Dragon Genesis: I Can Create Dragons - Chapter 410: Easy targets.
Chapter 410: Easy targets.
“Were you… protecting these thieves?”
Kael questioned as he stared at the Elders wide-eyed. From their expressions, it was clear that they were hiding something.
To Kael, it was more shocking since he had started to believe these people. His Ants that had been keeping an eye on every Velmourn told him that the Elders in power actually cared about their people.
It was something Kael believed to be special.
But…
Protecting the corrupt Provisioners…?
Did it mean he was wrong…?
Were these Elders no different than other politicians he knew…?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
He glared at the Elders, who still hadn’t said anything and—
“You should know that the only thing your silence will do is hide the truth for a little longer.”
He began, his eyes shining as he said the next words,
“Nothing that happens here escapes my eyes. It is only a matter of time before I see everything. Even if you are trying to protect those corrupt bastards, it wouldn’t do anything.”
“We are not trying to protect anyone!”
Tarevian raised his voice. He could no longer bear Kael’s gaze that was staring at them as if they were the corrupt ones.
“Your silence says otherwise.”
Kael didn’t back down either and looked right into the Voice of the Commonfolk’s eyes.
“We had no other choice.”
Tarevian spoke. His words instantly attracted the Elders’ attention. It was clear that they all wanted to stop him from continuing, but the Elder didn’t back down. Instead, he looked at the Matriarch and—
“No, Matriarch.
You gave him power and authority similar to that of an Elder, so it is only right that he understands the responsibilities that come with that.”
Kael narrowed his eyes at those words.
Responsibilities?
If the ’responsibilities’ that came together with the power he was given meant he needed to be corrupt like these people, then he would rather that he didn’t have all this power.
He continued to glare at Tarevian. The Elders were the same. After hearing Tarevian’s words, they hesitated. They didn’t know whether it was right to reveal all this right now.
After all, till now, they had created a perfect image in front of the Dragon Rider, but if what they had been doing was revealed… that perfect image would be ruined and… the Dragon Rider might not trust them anymore.
“What we did was necessity.”
Tarevian spoke up, not caring about what the other Elders felt. He had had enough, and since the Matriarch didn’t stop him either, he decided to continue.
“So protecting the corrupt Provisioners was a necessity?”
Kael raised his eyebrow at those words.
“Yes, it was.”
Tarevian nodded, confirming Kael’s suspicion.
The Elders already knew about the corruption. They just… let it happen.
“Do you know how much rations those corrupt Provisioners gather?”
Tarevian questioned.
“It was more than enough to fill their bellies while the elderly they stole from starved for weeks.”
Kael spat.
“Fill their bellies? You think that’s it?”
Tarevian questioned, and suddenly, Kael’s frown deepened.
“What are you trying to say…?”
“Three hundred scoops of flour and grain, more than a hundred curls of dried vegetables and meat, this is the amount those Provisioners gather after ’stealing.’
Do you think this much ration is only enough to fill their bellies?
No, it can be used for a lot more.”
The more Tarevian spoke, the deeper Kael’s confusion got. The Voice of the Commonfolk sensed his confusion as well—
“Where do you think the ration these people steal goes?”
“Their own bellies?”
“That is incorrect.”
Tarevian shook his head.
Kael narrowed his eyes—
“…to you?”
He guessed, and this time, the Elder nodded, and in an instant, a frosty look appeared on Kael’s face.
“Is that it? Is this the reason you let them do whatever they please? Because they brib—”
He was about to explode, but Lavinia suddenly grabbed his hand, holding him back. He stared at the Mage, and the Mage nodded silently.
In the end, Kael momentarily closed his eyes and calmed himself.
He realized he was getting too worked up.
He needed to speak less and listen more.
He stared at Tarevian again, signaling him to continue.
“The rations they return to us are used as emergency rations, to feed the children or the abled.”
Tarevian started explaining.
“The ration can be stored in the Sanctuary for a long time without us having to worry about it getting spoiled.
This allows us to build an Emergency Ration.
Every month, everything these Provisioners offer us is stored in the Emergency Rations, growing it steadily.
And in times of need, when enough food is not secured for any reason, and the people are forced to starve, this Emergency Ration is used to feed the children, who will be the future working force, and the abled, who are the current working force.
These Emergency Rations are what prevent the society from collapsing altogether, and the people you call corrupt are the ones that help us build it.”
Tarevian took a deep breath as he stopped for a moment, letting Kael absorb everything he said. Once Kael seemed ready, the Elder continued,
“Of course, I am not saying those Provisioners give us everything they steal. They keep some rations for themselves, and sometimes, they steal more than they should.
Theryn was an example of that. He wasn’t supposed to steal three scoops of grain—that was more than he was allowed to—yet he still did it. This is the reason I agreed to let you capture him and other Provisioners. I wanted to punish them according to how much they stole. This would have also given us the opportunity to filter the Provisioners we could work with in the future.
But you made a much bigger mess than I was expecting. The matter spread like wildfire, and every Velmourn learned about the corruption.
The people were already wary because the rumors about there being a traitor amongst themselves had started to spread, but now, with the matter of corruption getting the highlight, more and more uncertainty will start to brew.
Even if you have taken action and captured all the ’corrupt’ Provisioners, the people won’t forget.
Velmourn Unity will now be at risk as people won’t trust each other as much as they once did.”
Tarevian explained the entire situation, and Kael… he stayed silent, feeling somewhat overwhelmed.
Did he… make a mistake?
However, before he could drown himself in self-blame—
“Don’t blame it on us.”
Lavinia spoke up, staring at Tarevian with an expressionless look on her face.
“Velmourn Unity will now be at risk?
Of course it will be. You allowed your people to steal from your own people.
It was bound to happen.
Did you truly expect that no one would ever find out about this?
If that was indeed the case, then it was a foolish expectation. Even if we hadn’t acted, people would have found out eventually.
Your actions were the ones that put the Velmourn Unity at risk, not ours.”
The Mage directed the entire blame on the Elders.
“And what did you say?
You did it to build Emergency Rations?
Why are you making it sound grander than it actually is?
Aren’t you just stealing from the old to feed the abled?
The very fact that you are using corrupt Provisioners to steal instead of doing this openly proves that even you realized that what you are doing is wrong.
So do not put the blame of putting Velmourn Unity at risk on us when you are the ones stealing from your people.
You are the ones putting the Velmourn Unity at risk, not us.”
The Mage raised her voice, and this time—
“We do it because it is a necessity.”
Aelindra retorted, raising her voice as well.
“If it is so necessary, why not do it openly?”
Lavinia questioned, but Aelindra had an answer,
“And reveal the existence of Emergency Rations to the people? Do you even realize the consequences of that?”
The Warden of Provision shot back.
“Almost every Velmourn eats less than what they should ideally eat. Strictly speaking, every single Velmourn starves himself every single day, even us.
What do you think would happen, if at such a time, the existence of Emergency Rations is revealed?
You think the people will be able to hold themselves back when their children are crying, holding their hungry stomachs?
Chaos.
It will bring chaos amongst the people, and until the Emergency Rations are completely dried up, none will come back to their senses.
And in such a difficult situation, by the God’s fury, if enough rations aren’t secured for the month, then without the Emergency Rations, there will be a famine.
The Velmourn society will collapse.
Who do you think will take the responsibility for that?”
“…”
“…”
Silence.
Heavy silence fell over the place.
Even Lavinia couldn’t say anything against those words, but then…
“…then why steal just from the old?”
Kael questioned in a low voice, attracting attention.
“If it is to build the Emergency Ration, why should only the old be forced to starve? Those Provisioners are more than capable of stealing from anyone.
Why not steal from more?
Won’t the Emergency Rations be built quicker if they do it?”
“They will get caught.”
This time, the one who answered his question was the Matriarch herself. Kael turned towards her, and Morvain started explaining,
“They steal from the old because they are easy targets.”
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
