The goddesses attempted to gain my salvation.

The other two male lords, though dissatisfied with Marvin's actions, did not intend to stop him.

The only one prepared to take action was the only woman present.

That is, Pamela, the Ice Warrior.

An unprecedented sense of loss deeply affected Tracy.

Of all the lords in the territory, apart from Pamela, not one truly stood by her side.

but......

Now is not the time to be discouraged!

Tracy took a deep breath and tried to pull herself together.

"Since Lord Marvin has nothing more to say, then I will continue with my announcement."

"Due to Lord Marvin's excessive waste of Irkutsk's resources, his quota of one-third of staple food was revoked."

"At the same time, I will distribute these staple food quotas to the lords who are truly qualified to receive them."

After listening, Marvin gave a disdainful snort.

"Lord Tracy."

"Don't waste your efforts."

"Now that you've made things clear, there's no need for me to hide anything."

"All six lords present, in order to increase production significantly and secure that one-third of the staple food quota, cut corners without exception!"

Marvin spread his arms wide, his attitude extremely arrogant.

"What, my lords, who dares to say that all the weapons and steel produced in their territories are of guaranteed quality and quantity?"

"no!"

"Hahaha!"

"So, Lord Tracy."

"Since everyone is cutting corners, why don't you just turn a blind eye this time?"

"Once we get the staple food, we will reforge a batch of high-quality weapons."

"Now is the crucial time for the king selection ceremony. I think Lord Tracy, you would not want to see your city-state fall into turmoil due to food shortages."

"You know, the people are all starving right now. If there's no food, no one can guarantee what outrageous things they might do."

Marvin is threatening Tracy.

However, Tracy just smiled faintly.

He held the notched longsword horizontally in front of him, separating himself from Marvin.

"I'm sorry, Lord Marvin."

You guessed wrong again.

"Among the six lords present, there happens to be one who perfectly meets the criteria. Not only has the production capacity increased significantly compared to previous years, but the quality of the weapons and steel forged is also exceptional."

Marvin curled his lip: "Heh, impossible!"

Tracy weighed the longsword in his hand, a smile spreading across his lips.

"Lord Marvin."

"This longsword is not actually the standard longsword of the Duchy of Ferrante."

"Its true place of origin is the town of Lord Pamela."

After saying that, he tossed the longsword to Pamela.

Pamela instinctively took the longsword, her face filled with astonishment.

Others may not know, but Pamela herself knows it all too well.

I actually cut corners myself.

Although its quality is better than Marvin's, it is still some distance from being truly sturdy and durable.

As Marvin said before, she also participated in this competition of production capacity.

But... Tracy said that the sword was hers?

Why did she say that?

Before Pamela could say anything, Marvin was the first to get restless.

"impossible!"

“I even went to Pamela’s territory last week!”

"The scrap metal she produces is completely unusable! If I find the right spot, I can even break it in half with my bare hands!"

"How could this sword possibly be hers?"

“Lord Marvin, sometimes what you see isn’t necessarily the truth.” Tracy sat back in his armchair, relaxing against the backrest. “Perhaps those scraps of metal were just a way to deceive you?”

"Moreover, not only Pamela, but also Lord Karen and Lord Tim produce weapons of excellent quality. The only regret is that their production capacity is somewhat less than that of Pamela."

"So, Lord Marvin."

"Don't be misled by what you see; learn to see through the appearances to the essence."

It took Marvin a long time to process what he had just realized.

Could it be that I've been tricked again?!

Marvin glared angrily at Pamela, Karen, and Tim.

However, these three lords were also tall and strong, not at all inferior to Ma Wen.

Pamela, in particular, slowly stood up, holding a double-edged axe in one hand, and gestured with her chin towards Marvin.

The meaning is quite simple.

If you want to fight, she's ready.

The two sides remained locked in a stalemate for quite some time, until Marvin was ultimately defeated.

"Fuck your mother!"

"I guess I'm just unlucky!"

Marvin turned to leave, but Tracy called out to him.

"Lord Marvin, I haven't finished speaking yet."

"One-third of the staple food supply already belongs to Lord Pamela. That leaves two-thirds."

"Next, I will announce how these staple foods will be distributed."

Chapter 232 Steadfast Followers

The next hour was the most agonizing and unbearable time of Marvin's life.

First, they were tricked and publicly humiliated.

Then they were stripped of their staple food rations and could only watch helplessly as the duck that was about to be in their hands flew away.

The most crucial part, however, was what Tracy announced afterward.

The current remaining staple grain reserves are enough to fill sixty standard-capacity horse-drawn carriages.

Tracy left only twenty wagons of grain for Irkutsk, distributing the remaining forty wagons of grain to five other towns besides Pamela.

However, it was done through purchase.

The five city lords purchased the grain from Tracy for these forty wagons at a price 10% higher than the market price.

Then, they are sold at 20 percent below market price, and each household can only purchase a specified quota, with no more allowed.

The price difference was to be borne by the five lords themselves.

This would not only suppress local food prices, but the money collected could also be used to purchase food from other city-states in times of emergency, helping Irkutsk through its most difficult period.

This can be considered Tracy's reserve fund.

However, according to the contract with the Duchy of Ferrante, the next batch of grain will arrive in half a month.

According to Tracy's estimate, the reserves should not be needed.

Of course, doing so would naturally provoke strong dissatisfaction from the five lords.

After all, this is tantamount to robbing them out of their pockets.

However, they were in the wrong first, and Tracy was in the right. Even if they wanted to cause trouble, they couldn't. Besides, Pamela had been standing beside her from the moment she received the longsword Tracy threw at her.

He gripped a double-edged axe in both hands, like a bodyguard.

Even if you're full of resentment, you can't vent it.

Ultimately, the default option is the only choice.

------

late at night.

On cold winter nights, the sky is always exceptionally clear.

The bright moon hangs high in the sky, and countless stars adorn the black curtain. If you go a little further north, you might see some truly dreamlike sights.

The dazzling stream of light flowed like a babbling brook across the sky; it was the legendary aurora route, a passage only traversed by ships in the sky.

And at the end of the waterway lies a paradise free from disease and hardship.

Tracy sat by the warm fireplace, reading the official documents he had submitted that day.

At this time, there was a knock on the door.

It's Pamela.

Upon seeing Tracy, Pamela immediately knelt down on one knee.

"Lord Tracy."