Chapter 335 – The Abnormal Poor Country

“Haha, we’re finally reaching the Maple Leaf Kingdom. Brother Cyan, what kind of reception do you think Joni Zordas will arrange for us two ‘kind-hearted souls’ who’ve traveled so far? I don’t think a standard royal welcome would be sufficient—at the very least, the King himself should come greet us to show proper respect.”

There was no need to guess who was speaking—it could only be Ben Lajie, who remained completely oblivious to any sense of crisis, already anticipating his life of pleasure (or decadence).

After concluding their half-hearted interrogation of Huai’en, Ben Lajie and Punk finished the remaining half of their goat meal with little enthusiasm before immediately setting out. Although Ben Lajie persistently believed there was no need to hurry—convinced that even if their location was exposed, Ovakain wouldn’t actually dare to come pick a fight—Punk, exercising caution, chose to head swiftly to the Maple Leaf Kingdom to rendezvous with Joni Zordas. After all, Ovakain Acidmaw’s power was truly beyond ordinary measures. Punk suspected that the only reason Ben Lajie could merrily anticipate the Maple Leaf Kingdom’s welcome ceremony along the journey was because he hadn’t witnessed the black dragon’s formidable combat prowess. Had it been this fat old man instead of Punk who fought Ovakain within Huai’en’s mental realm, he might have fled even faster—back to the Gray Rain Country, of course.

Throughout the journey, the displeased Punk spoke little, leaving Ben Lajie to mutter to himself, fantasizing about whether he should accept or… accept the princesses the King would surely send over. Fortunately, perhaps sensing the tension radiating from Punk, Ben Lajie refrained from clamoring to sightsee and enjoy the scenery.

Without any messy delays, the two Master-Level powerers moved at considerable speed. After flying over two large mountains consecutively, the two mages finally arrived at the Maple Leaf Kingdom by evening.

However, Ben Lajie’s good mood ceased upon reaching the Maple Leaf Kingdom.

Upon entering the first town within the Maple Leaf Kingdom, both Punk and Ben Lajie began to feel astonished at the scene before them.

Displayed before the two foreign mages was a sight that could be described as “spectacular”—though of the profoundly tragic variety.

In this fairly sizable town, all buildings exuded a weathered, dilapidated aura from years of neglect. Houses clearly damaged by war stood unrepaired, with precarious structures hastily reinforced with wooden planks. Wild weeds ran rampant among sparse wheat in the fields, untended. Even on the streets, desiccated corpses were being gnawed at by starving stray dogs.

The town wasn’t abandoned, as both Punk and Ben Lajie could sense numerous ordinary people with feeble life forces huddled in corners of these “dangerous buildings.” Though not vast in number, there were still several thousand individuals—mostly the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled, with scarcely any young adults left in the entire town.

“This… this is the Maple Leaf Kingdom? How could it have fallen into such a state in just a few years?”Unlike Punk’s nonchalant demeanor, Ben Lajie was genuinely astonished to see a town located in relatively fertile land reduced to such a lifeless refugee camp.

Unlike Punk who was new to the area, Ben Lajie—a Master-Level Mage long active in the Hoth Mountains and Red Sand Sea region—had witnessed the Maple Leaf Kingdom’s prosperous era. To elaborate, five or six centuries ago, Ben Lajie had even conducted business with the founding Emperor (a Formal-Level warrior) of the Maple Leaf Kingdom. Back then, what Ben Lajie saw was a kingdom with meticulously designed architecture, hardworking and honest commoners, and vast expanses of high-quality farmland abundant with Ququ Wheat.

However, after suffering significant financial losses and concentrating his remaining investments in the Gray Rain Country, Ben Lajie paid little attention to the Hoth Mountains area. During this period, the portly old man only knew that half of the Maple Leaf Kingdom’s territory had been occupied by a black dragon. Now, returning to this once-prosperous nation and seeing a formerly thriving town transformed into a dilapidated refugee camp, Ben Lajie naturally felt profound shock.

But Punk couldn’t comprehend Ben Lajie’s astonishment; he simply thought the old man was being sentimental again. Impatient, Punk took the lead and walked through the town entrance:

“What’s so surprising? It’s perfectly normal for people to starve when two kingdoms go to war. Why are you making such a fuss over this? These are just trivial matters anyway!”

“No, no, the war between the Dragon Roar Kingdom and the Maple Leaf Kingdom primarily occurred at the level of powerful beings. Logically, it shouldn’t have affected ordinary people this severely… But you’re right, these things are indeed… trivial… to us…”

Rationally, Ben Lajie agreed with Punk’s emotionless words. However, this portly old man ultimately differed from a “Netherese Inheritor” like Punk. Though verbally dismissing any connection to the situation, following behind Punk, Ben Lajie couldn’t help casting sympathetic glances at several emaciated children huddled in a corner.

“What a nuisance. I never realized this fat old man actually leans toward the foolish side of having a good-aligned disposition.”

Seeing Ben Lajie’s “foolish” compassion and recalling his genuinely kind-hearted sympathy and care for children, Punk easily recognized that this mage fundamentally differed from spellcasters like himself—who prioritized interests above all and treated emotions and morality as dust.

“Whatever, his fondness for children doesn’t matter as long as it doesn’t interfere with me.”

Regarding Ben Lajie’s somewhat contradictory nature, though Punk felt the old fellow exhibited the dissonance of “acting like a prostitute while wanting a monument,” for Punk, his teammate’s “hobbies” were irrelevant as long as they didn’t impede his own interests.Walking along the dusty paths of the small town, Punk couldn’t help but feel curious as he recalled Ben Lajie’s description of the Maple Leaf Kingdom at its peak. Ben Lajie was right—high-level experts fighting with restraint wouldn’t cause such extensive damage to the ordinary world. Even if the war between the Maple Leaf Kingdom and the Dragon Roar Kingdom had escalated to a fever pitch, the devastation of war should have affected both sides equally. There was no reason why commoners in the Dragon Roar Kingdom could afford meat with every meal while the poor in the Maple Leaf Kingdom struggled to even get their hands on black bread.

Yet, in reality, despite being separated by only two mountains, the gap between the Maple Leaf Kingdom and the Dragon Roar Kingdom was too vast to be explained by logic. Compared to the Dragon Roar Kingdom’s bountiful farmlands, the soil fertility in the Maple Leaf Kingdom was no lower, yet their fields were overrun with weeds.

“The difference with the Dragon Roar Kingdom is just too absurd. It seems there’s something wrong with the Maple Leaf Kingdom.”

Where there’s abnormality, there’s something sinister at play. Stroking his smooth chin, Punk cast a thoughtful glance toward the impoverished corner where a group of elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people sat.

(End of Chapter)