Chapter 185: Meat On Rice
Chapter 185: Meat On Rice
He neatly stacked the papers and put the whole pile back onto the table.
"Okay." Roderick said. "I have seen the logs, and this is actually true."
He looked at Cassius.
"Can you take me to the place where your citizens actually sell all of their iron?" Roderick asked.
"Sure." Cassius nodded.
He took the minister outside and led him to a specific shop where all of the iron trades were officially handled.
It was basically a medium-sized shop. The front counter was completely exposed to the main road.
"This is where the people sell." Cassius pointed at the empty counter. "But if you actually wish to see them sell the metal, then you might have to wait until it is nighttime. That is when everyone goes to the dungeon and bring all the iron out. Selling happens during the night and early mornings."
"Okay, fine." Roderick agreed. "I will come back here when it is time."
Roderick looked around the busy streets.
"Now let me explore this place." Roderick requested. "Your town seems incredibly interesting. Can you also take me to the dungeon? I wish to see this dungeon too."
"Sure, sir." Cassius said politely.
He took Roderick straight to the dungeon entrance.
Once they stepped through the cave like entrance, they were locked out from the real world.
Roderick looked around the main room. It had the massive wooden door which led to the farming area, and the giant Gacha wheel which allowed people to get their iron.
Cassius quickly explained exactly what both of these mechanics did.
Then he pointed at the heavy iron doors lined up on the opposite side of the wall.
"This is where people fight monsters for training." Cassius explained. "It is mostly used by the soldiers for getting some combat experience."
He pointed back to the wheel. "And this is where people get their iron."
Then he pointed at the large wooden door. "And this is where the people do their farming."
Cassius smiled proudly. "This one is actually recent. It is a brand new blessing from the Goddess. Would you like to go in and see exactly how it works?"
"Yes." Roderick said instantly.
"Well, I don’t really have my own farm." Cassius admitted sheepishly. "Because I am way too busy to actually handle any of that stuff. Give me a few minutes and I’ll find someone who does have a farm."
"Let’s go back out." Cassius suggested.
The two of them walked back outside into the sunlight.
"Please wait here." Cassius said. "I will be back soon."
Cassius ran off toward the barracks.
After almost twenty minutes of waiting, Cassius jogged back with a bunch of off-duty knights trailing behind him.
Everyone walked back into the dungeon.
One of the knights stepped up, pushed his mana into the orb, opened the door, and walked right in. Everyone followed him.
Cassius looked at Roderick while they walked through the portal.
"You can form parties to enter this farm." Cassius explained the mechanics. "And the bigger your party is, the more land you get to farm. And if you are a sworn knight, it also gives you significantly more land compared to the commoners who are not knights."
"And for mages," Cassius added. "They get even bigger lands for farming."
Roderick nodded thoughtfully and stepped through the door.
He looked forward.
The only thing he saw stretching out into the distance was endless, vibrant green rice paddy fields.
"That is a lot of land." Roderick muttered in shock. "That is good."
"Yeah." Cassius nodded. "And a lot of people do actively farm here. We have been heavily depending on other territories for our main food supply, but that dependency will reduce drastically soon. We might even start exporting a lot of food."
"Impressive." Roderick praised softly. "Truly impressive."
The Financial Minister turned to look directly at Cassius.
"You guys are pretty smart." Roderick admitted bluntly. "I will give you that. You have successfully, legally evaded the royal taxes."
Cassius instantly stiffened, looking incredibly nervous.
But Roderick just reached out and patted him heavily on the shoulder.
"I like smart people." Roderick smiled. "And you guys are incredibly smart."
He dropped his hand.
"If you have any trouble, or if you ever need any political help," Roderick offered. "You can write to me. Write to me specifically, not to the royal family."
Cassius swallowed hard. "I will keep that in mind. And I will relay your message to Lord Adrian."
"Okay." Roderick nodded.
He changed the subject instantly.
"I heard that the food in your territory is really, really good." Roderick asked curiously. "Could you show me a few places where I can eat? Or is the good food only from your chefs who cook in your Lord’s private mansion?"
"Well, the mansion chefs do have access to certain rare ingredients." Cassius explained. "But the food that we provide to our working people for free is also pretty delicious."
Cassius smiled.
"Lord Adrian also likes to go out and eat at this specific place with his daughter." Cassius said. "It is not something that is just for the commoners. It is also highly popular for the people who live a better life too. Even the elite knights often go there and eat their daily meals."
Roderick was actually incredibly surprised by this.
"Well, since you are praising it so much," Roderick challenged. "Take me there."
"Sure." Cassius agreed.
He took Roderick straight to the massive outdoor eatery where everyone in Oresfall usually grabbed their lunch.
This time, the menu was slightly different.
The massive, heavy burritos were still there on the menu board. But they were not free anymore. Instead, the shop was currently offering giant bowls of rice for free.
Cassius walked up to the counter. He looked at the busy woman working the shop.
"Two bowls of meat on rice, please." Cassius ordered.
The lady at the counter nodded. She turned around and yelled at the cooks working the hot pans behind her.
"Two meat on rice!" she shouted.