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Chapter 370: The Extinguished Flame
Chapter 370: The Extinguished Flame
With their bellies full, the group finally settled down, leaving Sag time to turn his attention to the town.
The town's architecture was predominantly stone, each building resembling a pointed mushroom. Despite the stone construction, flames had somehow charred most of the houses black.
Sag noticed the irregularly shaped charred stones scattered on the streets and hummed in realization. "Looks like there was an explosion."
Some of the mushroom-like roofs had gaping holes blown through them, while others had completely collapsed. Fortunately, there didn't appear to be any casualties.
It seemed like everyone in the town had gathered at the entrance.
"How could there have been an explosion?"
The Western Sea native, Becky, paused in confusion before his eyes narrowed and a fierce expression crossed his face. "Could it be Grace?! Has he shown up again?!"
"It has to be that bastard!"
Someone from the crowd shouted, "Only he has the power to control toxic flames and cause explosions! The flames started when we were evacuating, and then the explosion happened. It has to be him!"
"That guy..."
Becky clenched his fists tightly. "Why? Why is he still doing this? Hasn't he made enough mistakes? That pretentious chef, that big fraud!"
"Hold on a moment."
At that moment, Maryka emerged from the ruined houses, holding some strange roots and weed-like plants in her hands. Her usually cheerful eyes were now narrowed in a rare solemn expression, mixed with a hint of confusion.
"I didn't see any tools for starting a fire, and the iron pots are unusable, left untouched for a long time."
These people didn't seem lazy.
Even the laziest person would eventually be driven by hunger to find something to eat.
And while there might be some eccentric individuals who would rather starve than eat unappetizing food, none of these people fell into that category.
After all, they had all forced down the bitter-tasting pill despite its awful taste.
So, it wasn't a matter of laziness or eccentricity.
Maryka hesitated as she looked at the items in her hands. "You've been relying on these to stave off hunger, haven't you?"
As if sensing Sag's gaze, she paused before continuing, "Well, I suppose you could call it food. Every household has these, and they show signs of chewing. You've been eating these, right?"
She looked at the group, including Becky, who all nodded.
"Yes, Maryka. We had no choice. We were starving," Becky admitted.
"Sag, these are edible, but they're challenging to eat," Maryka said as she shook the root with bite marks in her hand. "I tried crushing a bit with my fingers and tasting it. It's tough to chew and even harder to digest. The only upside is that it fills your stomach."
"While these roots will eventually be digested, a lack of proper nutrition over time will only make you weaker."
She then picked up the weed-like plant. "This appears to be a type of vegetable with some moisture and salt content. It's probably unique to the deep-sea islands of this region. Technically, it's edible, but the high salt content has likely killed most of its nutritional value, making it toxic if consumed regularly."
Even for her, crafting a dish from these ingredients would be challenging, let alone for these people.
"However, if you boil the roots in water, you can soften them, and the leaves can be roasted over a fire to evaporate the toxic substances, turning them into something like salted dried seaweed."
"That way, while it still won't be very nutritious, it's at least edible."
Maryka turned to Becky and slowly said, "But here's the problem. I didn't find any traces of fire, not even a spark. Can you tell me why you're not using fire?"
"We..."
Becky hesitated before replying, "Sag, Maryka, we know how to prepare and eat these things, but the people of the Cloud Mountain Kingdom are no longer allowed to use any kind of fire, and we can't even find a source of fire."
The Cloud Mountain Kingdom was located on an island basin near the doldrums, in the deep sea region.
The so-called ocean was simply water covering the land, and due to the continental shelf, the areas near the continent were considered shallow seas, while those far from the continent were deep seas. As for how deep it went...no one knew.
Beyond these basic facts, the vast ocean defied common sense in many ways.
The Cloud Mountain Kingdom was a sizable island with no neighboring landmasses. It rose from the ocean depths like a pillar, reaching down to unfathomable depths.
Islands in the deep-sea region typically had impoverished soil, and the surrounding waters were devoid of fish. Deep-sea fish rarely surfaced, and only the occasional predatory sea king roamed into shallower waters.
However, the barren land had not defeated these people. Their reputation as a nation of chefs and culinary delights came from their ability to find edible plants, spices, and ingredients and transform them into delicious dishes with their exceptional culinary skills.
But three years ago, the old king had died, and the new king, Fengard, ascended the throne, bringing about a drastic change.
He was a tyrant who, since his coronation, had been scouring the kingdom for renowned chefs to staff his royal kitchen. To achieve this, he had even held a grand culinary competition, inviting famous chefs from across the nation to participate, with the top hundred earning a place in his royal kitchen.
Chapter 371: A Nation in Decline
"And so, the King issued a decree, and from that moment on, the Kingdom of Cloud Mountain forbade all chefs, expelling them from the kingdom. Those who refused to leave were killed."
"From that day forward, the nation of chefs began its decline."
The people of that time were filled with resentment, believing that the king had corrupted and led the Kingdom of Cloud Mountain to ruin.
But they soon realized that their anger was premature.
"Two years ago, Fengard decreed that even commoners were not allowed to cook for themselves. Anyone who dared to do so would be punished as an illegal chef. If they wanted to cook, they had to pay a hefty cooking tax."
Though it was a significant burden, the people had no choice but to grudgingly accept it, cursing Fengard in private for his inhumane rule.
However, their anger was once again short-lived.
"A year ago, Fengard banned the use of fire altogether, confiscating the right to create fire from all his subjects!
Fire-starting tools, flints, and wood... nothing that could create a spark was spared. If you wanted to use fire, you had to pay a burning tax, and on top of that, you had to purchase expensive wood from him."
As an island in the deep-sea basin, the Kingdom of Cloud Mountain was impoverished, lacking even trees. The wood they had came from traders who visited before the kingdom's decline.
Now, in its state of decay, no one came, and rare wood was only seen in the royal palace.
Fire-starting tools, flints, wood, and the very use of fire all came at a cost. Preparing food and purchasing ingredients, even if they were homegrown, incurred a tax.
In the end, Fengard went even further, claiming ownership of fire itself. From that moment on, no one in the kingdom was allowed to use fire-starting tools or possess flints. Fire, humanity's first great invention, was forbidden, forcing the people to live primitive lives.
Some chose to take to the seas, while others endured hunger, all in the hopes of finding a way to survive.
During this time of crisis, a terrifying legend emerged within the kingdom.
Someone, under the pretext of offering a non-natural fire, deceived the people into cooking. At first, the people were overjoyed, believing they had found a way to circumvent the king's edict.
But their joy was short-lived as they soon discovered that while the fire was real, the gases it emitted were toxic. Not only did the food become poisonous, but those who cooked with it also inhaled the toxins, leading to a significant disaster where many fell ill.
The culprit, Grace, escaped, only to continue his deceit in other places. His methods became even more outrageous, evolving from poisoning to causing explosions. He became a figure of terror within the kingdom.
Throughout the land, only Grace could use fire, so wherever there was fire or an explosion, it was surely his doing!
"He's as hateful as the king!" Becky clenched his fists tightly. "We're already struggling, and yet he takes pleasure in deceiving us, inflicting painful poison through his fire. We're all just commoners, yet he toys with our lives!"
"Becky," a familiar voice said, patting him on the shoulder. "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself. We understand."
"No! I can't forgive myself! But now I'm a pirate, and I have the power to take revenge! I will make that man pay!" Becky shouted.
As his voice echoed, he suddenly felt a chill and turned to see Sag staring at him. Sag gestured, "Come here."
"Yes, sir," Becky replied, stepping closer. Sag then noticed that Becky was taller than he had realized, standing at an impressive height of seven feet. It was only because he usually hunched over and kept his head down that he seemed unassuming.
"How old are you?" Sag asked.
"I'm fourteen, sir," Becky answered.
"I didn't expect that," Sag mused. "You seem to have potential. Keep it up."
Previously, Sag hadn't paid much attention, but now, having witnessed the situation here, he recognized that it took courage and determination for someone from this place to venture out to sea as a pirate.
And this Becky seemed to be the leader of the group of Western Sea natives who had joined them.
With some training, he could become a valuable asset.
"However, I don't want to stand here and listen to the whole story. Leave these people to you to settle. Once you're done, come and guide me to the royal palace. I want to meet this king." Sag wasn't interested in the intricacies of their conflicts. He only wanted to evacuate the people of this nation.
Nobles, with their legal right to rule, instilled a sense of obedience in their subjects, who meekly accepted their fate.
Sag knew how to break this cycle—by eliminating the source.
Killing the king would leave the nation leaderless and its people without an owner.
But before that, he wanted to meet this king who ruled with such oppressive laws. He must have accumulated a vast fortune.
(End of Chapter)
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