Abandoned Priest at the Hero’s Party

Salt Grinding Mill

“That person over there, the person who came before. It smells like it.”

Rocca grabbed my sleeve and whispered. As the saying goes, there were people who came to put a lot of salt in it.

But good is good. There was no shortage of salt, nor was there a limited amount, so I could take whatever I needed.

“I heard there was a millstone for making salt, but it was true.”

“Hey, give me that millstone. hurry!”

But if you let it sit, everyone can have salt, but there are some people who just want to own it.

The robbers with crowbars, knives, and bamboo spears made from cut bamboo, and those who actually looked like organized gangsters rather than robbers came to this place.

“If you have salt, you can take it with you. But when there are so many people lining up, we can’t let them go empty-handed.”

“What are you talking about now!”

“Oh, I’m really excited about it.”

They showed off their muscles and threatened us. The uncle who insisted on the doctrines of Grimudism did not miss the opportunity and pointed at us. I shouted from the podium and listened to the other side.

“It’s them! It’s them! No, I have my eyes open like this, but there are liars and scammers! Everyone, is it true or not!”

Next to the man who seemed to be the boss, a man as skinny as a monkey pointed his bowstring at me and shouted.

“I can’t, brother. Let’s shoot!”

“Hey, Horon. what’s the matter. I will try to convince you.”

Perhaps the man who seemed to be the leader of the group spoke to me with a friendly smile.

With a crossbow in his hand.

“Teacher. You dig a millstone when you say it in a good way.”

Did you think that adding a crossbow to a kind word would give you more than a kind word alone? If you think so, unfortunately, you are thinking wrong.

“Take as much salt as you can and just go home.”

Rocca stood in front of me as if waiting for my words. As the child took in the Chamwoldo, a sad blue energy was spewing out in all directions.

As if they felt the sensation of a cut in their throats, they all buried their faces in their shoulders like tortoises. The demonstration of the crossbow was cut off with a ticking sound.

As Loca showed off her momentum, the men suddenly shut their mouths. As the magic of the sun began to condense on the back of Rocca and start to scorch, sweat dripped down the boss’s face.

Well, at least it didn’t look like it was condensing because it was hot.

“Eekta, eh, expert?!”

The monkey-like man who had pointed the bow earlier shouted in surprise.

“Oh my, this… it looks like I’m going to have one more sister who doesn’t even exist.”

“sister.”

The boss suddenly smiled broadly, and suddenly fell to one knee.

I’ve met a lot of people so far, but this is really the first time I’ve met someone like this. Rocca must have been very absurd, and I could see her eyes rolling back and forth.

“So this Naod fell to his knees. Are you okay now?”

“Are you going to kill me?”

Rocca glanced at me and whispered. I shook my head.

With my own strength, I can only drive away very little of the ashes that have covered the city.

But with a little help from all these people, I’m sure more can be revealed. Resolving the volcanic ash problem alone does not mean that the immortals are retreating, but it will end the chaos in the dark city where visibility cannot be secured.

“Everyone, this is salt. Everyone, bring a bowl, take the salt and sprinkle it all over the road and the city. If you spray it on the area overflowing with smoke and ashes, the area around the salt sprinkled will become sanctified and block the ashes for a few days.”

After those days? Then there is no need to worry.

Either the immortals die first, or this city dies first. One of the two must happen and the volcanic ash problem will be resolved.

thud. When I put the millstone down, the millstone continued to spit out salt, creating a small mountain of salt around the millstone. It’s about the size of a sandcastle combed by a child right now, but it will gradually increase.

After heaped up the salt, the crowd bowed their heads to Roka and left. He decided not to care whether he took the salt and sprinkled it in his house or in the city.

Taking a peek, the man on the podium had already disappeared. I don’t know if he ran away or if he went home because it was harder to shout.

And people have become much more polite than before. Newcomers politely asked me.

“Can I really take it?”

“sure. Take whatever you want.”

“Doesn’t it matter how much sheep you take?”

“Take as much as you can.”

But as I always feel, human greed has no end.

I thought I would bring a small soban, but what people brought was a huge gourmet. I didn’t tell you to take a little bit, but I thought it was possible to bring a gourd and spread salt.

rolling around…

But some rolled up a large oak barrel and swept the salt into it. Someone came with a bale and filled it with salt.

No matter how holy the salt was, I didn’t think it was necessary, so I looked around and found a man who was just staring at the millstone and writing something down.

He held up a notebook and kept jotting down while others brought their salt to go.

‘Isn’t that someone you’ve been with before?’

Just then, he and I met eyes. Seeing him wearing a uniform up and down, he never looked like a person of low status. I thought I could explain why people are greedy for salt.

“Teacher. Is there a shortage of salt in the Citadel Republic?”

“If you ask me that, you are definitely not a citizen of the Republic. Judging by his accent, he must have been an imperial person.”

Now, the empire occupies the hegemony of the continent, so it is called the imperial language, but strictly speaking, this language is the official language of the continent.

Even demons use the same language as humans, so maybe the name of the continent’s official language is more appropriate than the imperial language. The only exception is the elves, a very closed race.

“The Republic sells salt to the government. Although it is sold at a high price because of the high tax, salt is an essential item in life, so there is no choice but to purchase it. That is one of the most important resources of our republic.”

“Ah, that’s the case… I thought it would be easy to get salt because it’s a seaside soup.”

“It’s not a coastal country. This city of Vales also has an ocean on its side, but many salt fields have been destroyed in the process of destroying the tidal flats and building a port. Well, it’s not that salt itself isn’t enough. Because this place was called the center of continental commerce because it was a place where logistics came and went. Bringing salt from the sea in the south is enough.”

He smiled bitterly.

“Salt is an essential part of life. It means that we cannot live without it, and that it is a national monopoly that can be profited from.”

“Are you paying that much tax?”

“Actually, it’s worse than that. There is one more intermediate step. The Republic grants permission to sell salt to some target people, and they become big salt merchants and sell salt. They are acquaintances with the members of the council.”

Apparently, in the Citadel Republic, more complex interests than salt were intertwined. Since the country is small and the control of the state is strong, it seems that even a single salt is not an item that can be simply bought in the market.

“Even if the state just resells salt, the net profit is ten times higher. But since the Great Flame is stuck there, will they do business at a loss? If you want to maintain your position in the Great Fire, you have to lubricate the high-ranking people and pay high taxes to the government. To whom will the damage be passed on?”

“…as a consumer.”

“It’s comfortable to talk to someone like you. The lady next to you doesn’t seem to understand what you’re talking about.”

Clearly, Rocca seemed to be deeply troubled by where she was and who I was. sounds like you’re bruising

tt he clicked his tongue

“Sometimes the difference between the cost and the selling price is as much as 40 times. The price is not determined by the greed of the merchants. Of course, it’s plausible that everyone brings it up as a reason. Some say they met a bandit during the transportation process, while others say that the warehouse is on fire and cannot be helped.”

“Well, don’t you know that the Republic is just an excuse? But the subjects have friends. Those who have power too. So even if you know the situation, you have no choice but to close your eyes.”

Now I understand. Maybe here, even looking around, salt was more expensive than in the grasslands where the only source of salt was the blood of livestock.

No matter how much people are tired of salt, when they see the salt, even though destruction is just around the corner, how would they take the salt and watch it?

“The naod or iodine that she just kicked out is the salt smuggler we’ve been keeping an eye on. A merchant does not hesitate to take risks when a 50% profit is guaranteed, and when there is a 100% profit, the law does not come into view. If you think you can make triple the money, then you can risk your own life. Salt trafficking is usually by hanging, but there are some who do.”

“If you sell salt at the normal price, it will disappear naturally.”

“Yes, but then the country’s finances will be empty. No one can make such a decision.”

He scoffed at the people who didn’t care about our conversation and only turned their eyes to salt.

“Even so, isn’t it funny? Now, how much salt do you need? Just a few days’ worth, maybe a day or two would be enough, but seeing how greedy they are for that much salt, it seems like everyone has the confidence to survive.”

Well. I thought a little differently. Being greedy for something is a good thing in this kind of situation.

If you are desperate to the depths of your heart, you will not become greedy for things like salt.

Although being greedy for salt does not necessarily mean having hope, I saw it as representing a desire to live somehow. Words say that the world will perish, but no one is really ready to accept it. At least in two, none.

Does that person in front of me have the desire to struggle?

“I’m Robert Wesker, Citadel Tax Director. Originally, he would have arrested the teacher, not to mention Naod. Even if the teacher did not sell that salt for money, he would have been charged with smuggling salt and put him in prison.”

“If you catch a salt trafficker, the reward is great from the top, it is advantageous for promotion, and above all, the performance pay from the big salt dealers is salty. Of course not now. Because all the yangbans who would give me money were already out. But before I die, seeing such a strange millstone makes me think that I have lived enough to live.”

Could it be that you were still looking at me…?

“You’ve been looking at me since before, so you’ve been contemplating whether to arrest me or not.”

“no. It’s something else. I just got a call from the Empire side. When everyone was busy escaping through the gate, there was a priest who came over here through the gate. Anyway, I was waiting to ask if the teacher was the priest. Perhaps you are right?”

There aren’t many priests with blue-haired wolf beasts.

I nodded. It seems that Rowena kindly contacted me. Maybe there is a plenipotentiary ambassador sent by Elvenheim to the Citadel Republic.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

He asked me as if he was genuinely curious.

“Why did you come to this place? To this place, where there are only those who are only thinking of escaping, those who are desperate because they can’t escape, and those who just give up and wait for the day they will be killed.”

“We are here to take down the Phoenix.”

His curious gaze changed to that of a madman.

“If you are waiting for the day you die anyway, why not invest in your last hope?”

“haha.”

He laughed as if it was ridiculous.

“I don’t even want that, Priest. If there’s a way to fuck the phoenix, just tell me. If there really is a way, I will gladly guide you to my apprentice.”