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Chapter 1865 - 296: Tides Rise and Fall
Chapter 1865: Chapter 296: Tides Rise and Fall
Time slips away and never returns, past events can only be reminisced.
For the vast majority of people, living in a particularly good era means there’s no time to dwell on the past.
Because new things keep emerging, getting better, the old ones should be thrown into the trash bin.
But every era bears its tragedies; it has many facets, and not every side can improve.
So people start to reminisce, not about the past hardships, but the moments of beauty amidst the struggles.
Just like the native residents of Unparalleled City, sometimes they climb to the mountain top and gaze at the miles of lakes, recounting the beauty of the past.
At that time, how prosperous was Xiling, even North City boasted a street paved with gold.
Every time a Wancheng Treasure Ship returned, if fortunate enough, one could pick up a fortune that would last a lifetime.
And the girls of Tianxiang Building and Miaoyin Square, catching a glimpse would captivate one’s senses and soul for days, granting a fleeting moment of bliss that would leave one content even in life or death.
And further beyond!
The elders would raise their hands, like pointing out a vast landscape.
Every autumn, golden wheat ears would spread across the Lingjiang Plain like endless waves, with thrice-a-year harvests. Each time crops were collected, Xiling’s masters would recruit farm workers extensively.
Even the lowest rung farm workers in Lingjiang, by putting in hard work for a few days, wouldn’t worry about lacking money for grain purchases, and every few days they could afford some meat. Life was better than they were experiencing now in Unparalleled City.
Merchants from all over Longzhou would settle in Xiling, for its wealth was unimaginable. Rumor had it that some auctions hosted by a few houses could sell tens of billions of gold worth of treasures in one night, with Xiling noblewomen as the buyers.
That was truly a paradise-like place: self-sufficient and more hopeful for all the people after the promulgation of the Five-Mu Field Decree.
But now, places like that in Lingjiang are nowhere to be found; even Chaochang seems lethargic.
The elders’ nostalgia is largely untrustworthy, for if their stories were true, they should be moderately wealthy rather than mediocre laborers tainted by wealthy habits.
After all, one struggles to imagine scenes they’ve never witnessed, so the children growing up in Unparalleled City would never believe in a ship extravagantly lavish with coin upon return—the amount was staggering.
Curiosity stirs them to inquire further, but the elders who were boasting moments earlier would suddenly change their expressions, scold with a stern face, and curse grumpily.
This must be out of guilt, so whenever this happens, the younger generations just listen for amusement, for the facts are so inconsistent with the legends that bragging becomes an annotation of truth.
The elders of Xiling naturally understand the helplessness and ridicule in the eyes of the youngsters, but why would they argue?
Though their knowledge is limited, they understand simple principles like sparing the dignity of the respected, no matter how ominous rumors of the Longxi Alliance are outside.
In the hearts of these Xiling elders, the Wancheng Treasure Ship is a vessel filled with happiness, its crew all heroes of Xiling. Only thus could one truly claim to have a clear conscience.
And as more and more craftspeople flood into Unparalleled City, more residents climb the mountains.
Failing to grab jobs, they simply stop hanging around the city walls, instead picking up some small dishes, and taking a few small bottles of turbid wine, staggering up the mountain to boast and eat, reveling throughout the entire afternoon.
Many sharp-minded artisans notice the inner-city residents’ trend, setting up stalls along the mountain paths, selling snacks and drinks, transforming the trail into a never-ending small market, thereby attracting more people to ascend.
Ever since Nong Family disciples leased out all their vegetable stall businesses, they’ve become idle wanderers.
Though idle, their established family assets are enough to sustain their living expenses; these days, they’re either playing cards or drinking on the mountain, as for the scenery, they mostly ignore it.
No matter how beautiful the view, after seeing it multiple times, the excitement wanes, unlike the thrill of winning or losing.
But today, for some reason, a few Nong Family disciples playing cards in the mountainside pavilion couldn’t help but occasionally glance at Lingjiang, looking for a moment before turning back.
Finally, someone couldn’t hold back any longer, placing the dominoes down and uncertainly asking their card-playing friends, "I wonder if I’ve seen it wrong, but does anyone else feel like the water level on the river surface seems to have dropped?"
Like a sudden enlightenment, this statement awakened several card friends, who hastened to claim they also noticed, then they began discussing fervently.
...
The water level of Lingjiang is lowering.
Such occurrences shouldn’t be surprising; ebb and flow is normal for rivers, and the fishermen who spend their lives on the water have developed a set of patterns concerning tides.
The primary rule of rising tides is rain; if rainfall is abundant, then the river inevitably rises. If heavy rain persists, flooding is expected.
The second key rule involves celestial bodies, especially the moon alongside the sun. Through thousands of years of pattern exploration, most fishermen can discern some tidal nuances from the celestial phenomena.
For instance, when the two stars align, a major tide is expected; when they oppose, a tide may be anticipated; additionally, there are waxing and waning tides.
Currently, in June, it’s a day with both stars aligned for a major tide, coupled with ample rainfall, so the water level should be surging—but why has it decreased?
Fishermen ponder this endlessly, and it has become a curious topic on the streets and alleys of Unparalleled City.
If this happened elsewhere, the people’s conversations would likely revolve around mysterious abnormalities, descending natural disasters, or haunting demonic tales, while numerous local fortune-tellers or mystics would emerge, peddling false promises of prosperity for believers, misfortune for skeptics.
But Unparalleled City is different; when the people can’t figure it out, they’ll gather around the notice board in front of City Hall, demanding an explanation from the authorities.
So far, City Hall has provided explanations for many bizarre occurrences, and these seemingly pointless matters have fostered trust between the citizens and City Hall.
Thus, when the water drops during a major tide, the people didn’t panic but hoped City Hall would offer an explanation.
Yet, what explanation can City Hall provide? Recently, because of the massive influx of craftsmen into the city, they are already overwhelmed.
Several civil registry officials haven’t been home since last month, and you can smell them from a hundred yards away; expecting such people to understand tidal patterns is obviously unrealistic.
But since the people have made reasonable requests, City Hall naturally seeks ways to satisfy them. Fortunately, some Wind Media returning from the Yun Clan just joined the Wind Media Department, perfectly filling the staffing gap, accepting the task to investigate.
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