloat.

The door of a shop was smashed to pieces, and the inside was in a mess. Various food scraps were scattered on the ground, obviously it had been looted.

A middle-aged man knelt on the ground, holding his head and crying bitterly. He was the owner of this grain store. Mobi knew him. He was usually an honest (opportunistic) man who made money by hoarding and driving up grain prices.

Mobi remembered that when he passed by this store before, he saw it hung a "out of stock" sign at the door, but there was still food for sale in the store. Then he walked in and asked the price, and Mobi was scared away.

“These people are going too far!”

Mobi heard someone in the crowd say indignantly.

"Seeing everyone starving, these guys came to steal food last night without telling anyone. They even took away all the food, leaving nothing behind. It's despicable!"

"Exactly! Where did those people go?"

echoed another.

"I heard that they left the city last night..."

"That's too damn bad. I wanted to buy some food from them."

(End of this chapter)