Chapter 417 Is This a Coincidence?

Back to where it all began.

Lynch still clearly remembered that this was their first stop when they first entered the city three days ago. Here they heard the crazy old man shouting at the top of his lungs for the first time, and saw Ms. Swain beating a naughty child in the street for the first time.

It was now six o'clock in the evening, and dusk was approaching, but the crazy old man was still standing on the pile of straw outside the barn, dancing and roaring at the top of his lungs.

Looking at him, Lin Qi felt dumbfounded. He suddenly realized something.

This old bear has been standing in the most problematic position from the beginning, using the most conspicuous way to give the most straightforward warning.

However, these four idiots, Ikuta, passed by over and over without realizing it. They went around in a big circle like fools, and finally returned to where it all started.

So who is the fool?

"The end is coming, no one will survive, everything will return to nothingness..."

The crazy old man's voice was like a poisonous needle in the dusk, piercing people's hearts word by word. But today, the people around the drying area have become numb. They only look up at him when they come over, and no one is around anymore. Pointing.

There were not many people sunbathing, and even if there were, they were just passing by in a hurry. The events of the past few days had spread to the public, making the citizens panic and returned home early. Even the naughty kids running around disappeared, and the whole city seemed to become empty and desolate overnight.

Dr. Swain still stayed in the fortress and continued to work. She put all her trust in the four outsiders. Knight Terry was beside the four people, his face uncertain.

Walking around the pile of straw occupied by the old madman, their eyes met in the air. The old madman showed a crazy smile, while Lynch secretly gave him a thumbs down.

Laughing at your sister, it annoys you prophets the most.

As soon as they entered the huge barn, everyone felt that something was wrong.

The barn has always been a paradise for life. There are thousands of insects, rats, birds, and birds. You can often take pictures of a few sparrows flying around with a swipe of your sack.

But when I came in, there was nothing. The whole barn was lifeless.

If they didn't have expectations in their hearts, people would think it was a bit strange at most, and no one would have much association with it. But at this time, including Knight Terry and a few soldiers, everyone's heart sank and they felt a chill on their backs.

Several piles of new wheat are piled in the corner of the barn, exuding the aroma of fresh malt, yellow and golden, and looking really cute.

However, whether it was an illusion or not, under the light of the torches in the hands of the soldiers, the four of them always felt that a layer of green light occasionally flashed on the wheat pile.

I'm afraid these were the food that was fed to the guards at the south gate and the two couriers. A little further on, those travelers who were in distress should also have been victims of these things.

Lynch pondered and turned his questioning eyes to Terry: "Who does the grain here belong to? The city lord's palace? Where do the other citizens' harvests go? In their own barns?"

"This is actually a public barn. The barns are vacated every year before the harvest season. When the grains mature, each family will transport their daily harvest here. These are land rents and city taxes, which are managed by Butler Lodge of the City Lord's Mansion. After acceptance, it will be put into storage.”

The armed knight introduced in a low voice beside the four of them. This was Lin Qi's first contact with rural life in a different world since his time travel. Although it was from ancient times, it also felt quite novel, but wasn't this just a landlord's house collecting rent? Lin Qi Qi sighed when he heard it. It seemed that he could not escape the threat of taxes and rent no matter where he was:

"After paying enough, the remaining harvest from each family will be transported back to their own barns for temporary storage. When the city lord's palace takes all the grain here to the mill for processing, the donkeys will be lent to the citizens. For them to handle their own food.”

To Lynch's surprise, the person who knew these customs best was the pampered Miss Diana. She understood immediately when she heard it: "In other words, until all taxes and fees are paid, all this year's new wheat will be in the hands of the city government. ?”

"right."

Lynch also asked: "And unless you plan to grind it yourself, even if someone hides the new wheat, there is no way to grind it into flour?"

"right."

Lynch and Miss Diana looked at each other and nodded thoughtfully.

This means that no matter what method the other party uses, at least until this year's taxes and fees are paid, these plague foods are controllable, and they are controlled by the city lord's palace.

"I suspect there is something wrong with the new wheat that was harvested early, but I can't tell yet whether it was tampered with when harvested, or whether there is something wrong with the wheat itself in the fields." Lynch explained in a low voice, "The existing evidence is still inconclusive. It cannot be proved who is the main messenger behind this matter, and it cannot even be proved that City Lord Jackson did know that there was a problem with these grains, but it can at least be believed that someone in the City Lord's Mansion knew about it, and was behind it to push the incident to the present point, just to complete his experiment. ”

Lynch's attitude was very tactful and objective, and he did not guide Knight Terry to think in the direction of the city lord. Based on his experience, when dealing with such a loyal subordinate, the more he is guided, the more he will take the initiative to find reasons to excuse his boss. Only by letting him figure everything out on his own can he accept the reality.

So Lynch just laid out all the possibilities one by one and let the loyal knight think for himself. Sure enough, Knight Terry was silent for a while and nodded in approval.

"So let's take a look first and figure out the method first. I hope it's just someone poisoning and there's nothing wrong with the wheat itself. Otherwise, this matter will be even more troublesome."

"Um?"

Hearing Lynch muttering, Officer Natalie glanced at him in confusion, but Lynch just shook his head without explaining too much. He grabbed a handful of new wheat, and even through the gloves, he felt uneasy.

‘Neighbor, is it dangerous for me to touch it directly? ’

[You came to the conclusion yourself. Only when mixed with gastric juice can its mysterious properties be activated]

‘Thank you. ’

Lynch took off his gloves and stroked the wheat ears. A faint pressure came from his fingertips.

It should be right. These are the problems.

But Lynch was not happy. He just fumbled with the wheat stalks and fell into deep thought.

“What’s wrong?” Natalie signaled Judy not to translate, and then whispered, “Are you worried that there is something wrong with the wheat itself? What difference does it make?”

“I wonder how long it takes for wheat to be sown and harvested?”

“Depending on the climate and the environment here, it should be five or six months…”

Miss Diana’s face suddenly changed halfway through her answer. She couldn’t continue, but Officer Natalie and Judy were still puzzled.

Lynch continued to ask: "How long has the mayor's son been buried?"

"Half a year."

Now Natalie and Judy also understood that the time was highly consistent.

"Wheat grows from the ground, and the body of the youngest son was also buried in the ground. After the burial, the crop of grain had problems, and on the day it was confirmed to be effective, the body was dug out. Is this a coincidence?"