Work Prophet
Chapter 607 - 39 Happiness is Relative

Chapter 607: Chapter 39 Happiness is Relative

Red Beard and his companions were indeed steadfast, preferring to suffer hunger rather than betray their tribespeople, even if it meant being prepared for severe torture.

However, what they didn’t expect was that after they had rejected the proposal of the man in black from the Empire, the latter did not trouble them further.

They even resumed supplying them with food two days later.

But the food placed in front of them this time made all of their faces turn ugly.

—— Acorn rye bread.

This was the most common staple in the tribes of the Dragon Ridge Mountain Range. Rye, being more adaptable to cold climates and less demanding of soil quality than wheat, was widely cultivated by the tribespeople.

However, growing only rye was not enough to feed an entire tribe, so they would mix some acorn flour into the rye bread and combine it with game meat acquired from hunting in the mountains, preserved by smoking.

This way, just enough food was provided to fill the stomachs of the people in the tribe.

Of course, this was only during times of fair weather. In years with poor harvests, when food was scarce, they would have no choice but to raid each other or agree to go down the mountains to pillage from the Dwarves.

Having tasted the familiar food of their homeland once more, Red Beard and the others felt not a hint of warmth or happiness.

Because this food had all been plundered by those Imperial people, stolen from a tribe called the Giant Crow, which was very famous nearby and had a population of seven to eight hundred.

But this time, the enemy they faced outnumbered them by more than tenfold, and most of the warriors from the Giant Crow Tribe had gone with the Dwarves to block the Mountain Pass.

What was left were the elderly and the young, who were even less capable of putting up a fight.

All they could do was watch helplessly as the Lady emptied all of their granaries and didn’t leave them a single grain of wheat.

An old tribesman tried to step forward to stop them but was kicked to the ground by a soldier of the Empire; yet the old tribesman still clung to the legs of the soldier in front of him, pointing to a pregnant female tribeswoman behind him, desperately pleading.

But his pleas were met with a brutal beating.

Witnessing this scene, the expressions on the faces of Red Beard and the others grew even more unsightly. Although they weren’t from the Giant Crow Tribe, and some even had feuds with it.

Yet, as fellow tribespeople from the Dragon Ridge Mountain Range, the sight of the Giant Crow Tribe facing complete annihilation aroused in them a sense of shared sorrow.

The winter had only just begun, and spring was still a long way off; without their stores, the vast majority of the Giant Crow Tribe would starve to death.

Only the strongest warriors or the younger women might find a new tribe willing to accept them.

This was the reason for the old tribesman’s despair, because both he and the pregnant female tribeswoman would find it very difficult to find a new place to call home.

Upon seeing this, the Lady couldn’t help but feel sympathy, and the excitement she had felt after securing the food was considerably lessened.

This was the second time she had felt the cruelty of war, the first being when she had heard of the death of Marquis Kuren.

Duren, having experienced such things himself, noticed Miss Rabbit’s despondence and took the initiative to say, "Let me handle the subsequent pillaging. You can stay here and rest with your people for a while."

"No," Miss Rabbit shook her head, "I have killed a dragon before, and I am the champion of the dueling tournament. I am not that fragile."

"But war is a completely different matter," the former Imperial Forest Guard Captain said, "As the commander-in-chief, your every command might change the fate of many. Especially when the desire for victory clashes with one’s moral compass, it can cause immense internal strife."

"How did you solve this problem?" the Lady inquired earnestly.

"You’ve heard of the great name of the Silver Knight, haven’t you?" Duren said. "He possesses all the virtues of a Knight, and like many others, I admired him greatly and even tried to emulate him when I was young.

"But then I realized that I couldn’t become him, especially after I became the Imperial Forest Guard Captain. I chose to maintain absolute loyalty to His Majesty, which meant I had to give up some things, some very precious things."

Upon hearing this, Miss Rabbit displayed a contemplative expression, "Is this why, knowing it might implicate your wife, daughter, and your family behind you, you still chose to step forward and accuse Gars?"

"This is the path I’ve chosen, and you must choose yours," Duren said.

The Lady frowned in thought, then hesitated, seemingly engaged in a fierce inner struggle; but eventually, she relaxed her brows.

"Have you found an answer?"

"No," Miss Rabbit paused, then added, "But I know whom to listen to when I’m uncertain, and that’s enough.

"Gather those barbarians for me, tell them they can only eat their fill and get a weekend break if they do as I say."

After vanquishing the Giant Crow Tribe, the Lady used their food as wages to recruit a group of hands on the spot to take down another barbarian tribe.

The Imperial soldiers were mainly responsible for pressing from behind, to prevent those barbarians from escaping halfway through.

However, this was indeed a bit of an overcaution; without food, those barbarians would starve to death even if they did escape, even without the Imperial people following behind, they now had to fight desperately against their neighbors.

Moreover, the Giant Crow was considered a large tribe in the vicinity, and even though there weren’t many able-bodied left now, other tribes had even fewer, so Miss Rabbit’s plundering plans were exceedingly smooth.

By the time she plundered the fifth tribe, Red Beard and the others finally began to feel unsettled.

The barbarians now realized that the Giant Crow Tribe’s disaster wasn’t just bad luck nor a random encounter with this Imperial Army.

Instead, these Imperial people truly had a way to find those tribes hidden deep in the mountains.

This conclusion filled Red Beard and others with deep fear.

They racked their brains but couldn’t figure out how the other side managed it, yet the facts were laid before their eyes, compelling them to believe it.

And continuing at this rate, it would eventually be their tribe’s turn.

Just like the Giant Crow Tribe, they certainly couldn’t resist this Imperial Army, so all these barbarian captives started to panic.

Some even clamored to see Li Yu.

Unfortunately, it was precisely the time for Li Yu’s weekend break, and the Prophet of the Double Rest Sect wouldn’t return until eight days later.

Miss Rabbit had already gotten used to eating acorn rye cakes, which tasted average and certainly couldn’t compare to bread, but now wasn’t the time to be picky.

The Lady led by example, starting with the nobles as they bit into it; consequently, those below stopped complaining.

Moreover, happiness is relative. Looking at those hungry barbarians and then at the acorn rye cakes in their own hands, they suddenly felt that the unremarkable cake became quite delicious.