The sky was dark and gloomy, and the dark clouds seemed to cover the earth with no end in sight.
The flames of war in Icestone City had stopped, but the citizens were still in a heavy mood.
Especially the slaves who had surrendered. They were shackled again and crouched at the foot of the city walls, shivering, their hearts filled with despair.
"Hey, Cripple, do you think the Lord wants to starve us to death?"
The slave named Cripple scratched his head and mumbled, "How would I know."
"Do you even need to think about it?" Another slave said weakly as he lay on the ground, "The city is already lacking food, why would the Lord waste food on us?"
"Then … are we just going to wait for death?"
"What else? Do you still want to fight your way out? "
The slave who asked the question couldn't help but tremble. He seemed to have recalled the terrifying scene of the Black Cavalry charging and instantly shut his mouth.
The aura of despair grew stronger.
The aura of death emitted from the slaves had even attracted a few vultures circling in the air.
They were silently waiting for the upcoming feast.
Cripple was still a bit unwilling. He was still young and didn't want to die yet. Looking at the patrolling soldiers, he hesitated for a moment before finally gathering his courage.
But just as he struggled to stand up and was about to walk towards the soldiers, he suddenly saw the city gate not far away open.
Amidst the clattering of horse hooves, a large caravan slowly drove into Icestone City.
Cripple didn't care about the caravan, he only cared about food.
"Sir, sir …"
"Are you calling me?" The soldier looked at Cripple who was continuously approaching, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword as he said cautiously, "Stay where you are, don't come any closer!"
"Yes, yes."
"What do you want?"
"Sir, I'm really starving, can you give me some food …" Cripple bowed and begged, "I'm very strong, I can help you, I can do anything!"
"Don't worry, I'll arrange for you to work later."
"Then … is there food?"
"Yes, as long as you're willing to work, there will be!"
"Really?" Cripple still couldn't believe that such a good thing could actually happen.
"Why would I lie to you." The soldier waved his hand impatiently, "Go back and stay there."
Lame Leg didn't go back. Instead, he asked nervously, "Sir, sir, isn't there a shortage of food in the city? Why are you giving us food? "
The soldier pointed at the caravan that was entering the city. "Do you know what those caravans are carrying?"
The lame man shook his head stupidly.
"Food!" The soldier said proudly, "Sir Lord brought back a large amount of food from the Half-Elf Kingdom, which is enough for you to eat!"
"Re … Really?" The cripple's eyes lit up, and his whole body trembled with excitement.
The soldier didn't want to deal with this annoying slave anymore. He waved his hand and told him to hurry back.
The crippled man immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed in the direction of the Red Fort.
"Thank you, my Lord! Praise you, my Lord!"
His strange behavior also aroused the curiosity of the other slaves, who gathered around to inquire.
Then, the cripple told the other slaves the good news he had just received.
Soon, this news spread like the plague. More and more slaves began to imitate the cripple, kowtowing on the ground and praising their benevolent lord.
In an instant, the entire Icestone City seemed to come alive. The aura of death that enveloped the city gradually dissipated, and the frightened vultures flapped their wings and scattered.
Not long after, the soldiers began to divide the slaves into groups of about ten people. Each group was led by a soldier, and they were assigned different tasks, such as repairing the city walls, cleaning the streets, building refugee camps …
The cripple was assigned the task of repairing a house in the city. When he followed the leading soldier to the front of the collapsed house, he suddenly felt a bit awkward —
Because he remembered that he had taken advantage of the chaos to rush into this house and steal something …
With a trace of shame, the cripple immediately went forward and began to work.
A slave next to him asked the leading soldier uncertainly, "Sir, when will we have food to eat?"
"At noon, hurry up and get to work!"
"Okay, okay!"
When the slaves heard that there was food, they ignored their hunger and exhaustion and immediately got to work.
… …
It was finally noon. The cripple, who was already exhausted, squeezed into the long line of slaves and walked towards the place where they received food.
After walking for who knows how long, he finally smelled a faint meaty aroma.
Gulp.
For a moment, the sound of saliva being swallowed rose and fell.
The cripple stretched his neck and looked forward, but he could only vaguely see a high platform and a huge iron pot on it.
After a long wait, the cripple finally arrived in front of the high platform.
The soldier handed him three pieces of black bread and a bowl of steaming meat soup.
Although it was called meat soup, there was no trace of meat in it at all. There was only a layer of fat floating on top and a faint meaty aroma, proving that it was indeed meat soup and not water.
Facing this kind of food, the cripple actually cried.
It wasn't that he disliked the food, but that it was too good.
As a slave, he had never eaten meat in his entire life.
Now that he could actually drink meat soup, the cripple felt that his life was worth it!
Dipping the bread in the meat soup, the cripple stuffed it into his stomach in a few mouthfuls. Then, he did not mind that it was hot and directly drank the entire bowl of meat soup into his stomach.
Feeling the warmth spreading from his abdomen to his whole body, the cripple suddenly felt that his whole body was full of energy.
"Sir, after work in the afternoon, is there still food to eat?"
"Of course."
"What about tomorrow?"
"There is also tomorrow."
"What about the day after tomorrow?"
"Are you done yet?!" The soldier was angry and glared at the cripple. "As long as you work for the Lord, you will naturally have food to eat."
The cripple did not know what to say at the moment. In his heart, the Lord seemed to be on the same level as the God of Light.
"There is not only food." The soldier gathered all the slaves in his group and explained, "There are also points."
"Points?" The slaves looked at each other, completely clueless as to what this meant.
"Points can … can they be eaten?" The cripple asked with trepidation.
The soldier sneered and shook his head. "Points can't be eaten. But they are very useful. "
Without waiting for the slaves to continue asking, the soldier announced, "The one who worked the hardest this morning was the cripple. Does anyone have any objections?"
The slaves shook their heads. The cripple was indeed the one who worked the hardest today, and everyone could see that.
"Well, then I will give the cripple this morning's points." The soldier immediately took out a roll of parchment and began to record.
The cripple was still confused. "Sir, points … what are they used for?"
"Points can help you get rid of your slave status and become free people!"
"Free people?"
This time, the rest of the slaves could not sit still. They gathered around the soldier and asked, "Sir, how many points do we need to become a free person?"
"I don't know." The soldier spread his hands. "The Lord said that there will be a competition every month. The ten slaves with the most points in the city will become free people!"
Whoosh —
The slaves shouted excitedly.
They did not know how many slaves there were in the city, and how rare it was to get ten places every month.
But they already saw hope — the hope of a class transition!
This hope changed their mental outlook completely, as if they had become completely different people.
When the afternoon work began again, all the slaves fought over the work like crazy, afraid that they would be outdone by their companions.
A feverish mood gradually enveloped Icestone City.
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