Chapter 844 Acorn-Eating Pigs and Acorn-Eating People (Update 35)
The speed of the Silver Dragon Express is indeed outstanding.
The original plan of the Parliament was to spend a whole night sailing out of the long fjord outside Nevis and into the deep sea; and then use a whole day to land at the port in the northern part of Aioland.
Then, take the carriage arranged by the Port Mage Tower and travel overland for two days. Horses were changed along the way, and people stopped and drove faster. It is estimated that on the morning of the third day, we will be able to reach Luo Si Kang -
Generally speaking, the speed of an intermediate mage's journey will not exceed the arrangement of the council. And it seems that it is not necessary to send an airship alone for this matter.
As a result, Gretel flew away directly on the silver dragon! Silver dragon! Adult silver dragon! The flying speed of an adult dragon is several notches faster than the council's ability to change boats and then cars, or stop and go without stopping!
"By the way, did we forget something just now..."
Watching the graceful figure of the silver dragon disappear into the clouds, Master Norwood and Aurora stood side by side, fascinated. After a long while, Aurora patted her forehead and murmured:
"It always feels like I've overlooked something..."
"That's right! Review meeting! Inform the review meeting!" Master Norwood came to his senses later than him. Although I came to my senses later, but because of my rich social experience, I thought of what happened earlier:
"Boss, they took the Silver Dragon there! They will arrive tonight, the slowest, the slowest, and they can arrive tomorrow morning! - You have to inform the mage tower over there to guide them and indicate their destination!"
"Yes, but don't fly too far..."
The two were in a hurry. Hurry, contact Archmage Carlisle and ask him to contact the review committee and pass the news on as soon as possible!
Don't forget that when people arrive here, they still don't know who the council sent there!
Gretel arrived at Roscommon Territory early the next morning. ——The vast majority of time is indeed spent on correcting the direction.
If you fall down, find a mage tower and ask for directions; after flying for a while, something feels wrong, if you fall again, find another mage tower and ask for directions...
And it’s too late to bother, so I’ll find a place to sleep in a [shelter hut] and fly again tomorrow.
I can find a place in this way, but I can only sigh that the shape of the mage tower in this world is special enough, and the mana fluctuations are obvious enough, so it is really easy to find.
The Mage Tower led by Luo Sikang had obviously received the urgent news from the parliament. Three bonfires were lit outside the mage's tower, red, blue and white, with three-color smoke pillars pointing straight upward to guide the guests flying from afar.
Serila retracted her wings and gradually landed. The owner of the mage tower, an eighth-level magician, was already standing outside the tower with four or five disciples, looking up and praying.
"You are finally here!" As soon as the strong wind flapping by the dragon wings subsided, the 8th-level mage stepped forward quickly and spoke urgently:
"Thank you for the support sent by the Parliament! We have communicated with Count Rothko many times, but he has always disagreed, and we cannot interfere too much..."
His hair was messy and his eyes were bloodshot. He didn't know whether it was because of the bad negotiations in the past few days or because he was doing experiments day and night. Gretel also stepped forward and saluted slightly:
"Yes, I am here on behalf of the Council. Where is the Count? Can we see him immediately?"
"Earl..." The host of the Mage Tower was a little embarrassed. His eyes swept over Cerela who had landed on the ground and transformed into a human form, as well as Bernard and Apa, and quickly greeted them with his eyes. Then he half-turned around and raised his hand towards the mage tower:
"The Earl is a devout believer. At this time, he should be praying at the Spring Temple. Moreover, according to the etiquette of the nobles, he should submit the invitation in advance and wait for the other party to respond before visiting..."
Grete almost wanted to say, "It's already this time, don't worry about etiquette." But think about it, going straight in without saying hello would look like ruining the place;
When he went back to his hometown for a visit, the Viscount sent someone to visit him that same day, wanting to invite him to a banquet and interrupt his family gathering. At that time, he was also in an extremely angry mood;
Do unto others, do not impose on others. Wait a minute, wait a minute, thank you, just say hello.
He reluctantly nodded and followed the Archmage into the Mage Tower. After the two parties chatted, and coupled with the information provided by the parliament, Grete realized that the situation was far simpler than he thought, and far more troublesome than he thought:
First of all, Luosikang County is vast and sparsely populated - the entire county covers nearly 2,500 square kilometers of land and has a population of only about 200,000. Excluding nobles, temples, mages, warriors, and other nobles, there are probably poor peasants...
Looks like 180,000?
"Can't you feed 180,000 people?"
Gretel asked in shock. 2,500 square kilometers, on average, there are only 80 people per square kilometer!
One square kilometer, 80 people, not to mention farming, even if they go up trees to catch birds, go into the water to catch fish, eat grass roots and bark, they can survive this famine!
How do you do it, so that there are hungry people, disaster victims, and refugees? If you can't handle it, you need to ask the parliament to send someone? !
"this……"
The presiding mage smiled awkwardly:
"This, the matter is more complicated... In short, you will know when you see the earl..."
Gretel really felt something was wrong. Not only does this county have a small population, it is also poor. Normally, the presiding mage in a mage tower in a county town should be above level 10. The person in front of me is only level 8?
Even in Heartland City, where Gretel was born, a barren and remote hinterland where even sea fish are rare, the Newman County it belongs to, the presiding officer of the county mage tower is all level 10 or above. This one, level 8?
Parallel import, right? Or is Luo Si Kang County too poor to support people or mages? Or maybe it's not that the place is too barren, but that it's a man-made disaster?
Gretel's doubts turned decisively towards man-made disaster when the Earl's Mansion invited him to a banquet. Earl Luo Si Kang was very enthusiastic. As soon as he received the message from the Mage Tower, he immediately sent someone to invite him - and also sent the best carriage in the Earl's Mansion.
Dark walnut wood, thin gold and silver wires coiled into a magic circle, but it is as smooth as a mirror when touched casually. As soon as you enter the car, the temperature and the outside are two different worlds. It is actually equipped with the magic of "cold and heat resistance" all year round.
Gretel let out a sigh of relief. This carriage is nothing in Nevis, and almost any fifth-level mage can afford it - that's because Nevis has a large concentration of low-level mages, mage apprentices, and craftsmen.
But, here?
A county with a mere 200,000 people needs to support nobles, mage towers, temples and armies, and maintain such a high level of consumption? On what?
Gretel soon knew what to rely on. There is a specialty product in County Roscommon, and that specialty product is quite famous——
At the banquet in the Earl's Palace, servants in embroidered liveries pushed a ham on a trolley with a special silver bracket, and passed by the guests one by one to show it to everyone.
The chef wearing a white top hat - judging by his clothes, he should be a nobleman, a so-called butler of food - stood up and smiled:
"Please see, the hooves of this ham are pure black. This is the proof of the black-footed pig, a specialty of the Roscombe area. This pig grows in oak pastures with sparse woods, grows up eating wild herbs and olives, and when the acorns are mature When they were young, they fed almost exclusively on acorns..."
Gretel's eyes were downcast and he remained calm, but he was frowning secretly in his heart. Growing up in Oak Ranch? Eating only acorns?
Oak is the sacred tree of the Order of the God of Nature. This black-footed pig occupies a large area of oak pasture. Does the Order of the God of Nature know?
——Of course, there is indeed no priest of the God of Nature at this banquet. I don't know whether he was busy rescuing the refugees and didn't care at all, or whether he couldn't talk to the Earl's Mansion and ignored him at all.
The chef continued to introduce with a faint proud smile:
“The hind legs of this kind of pig are cured with pure rock salt and hung in a quiet, almost constant temperature underground wine cellar. The best craftsmen grease it regularly and adjust the hanging position and texture of the meat. Toward. Let the ham mature slowly in its natural environment—"
He raised his voice slightly and said:
"The best ham needs to be matured for four full years in this environment."
It sounds very similar to the commentary of "On the Tip of the Tongue" or "Flavour**"... Grete smiled in line with social expectations and quickly calculated in his mind:
Eating only acorns, how many acorns does a pig eat during the fattening process? How much forest land will be occupied?
Obviously these woodlands cannot be cultivated. So, in addition to grazing pigs, how much land is there for people to farm in the entire County of Roscommon?
Damn it, there is too little data to calculate. If only we could know the annual ham production here...
While Grete was making quick calculations, the chef took a sharp knife from the waiter's hand and gently rubbed a batch on the surface of the ham. The sharp knife penetrated the meat with a smooth and silky process. After cutting off a small piece of ham with a waxy crust, he changed to a sharp knife and gently passed it across——
He holds a knife in his right hand and a special square silver tweezer in his left hand, holding the sliced ham. The ham was as thin as paper, slightly translucent, and endless. Apparently the cutter's hand was very strong and steady.
Maybe a knight?
Grete thought irrelevantly.
"The black pig grew up eating herbs, olives and acorns, and was carefully marinated and aged. Its meat color changes from pink to rose red, mixed with white fat, showing beautiful marble patterns."
The second son of the earl took over the introduction and smiled at everyone:
"The meat is light and soft, mixed with the unique acorn aroma, and the taste is extremely delicate. If you taste it with an empty mouth, you can directly feel its unique flavor. Everyone, please."
At this point, the chef had already sliced off a piece of translucent ham that was one inch wide and half a foot long. With a slight shake, he rolled it on the slicing knife. At the host's signal, he was sent to the most distinguished guest from afar today - Grete.
The chef bowed slightly, held the ham motionless in front of Gretel, smiled, and signaled with his eyes:
Smell it, then eat it.
Grete was also somewhat knowledgeable. He did not change his composure under the cover of the mage's armor and bit off the piece of ham. Chewing it, it is indeed good, very tender and delicious, but it doesn't seem to be what they say.
Olive scent?
Acorn aroma?
Rich and sophisticated flavor?
what is that?
"This smell is not caused by them, right?"
Cerela's thin voice reached her ears through magic. Grete almost laughed. Well, to determine whether it really has this special flavor or whether the seller is just bragging, you should try to conduct a double-blind review...
Putting Jinhua ham, Yunnan Xuanwei ham, and hams of this kind together, it is best to use specially adjusted raw food methods. Then, blindfolded, not allowed to look, only allowed to taste, tell the number and variety of ham?
He looked sideways and saw Cerela frowning with her slender eyebrows, chewing twice, pausing, and chewing twice more, with a confused look on her face. Chew a few more times...
Hey, gone!
I haven't tasted it yet!
"Ah, Miss Elf, are you interested in our specialties?" The host smiled and raised his voice:
"Anda, give the beautiful elf lady another piece!"
Giving special care to ladies who come from afar is a matter of course to everyone. As for Bernard, he was not so lucky: one piece per person is only enough for one bite, whether you chew it slowly or swallow it whole.
After a round of empty tastings, Gretel saw various ways to eat ham with honeydew melon (the honeydew melon this year is not good, so just make do with it); ham with red wine; ham with bread.
It's still the same feeling as before. It was indeed good, but the legendary ham fat melted slowly in the mouth, and the rich and layered taste gradually bloomed like a flower bud, accompanied by the unique fragrance of fruit and wood. Grete didn't taste it at all.
Seemingly seeing that the distinguished guest was not satisfied with his meal, the second son of the earl thought for a moment and gave a few instructions in a low voice. Soon, another trolley was pushed out. This time, the second son of the earl stood up in person and took the sharp knife that sliced meat:
"Of course, Luosikang's delicacies, the treasures among treasures, are the only ones that can serve as a feast for the queen and a sacrifice to the gods. - Distinguished guests, please taste it."
Another thin piece of ham was wrapped around the tip of the knife and presented to Gretel. This time, Gretel just sniffed lightly and smelled the familiar strange aroma.
He suddenly raised his head and looked at the other party. The earl's second son, who has reached middle age and has been in charge of the family business for more than twenty years, nodded slightly and smiled:
"This is a carefully selected magic pig cub that grew up in the oak forest of our family's ancestral land. Growing up, it drank magic spring water and ate the fruits of oak trees that were more than a hundred years old and had strange powers. "
Gretel chewed the ham and closed his eyes slightly. Once, twice, three times. The fresh natural breath filled the mouth. Even he, a nearly fake priest of the god of nature, would not mistake that kind of power——
Ancestral land?
Your family’s ancestral land?
A woodland watered by magical springs, an oak tree with strange powers?
He opened his eyes and covered the coldness in his eyes with a polite smile:
“Very impressive taste.”
"Yes, yes." The count's second son said proudly:
"The entire County of Roscommon produces 40,000 hams every year - only the carefully made hind legs can be called Rothcombe hams, while the front legs can only be called black-footed pig hams. And the ham of this magic pig is produced less than once a year. Hundreds."
"It was an honor to taste it. - I think I will remember this taste."
Apart from the acorn squash ham, the other dishes at the banquet were lackluster. Gretel was reluctant to eat, but the others at the banquet ate with gusto. After finally finishing eating, everyone moved into the living room, and Gretel couldn't wait to ask the question:
"I was entrusted by the Magic Council to come all the way from Nevis to take over the task of resettling and transporting hungry people. May I ask how many poor people there are currently unable to make a living? When can the transport begin?"
"this……"
The smile on the face of the host of the banquet, Knight Peña, the second son of Earl Roscombe, froze. He looked to his left for help. The Archbishop of the Temple of the God of War looked straight ahead and turned a deaf ear;
Looking to the right again, the archbishop of the Spring Goddess Temple smiled bitterly and gave him a "helpless" look.
The host of the local mage tower stood beside the parliamentary envoy and stared at him coldly. It seemed that he had accumulated a lot of resentment, but he didn't file a complaint immediately.
"This... is more troublesome..."
He bit the bullet and said:
"The local area is basically made up of tenant farmers. As you know, tenant farmers are not allowed to leave the territory at will... According to the laws and established rules of the kingdom, all tenant farmers belong to the lord... You see, I am only my father's second son. I have no choice. Be the master..."
"Yes! Liberating the tenants or allowing them to relocate is something that only the head of the family can decide. Peña cannot overstep his authority!" Another guest at the banquet spoke up.
Grete remembered that he was introduced before the banquet as the third son of a local viscount. The other people beside him who either agreed or nodded were not the nobles who inherited the title, either the second son or the youngest son.
"What about the Earl himself?" Gretel ignored the guest and stared straight at Knight Peña:
"Or, what about his eldest son, the heir to the title?"
"Father and eldest brother are both in the royal capital." Seeing that the other party did not force him to make a decision, Knight Peña obviously became more courageous. He raised his eyes and looked directly at Gretel:
"As nobles, they need to fulfill their obligations and be in the royal capital almost all year round. Not only my father and eldest brother, but also the nobles in this area are away from Aiolan Island almost all year round."
Gretel frowned. He looked around and saw several noble heirs and the two archbishops of the temple nodding slightly, knowing that this was the truth. After thinking for a while, he asked with a glimmer of hope:
"What about the freedmen? Are there any freedmen who are in trouble, unable to survive, and need to be relocated?"
"Mr. Master, you are joking. - Since we are free people, how can we not survive? If we really can't survive, we have become tenant farmers. How can we move around at will?"
Grete choked on his throat. He looked around silently, his eyes swept over everyone present one by one, and raised a cool smile:
"In this case, I will not force you to do anything beyond your authority. - Mr. Knight, everyone, do you mind if I take a look around in Roscommon County?"
"Of course, of course! We will arrange a guide right now—"
"No need. It's just Roscommon County, I won't get lost."
Gretel held his breath and walked away. He summoned two phantom horses and rode side by side with Cerira. Bernard followed behind on Appa and immediately rushed out. After running along the sparse oak forest for an unknown length of time, Cerira suddenly pricked up her ears and reined in the horse tightly:
"Gretel, do you hear that?"
"What?"
"There--"
After running forward in the direction pointed by Serela, Grete also heard the sound coming from the wind. ——The screams, curses, begging, and whippings were heard, and they were so tragic and shocking.
He urged his horse forward again, and saw a man with a bloody mass and half-living body tied to a wooden frame at the entrance of the village. Gretel frowned slightly, casually spilled a piece of healing magic, and asked the person who whipped him:
"Why does this man need to be beaten?"
"Master Priest!" The person who wielded the whip - I don't know if he was the village chief, a soldier, or someone else - quickly put down his whip and came over to salute. When Grete asked, he moved his body intentionally or unintentionally to cover the wooden frame:
"This guy doesn't deserve your sympathy! He's a thief! He actually dares to enter the master's domain and steal acorns to eat. It's a heinous crime!"
****
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Ireland is really sparsely populated...
The figures for 2020 are 5 million people in the country, an average of 71 people per square kilometer... That's it, including the 1.2 million people in Dublin...
The population of County Roscommon is 64,500…
During the Great Famine in Ireland from 1845 to 1850, the population was 8 million... For the sake of this number, I multiplied the population of County Rothcombs by three...
I don’t even know how such a low population density can cause famine and starve to death... I have checked the Great Famine in Ireland from 1845 to 1850, and I still can’t believe it...
ps:
I placed an order on Dingdong Neighborhood Group and saw that he said he could deliver the goods tomorrow... I felt a little less panicked... At least there was a shortage of food. If I grabbed the food a day in advance, I would still be able to eat it the next day...