Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 108: Poverty [Bonus - ]

Chapter 108: Poverty [Bonus Chapter]

With Alwin enhancing her vision, Arabella was able to look at the residential houses more closely.

Could they even call those dilapidated buildings as houses in the first place?

All the buildings looked old and gray and dangerous to live in since there were a lot of parts that clearly looked to be in bad condition.

There were cracks in the walls and holes in the roofs. Most of it even looked like it would collapse any minute.

After scrutinizing the houses, Arabella concluded it was no longer a matter of maintenance but the need to build new houses.

There were no pavements as well and the roads were unpaved, rough, and bumpy.

Maybe it was once paved but none of it remained now.

This cannot simply be called a financial slump.

It was extreme poverty. Not only money was a problem here in Safiro but all the basic needs.

It was clear at a glance.

There were no crops where the farmlands were supposed to be. The land was not even tilled for planting.

Was there a drought in Safiro or a lack of water supply? It was the only reason she could think about why a territory would not have a single field planted with crops.

Ah, of course.

If Mt. Esme was barren, the water supply would also be a problem.

From the map, she recalled there was supposed to be a wide river. But she found none.

’It dried up? How long had Safiro been in this state for the river to have even dried up?’

Safiro which was supposed to be a territory filled with greenery was bare and barren.

No trees, shrubs, or even grasses.

It was clear that food was scarce. Or rather, there was no source.

They couldn’t plant crops probably because there was no water supply.

They had no food from the land and none from the water as well since the river had dried up. And there were no fruits or animals from Mt. Esme either since it was bare.

Their remedy was to import food from the nearby territories but that was if they had the money to pay for it.

But it was clear from the situation of the houses that money was a problem as well.

Strangely, there were no people anywhere.

Did they make a mistake?

Did Alwin teleport them elsewhere?

Or was this a village abandoned by the Safiro tribe?

Arabella hoped that was the case. She’d rather they were somewhere else living a better life than this.

However, just a few seconds later, her hopes were crushed.

There were ladies who arrived from the other side of Mt Esme. All of them were holding an old-looking cylinder container and something wrapped in cloth.

Someone from the first house spotted the ladies and probably said something since the others got out of their homes.

Only young children probably five or four years old and below got out of the houses.

’The children were left alone in those dangerous-looking houses?!’

She knew from experience children at such ages liked moving about and might do something dangerous out of curiosity.

What if they climbed up and fell?

What if they held sharp objects and wounded themselves?

She wondered where all the other adults went.

’Oh, there were grandparents left to take care of the children.’

She tried to look closer when she saw some elder people get out of the other houses.

Arabella felt a lump in her throat as she gazed at the people of Safiro.

They were way too thin. She could see the outline of their bones. Both children, mothers, and elders were clearly suffering from malnutrition.

Their hair and skin were dry and dirty from not bathing enough due to the lack of water. And their clothes looked like rags.

The children were so delighted with seeing their mothers.

’Where did the mothers come from when it was still early in the morning?’

Arabella watched as the children eagerly got what was wrapped in a cloth.

When it was opened she saw sweet potatoes inside.

Lobelius exported sweet potatoes so she was familiar with them.

The children were so delighted to see sweet potatoes and began eating them right outside their houses.

Some just sat on the ground and ate sweet potatoes while the mothers opened the cylinder-shaped container they were holding.

The others just remained standing and ate without a care in the world. They were so focused on the food they were having.

The container apparently had soup in it and the children and the elderly happily ate it with the sweet potatoes.

Everyone there was fine with just eating right outside while sitting on the floor. The others entered their houses but most just ate outside.

Arabella noticed that those who had more children needed more food so those who had only one child shared some of theirs.

Her chest ached as she saw the children and everyone else eat the sweet potatoes with so much eagerness. It was as if they hadn’t eaten anything in days.

Everyone in the village indeed looked malnourished so they probably didn’t have anything to eat on some days just as Arabella has heard from Nadia’s thoughts.

Arabella gritted her teeth. Why was something like this happening in the powerful Empire that had a lot of resources?

She had only ever seen it in books before.

She thought things like this do not happen in real life and were just exaggerated descriptions. But now, she was seeing it for herself and there was no denying it.

"Arabella..."

"Arabella!"

She gasped when Ferdinand suddenly stood in front of her and covered her view.

"Are you alright?! You’re pale," Ferdinand cupped her cheek.

She realized she had been so focused that she hadn’t heard a thing from her companions.

"I’m alright. More importantly, Ferdinand, these people need help. Why are they suffering like this?"

Ferdinand flinched.

"Yes. I’m so sorry you had to see something even much worse than Prudencia. Let’s go back to the palace first."

[I will have to sign the necessary documents and have Alwin and the others investigate this. I think the dryad is also related to this.]

Arabella pursed her lips and nodded her head. Even if they stay there much longer, there was nothing she else could do to help.

At least she achieved her goal, right? She had succeeded in making Ferdinand aware of the situation in Safiro so he could do something about it.

She shouldn’t delay Alwin and the others from working on it as soon as possible.

But what was this dissatisfied feeling churning inside her chest?

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A/N:

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