Rui Weile looked at the people of his own race and outsiders busy in and out of the car, and he always felt that something was wrong.
After thinking for a long time with a frown, he realized with a bark that it was emotion.
The faces of the outsiders who crossed the tall grass plains and came to Manharawowobasa showed no trace of worry about the demons or anxiety about food shortages, and looked very simple and happy.
The Wengji people were also very happy in the past, but after the great collision between heaven and earth, all this disappeared.
The pastures have withered, forcing the herdsmen to reluctantly reduce the size of their herds. The demons that appear from time to time force the herdsmen to form small security teams to protect the safety of the livestock, which further amplifies the pasture problem.
Although the reduction of the herd from 1,000 to 200 animals would not cause the herdsmen to starve to death directly, there is not much leftover to exchange for various materials needed for herding life. Some herdsmen who were already on the verge of subsistence had to give up their livestock life and turn to settled agriculture in the south. Then they watched the price of meat soar that had nothing to do with them.
The hardships of life have bent everyone's back, but as time goes by, the number of demons has increased, the pastoral area has shrunk again and again, and the Manhrawowobasa people have reached the edge of life and death.
So how can these people, who are obviously closer to the Demon Clan's home base and come from the Tall Grass Plains in the northeast, maintain such optimism?
Ruiweile wanted to know the answer.
There have been businessmen in Manhala Wowoba who need help loading goods every day recently. The Ruiweile family sold only a dozen animals on hand, so they simply stayed and did manual labor to save some money, cloth, lambs and calves.
Taking advantage of a break between work, he approached a group of people who could somehow speak the local dialect and saluted respectfully.
The other party seemed to think he was a child who came to ask for sweets, so he took two out of his pocket and handed them over: "Take them and eat them, don't let anyone see you."
Ruiweile looked at the small candy wrapped in paper, swallowed and shook his head: "I want to ask a question."
"?" The businessman tilted his head and looked up and down, "Ask me, I can't do it if it's too difficult."
"Aren't you afraid of demons? Are there no food shortages?" Ruiweile asked two questions at once.
The businessman seemed a little surprised when he heard the question. He thought for a while and said: "Although we have seen demons on the road, they were protected by people and there were no casualties. I think there is nothing to be afraid of. As for food, the output is indeed not enough, but We can trade and get more food types from the outside world."
Small businessmen do not have so much knowledge, and their answers are not roundabout and easy to understand.
The Phoenix Kingdom has very few types of food output, including soybeans, wheat, sweet potatoes, potatoes brought from other worlds, as well as local crops. Not counting hot wind fruit, a spice that has been degraded due to environmental changes, the total amount that can be eaten is Less than ten species. The yield of these crops has been low in recent years, and the per capita distribution is relatively scarce. They mainly rely on sugar water and small beef as supplements. The latter two account for about 50 to 60% of the per capita caloric intake. For some refugees who have just joined the work, this accounts for The ratio will be higher.
However, the productivity of the Phoenix Kingdom is particularly outstanding, and its commerce and trade are extremely developed. It can continuously import various foods from other places, focusing on various meats.
There is also a little rumor here, which is about to form a living culture.
It is said that when Phoenix City was not established, the Phoenix King did not like to eat Xiaoqiang meat. Influenced by the Phoenix King's preference, even though the Xiaoqiang that was later bred was said to taste better than when it was in Sharp Blade's hometown, the eating ratio of Night Clan and Sharp Blade was not large. Most Xiaoqiang collects the fat and squeezes the oil, then sells the remaining meat outside. The shells are made into plant ash and the inedible parts are mixed with compost.
It may also be that Xiaoqiang is too easy to feed, which makes everyone not cherish it. Later, Xiaoqiang breeding spread with the expansion of the Phoenix Kingdom, but it has never become the main food. More than half of the Xiaoqiang meat output will be made into snacks and military meat. Dry reserves and a very small amount are exported, and the portion sold as fresh meat accounts for less than one-third of the output.
In short, in theory, Phoenix Kingdom's sugar water and Xiaoqiang can meet all the nutritional needs of residents. On this basis, as the quality of life improves, the intake ratio of these two foods will be reduced in everyone's menu, and more imported meat will be consumed.
Ruiweile can understand how to obtain food through trade, but he is more concerned about the demons: "Why are people protecting you?"
"Because there is money to be made?" the businessman tried to answer.
"How much money do you have? What if the hired guards encounter a powerful demon and die?" Ruiweile, who is not yet an adult, has more problems than an adult.
Although he could continue to sneak around, the businessman thought for a long time before answering: "If all the guards die, maybe we won't come here, and maybe a new group of guards will come. As for the money to hire them, it comes from the kingdom's allocation, so I can't help but We bear it.”
"Kingdom appropriation? Protect businessmen?" It wasn't that Rui Weile looked down on businessmen, but he had never heard of such a thing.
The businessman scratched his face, a little embarrassed, and said that the Kingdom's appropriation had indeed promoted himself. At most, the security company had a long-term cooperation agreement with the cargo yard, and the money for the cargo yard came from cargo site fees and vehicle rental fees. The Kingdom's appropriation was also allocated to Just buying a car at the yard.
"It's time to continue working. You can go play too." In order to resolve the embarrassment, the businessman decided to end the rest early.
Rui Weile was unhappy when he didn't get an answer, and he kept thinking about that question for the next few days.
Why would the kingdom pay to protect merchants?
Wengji is also a kingdom, but the kingdom lacks a sense of existence. The army has never been seen, and the officials are all appointed and recommended by local nobles. The kingdom itself is almost equivalent to a distant legend to these border herdsmen.
He took the opportunity to ask a few foreign businessmen who were willing to deal with him, and found that these people talked about the Phoenix Kingdom at every turn. It seemed that being a citizen of the Phoenix Kingdom was something they could feel proud of.
Ruiweile couldn't understand this kind of psychology, he just felt weird.
Soon, it was time for the family to leave.
Following his family's livestock team out of the confines of the earthen city wall, he suddenly said to his family, "I want to visit the Phoenix Kingdom."
His father glanced at him and said, "You'll die if you cross the tall grass plain."
"I can save some money and take their truck there. I can buy some of their goods at a low price."
This was a good reason, but my father hesitated.
As a parent, of course you don’t want your children to travel far away at risk, but you should also consider reality when it comes to family ties.
The reality is that there are about ten children and wives in the family. Considering the situation of the pasture, the number of newly purchased sheep is also limited. If the environment continues to deteriorate, it may not be enough for the family's own use. Moreover, when Ruiweile reached the age of marrying a wife, he had to spend a lot of money.
Herdsmen and herds are one, and marriages must be accompanied by changes in the herds. The one who gets married must get the livestock. To put it cruelly, it is essentially a transaction, but this transaction is not about the price of meat, but the status of the child in the family. and family herd status.
Before the Great Collision, herdsmen hoped to bring in outside men into their homes. After all, slaughtering and transporting livestock were strenuous jobs, and men had the advantage. In order to bring in additional labor, it was worth the family's efforts.
But now the situation has changed. Strong labor means more food consumption, and everyone will be more cautious. In other words, even if Ruiweile is allowed to join other herdsmen families at this time, there is a high probability that they will not be able to get many livestock in exchange. The same is true for marrying a wife. It will be more difficult to add another family to the family.
"The Sword Comes"
If there are children who can fend for themselves, it can reduce the burden a little bit.
My father walked slowly in front of the team for a long time before he said, "Don't die, we're still home at the same place."
What herders call an old place is not a fixed location, but a grazing line that encompasses the four seasons.
Although there is no snowfall all year round near the Luna River, the grass will grow all year round, but when the grass is gnawed away, you have to give it time to slow down, so the rhythm is still the same, but the transition distance is shortened.
