Chapter 337 – The War of the Poor

Ben Lajie’s rescue arrived just in time, right when the little girl was at her most helpless and desperate. This fat old man who made his entrance like a perfectly timed performance directly “displayed his divine power,” burning the “big bad guy” the little girl feared most into ashes with a single flame. The entire process was clean and efficient without being bloody, and the dazzlingly gorgeous flames made the little girl’s eyes sparkle with admiration.

Under these circumstances, even if Ben Lajie looked as ugly as a deformed melon, at this moment he was the only angel in the little girl’s heart—not to mention that Ben Lajie’s deceptively kind face actually resembled that of a benevolent old man.

The result was—the little girl, having just escaped danger, wasn’t frightened by the flames Ben Lajie had displayed. On the contrary, she gazed at this short, chubby old man with worship in her eyes.

“So… so amazing…”

“Alright, quickly bring your grandfather over. Let me see how he’s doing.”

Ignoring the commoners who had been weak and listless earlier but were now scattering in disarray, Ben Lajie very kindly patted the little girl’s head, then took out a piece of exquisite beef jerky from his storage ring and handed it to her.

“Ah! Grandpa… Grandpa, are you okay?”

Noticing that her grandfather was still lying on the ground and hadn’t gotten up, the little girl suddenly panicked. Hearing Ben Lajie’s request to bring her grandfather over for treatment, the surprised and anxious Little Lolita quickly ran toward the old man lying on the ground.

“What’s going on! How could you kill that Noble? I still had many questions I wanted to ask him!”

Seeing that Ben Lajie had already soothed the troublesome little girl, Punk stepped out from the shadows of the corner with a displeased expression. So far, he genuinely felt that as a mage, Ben Lajie’s impulsiveness and “sentimentality” were far too troublesome.

“Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t restrain myself in the heat of the moment. But that minor Noble probably wouldn’t have known much anyway. We can just ask this little girl directly…”

Knowing he was in the wrong, Ben Lajie didn’t try to argue. He just absentmindedly laughed it off and carefully began diluting a bottle of “Vitality Potion” originally intended for his griffon. It was clear this fat old man truly cared about the little girl—he even wanted to help treat her and the coughing-up-blood old man.

Well, the truth was Ben Lajie completely failed to realize that with that single flame, he had destroyed a potentially valuable source of information.

“With this kind of awareness… no wonder you went bankrupt in business. You appear shrewd but are actually impulsive and careless—losing all your money serves you right!”

Despite his frustration, Punk couldn’t do much about this fat old man. Although Ben Lajie seemed very easygoing, Punk knew this guy was actually a mage with “strong opinions” of his own—once he made a decision, he would charge ahead regardless. Since he had already decided to help the helpless Little Lolita, Punk knew he would have to waste more time here again.

Watching as Ben Lajie, completely devoid of any sense of crisis, continued chatting and laughing with Little Lolita, Punk could only sigh helplessly to himself. Now he felt that, to some extent, the meddlesome Ben Lajie could indeed be considered a “useless teammate.”

——————Break——————In the tranquil night, a warm little fireball floated in mid-air beside a broken wall, with Ben Lajie and Punk sitting opposite the little girl and the old man.

After drinking the diluted “Vitality Potion,” both the gaunt old man and the frail little girl looked much better. Now, the elderly and the child were happily devouring the candied pastries Ben Lajie had handed them.

“Alright, it’s quite late now. If you’re full, I have a few questions for you!”

As time passed, Punk, growing increasingly impatient, waited until the little girl finished the last piece of pastry before coldly beginning his inquiry. His mind was preoccupied with Ovakain’s formidable power, leaving him no interest in watching a little girl snack late at night.

Ignoring the dissatisfied look Ben Lajie shot his way, Punk coldly began his “interrogation” of the little girl and the old man:

“I hope you both answer the following questions truthfully. Believe me, deceiving a mage is highly unwise!”

“We wouldn’t dare, Master Mage! This old man will speak only the truth, holding nothing back.”

Hearing Punk’s “admonition,” the old man was so frightened he nearly knelt down. Having seen much in his life, he didn’t share his granddaughter’s belief that their “benefactors” were inherently “good people.” At his age, he could discern the difference in attitude between Punk and Ben Lajie. When looking at his granddaughter, the plump mage’s eyes were full of compassion, while the hooded mage showed undisguised impatience.

What made the old man most apprehensive was that the clearly dominant figure between the two mages was the cold-eyed “young man.” When this “young” mage spoke, the other short, stout mage only expressed his dissatisfaction symbolically.

“First question.”

Punk’s voice jolted the old man out of his thoughts.

“Where have all the able-bodied men from this town gone?”

Disregarding Ben Lajie’s repeated hints to “stop scaring the little girl and tone it down,” Punk immediately posed a crucial question.

“The able-bodied men… ah…”

Hearing this question, the old man’s eyes welled with unconcealed sorrow:

“Where else could they go? The battlefield. My eldest son, second son… sixth son were all taken away one after another by the Kingdom Army, sent to the battlefield, and never returned.”

“Is the war so intense that it requires conscripting all able-bodied men?”

“This old man doesn’t know about intense or not, but those conscripting Nobles come every year. I’ve heard from elders that the war has been fought like this for hundreds of years, with no territory ever reclaimed. Now, towns like ours have hardly any able-bodied men left!”

“By the way… old sir, since the war is long and consumes so much, why aren’t the townspeople farming seriously?”

Having listened for a while, Ben Lajie couldn’t help but interject. He was still deeply impressed by the fields overgrown with weeds.”Crops? Heh, seeing that you two masters are from out of town, this old man won’t mince words. To be honest, when I was young, I also served the noble masters. How could those Nobles’ appetites ever be satisfied? When the royal family collected three-tenths in taxes, they privately took seven-tenths. Now even the royal family collects seven-tenths in taxes – do you think those Nobles would leave even a single grain for us poor folks?”

At this point, the Old Man heaved a deep sigh and continued rambling:

“To tell the truth, this old man doesn’t understand why Grand General Jiaoni has to wage war every day. The people of Dragon Roar Kingdom are such good folks – during famine years in the past, they would secretly deliver grain to us old, weak, sick, and disabled. Who knows what grudges our ancestors from centuries ago held that we’re still fighting after hundreds of years without end…”

Lost in these sorrowful reflections, the Old Man even forgot about the two “mage masters” right before him. As the night grew deeper, the Little Girl could no longer stay awake and had fallen asleep early, and the Old Man’s voice gradually grew softer. It seemed both of them were completely exhausted.

Although Punk wanted to cast a Clarity Spell on this old man and young girl to continue questioning them while saving time, however…

Seeing the anger beginning to kindle in Ben Lajie’s eyes, Punk had no choice but to abandon his most efficient plan.

(End of Chapter)