Chapter 579 - 578:And So it begins

Chapter 579: Chapter 578:And So it begins

"How much for the bread and corn?" a young man asked the woman behind the stall as he looked at the slightly darkened bread and low-quality maize.

It was a struggle that people had been complaining about recently.

These days, the quality of food seemed to be declining one after another. And it wasn’t just this stall.

Every stall in the city was the same.

It was even worse in the neighboring cities.

But what could they do?

Since everyone was affected, they could only endure it.

"Twenty taels," the woman replied.

The young man’s eyes widened.

He rubbed his ear, wondering if he had heard correctly.

"Don’t joke with me, haha. Isn’t it supposed to be five taels?" he asked with a smile.

She was probably just pulling his leg.

Nothing more.

"Oh..." The woman shrugged. "Still twenty taels. Pay or leave."

The young man’s smile slowly disappeared as he realized she was serious.

His expression changed rapidly.

"This... This is impossible. Young woman, I’ll report you to the authorities! That’s more than three times the original price!"

"Okay. Go ahead."

The woman remained completely unfazed.

"But either pay or get out."

"You..."

The young man pointed at her angrily, but before he could say anything else, his stomach rumbled, reminding him of how hungry he was.

He took one last glance at the stall, committing the woman’s face to memory.

As soon as he finished eating, he would return with the authorities.

This wasn’t the time to increase prices when the quality of food was already declining every day.

It was simply insane.

"Good morning, sir. Give me a bread and some corn," the young man said as he arrived at the second stall, where an old man stood behind the counter.

"Of course. That’ll be twenty-five taels," the old man replied.

The young man’s face froze.

"Old man... Are you serious?"

The old man nodded.

"No... Are you an accomplice of that woman? What is this? Don’t test me. I’ll report you to the authorities!"

The old man was stunned.

"Young man, don’t accuse me of anything. I told you the price. If you aren’t buying, please leave."

The old man’s voice became stern.

The young man was furious.

He stormed away and found another stall.

"Excuse me..."

"What is the price for bread and corn?" he asked with a forced smile.

"Thirty-five taels," the seller replied.

The young man’s expression went blank.

What the hell?

Was he still dreaming?

"Wasn’t it just five taels yesterday?" he asked, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"Yes, but the merchants have increased the price," the seller explained. "We’re receiving less and less food to sell, so the prices have to increase."

Before the young man could respond, people began crowding around the stall.

Customers shoved past him and immediately started buying food at the ridiculously inflated prices.

The young man felt as though the entire world had gone insane.

This was simply too much.

But what could he do?

He checked his pocket.

He only had a mere twenty-two taels.

He couldn’t afford anything from this stall.

What about the first one?

The young man turned around and walked back toward the first stall.

But when he arrived...

A long line had already formed.

He gritted his teeth and joined the queue.

It wasn’t until twenty minutes later that his turn finally came.

Fortunately, the price was still twenty taels for everyone.

Even though buying the food would leave him almost penniless...

Food came first.

"A bread and some corn, please," the young man said to the familiar woman.

The moment she saw him, she smiled sweetly.

The young man immediately felt goosebumps.

"Twenty-one taels," she replied.

The young man’s body trembled.

"You..."

He pointed at her angrily.

For everyone else, it had been twenty taels.

Why had she suddenly increased the price to twenty-one for him?

Was it because he had argued with her earlier?

"Young man, if you aren’t buying, leave the queue."

"Yeah! Some people are ready to buy!"

The people behind him began complaining.

The young man could only swallow his anger.

He paid the twenty-one taels and collected his food.

As he left the stall, the young man suddenly stopped.

His eyes widened.

The once-scarce market was now packed with people.

Long queues stretched for hundreds of meters, with more people continuing to join them every second.

He couldn’t help but remember what the seller had said about the food shortage.

If that was true...

Then the prices would probably rise even further.

If food had become this scarce on the very first day...

Then in a week’s time, a meal like this might cost hundreds of taels.

Realizing this, the young man instinctively held his food even tighter.

He swallowed nervously.

And he wasn’t the only one who had reached this conclusion.

Those with enough money were already attempting to purchase and stockpile as much food as possible.

Unfortunately...

It was already too late.

Food had suddenly become extremely scarce.

Of course, the same couldn’t be said for the nobles and wealthy families.

Many of them had been informed beforehand.

Others had noticed the signs and acted accordingly.

They had already hoarded enormous quantities of food.

In fact, they were one of the reasons such terrible-quality food was being sold in the first place.

The higher-quality food had already been purchased and stored away by them.

And thus...

A terrifying chain of events began spreading throughout the Mortal Realm.

The war hadn’t even begun yet.

But its effects...

Had already started to appear.

---

Elsewhere...

A vast palace floated within endless darkness.

Several figures stood silently beneath an enormous throne.

They were the envoys of the mysterious organization that had been quietly taking control of the Mortal Realm, one force after another.

Among them...

Was the very same envoy who had appeared before Caesar.

Suddenly...

Every figure fell to one knee.

Their heads lowered respectfully.

"Master."

A figure slowly opened his eyes as he sat upon a massive throne.

Chaotic energy silently rippled through the void around him, shrouding his entire body and making it impossible to see his appearance clearly.

"The six months I gave you are coming to an end."

"You still haven’t conquered the Mortal Realm."

The being’s voice echoed throughout the palace, carrying an overwhelming sense of authority.

"I hope this coming war will finally accomplish that."

"Otherwise..."

His voice suddenly became colder.

"I will have no need for any of you."

The expressions of the envoys immediately changed.

They bowed even lower, pressing their bodies against the ground in fear.

"Have mercy, Master!"

"We will conquer the Mortal Realm and deliver it to you!"

They pleaded desperately.

After all...

He was a being from the Upper Realm.

Following someone of his stature could completely change their destinies.

The mysterious being calmly looked down at them.

Then...

He casually waved his hand.

In an instant, the envoys’ vision blurred.

When their surroundings became clear again...

They were standing within a vast forest.

The palace was nowhere to be seen.

"Don’t disappoint me."

The Master’s voice echoed faintly within their minds.

The envoys’ expressions immediately brightened.

"Thank you, Master!"