Lord blessed by the elves

Chapter 22 Old Camis
"Five carats...one gold coin?!" Kruze's ecstatic expression froze instantly, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head. He gasped, his pupils contracting slightly in shock.

The amount of jade powder that can be obtained by exchanging twelve gold coins is probably extremely limited at this price!

He only knew that jade powder was precious, but he never expected that the top-grade jade powder would be so expensive!
He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, steadied himself, and sharply focused his gaze on the two items on the table.

At this moment, what he carried was not only the hope of the elf insects, but also the heavy financial burden of the territory.

“Young Master, please forgive me!” Butler Buffel quickly added, afraid that Kruze would misunderstand that he was wasting money. “Ordinary jade powder can only be used to feed the spirit insects daily, slowly nourishing their magical source. But this superior jade powder is quite different!” His voice carried a hint of awe. “It contains pure life energy, and it is said to have miraculous effects at the crucial moment when the spirit insect is breaking through to evolve and transform into a higher-level little elf! Many wealthy nobles will spare no expense to feed the spirit insects superior jade powder in the later stages, in order to increase that slim chance of evolution. Because it is so precious, this old servant only dared to buy ten carats.”

He carefully gestured a small amount.

Kruze nodded slowly, his gaze shifting deeply between the rare yet incredibly valuable bone china bottle and the bag of ordinary jade powder.

Twelve gold coins were exchanged for a mere ten carats of top-grade jade powder and 35 ounces of ordinary jade powder (1 carat equals 0.00705 ounces; just know the number).
This exorbitant price weighed heavily on his mind like a boulder.

Thirty-five ounces may seem like a lot, but it's only enough for 'Green' to eat for two months, and that's just to maintain its basic needs. Given its current state of hunger, it's normal for it to consume a hundred or so carats a day.

It seems I need to work even harder to improve.

“Thank you for your hard work, Butler Buffett.” Kruse’s voice was deep and solemn. “When Wilstone arrives with his men, I have another important task for you.”

"It is my honor to share your burdens!" Buffet bowed deeply.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Wilstone's tall figure appeared in the doorway, followed by a hunched, ragged old serf.

Upon entering the solemn and majestic main hall of the castle, old Camis shrank back in fear.

He hung his head, his withered hands tightly gripping the tattered hem of his clothes, his knuckles white from the force, and his legs trembling uncontrollably, as if he might collapse to the ground at any moment.

The deep-seated humility and fear almost materialized, permeating the air.

Kruze's gaze calmly fell on old Camis, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger, yet carrying an invisible pressure: "Old Camis, I heard your family had another grandson last year? Now you have twelve people in your family, which is quite a large family in our Lion Fang Territory."

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in old Camis's ears!

"Pfft!"

He could no longer hold on, his knees buckled, and he collapsed heavily onto the cold, hard stone slab. His forehead pressed tightly against the ground, his body trembled like a leaf in the autumn wind, and he let out muffled sobs, unable to utter a single complete sentence.

A tremendous fear gripped him instantly, almost suffocating him.

Wilstone frowned slightly, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes, as he watched old Camis's violent reaction.

He didn't understand why the old man was acting so strangely.

Butler Buffet's eyes suddenly sharpened, like a hawk locking onto its prey!
He instantly understood the cold and cruel reality behind Kruse's words! In the world of serfs, population was never a simple matter of reproduction, but a matter of life and death!
A desperate chasm called "food" stood between every serf who wanted to expand their family, and it was simply insurmountable!

Without enough food, every additional mouth to feed means another death sentence!

Especially during a woman's childbirth, when she is unable to work and simply consumes the already meager food rations, it is a sign of utter disaster for a serf family!
Baffir's gaze slowly shifted from the terrified old Kamis to Kruze, whose expression was calm but whose eyes were deep.

That's it!

He suddenly understood and fully realized the young master's intention in summoning the old serf.

The old Camis family must have some source of food to solve their food problem.

This young master's methods and sharp mind far exceed what ordinary people can imagine!
A cold glint flashed in Butler Buffet's eyes. He bowed slightly, his voice respectful yet chilling: "Young Master, please hand over Old Camis to this old servant. As an advisor to Lion Fang Territory, I assure you that within half a day, I will make him spill all his secrets—including every single grain of food he has hidden in the cracks of the ground."

As the official manager of the territory, Buffel was always seen as a living devil by the serfs.

The cries of countless serfs still echo in his dark, damp cellar.

"No! Young master, spare my life!" Old Camis was terrified when he heard the words "hand over to the butler." He frantically banged his head against the ground, his withered forehead slamming heavily against the hard stone slab with a sickening "thud." In the blink of an eye, his skin was torn open, and blood trickled down his wrinkled old face.

"This old servant really just found a strange tuber on the edge of the wilderness! Last year during the famine, I was so hungry that I dared to dig it up and eat it. I didn't expect to be poisoned. And then..."

Kruse gently raised his hand, the movement as elegant as if he were brushing dust off his sleeve, but it made old Camis stop abruptly as if he had been choked.

He slowly walked to the window, the sunlight casting a golden glow on his silhouette. His voice was so soft it was almost a soliloquy: "Old Camis, you should know very well that Article 7, Section 3 of the Noble Territory Code clearly states—every blade of grass and every tree on the territory, even a withered branch blown down by the wind, belongs to the lord." He suddenly turned, his eyes sharp as knives in the shadows. "And you, you dared to secretly collect, conceal, and consume the lord's property for a whole year?"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Blood splattered across the stone slab, creating dazzling blooms.

Old Camis had fallen into a state of frenzied fear, as if only smashing his head could atone for his sins.

Wilstone frowned deeply—if this old man kept kowtowing, he might die on the spot!
"enough!"

Kruze roared, and the sound echoed through the stone hall.

With lightning speed, Wilstone lifted the emaciated old serf off the ground like a chick.

Those calloused feet were still kicking unconsciously in the air, like a grasshopper being hung up.

(End of this chapter)