I'm not a Witcher anymore.

Chapter 156 Five Loaves and Two Fish

"Your Highness, please take a look."

Radji pointed to the distant horizon.

Zieg looked in the direction he was pointing and saw three plumes of smoke rising in succession to the west, north and northeast of Skaritz on the distant horizon, enveloping the city.

"The warning chain has been closed," Radji said with a sigh of relief. "With these eyes," Sigismund has lost his greatest weapon—surprise attack."

Zieg watched the black smoke spreading in the wind, but he didn't show any signs of relief. Instead, he shook his head slightly.

"That's far from enough."

Radji was taken aback.

"Does Your Highness mean—that this defense system still has vulnerabilities?"

"The beacon towers are merely the prelude to war." Zieg's gaze swept across the peaceful town below the city walls. "The smoke columns warn the soldiers on the walls, telling us that death is coming. But what about the lambs still sleeping below? What's the next step when the wolves are closing in?"

Radji pondered for a moment, then frowned slightly: "As is customary, once the alarm is confirmed, we will allow our people into the castle, then lower the lattice gates and retract the drawbridge."

"So, what about the communication mechanism? Without any warning, what kind of sound do you plan to use to transform fear into an orderly retreat?"

This question struck Radji like a hammer blow, plunging him into a deathly silence.

He had indeed never investigated this matter in depth before.

In his vision, once the smoke rose, fear would naturally drive the crowd to the castle.

But he overlooked the fact that fear without guidance is often more deadly than enemy arrows—it means chaos, trampling, and despair blocking the city gates.

"Does this fortress have a loud enough voice?" Sieg suddenly asked.

Radji paused for a moment, then realized: "You mean the alarm bell? Yes, a large bronze bell hangs on the top floor of the main tower of the inner fortress. Normally, this bell only rings during morning and evening prayers; if the city is besieged, it serves as the alarm for the entire city."

Zieg nodded.

"Send your men down first to guard the town center, several side roads, and the ramp leading to the inner fort, and guide the people into the fort for refuge;

Women, children, and the elderly should go first, followed by able-bodied men. Anyone who dares to push or shove in the chaos will be apprehended on the spot.

Radji paused for a moment, then understood and turned to give the order.

A moment later, the guards below the city gate took their positions one after another.

Zieg turned his head and locked his gaze on the guard beside him, Hinek.

"Take Henry up the tower and let him sound the alarm."

Hinek's facial muscles twitched, wondering if there was something wrong with his ears.

"Your Highness—now? In broad daylight?"

"immediately."

Zieg's voice was unquestionable.

He then turned to the blacksmith boy.

"Henry, ring it with all your might. The bell shall not stop ringing without my command."

Although Hinek was full of doubts, under the unquestionable gaze of those eyes, he could only swallow his saliva and obey the order.

He led a bewildered Henry and rushed quickly toward the spiral staircase leading to the tower.

After a moment of deathly silence—!

A dull, heavy, and chilling metallic clang resounded from the tower overhead.

Then came the second and third tones.

when--!

when--!

The sound was like an invisible giant hammer, striking everyone's heart with each blow.

The startled flock of pigeons took flight like gray clouds from the tower, circling above the castle.

At least in the memories of many Skalitz people, this was the first time such a rapid and deadly melody had been heard—"Enemy Attack."

When the first bell rang, Skaritz seemed to be abruptly pulled awake from his peaceful daily routine.

The women who were hanging clothes to dry stopped, the sound of hammers in the blacksmith's shop abruptly ceased, and several customers in the tavern who had just picked up their glasses subconsciously looked up in the direction of the castle's main tower.

Immediately afterwards, the second and third chimes rang out in succession.

The rapid and heavy rhythm finally made everyone realize that this was not the usual sound of prayer bells.

Chaos began to break out in the town.

Panic spread through the streets, but the instinct for survival drove everyone to run in the same direction—to the castle on the hillside.

Fortunately, the guards that Radji had sent down in advance were already stationed at the key locations.

They brandished their spears and shouted commands at the top of their lungs.

A hoarse roar mingled with the sound of bells, echoing back and forth over the town.

The crowd remained panicked, with children crying and adults shouting all around, and footsteps clattering through the muddy road. But thanks to the guards' almost roaring efforts to maintain order, the chaos did not completely spiral out of control.

People flocked to the castle's drawbridge in droves.

Some people stumbled and were immediately supported by those around them; others were reluctant to look back at their own houses, but were still pushed forward by the guards.

Spears and roars forcibly straightened the panicked crowd into a passable queue.

On the city wall, Sieg suddenly asked, "How much time has passed since the first bell rang?"

The other guard beside him, Matos, looked down at the thinning crowd and estimated, "Less than ten minutes, Your Highness. Most of the people in the town have already entered; only those from the farms outside the city are still arriving."

"In other words, if we include the residents of the nearby farms outside the city, the vast majority of people can enter the fortress for refuge in about twenty minutes."

His gaze swept over the bustling town, over the layers of rooftops, and shot straight towards the distant mining area like a sharp arrow.

"Lord Radji, why is it so deathly quiet over at the mines?"

Radji followed his gaze and his face instantly turned pale.

"That's—that's a silver mine." He swallowed hard. "The mines are deep underground, and with the noise of quarrying—the castle bells hardly reach the deepest parts of the mine."

"The message can't be passed down? In other words, if the Hungarians were to invade now, the miners digging silver for the royal family underground would be like rats trapped in a jar, helplessly waiting to be buried alive?"

The silver mine is not only the veins through which silver blood flows in Skarlitz, but also a vast underground labyrinth.

Those winding mine tunnels are like tree roots, deeply embedded in the ground.

At this depth, let alone the sound of castle bells, even if a thunderstorm broke out on the ground, those below would only think it was distant rumbling thunder.

If the Hungarians really come, those miners wielding picks in the dark will be like insects trapped in a jar, with no way out but to wait for suffocation and slaughter.

"Your Highness—" Radji's voice became heavy and hoarse, "There is actually a set of rules for warning in the mine. Next to the winch in the main mine shaft, there is a thick iron plate. In case of a collapse, flooding or other disaster, the people at the mine entrance will strike the iron plate with a heavy hammer. The sound can travel all the way down to remind the people below to stop work and evacuate."

Without hesitation, Zieg said, "Then ring it. From now on, whenever the castle's main tower sounds the alarm for an enemy attack, this iron plate at the mine entrance must also be struck immediately. I want to make sure this alarm reaches deep into the mine."

"Yes, Your Highness! I will make arrangements immediately."

Radji turned abruptly and roared a series of urgent orders at the guards below the city wall.

Before long, a light cavalryman charged out of the castle, his hooves splashing mud as he galloped down the slope toward the mining area.

The city wall was deathly silent; everyone held their breath and stared into the distance.

A moment later—

From the distant mining area, a few muffled metallic clanging sounds finally drifted out.

The sound was not clear, with only a low, hoarse echo.

But that's enough.

This at least indicates that the order has been delivered to the mine entrance, and the thick iron plate used to warn of potential disasters underground is being struck with a heavy hammer.

Zig stood on the city wall, gazing at the entrance to the mine in the distance.

Soon, some miners covered in mineral dust rushed out of the well near the wellhead.

Following that were the second and third batches.

Those people moved with astonishing speed, as if their feet had been scalded by molten iron.

For those who make a living underground, the word "landslide" is a nightmare etched into their bones.

The fear of darkness, suffocation, and being buried alive had long surpassed any hesitation.

Once the iron plate symbolizing the underground disaster vibrates, the instinct for survival will drive them to put down their pickaxes and move along the mine tunnels...

They desperately climbed up the wooden ladder and the well shaft.

As he watched the figures climbing out of the mine and looking around blankly, Zieg nodded expressionlessly.

"very good."

He turned his head and gave an order to Matos beside him.

"Go tell Henry that we can stop."

when--!

As the last echo faded into the air, the heart-pounding alarm finally came to an abrupt end.

Skaritz fell into a brief and strange silence.

The inhabitants who poured into the inner fortress looked at each other, their fear not yet completely gone, replaced by deep confusion.

Outside the city, in the mining area, the miners who were gradually leaving the mine were also looking around blankly, anxiously asking where the non-existent collapse had occurred.

"Lord Radji," Zieg said, "have someone bring some clean baskets and barrels."

Radji was taken aback.

"Baskets and barrels?"

"The more the better."

Radji did not ask any further questions, and immediately ordered his trusted confidant to do so.

Before long, the soldiers brought over a dozen empty baskets and wooden barrels and placed them neatly on the ground of the city wall.

Zig picked up one of the empty baskets at random.

The battlements blocked the view of the people below, and only Radji and a few close confidants could see what was happening.

They saw the young Duke of Görlitz lift up the empty basket as if casually catching the sunlight falling from the sky.

The next moment, silvery-white dust silently condensed in the basket.

Pieces of rye bread, tortillas, salted cheese, and a small amount of smoked meat appeared out of thin air and fell to the bottom of the basket, filling it to the brim in the blink of an eye.

Radji's breath hitched.

Several close associates around him stared wide-eyed; some instinctively made the sign of the cross, but dared not utter a sound.

Zieg did not explain.

He simply put down the first basket and picked up the second one.

Silvery-white light flashed repeatedly, and the empty baskets and barrels were filled with food time and time again.

He had plenty of these foods in his adventure book.

Although he entrusted Dudu with managing his 70% of assets, even using only 10% of the funds would be enough to buy mountains of food.

Because he had considered that the Book of Adventures might unlock clean, food-scarce dungeons like the Radiation Wasteland or Cyberpunk, he had purchased a large amount of food and stored it in the Book of Adventures while he was still in Novigrad.

Anyway, there's plenty of space in the Book of Adventure; it's never going to be full.

Zig stopped working only when the empty baskets and barrels that the soldiers brought in batch after batch were filled with food.

"Move them down, give one to each household, and tell them this is my compensation for the fright they suffered."

Radji's Adam's apple bobbed as he finally snapped out of his shock.

"Your Highness, this—"

"besides."

Zig interrupted him.

"From today onwards, there will be drills every three days. Residents who arrive at the fort on time after hearing the enemy attack alarm ten times in a row, without being late or disrupting the ranks, can receive a meal like today."

"Let them remember that when the bells ring, it's not trouble, it's a chance to live."

Radji took a deep breath and then gave the order.

When the rye bread, tortillas, salted cheese, and smoked minced meat were served, the previously noisy and complaining crowd fell silent instantly.

Immediately following was a cheer like a tsunami.

"Merciful Lord—"

"Long live the Duke! Long live the Duke of Görlitz!"

People who had initially complained that it was a false alarm were now craning their necks, staring longingly at the food, afraid of missing out on this windfall.

For these ordinary people who toil all day and barely make ends meet, rye bread, wheat cakes, salty cheese, and a little bit of smoked minced meat are enough to offset the resentment brought on by the false alarm.

The shock was real, and the delay in work was also real.

But the food you actually get is real.

Let alone just one alarm call, as long as they receive such a ration every month, the next time they hear the enemy attack alarm, they will only move faster than they did today.

Zieg stood on the high city wall, calmly watching the carnival-like scene below.

His heart was completely calm, even showing a hint of the composure one would show when looking down at the chessboard from God's perspective.

Deep in his memory, the dark script that originally belonged to this world is still clearly visible.

In the original storyline, when Sigismund's army surged in like a black tide, Skaritz's reaction was sluggish and desperate.

Most residents didn't even have time to hear the alarm before their heads were chopped off by Cuman scimitars on their own doorsteps. Blood would stain every street, and flames would engulf every wooden house.

The miners who worked underground were deprived of even the right to escape. They were buried alive in the collapsed mine tunnels, desperately scratching at the rock walls in darkness and suffocation until their fingernails peeled off and death came.

That wasn't war; that was a one-sided massacre.

But now, he has torn that script to shreds with his own hands.

Looking at these rough but vibrant lives in the square.

Zieg knew that the gears of fate had turned.

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