CH 410

Bamboo Friends

Perujin Agricultural Country, which said that “no piece of land was left unfarmed,” had nothing even close to a standing force. Even though the king and his family were secured by royal guards, they were far outnumbered by both the imperial army and the private armies of many Tearmoon nobles. Also, up to 80% of their royal guards were farmers, not trained fighters. Their army was so small that if there was ever a fight, the only thing that could happen to the Perujin was total defeat.

Even though Perujin couldn’t defend itself, it still stood. The power of the Central Orthodox Church and Perujin’s consistent attitude of total submission to the Tearmoon Empire were the main reasons why it had never been invaded and could stay a sovereign state. The moral fabric that the Church wove through the continent and that all countries shared was a strong deterrent against silly attempts to take over other countries through war. On top of that, Perujin had the support of Tearmoon’s troops, which made it less likely that anyone would try to take advantage of the situation.

This fact of geopolitics did not stop Perujin from being ambitious, though.

“The way we will take over the continent is through food.”

That was the big plan that an ancient Perujin monarch put forward. Generations of royal families did what they were told and put a lot of Perujin’s resources into making agriculture better. They turned their weakness into an advantage by realizing that not being good at war also meant they didn’t need to be. Instead of spending money on an army, they put their money into farming. Their people came together behind the inspiring goal of making Perujin richer by growing a wide range of high-quality crops. This idea made it clear that they would not always be a vassal state. That if they worked hard enough, they would one day get even with all the other countries. They worked, and worked, and worked…

But none of their hard work paid off. Why? Because the farmer-hating Tearmoon Empire was their neighbor and a key source of military help. Being a vassal state of Tearmoon had kept Perujin safe, but their protector didn’t see the worth in Perujin’s best asset, which was agriculture. Instead, the empire only gave them condescending looks, as if they didn’t want to see dirty Perujin people working the land.

Between Perujin and Tearmoon, there was a huge gap in culture and knowledge that was almost impossible to cross.

—

“Your Majesty, please accept my deepest thanks for letting me talk to you. It’s a real pleasure to meet you.”

Shalloak Cornrogue was kneeling in front of the King of Perujin.

“As king of a vassal state,” he said with a grimace, “I only have majesty in name. This level of protocol is not necessary. But tell me. What do you, a famous businessman, want from a place like this?”

The king knew that pride and respect were worth their weight in gold to the upper class, but traders only wanted the gold. When it was good for them in a business deal, that was the only time they followed the rules of royalty. Kneeling was just a way for traders to get to their goal.

“Ah, Your Majesty really is as wise as people say. I can see that a few nice things won’t be enough to win your trust.”

“‘Wise’? You say odd words. I’m just a simple man who runs a small country in the countryside,” the king said as he motioned for Shalloak to sit down.

“‘Simple’? Then it looks like we both like to use strange words. My opinion is that Your Majesty not only has a weapon that can kill even the strongest powers on the continent, but also keeps sharpening it.”

“Oh? A tool, you say? So, could you tell me what kind of weapon I have when there are no forces in my country? Do you think I’ve been building up a secret army?”

“Your Majesty jests. Armies? Soldiers? Don’t bother yourself with such things. To keep peace in your country, all you have to do is ask Belluga. No… You have something that is much more important. Something that can hurt people to the core of their being.” Shalloak smiled with his whole mouth. “Your Majesty, you have food.”

When Shalloak said that, the king’s brow moved in a suspicious way. “I see… Even though my country has put a lot of work into agriculture, I think calling it a weapon is a bit much, don’t you? It seems like an odd choice of words to me.”

He tried to get away by laughing, but Shalloak wouldn’t let him.

“As a country that depends so much on farming, you must feel it coming. There are signs that a famine is coming: crops are failing and harvests are bad. And what is useful during times of famine? Not gold, not gems. Food.” Shalloak stared directly at the king. “Doesn’t it get under your skin, Your Majesty? How does it mean that your country is a satellite state of Tearmoon? Perujin is very good at farming, but as long as the empire is still around, your country will always be a vassal state.”

This comment did get under the king’s skin. In fact, it went right to his heart and bent the thorn that was already there, because it touched the cursed chains that had been holding Perujin down for a very long time.

The king said, “That will change when the people are in charge. I’ve heard that the Tearmoon princess knows a lot about food. We can be sure that her presence will make things better for us.”

“Your Majesty wants a young girl to feel sorry for you? That sounds like…a very hopeless way of thinking.”

The king’s whole upper body twitched this time. He knew that Perujin’s knowledge and experience were real because they had been earned by the sweat and blood of many techs and farmers. The cost was hard to figure out. Even more so, the value. And yet, their prize was to be relying on the kindness of one princess? When it was put like that, it was a very hard pill to swallow.

Even so, he could still eat it if he was the only one who was upset. His children say that Princess Mia was a good person. She was also working to get more of Tearmoon’s governmental power into her own hands. No matter what she did with it, Perujin would be better off because of it.

But the hunched figures of his people, with their backs to the hot sun and their sweat wetting the ground, were burned into the king’s thoughts. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw them. Some of them weren’t there anymore; they were the ghosts of workers from the past who had put the future of the country on their shoulders.

How could he let the seeds they had worked so hard to plant grow in such a way? To thank them for what they did by giving them a Perujin like this?

A sultry voice kept coming back to him. Crops were used to fight. They could have been turned into dangerous weapons that could kill the kingdom. Those who looked down on them could be hurt by what their ancestors had worked generations to build up. The thought made the king’s heart flutter.

“What exactly do you want to do? If we don’t send out enough of our crops, Tearmoon will be at my door in a week.”

“Your Majesty, it’s very easy. Simply raise your prices. But not by a ridiculous amount. Keep it acceptable, or maybe even a little bit more than that. Not enough for Tearmoon to think about sending troops down to force you to give in. You just need to slightly raise the price. Then, when they’re used to the new price, raise it again.” Shalloak shrunk his eyes. “By the way, Your Majesty, do you know how to cook the eight-limbed fish that is known as Archdemon’s familiar without killing it?”

The king’s eyebrows went up at this unexpected question.

“It’s also very simple,” Shalloak said. “It will get out if you drop it quickly into a pot of hot water. Instead, you heat the water slowly. So, by the time it figures out what’s going on, it will already be cooked.”

He grinned.

“What matters is how quickly you fan the flame. And making these kinds of small changes is what we retailers do best. So, Your Majesty, what do you think? Can I be given the job of dealing with Tearmoon?”

“So that’s what you want, huh? I understand now. I’m sorry, but I can’t answer you right away… Mr. Cornrogue, will you be going to the Thanksgiving Festival?”

“I will for sure, and I hope to make a good profit, too.”

“Then I will answer your question after the festival is over.”

So they stopped talking. The princess was hiding close by, but neither side knew she was there. They also didn’t know that she and her Tearmoon counterpart were much more linked than they seemed on the surface, like two bamboo shoots that grow from the same underground rhizome.

—

This doesn’t sound at all good… What do I do?

Rania hid in a room next to the room where the crowd was, telling her breathing to slow down. She was used to the room. When they were kids, she and her sister used to play here a lot. There was a crack in the wall between the room and the audience hall. When they were young, they would press their ears to the crack and listen in. Normally, a person with royal blood would never do something like this, but because Perujin was a smaller country, its rules were less strict and allowed for some natural freedom.

I mean, I don’t think my dad will really do what he said, but…

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. What if it had been her before she met Mia listening to the man? Could she have said no to what he was offering? Her heart beats faster.

If father agrees with the idea, it will be a big problem. Princess Mia must find out. But…do I need to tell her?

What her father was thinking about would have been a clear act of disrespect toward Tearmoon. If things went wrong, he might make Mia upset. That could lead to nothing good. After thinking about it for a while, she decided to act right away. She had to tell Mia as soon as she could.

Princess Mia needs to know. She’ll figure it out!

Her faith in Mia was the only thing that didn’t waver.