Wintertown, Knights Fortress.
The wooden door of the knights fortress was pushed open with a creak.
All the knights stopped what they were doing and looked toward the main entrance.
A fiery red figure caught their attention.
The knights’ hanging hearts finally settled.
Before Isabella could even speak, the knights began to chime in with words of concern.
“Commander! His Highness didn’t give you a hard time, did he!”
She gently tapped her sword against the ground twice, producing a dull sound.
Instantly, the noise inside the room subsided.
The knights instantly changed their casual standing postures and looked at Isabella with solemn gazes.
They understood that this was the commander’s habit before issuing orders.
Isabella let out a cold snort and then issued an order:
“Everyone, heed my command. Three hours from now, open the city gates to provide relief to the refugees outside the city.”
“Yes!”
But after shouting yes, the knights’ pupils suddenly dilated as they realized something was wrong with the order they had just heard.
?!
No, why are we letting the refugees outside into the city?!
“Commander!?”
“Commander, why suddenly open the city gates?”
“The disaster relief grain hasn’t even been shipped over from Winterhold yet!”
“If we open the gates now, in case the refugees lose their minds from hunger and conflicts break out inside the city, won’t we only be able to suppress them with violence!”
“This goes completely against the chivalric code!”
The fortress was thrown into chaos.
Isabella showed displeasure and heavily slammed the sword in her hand down.
The coercion of a Second-Order Knight instantly swept across the entire room.
Boom!
The knights instantly fell silent, not daring to act presumptuously.
Isabella slowly stepped forward, turning her back to the crowd with a low voice.
“Chivalric honor, chivalric honor. At this point, what chivalric honor do we still have left?”
“You and I both know.”
“Every day, refugees outside the city freeze or starve to death, and the grain from Winterhold is still nowhere in sight.”
“The so-called disaster relief is nothing more than our extravagant hope.”
“Not letting the refugees into the city right now is merely to hold onto our last baseline.”
“Once the refugees turn into rioters, not a single one of those thousand-plus refugees will survive.”
Hearing Isabella’s words, the knights, who were originally filled with righteous indignation and held their heads high, lowered their heads.
They wilted.
They talked endlessly about chivalry, but when it actually came to saving so many refugees outside the city, not a single one of them truly took action.
After all, they didn’t have much food left to eat either.
“Commander, since that’s the case, shouldn’t we even more not open the main gates?”
Facing everyone’s doubts, Isabella shook her head.
“I have witnessed the method proposed by His Highness with my own eyes; the grain problem has been completely resolved.”
“What!?”
“How is that possible? Isn’t the food in the city almost running out?”
The knights’ eyes were filled with disbelief.
Some poor families had even begun selling their young children as slaves just to trade for a few days’ rations.
Now you’re telling me the food shortage problem is solved?
Could food possibly be conjured out of thin air?
Isabella didn’t explain anything; instead, she drew her sword, and then pointed the sword toward the sky:
“I swear in the name of Windsor, what I say is not false.”
Hearing Isabella swear in the name of Windsor, the knights immediately put away their doubts.
Swearing in the name of one’s family was one of the highest etiquettes in knightly etiquette; betraying the oath was akin to betraying one’s own family.
Since Isabella dared to swear in the name of her family, it was enough to prove that her words were true.
Suddenly, Isabella changed the subject, her tone turning icy:
“I can understand questioning my command because of the refugees.”
“But from now on, if anyone still questions my command, then don’t blame the sword in my hand.”
The Knights Order was a border defense army, and as soldiers, they had to obey orders.
Without rules, nothing can be accomplished.
Since Isabella, as the acting commander of the Knights Order, had already issued the command, then they only had one choice: to execute the command.
The knights lowered their heads, clenched their right fists over their hearts, and performed a knightly salute.
“Yes!”
Among the knights, a few had rather strange expressions in their eyes.
They exchanged glances for a moment before falling silent again.
Reminded by Levi and keeping watch in advance, Isabella had long since taken note of this unusual movement.
To think…
His Highness Levi actually predicted it…
There really was a mole in the Knights Order.
She tightened her grip on her sword, constantly warning herself not to startle the snake.
She suppressed the impulse to execute them on the spot.
Isabella pretended to handle official business normally while secretly paying close attention to the movements of the moles.
…
After being dismissed, these few knights gathered together and whispered to each other.
“What’s going on? How did things suddenly turn out like this?”
“The mission given to us by His Highness the Seventh Prince cannot and will not be allowed to fail.”
“There are less than two hours left; even using magic carrier pigeons, it’s too late to transmit the message.”
“Notify the people outside the city to advance the operation.”
“Yes!”
…
Lords Mansion.
“Your Highness, everything is ready. Over three thousand roasted potatoes, if eaten sparingly, will be enough for the refugees outside the city to have rations for a full two days!”
“The remaining five thousand plus, about three thousand plus kilograms, have all been stored in the warehouse.”
“The production plan will continue until your ‘growth powder’ is completely used up.”
“Your Highness, the potato plants ripened by your ‘growth powder’ have a high yield and huge fruits,”
“something even the magical seed potatoes improved by high-tier plant-type mages in the royal capital cannot achieve. It’s simply amazing!”
Pete, who came from generations of farming, was so moved that tears came out when he saw a bumper harvest of grain even in the deep winter.
If possible, would no more people starve to death?
Beside him, Trist was also shedding tears of deep emotion.
Finally…
finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
It was a nailed-on certainty that His Highness the Sixth Prince would solve the famine problem, and right now, if the existence of ‘growth powder’ were to be transmitted back to the royal capital, it would undoubtedly plunge the higher-ups of the royal capital into shock.
An alchemical item that ignored environments and seasons to directly mature crops was simply a terrifying existence that shattered cognition.
But unfortunately, His Highness the Prince said he could only produce enough ‘growth powder’ for about five thousand kilograms of potatoes a day.
Alas, if it could be produced infinitely, it would represent an endless source of food—this was truly the ultimate existence that benefited the country and the people!
Levi hadn’t exposed all of his abilities.
As long as there were sufficient beast bones, he could infinitely synthesize ‘growth powder’—which was actually bone meal.
After all, if a bug-tier power like infinitely manufacturing bone meal were leaked, he really wouldn’t need to live anymore.
Why bother with a crown prince selection?
They could just judge him the winner directly.
But then again, so what if you won the crown prince selection?
You’d still die just the same if someone stabbed you with a knife.
He had to make his competitors feel that they were just playing an advantageous game, thereby keeping each other in check.
But if he made his competitors feel that they were playing a steamrolling game, they might just unite to deal with him.
And he wouldn’t be able to handle that.
“Mm.”
Levi nodded, indicating that he understood.
He got up from the reclining chair, letting Trist smooth out the wrinkles in his clothes.
“The dirty crawlers in the shadows definitely want to ruin my plan.”
A sharp glint flashed through his eyes; he had calculated everything.
“Isabella, don’t let me down.”
Levi first pretended to inspect the potato production line and took a walk around the back garden.
But in reality…
He was here to absorb the experience orbs generated by roasting potatoes.
That’s right, in the game, roasting food would generate experience.
Not only could these other-worldly natives not see them, but they had no way of absorbing these experience orbs at all.
Therefore, the experience orbs scattered all over the ground, waiting for the arrival of their true master.
He only heard the continuous tinkling sound ringing in his ears.
Over three thousand potatoes brought Levi’s level up to level 31.
After absorbing the experience orbs,
Levi came to the front of the carriage convoy that had long been fully prepared.
The carriages were filled with dozens of carts of roasted potatoes, enough for the refugees outside the city to eat.
The person in charge, Pete, stood at the very front of the carriages and bowed to Levi.
Everything was ready.
Levi waved his hand grandly and commanded:
“My attendants, set out immediately! Disaster relief!”
Hearing Levi’s command, the attendants’ blood inexplicably boiled.
They were going to save the dying refugees in the bitter winter!
“Yes!”