Joseph was a native farmer of Kasparmi Castle. He had grown up here since he was a child. Half of his life had passed, and he had never left Kasparmi Castle for more than a hundred miles.
Although he had never left the castle, Joseph was very satisfied with his life. He had a virtuous wife and a sensible son. The family took care of the farmlands and orchards. Although they had to pay a very heavy tax to the lord, they could eat their fill every year.
But this year was different.
Since the Sleeping Moon, the weather in Casparmy Castle had taken a turn for the worse. Every day was gloomy, and there was almost no sunshine.
Although it was normal for the weather to be cold during winter, Joseph felt that something wasn't quite right.
The Sleeping Moon of previous years was not as cold as this year.
In his memory, his father once told him that it was the same in the Sleeping Moon one year. As a result, there was a snowstorm during the Bitter Cold Moon. Even the houses were buried in the snow. People could not even go out. The cellars were frozen. Hundreds of people froze to death on the streets. The nobles collected the sales of food, causing the civilians to be unable to buy food. Many people starved to death at home.
"I'm afraid there will be a snowstorm next month."
The worried Joseph told the others, but no one believed him.
Everyone laughed at him for becoming a "Master Mage" (because a powerful mage could affect the weather).
Joseph was worried about this fact, so he began to secretly store food.
Then, the Bitter Cold Moon came, and the truth gave everyone a slap in the face.
The snowstorm really came. The snowstorm covered the whole land for a week. The snow was as high as a person, blocking the door. People could not go out and could only rely on the food at home to survive.
"What the hell is this weather?! I have to find a way to get some food! "
Joseph glanced at the snow that had yet to melt. The food and dried meat stored in the wooden barrels were about to run out. There were only four days of rations left. If they didn't think of a solution soon, their family would starve to death.
His wife, who was wrapped up tightly, suggested in a low voice, "Let's borrow some food from Bob next door?"
"That's impossible." Joseph shook his head. "No one would be willing to lend their food to others in this terrible weather. I'm sure that the grain stores in Casparmy Castle must have closed. With such a snowstorm, they must have stored their food — or raised the price to take a bite out of it."
"I wonder how long this weather will last …"
"It won't take long. The blizzard has already stopped, but the snow will last for a long time."
Joseph's expression was ugly. "The snow is the problem. We don't have any firewood."
With such a thick layer of snow, many homeless people must have frozen to death in Kasparmi Castle. The situation in the villages outside was not optimistic either. They could not go out for a week, and they would not store so much firewood. Everything that could be burned in their homes had been burned. Once there was nothing left to burn, the cold temperature would soon take away their lives.
"Why don't we tear down the chair and burn it?"
"Firewood is only one of the problems. We are running out of food. We have to think of a way to solve the food problem."
Joseph wrapped up his clothes and hardened his heart. "I'll go into the city to take a look. If I can buy some food, I'll be able to survive."
Just as Joseph was about to force his way out, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Joseph and his family were shocked. The snow outside was so thick, how could there be people?
"Joseph!"
"It's Bob."
Joseph hurriedly opened the door. Outside, Bob's entire body was buried in snow. His face was pale from the cold.
"Come in!"
After Bob entered, he asked straightforwardly, "How much food do you have at home?"
Joseph opened his mouth and then said against his will, "There are still two days' worth of rations."
"Two days?"
Bob frowned. After a moment, he said, "Two days it is! At worst, we'll share some with you. As long as you can last until the destination … Hurry up and pack up and get ready to go! "
"Pack up? What do you mean? "
Joseph was shocked. "Where are we going?"
"Ellington!"
Bob paused for a moment. Then, he lowered his voice and said, "You still don't know, right? Something big happened in Kasparmi Castle. Magical beasts attacked the castle and many people died. In order to pay the soldiers' pensions, Lord Lawrence decided to impose a temporary protection tax. Those who have no money have to take out food as collateral. "
"Protection tax?!"
Joseph suddenly raised his voice. "In this damned weather, we don't even have our own food, and we still have to pay taxes?! Without food, we will starve to death! "
"So, we all discussed and decided to leave here and go to Ellington," Bob said calmly.
"Owen, the boss of the Magic Medicine House, is willing to lead the way for us."
"But it's so sudden … The snow outside hasn't melted yet!"
"If we continue to hesitate, after the snow melts, the tax officer will come directly."
Bob said lightly, "Now there are 22 houses in the village. You're the only one left."
"Everyone agreed!?"
"Yes," Bob said.
Bob said, "I've heard people from the Tang Dynasty Chamber of Commerce talk about Ellington. It's different from before."
"Ellington … But it's so far away! It takes six days to travel by carriage! "
"We don't have a carriage, but we have feet."
Bob looked indifferent. "If we don't leave here, sooner or later, we will be forced to death by Lord Lawrence. If we leave here, we still have a chance of survival."
"But, but …"
Joseph, who had never left Kasparmi Castle, had an inexplicable fear of traveling far away.
"Did you know that the merchants who came from there before winter were full of praise for Ellington? They said it was a miracle city that changed with each passing day," Bob said with great yearning.
"I heard that the roads there are paved with a kind of black gold. No matter if it's windy or rainy, they are very smooth and not muddy at all. I also heard that the food there is ripe within a day. Even the poorest farmer is richer than the farmers in other places. As long as you are willing to work there, you can earn gold coins and eat delicious roast meat and bread for every meal! "
Joseph, who had been eating dried meat for several days, swallowed his saliva. "But they definitely don't welcome outsiders …"
"No, you're wrong. I heard that outsiders are very welcome to settle there," Bob said with certainty.
Bob said with certainty, "They say that Ellington is different every day. The lord there needs a large number of people to build the city. He will spend money to hire people to work for him, not free recruitment. It is said that they can get dozens of silver coins every day."
"Dozens of silver coins a day!?"
Go f * ck yourself with fear! Joseph's psychological defense collapsed instantly. "When do we leave!?"
"Right away."
Bob opened the door and walked out without looking back. He had said what he needed to say. It was up to Joseph whether he wanted to go or not.
"Dear? Are we really going? It's so cold outside. My son … "
Joseph looked at his son who was shivering in the cold and said, "We have to take the risk. Otherwise, we'll just be waiting for death at home! Honey, quickly pack your things. Bring food and clothes. Leave everything else behind! "
The two immediately got busy. Joseph ran to his bedroom and carefully put away the money he had saved up over the years. One gold coin, fifteen silver coins, and eighty-two copper coins. These were all his savings.
Soon, there was another knock on the door. When Joseph opened the door, there was already a group of people waiting outside.
"Are you ready?"
Seeing the confusion and anticipation on those familiar faces, Joseph took a deep breath and said, "I'm ready."
Just like that, Joseph and his family joined the army of refugees.
On the snow-covered ground, they quietly left the home they had lived in for most of their lives and began a long journey towards Ellington in the south.
Day after day, the group didn't stop. They didn't dare to stop. Legally, they were the wealth of Lord Lawrence. If the Lord's soldiers found out that they had escaped from Caspaly Castle, they would be hanged!
The further south they went, the less snow there was. The snow that was as deep as their calves was much less than at the beginning. They relied on each other, supported each other, and shared food with each other. They relied on their will to persevere and resist the cold.
"Everyone, come on. We'll reach Ellington soon!"
Every time someone couldn't persevere, Bob and Owen, who were leading the group, would describe the beauty of Ellington to everyone. "Everyone has enough to eat and clothes to wear. Everyone has the opportunity to make money. There's no need to worry about being exploited by the guards. There's no need to worry about the tax officials asking for benefits …"
In the world of these farmers, they had never heard of or seen such a beautiful city. They were almost completely relying on their last breath to get here.
"Dad … Dad …"
Joseph's son murmured unconsciously. His body was boiling hot. He had a fever because of the cold.
"How much longer?"
Joseph's spirit was also very weak. Along the way, their group had also merged with many refugees from other villages. These people had also consumed a lot of food. In fact, they had already finished their last meal yesterday.
The hungry group of refugees was on the verge of collapse.
"We'll be there soon!"
"You always say soon! My son is about to die! "
Joseph's eyes were red. He wanted to pounce on this guy and give him a good beating.
"Save your strength! My friend! I won't lie to you! "
"But this is clearly a lie! What Ellington is more beautiful than the Kingdom of God? Why haven't we seen it yet? "
"One, two, one, hey! One, two, one, ha … "
There was a very rough voice in the distance that was quickly approaching.
"Not good! It's bandits! "
Joseph's expression changed greatly. The Ladya Hills were famous for having a lot of bandits around.
His words caused a commotion in the group. The women and children were so frightened that they cried softly.
Bob yelled, "Get into formation! Men, stand out! It's time to protect your family! "
Owen, who was fleeing, had a bitter expression. He thought for a moment and secretly took out an alchemy potion.
Soon, those people appeared in front of everyone. They were a group of bare-chested warriors with weapons on their backs. They looked very fierce.
"Bandits! Prepare to die! "
Owen closed his eyes and roared. He directly threw the alchemy potion in his hand at them!
"Bandits?"
Elsa, who was blocked by the burly man's figure, was at a loss.
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