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IBHJ Chapter 187
🕑 Added 2023-04-02 22:00:41 +0000 UTCShirou had made a grave mistake by coming to the island of Britain without considering its cold climate. He had assumed that the island had a temperate oceanic climate with mild temperatures all year round and failed to prepare accordingly.
Even the previous year's weather had been relatively mild, which led him to ignore the sudden cold weather in the past ten days. However, this year's temperature had unexpectedly dropped, and he had failed to anticipate it due to his preoccupation with politics. Now, he was paying the price for his carelessness.
The cold weather had destroyed almost all the crops, leaving them with little to eat. Even if they managed to salvage some of the damaged crops, it would not be enough to change the grim reality they were facing.
The people were on the verge of collapse, feeling defeated by the bleak situation. However, Shirou remained calm and reassured them that the kingdom still had food and that he had a plan to solve this natural disaster.
Although the people were reassured and the kingdom appeared to be stabilized, the reality was far from it. The people could be comforted by the king because they were not aware of the specifics of the situation. However, as the king's internal affairs officials, they were not oblivious to the current crisis.
As the natural disaster loomed closer, the food supply in Camelot was dwindling rapidly. They couldn't help but shed tears as they faced an uncertain future. They felt heartbroken for the king, who was virtuous and wise but had inherited a decrepit kingdom and was now grappling with a rare hundred-year cold wave.
The king was like a bull, desperately pulling a castle tied to a rope that was about to fall off a cliff, struggling to keep it from tumbling down. The people felt helpless, trapped in the castle as they watched the king struggle alone. They were burdened with shame and heartbreak, feeling like they were nothing but a liability in this crisis.
"Who can offer aid to the king? Who can lend a hand in his time of need?" someone asked loudly, their voice full of desperation.
"Where is God? Where is our faith? We implore you, God, to help the king!" cried another.
"The king gave us hope, but who can give hope to the king now?" they lamented, their pain evident in their voices.
Morgan sighed heavily, unable to say anything further. "Arthur, my brother..." she trailed off, her words choked with emotion.
Artoria remained silent, her heart heavy with a sense of powerlessness. She realized that the knights, though they could bring victory on the battlefield, were powerless in this situation. They couldn't offer hope or relieve the burden imposed on the kingdom by the natural disaster.
No one was able to help the king, who felt as if he was holding up the collapsing sky all by himself. The weight was almost unbearable, and even though Shirou was already not resting, the situation with the natural disaster and the loss of crops meant that he could not rest even more.
Despite this, he tirelessly worked to come up with resourceful and wise solutions. One of his ideas was to have Lucan construct greenhouses for farming, which could potentially provide a reliable source of food for the kingdom.
Greenhouse farming is a modern technology that would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to replicate in ancient times. The process of greenhouse farming relies on a number of modern materials, including transparent plastic, which would not have been available in the ancient world.
Furthermore, the necessary chemicals required for the process were also not available at that time. Even if Shirou explained the concept to Morgan, it would be impossible for her to replicate without the required materials and knowledge.
As a result, he had to settle for a simpler solution. He instructed Lucan to construct greenhouses using animal skins and grass, and insulated the land with animal manure to retain heat. He then mobilized the farmers to open the wind curtains during the day to let in sunlight and close them at night to block out the cold air.
Additionally, he dug fire pits and channels to provide heat to the land and assigned a group of people to guard it day and night. While this simplified version of greenhouse farming technology allowed crops to grow, the lack of exposure to sunlight caused them to have low nutritional value and turn yellow.
However, there was no other choice, and they had to implement this method to cultivate their crops. While the implementation itself was not difficult, the bigger problem they faced was feeding everyone during the cultivation period.
Their supply of food obtained through trading minerals was already running low, and they had to figure out a way to feed the people while they waited for their crops to grow.
Although there was still a batch of tin mines produced in the past two months, most of the available food that King Ban and Bors could exchange for had already been traded by Shirou. In order to obtain more food, they would need to venture further out to exchange for it. However, this posed a significant problem, as the Britons were unable to travel to more distant locations.
In these more remote areas, the Age of Gods had already disappeared, and True Ether had become increasingly scarce. If the Britons were to venture out to these areas, they would essentially be unable to return, as the conditions there would be unsuitable for them to survive.
Shirou was filled with worries and unsure of what to do next. Then, something unexpected came to him - a voice that asked, "Do you want to trade?"
It was a being known as Alaya.
"What do you have to offer in exchange?" he asked.
The voice responded, "Magical energy, endless magical energy."
Shirou smiled bitterly. "But what I want is not magical energy. Leave, Alaya. You don't have what I need."
The voice of Alaya disappeared.
The looming natural disaster was a reminder of humanity's fragility in the face of such calamities. However, they knew that they had to keep struggling. Even if the path ahead was increasingly desperate, they had to continue fighting. Only through this struggle did they have a chance of overcoming the adversity they faced.
Shirou sought out Lancelot and spoke to him earnestly, "Prince Lancelot, you are a smart person. I believe that since your arrival in Camelot, you have understood the true situation of our kingdom. The truth is, I deceived both you and your father, King Ban. Camelot was never a strong country to begin with, and we were even driven down by Vortigern. Our capital fell, and now our food supply is almost depleted. Everyone is waiting for death in despair. I am asking you to take my minerals and go to Europe to exchange them for food."
Lancelot asked hesitantly, "Aren't you afraid that I won't return once I leave?"
Shirou responded confidently, "I trust you."
They had reached a point where trust was the only option left to them.
Lancelot fell silent, deep in thought. He was not a foolish man and had sensed that something was amiss since his arrival in Cornwall ten days ago. He had followed the clues and almost figured out the dire situation facing Camelot. He simply chose not to show it.
The reason for his silence was because Shirou was such a dazzling king, too brilliant to look away from.
Lancelot was in awe of Shirou, who bore the heavy responsibility of carrying the eight swords and shouldered all the blame as a king. He had never seen such a king, nor had he ever heard of a situation quite like this.
Even the great kings celebrated in stories and legends paled in comparison to his bravery and dedication to his people.
Despite being a prince of Benoic, Lancelot saw himself as a knight, and through his experiences with Shirou, he learned the true way of kingship that even other monarchs did not possess.
Shirou's brilliance and unwavering dedication to his people were so overwhelming that Lancelot could not look away. He wanted nothing more than to stay by Shirou's side and serve him for the rest of his life. However, as a prince, he was destined to leave Shirou's kingdom. Although he could not swear allegiance to Shirou, he would have done so gladly had circumstances allowed him to.
Lancelot longed to stay by Shirou's side, alongside other like-minded knights, and to serve this king who had won his utmost respect and admiration.
Now, Shirou had come to him, placing his trust in Lancelot's character and abilities. He had entrusted Lancelot with the task of finding a solution to their food shortage crisis, putting all of his hopes on him.
Lancelot was deeply moved, wiping away tears as he nodded solemnly in agreement. "I can do it! Please rest assured, I swear to you that I will bring back the food!" he vowed passionately.
Shirou smiled gently and responded, "There is no need for you to swear. I simply want you to return safely, along with the food you have secured for us."
He asked Geraint to prepare a cargo ship, filled with all the tin and copper that had been produced in the past two months, and sent Lancelot off to the pier.
"King Arthur, please rest assured! Within five days, I will definitely bring back the food!"
Shirou smiled gratefully, reaching out to pat Lancelot's hand. "Thank you, Lancelot. I have faith in your abilities."
Lancelot turned around and boarded the cargo ship, leaving.
Shirou gazed out at the cargo ship as it sailed into the distance, but his view was obstructed by two lines of trees.
"Geraint, have someone cut down these trees, they're blocking my view."
Geraint was just about to call someone to take care of it, but Shirou quickly stopped him. "Actually, never mind. Let those folks build a canopy. I'll just go to a higher spot to check things out myself."
He sent Lancelot away, but he knew very well that he couldn't put all his eggs in one basket. And even if Lancelot brought back the food, it might not be enough for everyone to eat.
Therefore, he had to explore other options. He decided to take matters into his own hands and venture into neighboring territories to request aid and obtain additional food.
"My king," Artoria spoke up, "It's possible that the lords of our neighboring territories are also facing depleted food supplies due to the harsh winter."
"While the lords may have depleted their stores, their territories and villages still have reserves, as do other nearby settlements."
Her eyes widened in shock. "Surely you don't mean to...," she trailed off, her voice laced with concern. "My king, you can't do this! Have you forgotten what happened in my dreams?"
"I haven't forgotten, Artie," he replied with a bitter tone. "But when we're left with no other options, we have to make do with what we have."
She fell silent, her golden tresses hanging limply around her face.
"I'm not exploiting anyone," Shirou clarified. "I'm simply going to borrow food from them."
"Borrow?" Artoria was surprised.
Shirou, accompanied by his officials, rode on Dun Stallion and visited villages in neighboring territories to borrow food. As he went from village to village, he issued IOUs in exchange for the provisions he collected.
The villagers were astounded by this unexpected turn of events. It was unheard of for a king to act in such a manner.
Whoever heard of a king doing this? Bedivere and the others in charge of counting the food were all in tears.
Shirou's actions were unprecedented. He went from village to village, imploring people for food and offering IOUs in return. Despite initial skepticism, he was ultimately able to collect provisions from neighboring territories.
He issued a vast number of IOUs and promised to pay back double the amount owed. While many believed in his integrity, some started to doubt him, and public opinion began to wane.
Word of Shirou's unorthodox approach eventually reached the northern kings, leaving them dumbfounded. They couldn't help but burst out laughing at the thought of a king begging for food.
The northern kings couldn't believe what they were hearing. What sort of Red Dragon of Britain was this? What kind of king begged for food and issued IOUs? Was this supposed to be King Arthur?
They sneered and laughed derisively, ridiculing the debt-ridden king. They taunted him, referring to him as the "King of Debt."
Shirou borrowed so much food from people that he lost track of the number of IOUs he had signed. Artoria was overcome with emotion. Despite her usual stoicism, witnessing her king under such immense pressure and issuing countless IOUs proved too much for her to bear, and she could no longer hold back her tears.
"Why are you crying?" Shirou asked, his tone gentle.
"Because... my king... your glory," Artoria choked out between sobs.
Shirou paused before responding, "What good is glory? The fact that you and our people are alive and able to feed ourselves is the greatest source of glory for me."
"Artoria, I... I swear to you, this will be the last time our people will go hungry! I'll do everything in my power, and I'll never let them suffer like this again!" Shirou's voice cracked with emotion as he spoke. Exhausted and drained, he turned his head away, his last reserves of strength spent.
Uncontrollable tears streamed down Shirou's face. These were the tears of a king.
"I'll proclaim it to the heavens and the earth, no matter how hard it is, we have to survive!"
Amidst the tears, the flame in his eyes burned even brighter.
It was the flame of awakening.
It was the King's flame, kindled by his own resolve.
The flame blazed brilliantly!
--- [Leader of Mortals B]!
