novelraw Chapter 1519 436: Isn't It Common Knowledge That You Can't Move During Cutscenes?
Chapter 1519 436: Isn't It Common Knowledge That You Can't Move During Cutscenes?
Under the guidance of the Holy Maiden Carian's Oracle, a procession escorted by a thousand Salvation Army soldiers set off grandly from Sparrow Wood Castle, heading towards Wheat Field Village.
This procession was mostly composed of villagers from Wheat Field Village, nearly nine hundred households, about five thousand people.
Because the refugees in the camp had already been assigned residences by identity number, with entire villages living together, the departure of this procession did not cause any disturbance.
Even when they left, it was the liveliest morning time in the refugee camp.
It is worth mentioning that, initially, when the Salvation Army soldiers asked them to return to their original villages, the vast majority were unwilling to go back.
Firstly, everyone wanted to stay closer to the Holy Daughter, and secondly, there was visible wheat porridge in the camp, while the current state of Wheat Field Village was unknown—perhaps they would go hungry again upon returning.
Faced with this uncooperative group of villagers, even Brennan found it troublesome. They were no longer the Green Forest Army, and he couldn't just wave his hand and have his brothers herd them like sheep.
Fortunately, the kind-hearted Holy Daughter stepped forward again, using the "Oracle" to persuade them.
"This is the will of the Divine, who said that Wheat Field Village will welcome an unprecedented harvest in the coming year."
One has to admit, the Oracle is truly a useful thing.
Even Brennan couldn't help but believe that the Divine really said those words, so much so that escorting the refugees home became a coveted task within the Salvation Army.
After all, which uprising rebel army wasn't made up of peasants?
Most of these people no longer had original homes to return to, nor families, with nothing to hold them back.
Since the Divine proclaimed that the land would experience an unprecedented harvest, it naturally became a great place to settle down.
Old Hank was very fortunate.
He used to be a resident of Wheat Field Village and was so familiar with its circumstances that it was almost exaggerated—he knew the names of every tree. Naturally, he was included in this first group returning home.
He couldn't even remember how many years he had been away. The Earl of Sparrow Wood had just left a few days ago, but his Barons, Sirs, and Knights had long since moved to Twilight City and never returned, otherwise the Earl wouldn't have been hiding awkwardly in the castle.
Those who betrayed their oaths simply fled to the Royal Capital, or to Thunder City in the south of the Campbell Duchy, taking their plundered wealth from the land with them.
Nobles usually aren't bound to the land; only cattle and sheep are bound to the land underfoot.
Of course, such situations will no longer exist in the future.
They no longer have any nobles.
It was once again the Oracle announced by the Holy Daughter: the son of Saint Sis had mercy on the suffering land, allowing them to establish a kingdom without nobility. The Salvation Army does not pledge loyalty to any secular king but only to the devoted people on the land of the Holy Blessing.
In the future, they will all be free people, and anything they grow will belong to themselves. They will only need to pay a tax when selling to merchants, not like before when all production beyond subsistence had to be handed over to the Lord, with only the vegetables and fruits from intercropping being truly theirs.
Since the tax is collected directly from the merchants, it is as if no money needs to be paid!
Old Hank was filled with confidence for the future, feeling like the wind blowing towards him was sweet along the way.
He no longer had to worry about where the next meal would come from, wouldn't be awakened by hunger in his sleep, and wouldn't fear those once arrogant soldiers.
Strangely enough,
the Salvation Army soldiers escorting them, many of whom were feared as "Green Ghosts" a month ago, had now become a group of faithful people, and Old Hank even started to like these young men a little.
They no longer had foul language, replaced by the teachings of the Holy Daughter.
They even took the initiative to help elderly people pushing wheelbarrows, women who were physically exhausted, handed water pouches to thirsty children... and chatted with the returning refugees about their dreams.
There was longing for the past and also hope for the future.
"...I still remember when I was young, in the best years, the soil by the River Rushing was so dark it shone, you could squeeze oil out of a handful! Potatoes planted in spring could be harvested in autumn; each one was as big as a fist!"
"Wha-what, a whole nest?! Our hometown doesn't have such luck... just harvesting seeds in autumn was a blessing." said a young soldier, swallowing with envy as he listened to the old comrade's bragging.
The old man smiled and continued.
"That's nothing in Wheat Field Village! Have you seen raspberries as thick as two thumbs? We used to go into the forest and come out with a big basket, it was too much to eat!"
"So, so you just ate raspberries and potatoes?"
"How could that be! When autumn came, there were so many mushrooms in the woods that you couldn't pick them all, every household was busy smoking pork, making sausages, stuffing cabbages into jars... and when the first winter snow came, our family would gather around the fireplace, cooking a pot of sauerkraut pork knuckle soup, with freshly-baked rye bread... hey, I bet the Holy Daughter never tasted something like that!"
The elderly man spoke with a face full of nostalgia, making the surrounding young fellows drool, feeling their wheat porridge becoming tasteless.
However, as he spoke, the old man's face also showed a wistful expression.
That was a long time ago.
In a place where even people couldn't get enough to eat, how could you still see pigs, and never mind pigs, cattle, and sheep, even the dogs that watched over the house and helped with hunting had nearly gone extinct in the Twilight Forest.