Poverty, this place was truly and truly poor.
When Tang Shidao entered the Red Flame Crystal City, the first thing he noticed was not the secret spring stone pillar on the high platform in the center of the city, but the people of the city. What shocked Tang Shidao was that more than 90% of the people in the city were still … starving.
It had to be said.
Except for the other mortal worlds and some ancient planets in the Mage Network, Tang Shidao really couldn't think of any other magic area where the creatures would starve. Not to mention the water-making and food-making spells, 1 point of Plant Growth was enough for any inferior field to have a good harvest. And you didn't have to wait too long. With a few more strokes of Plant Growth, you could watch the crops leap from seedlings to mature for harvest.
In the previous life, the magic of the Desolate World was exhausted, but there were still cultivators.
The Mage Network could make mortals rich with a casual wave of their hand, but there were still 90% of the people in the whole city starving. This kind of thing, seeing it with his own eyes, was not wrong.
Looking around.
Tang Shidao found that the Red Flame Crystal City had a large population, and in each family, most of the members were teenagers and children.
These families also worked as a unit.
Education.
Work.
Cultivation.
Everything was done by the family, with the father or mother imparting knowledge, and the children listening attentively.
They couldn't not be attentive.
Because these parents would assign their children according to their learning and ability, the poor, lazy, and hungry were not given food. The slightly adult youth, or the youth who had some success in cultivation, would leave to find a better place to work, or a better environment for cultivation. Most of the youth who went out would bring back some food or tools, in case the family couldn't support it, and the younger brothers and sisters couldn't survive.
In terms of status.
These families were the lowest level units.
Then, the young people were one level higher, either working or cultivating. They were in a venue, workshop or school, and this was the second last level.
The mentors of these young people had a higher status, and could be regarded as the third last level.
They were mentors.
In fact, they were more like experienced old thieves. At this level, some of them were responsible for teaching, some were responsible for patrolling, and some were responsible for going out to hunt. The villains who blocked the road in the city and collected fees actually belonged to the third last level. Apart from the civilian families and the civilian youth, the thief soldiers were the most common force unit, and also the lowest force unit.
Only the rogue soldiers and those above them could be considered true Mages.
Although his level was still extremely low.
The Secret Spring Stone Pillar in the center of the city was an altar, a place for forced sacrifices. On the penultimate level, after the youths cultivated a bit of magic power, they would have to pay taxes. Not money, but mana points. Five out of ten. Furthermore, it would be handed in every other year. In other words, if you couldn't double your cultivation within a year, you would have wasted a year of cultivation. You might even regress after you hand it over.
Would the City Lord care about your opinion?
No.
No.
In his eyes, all the young cultivators were like chives. If they didn't grow taller or double in a year, it would be their fault.
The sacrifice of the Secret Spring Stone was very dangerous.
Tang Shidao saw with his own eyes that at least ten to twenty percent of the young Mages were sucked dry. Not only was their magic power drained, their life force was also drained. At that time, no one had saved them, and they were even laughing and mocking them. What was worse was that the sacrifice was not easy to control. Some thief soldiers even deliberately whipped or shot at the young Mages to make them lose control.
As long as there was a slight disturbance, the young Mages would not be able to escape. It was very likely that they would be sucked dry.
This was the situation.
Ordinary people were like plants, while the Secret Spring Stone was like a person who harvested food.
Tang Shidao walked to the city wall and looked into the distance.
There were trees, rivers, and also birds and beasts in the wild. However, they all had one thing in common: they were either super big or super small!
Flowers, plants, and trees.
Birds, beasts, insects, and fish.
They all met this standard. Super big or super small, there were no medium-sized ones.
Under the giant trees were small grasses or saplings.
In the rivers were giant fish or small shrimps.
Tang Shidao could sense that it was not that there were no medium-sized ones, but that medium-sized ones were all prey. A giant wolf that was dozens of meters long passed by. Beasts that were only a few meters long would definitely die. Only small mice could survive. It was not that small mice could fight, but there were too many of them. Even if the giant wolf licked a few mouthfuls, there would still be a lot left.
It was the same for trees.
Herbivorous beasts could not eat those that were too big. Herbivorous beasts could not eat those that were too small … Medium-Sized trees could be eaten one at a time. It would be strange if there were any leftovers.
In addition to natural competition, the hunting groups in the city were also destructive factors.
Trees that were too big were difficult to cut down.
Beasts that were too big were difficult to fight and kill.
Medium-Sized ones were the easiest. Super small ones could be caught, but they could not catch enough, so there would be leftovers. The only place where medium-sized beasts could live was the underground cave. Because the environment of the underground cave was too complicated, there were countless snakes, insects, rats, and ants, so they could escape and hunt. Of course, the underground cave was also the most common place for people to hunt.
On the ground.
Or, there was a team of Mages who had the ability to deal with the giant beasts.
Or, there was a big child who was so hungry that he risked his life to catch insects and fish.
For young people or adults, entering the underground cave to hunt was the best choice. Tang Shidao also found that the underground cave was the city's' food factory 'and' meat factory ', the largest food supply point. The people here did not have farmland, so they ate whatever grew on the ground. Not long? Starving.
"Your Excellency, may I disturb you?" Tang Shidao was looking around when suddenly, a slightly trembling voice asked.
Tang Shidao turned around.
At this time, a young cultivator with a respectful expression cupped his hands in greeting. There was an unconcealable sense of fear in his eyes.
"What's the matter?"
"Yes, please forgive me, Your Excellency. Our City Lord sent me to ask if we have offended you in any way? Regarding the matter in front of the city gate, the City Lord has already executed more than ten people. I hope Your Excellency does not misunderstand. If Your Excellency is free, the City Lord would like to invite Your Excellency as a guest. What do Your Excellency think? "The young cultivator did not even dare to say his name.
"Your City Lord is only about the second level of the Saint Realm, right?" Tang Shidao said lightly.
"Yes, yes, Your Excellency." The young cultivator was shocked. A person who could speak like this was definitely above the second level of the Saint Realm. After thinking for a while, he quickly added, "However, the City Lord's father is also a City Lord. He has the sixth level of the Saint Realm."
"There's not even a Realm Lord in the family?"
"Oh … That, that …" The young cultivator broke out in a cold sweat. He was completely speechless. In fact, he knew what a Realm Lord was and what a Supreme was. He had even heard of Lord Magic Spirit and Ancestral Spirits.
However.
In the previous Desolate World, the more powerful someone was, the closer they lived to the secret spring.
For Sorcerers, the closer they were to the spring, the weaker they were.
It was not that they could not get close, but that they did not dare to.
The energy around the secret spring was the richest, but at the same time, it was also the most dangerous. Ordinary Sorcerers could not even withstand it, let alone absorb it. It was like steel could be thrown into a fire. If you were firewood, you would be throwing yourself into a fire and die. Similarly, if the temperature of the flame was too high, steel would not be able to withstand it. At the level of the Saint Realm, they could still survive far away from the secret spring. If they got close, they would not even have the ability to survive.
"Your, Your Excellency … You, you … We, we …" The young cultivator could not finish his words. His spirit was about to collapse.
"May I ask a question?"
"Yes, please ask." The young cultivator immediately answered, not caring about what the other party wanted to ask.
"Why is the underground safer than the surface?"
"Ah? Are you talking about living things? Yes, yes, it's like this … Because, because of the core of the Void Soil, there will be some associated minerals around it. These associated minerals are also very tough and can even protect the safety of an area. The secret spring gathers energy from all directions, but does not fight for the core of the Void Soil. "
"You mean it can't do anything about it?" Tang Shidao smiled.
"Yes, yes, yes, you're right. I'm sorry for the slip of the tongue. That, um, the secret spring, it … it can't do anything to the Void Soil, so the closer it is to the Void Soil, the safer it is. In places like this, far away from the secret spring, underground caves are the safest and have the most living things. "The young cultivator did not dare to refute. Here, strength was the truth.
"Don't worry, just answer my question. I won't make things difficult for you."
"Ah? Thank … thank you for your magnanimity. "The young cultivator wiped away cold sweat.
"Let me ask again, why are these people starving?"
"This … About this, Your Excellency, please forgive me for not being able to explain. There are many reasons. Generally speaking, because of the stone altar of the secret spring, sorcerers rarely cast spells in cities or nearby places, because it's easy to make mistakes. Therefore, planting and breeding are very difficult. Similarly, animals and plants with magic power are also very difficult to survive. When magic beasts are injured or fight, their energy is very likely to be sucked out and killed. The same is true for magic plants if they are destroyed. "
"Turning into dried corpses?"
"Yes, yes, you're right, Your Excellency. Another reason is that some people think that civilians need to work hard to get more food. Therefore, they deliberately reduce the amount of food sold. In fact, everyone is very busy with work, but the food they exchange for is relatively less. In the end, because of the altar, casting spells is inconvenient, so there is a shortage of food. "
"Why not tear down that stone pillar?" Tang Shidao asked again.
"Ah … This, no, of course not. Your Excellency may not know, but the existence of our Red Flame City is because of this altar. It belongs to another group of powerhouses, and I don't know who they are. In short, we have to submit enough energy in a set time, and then we can live peacefully. If we don't submit enough, the city lord has to pay for it himself. "
"Without this stone pillar, it's the same as not having anyone to protect you. Is this a protection fee?"
"This … this …" The young cultivator was speechless. If he said yes, it would be the truth, but he didn't dare to say the truth. If he said no, it would be a lie.
Did he dare to lie to this mysterious person who didn't even take the Realm Master seriously?
Of course not.
"I understand, you don't need to say it. Does every city have this kind of stone pillar? "
"Yes."
"Does every secret spring have a master?"
"This … Rumor has it that every secret spring is controlled by a group of people, or even by many groups. However, no one can own it. Because the secret spring is also a passage, it has a very special inner world inside it. In addition to guarding the outside, people also need to explore the inside. Therefore, many people need to work together. "The young cultivator opened his mouth. Presumably, this was something that everyone knew.
"If I give you food, can you help me exchange it for some money and something to prove my identity?"
"Ah? Of course, of course. You don't need to give us anything, we'll be happy to do it for you. "When facing a powerhouse, the weak could only curry favor with him unconditionally.
"No need, just help me exchange it." Tang Shidao waved his hand.
A large amount of magical fruits and grains were scattered on the ground.
This kind of thing was very easy to obtain.
Strictly speaking, any mage's secret room could produce a large amount of them. However, the others didn't have Tang Shidao's ability to open a space door in front of the secret spring stone altar without letting the altar steal a trace of energy.
The young cultivator was stunned, he didn't understand how Tang Shidao did it.
However.
The others quickly came and took the things away … These ingredients were cultivation treasures.
Five minutes later.
Tang Shidao exchanged a large amount of money and also obtained an identity card of Red Flame City: Magic Cultivator, Tang Feng!
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