As long as the Months of Demons did not end, the streets and alleys of Stronghold were always deserted. Even the ubiquitous Rats would curl up and hide in their respective territories, sharing the food that had been saved in the autumn and waiting for new prey to appear when the weather returned.
That was how it should have been.
"Damn it, why do I have to go through the wind and snow to listen to the policy speech?" Snaketooth spat on the ground angrily. "It's none of our business what the big bosses are going to do."
"Pull up your collar." He looked at Joe, who was shivering beside him. "If you get the cold plague, you'll die."
"He shouldn't have come out with us." Sunflower frowned. "Why do we need four people to get information? Kanas is targeting us. "
"Save it. So what if he's targeting us?" Tigerclaw, who was the strongest among them, said disapprovingly. "He's our food source." Although he said so, he still quickened his pace and stood in front of the other three. Snaketooth suddenly felt the cold wind lessen.
"Thank... thank you," Joe whispered.
But when it came to Kanas, everyone was a little discouraged.
There were different levels among the Rats, from the King at the top to the Tail at the bottom. They occupied different areas. Kanas was neither a King nor a Tail. He was the manager of the Endless Alley in the Western District of the outer city. To be precise, he should be the waist... or the belly. But no matter who he was, Snaketooth and the others had to respectfully call him "Boss" when they saw him.
There were six managers like him in the Western District. As for the boss, who was also the King of the Western District, Snaketooth had never seen him.
Kanas had several groups of Rats under his command, and they were one of them. There was no doubt that the more powerful they were, the more favored they would be by the managers. Unfortunately, as street children in the alley, they were outnumbered. Even when they fought, their arms and legs were much thinner than their opponents, so they were naturally at a disadvantage. Of course, Tigerclaw was an exception. His figure did not seem to have grown by eating only half a piece of black bread a day.
As for Brown Girl Sunflower's "targeting", they were even more unlucky. A witch had appeared in the alley. Snaketooth had wanted to use her ability to exchange for some money, but he did not expect to meet a big shot from the Elk Family. In the end, not only did he not earn much money, he even lost the witch.
It was precisely because of this that Kanas was particularly angry with them. He felt that if they had handed the witches over to him earlier, it would have been better to sell them to the nobles or the church.
"He's just saying it," Snaketooth said disdainfully. "Sell it to the church for 25 Golden Dragon? Where was he going to find those fake priests? The church was in ruins. The nobles wouldn't hand over the Golden Dragon to a rat. He wouldn't even be alive to get the money. "
"Snaketooth is right," said Joe, trembling. "If we really, really made him lose twenty-five Golden Dragon, he would have thrown our bodies into the Redwater River."
"Kanas would only dare to hand over the witches to the King of the Western District, and he has to be wary of the witches' unpredictable ability. He doesn't have a God's Stone of Retaliation," Snaketooth continued. "That guy just doesn't like us."
"What do you mean by that? She's Paper. She's one of us!" Sunflower pinched Snaketooth hard. "Do you still want to treat her as a commodity?" She suddenly paused. "Hey, you didn't sell her at that time, did you?"
"I didn't!" He shouted. "I tried my best to protect her, but the other party was the Lord of the Castellan!"
"I don't know if she's doing well in Border Town." Tigerclaw sighed.
"How good can she be?" Sunflower snorted. "What's the difference between being played by a prince and being played by a noble?"
"Really... You make it sound good, but when you see the life of a noble, I'm afraid you'll be eager to be played by a great noble." Snaketooth twitched his mouth.
When they arrived at the square of Stronghold, the four of them were surprised to find that there was a wooden platform and a bonfire. There were about two or three hundred people around the platform, which was a rare sight on a snowy day.
"There's actually someone preaching here." Tigerclaw clicked his tongue. "What kind of game do those nobles want to play?"
"It's definitely not good news." Snaketooth shrugged. "I guess they want to levy taxes? Or they want to hire able-bodied men. Didn't they have a fight before? "
"Anyway, it's none of our business," Sunflower said. "Let's finish listening and go back early. Joe, go to the bonfire and warm yourself up."
"Okay, okay."
Snaketooth walked around the crowd to the edge of the platform. The man standing on the platform was wearing a thick cotton-padded jacket, a woolen hood, and a pair of deerskin gloves. He felt warm just by looking at him. Compared with the dirty and old linen clothes he was wearing, it was like heaven and earth. "It would be great if I could find a chance to snatch it..." But he also knew that this was just his imagination. The elk pattern cloak behind the preacher indicated his identity.
The attendants of the four noble families were not people a Rat could afford to offend.
"Aren't you going to warm yourselves by the bonfire with Joe? I can listen to the preaching alone." Snaketooth looked at the other two.
"Really?" Tigerclaw raised his eyebrows.
"Of course. I have a good memory." He pointed to his head. "I can remember words, people, and grudges."
"Pfft." Lotus sneered. "Look at you. Since you said so, I won't stand on ceremony... Let's go, big guy. "
"But you have to give me more dinner."
"We'll see. I don't know if there will be any dinner today!" She waved her hand.
After the two left, Snaketooth patted his cold cheeks and turned his attention back to the wooden platform. The news was meaningless to the bottom Rattail, but in the eyes of Belly and King, it might be a chance to make a profit. Of course, even if they could get something, there was almost nothing left for the people below.
"Dear citizens, this is a joint announcement from His Highness Roland Wimbledon, Earl of Elk, Shalafi Hull, and Consul of Longsong Stronghold, Pérot Hull." The speaker took a sip of hot ale and said loudly with a piece of parchment in his hand, "City hall of Stronghold has opened the market for grain purchase. Citizens who have extra grain at home can sell it at the market at any time. But please note that from next month, any act of selling grain privately will be regarded as a felony. Only City hall has the right to buy and sell grain! Once you are arrested for selling grain privately, you will be severely punished! City hall also welcomes any citizen's report. If the report is verified, you will be rewarded with 25 silver royals! "
Snaketooth opened his mouth wide in surprise. He did not expect to hear such shocking news as soon as he arrived!
Those nobles actually wanted to ban the sale of grain!
Moreover, the prices given by City hall for buying and selling grain were very low. The early arrival of the Months of Demons had caused the price of grain in Stronghold to rise step by step, and now it was about three times the market price. Obviously, the price of grain would not fall as long as the heavy snow did not stop. According to the new price, no one would be willing to sell grain to City hall at a low price. However much grain the other side sold, the nobles and merchants would be able to buy it. Didn't the prince and the Castellan consider this problem?
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