After many days of hard work, Bruce finally reached a small village outside of Blackwater.

From a distance, this village is nothing like the cannibal villages I've encountered before!

Judging by the density of cooking smoke and the cries of cattle, we know that there is no shortage of food in this village, and that it is living quite well.

"If they don't lack food to eat, they won't eat me! That... I can go in and have a look this time! ”

After examining the map 'from the dead', Bruce smiled!

Because this village is the domain of the Tomato Baron, there are tomato fields everywhere, as well as peppers and cabbage! Since there is plenty of light in the area and there is never a shortage of water, there is no shortage of food here!

Moreover, this territory is located in the large rear of safety, and war and disease rarely affect here, and it is one of the granaries of the empire.

In peacetime, the empire has 9 granaries, 6 in the south, bordering the [Hack Empire], and the remaining three, in the central imperial city of the western plains, and in the tomato fields in the northeast.

In terms of wheat production, it is true that the yield here is not as good as in the south, but the yield of cabbage, tomatoes, and other vegetables far exceeds that of other places.

And the tomato baron has a good habit for generations, that is, to store grain, a lot of grain!

No one knows exactly how many, but the resourceful citizens have long since figured out a way to observe the freshness of wheat flour!

For example, if you buy very cheap old flour, it is likely to be the grain that was hoarded three years ago, and if the price is cheap and the quality is average, it will be two years old.

Only when you encounter wheat that is slightly more expensive and still fresh is likely to be produced this year.

At first, the citizens of Barony Tomato's realm would complain endlessly about this policy, but after several disasters, they gradually understood Baron Tomato's approach.

This is a signal, if everyone buys old flour, it means that the grain reserves are sufficient, and there is no need to worry about not enough food to eat! Don't worry about famine!

And now... Everyone has just eaten flour of average quality, and the mood of the masses is quite stable! After all, if you don't eat fresh, it means that there is still a lot of food stock!

In addition, the citizens of Blackwater City and the surrounding villagers all have a good habit! They beat the excess tomatoes into a paste, mix peppers with cucumbers, and store them in the cellar.

Not only can you eat it yourself, but you can also sell it, so the people here are doing well, at least not with a yellow face and thin skin.

"It seems that Baron Tomato must be a good lord who has compassion for the people, and only under his rule can the people be fed!"

...

Following the main road and coming to the intersection, Bruce followed the signs and walked on the path leading to the village, even humming a little tune!

Originally, it was all going well.

But just as Bruce arrives near the village, he notices that something doesn't seem right...

According to common sense, it is impossible for the heavily armored guards guarding the village to guard the village, but only the militia in the village, so what does this arrangement mean?

Thinking of this, he quietly stepped back and hid behind a tree while no one could see him...

At the same time, several refugees who thought the same as themselves came to the entrance of the village from the rear, holding each other on crutches.

"There's a meaty smell in front! You see, there is bacon hanging there, and vegetables! The food shelves are full of food! We are saved! ”

The refugees cheered, dropping their crutches and crawling through the guards to the food storage rack not far away.

"Tomato Baron is so good? Free food distribution? The guards don't care? Bruce slapped himself hard and regretted why he was hiding here.

If you've just walked out, you'll probably be able to eat bacon by now! At this distance, the smell of meat wafting in made Bruce's eyes dazzle and his stomach growl with hunger!

"Hey... I'm thinking too much! The heavily armored guards are supposed to prevent the invasion of wild beasts! After all, wild beasts often haunt here~"

However, just as Bruce dragged his backpack and was about to stand up, the heavily armored guards guarding the entrance of the village made a move!

They glanced at each other, and after checking their eyes, they drew their weapons from their waists!

"This..."

There was a creepy sound of sharp knives unsheathed, and the soldiers strode towards the refugees who were twisting cans!

"Poof!" With the sound of the long sword piercing through the skin, before a few refugees could react, a flash of sword light ended their lives...

They were killed before they could even open the jar or even smell the food.

"Why is that? Why kill unarmed refugees? ”

Frightened by this inexplicable move, Bruce sat on the ground, and he staggered behind the tree, sticking out half his head to wait for what would happen next.

After making sure that the refugees were completely cold, the heavily armored guards let the militia lurk nearby search for the dead bodies...

"Sir, there's nothing here!"

"Not here!"

"Sir, I have a money bag here, about 30 silver coins..."

Hearing that there was money, the guards standing guard gave a thumbs up in relief, waved their big hands, and shouted: "It's all yours!" Just take it as today's reward, and quickly carry these corpses down and burn them! Clean up the mess again! Don't forget to put the food back in again and tighten the lid tightly! Don't let those untouchables open it! ”

"No problem, sir!"

...

At this moment, another burst of meat fragrance wafted over, and Bruce realized what this looming smell of meat was!

That's the corpses of the victims of the South! The smell that comes out when it's roasted!

Thinking of this, Bruce couldn't help but vomit, even though his stomach was already empty...

"Why is that? Why do it to refugees and why!? They're just hungry and want to be fed! Bruce didn't dare to shout, he could only convey his dissatisfaction to God in his heart, and kept cursing these soldiers who were careless of human life.

"God will punish you! Definitely! ”

Since the guards will kill the refugees, then going to the village is definitely looking for death!

There will be no chance of sneaking in at night, because these soldiers in heavy armor are the best of the best, and it is impossible for a hungry refugee to escape the eyes and ears of these elites!

Bruce didn't dare to take risks, and he didn't think he would succeed!

"Not here, where else can I go?" Bruce sat down on the ground, confused as he looked at the only remaining piece of bark and a few nuts in his backpack.

I thought that with perseverance, I would find food and live together with the hope of my family...

"But... Why did Baron Tomato kill refugees? Why!? ”

Even though hope was extinguished again, Bruce still didn't give up hope of living, he opened his mouth wide, took a deep breath of cold air to calm himself down!

"Whew... Let's go to the west..."

Just as Bruce was about to leave, another group of heavily armed soldiers passed by...

"Hey, I haven't seen many refugees these days, not as good as a while ago!"

"Maybe it's a good day, and it's even sunny! I expect a large wave of refugees to arrive in a few days! ”

"Yes, the captain has a point, we have to be ready to complete the mission at any time!"

"Your Excellency told us that we won't let unqualified refugees come here, and we just need to do what we are told..."

Speaking of this, the crowd dispersed on the spot, most of the soldiers chose to stay where they were to rest, and two of them went to the side of the big tree to open the floodgates.

The tree was close to Bruce, so they could be heard clearly.

"Eh, do you know how many qualified refugees have entered Blackwater?"

"Qualified refugees? I remember the last stat... There are only more than 20, less than 30 anyway! ”

"So little? I remember the quiz was easy, but why didn't anyone pass? At least 200,000 refugees came, and finally... Most of them were pulled out and burned..."

"Eh~ This test is very easy for us! But for refugees, it is not necessarily, because they have lost order, and they want to eat things when they see them, regardless of whether they have an owner or not. If such a group of Diao people are allowed to enter the city, I don't know how much chaos will be caused! ”

"What you say makes sense, after all, our lord does not want to accept some unruly refugees to break the order of the city, and only those who still have a shred of sanity in times of danger can be qualified to survive!"

"Yes, people without reason are a bunch of walking corpses, they are alive, it will only cause a burden to us, it is better to send them to God sooner!"

"You're right! Now I really admire our lord more and more! Sift the gold from the dung heap and let it fill our city! This trick is really high! ”

"High is high... But it's hard for us who are soldiers, my two arms are numb, I don't know how many weapons have been replaced, and I've been numb to cutting people recently..."

"But there's a lot to gain, right? I've scavenged over 20 gold coins, and I guess you'll get more! ”

"Hey, hey, it's true, there are good and bad, you can't generalize..."

...

This conversation rekindled Bruce's hope to live, he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and quietly left along the path...

Although Baron Tomato's approach is a bit cruel, his behavior is not unreasonable, if he accepts refugees without screening, then the result of Blackwater City will be the same as [Munibai], and finally become purgatory on earth!

According to the concept of Baron Tomato: Ben West Lou Te Dock, only those good refugees who obey the order, follow orders, and obey the arrangement are eligible to survive.

Those madmen who come up and smash and rob, lose their humanity, die and die, it's not worth mentioning...

But the question is... There are still sane people, the number is too scarce, and most of them are disordered, they are the main body of the empire...

After the two soldiers finished draining the water and returned to the team, the patrol team set off again!

Bruce was relieved when the patrol was completely gone.

He opened his backpack, took out a bag from the compartment, and counted out 10 silver coins from it...

Of course, the money is not its own, but is scavenged from the fallen refugees, and there are quite a few of them!

With the cover of the forest, Bruce returned to the fork in the road, and after making sure that no one had spotted him, he followed the path again towards the village.

...

On the outskirts of the village, a soldier whistled once to get the attention of those around him: "Hey! Another refugee! Get ready to draw your sword, it's probably the last one of the day! ”

"Hey, my hands are sore!"

This time, Bruce was prepared, and he also knew Baron Tomato's routine, so he didn't get too nervous, just played the role of an ordinary refugee step by step, and he even prepared some rhetoric to make himself comfortable in the face of pressure.

When he came to the guard, Bruce stopped, and before speaking, he bowed deeply to the soldier, and then asked respectfully, as if he had seen a priest: "Hello military master, I am a refugee from the south, and I have run out of supplies here, may I ask... Are there supplies for sale in the village? I have ten silver coins here, can you sell me some? ”

The soldier in front of him was amused, he let go of his grip on the handle of the weapon, took out a small notebook from his satchel and asked, "What's your name?" ”

Bruce looked at the soldier affectionately with gratitude, and responded: "If you go back to the military master, my name is Bruce..."

"Okay then~ Bruce, why would you want to spend money on supplies? And what is it? So you keep this polite look? ”

On the road just now, Bruce racked his brains, used his life's vocabulary and skills, and made up a set of rhetoric!

"My lord, my deceased family told me that no matter when, where, no matter what I suffered, I must abide by the constitution and teachings of the empire, and I must not do illegal things because of my own selfish desires!"

Satisfied, the soldier who was taking notes was so satisfied that he put a pen to the end of Bruce's name and wrote 'Obey Order'.

Actual... If he hadn't happened to see the refugees being killed, and happened to hear the soldiers' conversations, it is estimated that Bruce would have died at this moment, and he was not a person of order, but he was lucky.

"Yes, it seems that you are usually a well-behaved person, and I won't tell you anything, if you run straight to the grain shelves in the back, you will be a dead man now..."

In order not to expose himself, Bruce frowned and asked with a little confusion: "Dead man?" Why is that? Military master? ”

"Because only those who obey the order will survive! According to the usual criminal law, making trouble should be arrested and thrown into prison, but now is a special period, and there are not so many places in prison, so we will do it in a way that saves trouble..."

"Well... I see, Master Jun! ”

"Congratulations, you're qualified to survive!" The soldier took the coin from Bruce's hand and put it in his pocket.

"That's... Master Jun, can I take the things on the shelf? ”

The soldier smiled and pulled out a supply bag from the box next to him: "Those are poisonous, this can be eaten!" ”

"Thank you for your advice!"

As soon as the words ended, another group of refugees discovered this border village and ran here like crazy!

The soldier let out a long sigh, put his hand on the handle of the weapon, and whispered, "Bruce, step aside, and if you want to live, keep your mouth shut!" ”

"Yes! Commander! ”