Chapter 178 Feed Crusher
Tuesday, December 3rd, Earth time .
For the players on Earth, the extremely rewarding combat mission in the nameless wasteland happened just yesterday, but for the people from other worlds, it happened two days ago.
In two days, all kinds of rumors were flying around the city. Even the workers in the North City and the most chaotic civilian neighborhoods in the West City knew that the Bartles family's position was unstable and that Innadri might have to change its owner...
Of course, there are certain people who fanned the flames behind this, such as Viscount Darcy, who was happy to see the change in the Innadelli situation. Both the previous and current heads of the Bartles family were not good people. Viscount Darcy had been bullied all his life, and in his later years he was able to see his enemy fall, which obviously made him extremely happy.
As for why Viscount Darcy was so bold as to openly pick a fight with the Bartles family... the biggest reason was the ambiguous attitude of the Gold Coin Church.
In two days, Adela III has personally visited the Gold Coin Church three times, but Bishop Li Gene of the Gold Coin Church has not given a definite answer. This attitude has already made it clear that the Gold Coin Church has no interest in intervening in this matter.
The anxious Bartles family had no choice but to send their heir away...
"This dishonorable family with bandit blood running through their veins is finally going to leave."
Viscount Darcy, who was over sixty years old, was happily drinking wine in his study. With a rosy face, he instructed several deacons, "Go, take people to keep an eye on the manors in Newin, Horseshoe, Everlook, and Cain."
The capable deacons responded one after another.
The relationship between the nobles is stable and close, but also cold and cruel. If one family shows signs of decline, they will become the flesh and blood of other families - the winner-takes-all strategy is not only mastered by capitalists.
Viscount Darcy, who cursed others for their bandit blood but did nothing decent himself, turned to look at the butler and said, "Ford, ask China to take gifts to visit Rex in Westham on my behalf. Young people like them have much more in common with each other than with an old man like me."
Butler Ford responded respectfully and went downstairs to make arrangements immediately.
China Darcy is the third granddaughter of Viscount Darcy. She is a quiet and pretty young girl, but not particularly outstanding among Viscount Darcy's six granddaughters.
Viscount Darcy asked this granddaughter to come forward, which was a bit of a gamble... If the ambitious Charles Rex was willing to use marriage to win over the Darcy family, who were representatives of the local nobility, then China, a not-so-outstanding granddaughter, could serve as a tool for the marriage in a more cost-effective way.
The status of noble women in the Rhine Kingdom in the family is much higher than that in the neighboring Norsk Federation, but if they do not have talents other than being a tool for marriage, they will not receive much support from family resources... The only advantage is that they will not be treated harshly by the family when it comes to dowry.
China Darcy, who was personally informed by the butler Ford, knew that this day had come when she heard her grandfather's request relayed by the butler.
The 19-year-old noble girl had no time to reflect on her fate. Surrounded by maids, she changed into a dress, took gifts, and was stuffed into a carriage and hurried out of the city.
As the carriage with Viscount Darcy's family crest left the city, a slightly strange convoy had just arrived at the mule and horse market outside the west city gate.
The mule and horse market is only open on weekends and holidays. On weekdays it is just a deserted loess square. As soon as this convoy arrived, it attracted the attention of the city gate officer not far away.
As soon as the convoy entered the mule and horse market, two city gate soldiers came towards them.
Before the two city gate soldiers got close... the convoy passed through the mule and horse market and drove straight to the slums at the other end.
The soldiers at the city gate stopped, looked at each other, and then turned to look behind them.
The city gate officer also looked at this side in confusion. After hesitating for a moment, he gestured to the two city gate soldiers, indicating them to go over and take a look.
This strange convoy not only attracted the attention of the soldiers at the city gate, but also attracted the attention of children playing in the nearby open space, idle people squatting on the roadside, and residents sitting at their doorsteps washing clothes before it even entered the slums.
It is still broad daylight, and most of the young and middle-aged people in the slums are still looking for work in the city. The messy shantytowns are full of left-behind elderly people, children and women. Seeing the convoy approaching, the women were surprised and hurriedly called their own children, dragging the children, who were covered in mud, back home.
A convoy consisting of four strange horse-drawn carriages with enclosed carriages, thick tires, and even the driver's seats that had never been seen before stopped in front of the slums. Four drivers came out of the "cockpit" and skillfully dragged out bags of feed to feed the horses without even glancing in the direction of the slums.
While the drivers were skillfully calming the horses, a dozen young and strong men jumped out of the closed carriage.
These young and strong men, whose body shapes and sizes were not like those of ordinary people, skillfully took out unfamiliar machines that were rare to the locals from the carriages and began to assemble them in the open space in front of the slums...
The residents of the slums had never seen such a scene before. The elderly and women who had hidden back in their homes looked out through the cracks in the windows and doors. Some brave teenagers even ran out of their homes and to the edge of the open space to watch from afar.
The two soldiers who followed looked at the actions of these people in confusion and waved their hands, "Hey, what are you doing?"
"We are the people who make the mobile mill." A young man turned around and answered while inserting a rubber tube into the heavy rectangular machine.
After seeing the man's appearance, the two soldiers at the gate were stunned. One of them pointed at the other and said, "Huh? You... Why do I seem to have seen you somewhere before?"
The young man smiled good-naturedly without responding. He then carried down a strange iron cylinder from the carriage and connected the other end of the rubber tube to the iron cylinder.
After the two sets of mechanical devices that the gate soldiers could not recognize were completed, these young men enthusiastically greeted the residents in the slums:
"Everyone, pay attention! A mobile mill that grinds flour on site at a low price has arrived! The processing fee is only one copper coin for every ten kilograms of corn!"
"Come and take a look!"
The price, which was much lower than that charged by the mills in Dongcheng District, obviously attracted the residents. Before long, some residents came over timidly, carrying sacks of corn...
Every year at the end of the autumn harvest, when corn is the cheapest, the residents here always stock up as much dried corn kernels as possible; they take them to the city’s mill to grind them into coarse kernels, add them to the thick soup and stir them a few times, and they will make corn porridge that can fill your stomach. Although the taste will not be very good, and you will get hungry quickly if you only eat this stuff, it is still more cost-effective than the black bread that costs several copper coins per pound.
The young men, who were soldiers of the Nadli city defense force and are now staff members of the Westram Town Hall, enthusiastically took out sieves and dustpans to help the customers remove impurities from the corn kernels. They then poured the clean corn kernels into the feed port of the grinding machine on the spot and started the machine.
Amid the roaring sound, the cornmeal ground into evenly fine particles flows out from the discharge port...
The onlookers and the city gate soldiers who had not yet left had their mouths wide open.
The curious gate soldier pushed through the crowd and walked to the roaring machine. He bent down and grabbed a handful of cornmeal from the bag placed under the discharge port and pinched it with his fingers. When he stood up, he said in amazement: "Hey, guys, what kind of machine is this? How can it grind so fast and so finely?"
The young people just smiled and said nothing...
The grinding machine that these young operators brought from Westram... is not the big one in the factory area that can grind flour into a very fine powder, but a lighter and smaller feed crusher.
Although the carriages of the Horse and Carriage Company are sturdy, they have a maximum load capacity. They cannot carry several grinding machines used in the flour mill in the factory area...especially when they also have to carry diesel generators and diesel barrels.
In comparison, a feed grinder is much more practical. It can grind even branches into powder, and making cornmeal is a piece of cake - but don't think that this thing is not a proper flour machine, the particles it grinds out are also at the micron level, which is much more reliable than a water-powered mill.
The 20 kilograms of corn kernels brought by the first customer who bravely tried crabs were ground in just a few minutes. The slum housewife happily paid two copper coins and joyfully carried the ground cornmeal home, and more customers came.
The two soldiers at the city gate looked at each other, turned around and ran back at the same time.
Cornmeal is a supplementary food of equal status with potatoes for the civilians in the city. The soldiers at the city gate did not want to miss this super cost-effective opportunity to process cornmeal.
Half an hour later, residents of the city came out one after another and joined the flour-threshing team in the open space in front of the slum - some carried corn, and some carried wheat.
The next day, the news spread, and not only did more residents in the city run to the west gate, but even farmers from the surrounding villages led donkeys, mules, and horses, and came together to grind flour with their grain...
When the miller in the city heard that there was a "mobile mill" outside the west city gate that was blatantly stealing his business, he was so angry that he gathered dozens of his apprentices and prepared to go and cause trouble that day.
This group of people who were carrying shovels and sticks to cause trouble... Before they even got out of the city gate, they were urgently stopped by the people sent by the miller and sent back.
The reason why the plan to cause trouble failed was that the miller learned the origins of the group of people outside the west city gate when he was inquiring for information - someone recognized those young men as former soldiers of the city defense army, subordinates of the "traitor" Wagner Pitt.
Everyone in the city knew that Wagner Pitt had taken refuge with the new Lord of Westham. The nobles in the city were all thinking about how to make friends with the new Lord of Westham, but the miller didn't have the courage to cause trouble at this time.
The mobile mill from Westham just squatted down next to the mule and horse market outside the west city gate...
On the other side, China Darcy, the granddaughter of Viscount Darcy, was quietly waiting for an audience with Charlie Rex in a hotel on the main street in Westham.
Miss China was at an age when she was full of curiosity. If she went somewhere else, she would probably seize the opportunity to stroll around the unfamiliar streets, but in a place like Westham...she really didn't have the courage to go there.
Not only her, but also the butler, maid, and coachman who came with her, none of them left the hotel door under any pretext, and all of them stayed in the hotel obediently...
The reason is simple: walking on the street and suddenly seeing skeletons passing by is too exciting for ordinary people who have never been tested.
After staying in the cramped little hotel for three days, Miss China finally got an audience with Charlie Rex.
In the reception room of Westham Town Hall, Miss China met...Charlie Rex, a man with dark skin and short hair cut close to his scalp.
Looking at the young man in front of her who did not match the image of the rumored "Charlie Rex" at all, Miss China was stunned for a full thirty seconds.
"You are very welcome to visit Westham, Miss China." Rex said politely and friendly, "I'm sorry that I can't accept Viscount Darcy's gift. Please convey my apologies to your grandfather."
After giving such a straightforward and merciless rejection, the busy man Rex left in a hurry.
Miss China was stunned and didn't react. The butler who accompanied her chased to the door without giving up. He saw Rex standing at the end of the corridor talking to two undeads. He didn't dare to go over and just turned back with an angry face: "This person is so rude! Miss China, what should we do?"
Miss China shook her head stiffly and sat there without moving.
Miss China has considered the possibility of being rejected, and she also knows that her appearance is not very attractive.
And...looking at Charlie Rex's reaction - if this man is really Charlie Rex - he doesn't seem to be interested in marrying an Innadri noble.
China Darcy is not valued in the Darcy family, but that doesn't mean she is a little girl who is ignorant of the world... Growing up in an aristocratic family, people who are too stupid are not even worthy of marriage.
"My grandfather's expectations seem to be dashed." Miss China murmured silently in her heart.
Considering her status as a young lady from a viscount's family, China's treatment in Westham could be described as a cold reception. She stayed in a civilian family hotel introduced by the clerk of the town hall, and did not receive any preferential treatment while waiting for the interview.
Even when she arrived at the town hall, she was not taken seriously at all - none of the clerks coming in and out saluted her even though she was dressed up, and everyone treated her as an ordinary guest.
China was used to being ignored in the Darcy family, but since she came here on behalf of her grandfather, the situation was different from the cold treatment she received at home... The people of Westham really didn't care about the nobles from Innadri City!
Miss Qina instinctively felt that something was wrong, but didn't quite understand what it meant. In a daze, she heard a noise coming from outside.
Before Qina turned around, she heard the personal maid's suppressed cry of fear, and saw the butler's face changed drastically and he took two steps back.
Seeing the situation outside the reception room window, Miss China instantly understood the reactions of the maid and the butler...
In the outer courtyard, on the strange and abrupt earthen platform, white light was flashing continuously; in the white light, one dead soul after another walked out.
Qina's face turned pale, and she slowly stood up holding the armrest of the sofa.
The number of undead in the courtyard is still increasing.
"This is... could it be... today?" Qina could hear her heart beating wildly, and gradually she felt that breathing was a little difficult. "The day when Westram attacked the city of Innadri - could it be today?!"
In the corridor outside the reception room, Rex, who had just politely but ruthlessly rejected Miss China, was holding his forehead with his hand.
"So... Yang made up my life story into a so-called... plot and informed all the undead, right?" Rex said with difficulty.
"Yes." Ji Tang said sympathetically, "It was also slightly artistically processed, such as you were abused in Rex's house, and your mother died because of... uh, family feuds, and so on."
"It's okay, Rex." Zhao Zhenzhen comforted, "Although it is inevitable to find a serious excuse when asking our compatriots to do something serious, in fact, most of our compatriots don't care about the specific content of this excuse."
What she said was very reasonable. Most players really have no interest in the plot...as long as there are monsters to fight and treasures to drop, it's fine.
"My background, how can it be a serious excuse?" Rex didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Ji Tang and Zhao Zhenzhen looked at each other and said in a pained tone, "Well, the story of the prince's revenge and Cinderella is the eternal theme of cool novels... You don't need to pay special attention to it. Our compatriots will regard this attack on Innadri as a battle for you, but they will not have any special opinion of you because of this. In their eyes, you are still the same as Hal and the others."
The slogan "For XXX" is just a joke among the gaming community, and not many people take it seriously.
Rex put his hand to his forehead again.
His "Inner Demon Book" would repeatedly slaughter a lot of undead for three consecutive nights every half a month. Even so, he wanted the undead to regard him as a motivation for fighting... No matter from which level, he couldn't help but care!
Rex was struggling, but Yang Qiu was in no mood to care about his delicate thoughts. He came in from the hall and urged him, "Don't dawdle, Rex. It's time to leave."
This "siege war" is still the same as the last wasteland war. First, advance tasks are issued to specific groups of players, and some players follow the NPC to the front line to establish a resurrection base, and then summon the undead army to join the battle.
Because he had to appear in front of the citizens of Innadri, Rex couldn't let Brother Lowell speak for him this time... he had to appear in person.
Rex followed Yang out of the hall with mixed feelings. Before he could adjust his mood to face the undead, he heard an undead standing on the steps rudely and openly criticize his appearance: "I'm not saying that Rex is not suitable to be the protagonist of a revenge comeback. His image of being strong and melancholy makes him look like a cannon fodder in a tragic side story. He's the kind of person who will be pushed out and killed when there's a tear gas bomb in the plot. It's a bit ridiculous to call him the protagonist."
Rex: “…”
The rude undead's companion seemed to agree with him and nodded, "Yeah, Rex's model really doesn't look like the hero. He looks more like a pretty boy with a different face."
Another bored undead who was waiting for the gathering interrupted: "Oh, that's not necessarily true. This siege battle is definitely more difficult than the previous battle in the wasteland. Maybe NPC Rex was sent there in the first wave. If he dies, it will be the turn of the pretty boy."
The undead who first criticized Rex's appearance suddenly realized and said, "Damn, that's right, it was the pretty boy who led the group before!"
"No wonder the pretty boy refused to usurp Old Yang's throne. It turns out that the main plot is arranged here."
"That's for sure. The pretty boy looks more like a lord!"
Rex: “…”
Rex took a deep breath, feeling guilty about these undead who were hoping for his death... He must be crazy!
