Chapter 467
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Chapter 467: Adding Insult to Injury
As the emperor of Myriad World Civilization, Luo Ji’s meals, no matter how humble, couldn’t be too bad.
After the fishing team resumed work, they’d send over plenty of fresh, live fish every day.
Winter fish were the fattest and most delicious, and for the first few days, Luo Ji ate with great relish.
But after so many days, he was, as expected, tired of them.
Thinking of this, Luo Ji felt a bit unenthusiastic.
Even though he knew it wasn’t ideal, after all, his Myriad World Civilization was currently in a minor food crisis, and many people had no surplus grain at home.
While he still ate fresh, succulent fish daily, what right did he have to be picky under such circumstances?
Yet, he understood the logic, but still couldn’t quite muster any enthusiasm.
He slowly walked to the side hall next to the Hall of Political Affairs.
This side hall was small, estimated to be about 30 square meters, and served as Luo Ji’s place for lunch and naps.
Taking a sniff, Luo Ji, having just entered the side hall, immediately caught a familiar yet foreign fragrance, causing his steps to involuntarily quicken.
On the dining table in the side hall, a medium-sized black clay pot sat, with several small dishes of pickled vegetables on the side.
Luo Ji walked directly over and lifted the lid. Then, he silently picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of meat, and put it in his mouth.
The meat was exceptionally tender, practically falling apart.
With one bite, the rich meaty aroma almost made him swallow his tongue.
However, this delicious meal caused Luo Ji to frown slightly.
“Is this… beef?”
Upon hearing this, He Liang, the Guard Captain following Luo Ji, felt his heart tremor.
Without time to think, He Liang quickly said.
“Your Majesty, there might be some misunderstanding here…”
Killing cattle was against the law.
In ancient Celestial Dynasty, cattle, as crucial agricultural productivity, were generally forbidden from being slaughtered for meat.
This was no exception in Luo Ji’s Myriad World Civilization.
It was enough to show that history often had its inevitabilities.
Looking at He Liang, who was eager to speak up for Liu Ye, Luo Ji shook his head with a faint smile.
“I haven’t said anything yet, why are you so anxious?”
After speaking, he didn’t bother with the flustered He Liang.
Luo Ji’s gaze slowly fell upon Liu Ye.
“Little Ye, where did this beef come from?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, this morning, a shed in the farm collapsed, crushing many farm animals to death. Many workers were also injured as a result. This beef was sent over from the farm.”
Upon hearing this, He Liang visibly relaxed. But Luo Ji, however, grew more troubled.
“He Liang, go to the Hall of Political Affairs and see if there’s a report from the Agricultural Department. If it’s not there, check with the Secretary Office.”
“Yes, your humble servant will go immediately.”
He Liang quickly returned with a report in hand.
This document had indeed been sent to the Secretary Office.
Luo Ji set down his chopsticks and immediately sat at the dining table to read the document.
The losses caused by this farm shed collapse were significant.
For the current Myriad World Civilization, it was undoubtedly adding insult to injury.
It placed even heavier pressure on Luo Ji’s shoulders.
Despite a pot of delicious potato and beef stew in front of him, Luo Ji was so inwardly distressed that he ate without savoring the food.
After lunch, Luo Ji had to ponder his plan to plunder grain and supplies.
In his previous invasion battles, he had always only plundered warehouses in cities, never livestock from opposing players’ farms.
It wasn’t because he was foolish, but because he was smart.
The grain stockpiled in granaries was a renewable resource.
Even if he emptied all the grain, the granaries would be full again in a few months.
To put it bluntly, it wasn’t something incredibly valuable. In such a situation, although the plundered players would be enraged, it wouldn’t necessarily lead to deep enmity.
But once he laid hands on livestock in farms, if he stole other players’ chickens, ducks, pigs, and cattle, it was no exaggeration to say that a huge grudge would be formed.
If grain was lost, it could be replanted. But if chickens, ducks, pigs, and cattle were all gone, what were they supposed to do?
Therefore, plundering resources was also an art.
Although Luo Ji had acted unrestrainedly before, he had cleverly grasped the right balance.
This prevented him from inadvertently becoming a target of public scorn.
After much deliberation, Luo Ji finally decided not to break his rule.
Plundering farm animals, even if it could alleviate his immediate crisis, would, in the long run, easily create a large number of enemies.
If that then dragged in a whole host of powerful backers, it would be detrimental to his future development.
Taking advantage of the natural barrier still provided by the snow, Luo Ji decided to quickly indulge himself for a while longer.
Otherwise, once spring arrived next year and the snow outside his territory melted, he would have to consider the issue of defending his cities.
After deploying defensive forces to various border cities, where would he have spare troops to take out and “play” with? He had to cherish this freedom while it lasted.
With this thought, Luo Ji naturally quickly mustered his troops and set out again.
And during his invasions of other players, Myriad World Civilization naturally wasn’t idle either.
Wild Horse City, Eagle City, and White Horse City were far away on the grasslands.
Across the wind and snow, sending urgent reports to Mirror City naturally took more time than from other cities.
By the time the urgent reports arrived, Luo Ji was already gone.
Lu Yang, having read the contents of the urgent reports, his eyebrows practically twisted into a knot.
The three cities on the grasslands, comparatively, were far less developed than their central plains region.
Their location was simply too remote, and coupled with the high-altitude sickness, it was quite difficult to develop that area vigorously.
Considering this, before the blizzard even arrived, Luo Ji had specifically ordered several extra carts of grain to be sent over.
Yet, that grain transport convoy was targeted by horse bandits, resulting in considerable losses.
And now, undoubtedly, another piece of bad news arrived.
The previous blizzard had caused severe losses of horses, cattle, and sheep in those three cities on the grasslands.
And now, evidently, a food crisis had erupted again. It wasn’t just food for the grasslanders, but also fodder for the horses, cattle, and sheep.
These successive problems caused Lu Yang’s head to swell again.
Beyond Iron Wall City lay the border of Myriad World Civilization.
Lu Yang couldn’t even imagine how piled up the snow was out there.
For transporting grain between the internal cities of their central plains, they could rely on the mammoth and ice bears making multiple round trips.
Each time they transported a batch, usually two to three trips would be enough for the short term.
But the grassland cities were different.
The distance was too great, and one round trip would probably take as long as two trips within the central plains, making efficiency too slow.
Moreover, the amount of grain needed was also extremely large, as all three grassland cities were waiting for food support.
