Chapter 442: Chapter 262 ne Right Certificate_1


    Anthony has been stressed outtely, to the point of losing clumps of hair. He was ready to wash his hands of it all and die, believing being one of the Undead would be much morefortable than being the Acting Pope.


    Despite a political career that stretched back a thousand years, passionate supporters, countless people who trusted him, Anthony still could not resolve the present issue – famine. The Master ne was troubled by famine.


    “The Master ne has always been tormented by famine, with minor outbreaks every year and major ones every five years. Epidemics re up asionally,” said Anthony with a grimace. “Some noblendlords levy harsh taxes, leading to asional small-scale rebellions.”


    This wasn’t asmon under Anthony’s rule, but it was frequent in the Western District, which could exin their stagnant poption growth.


    Anthony’s rule also experienced famine, but he would allocate, transfer, redeem, tax cut, lend, install payments, or even renege to redirect the umted wealth from the noblendlords to the victims or bankrupt farmers in ways that would not upset the overall bnce.


    If they can’t pay back next year, they can take installments. If they still can’t pay it back, they can reduce some taxes. If repayment is still impossible, policies could be adjusted. As long as people are alive, there is always a way to survive.


    However, all thesepromises were based on one prerequisite: there must be food.


    “Thendlords are out of surplus now. Even if I seize their properties, I won’t get much grain. Moreover…” Anthony said bitterly.


    A more troublesome issue was restraining him from using some brutal means such as plundering…


    The Eastern Diocese had dered independence. They now referred to themselves as the Holy Church, and he was the Acting Pope.


    To convince the noblendlords to side with him, Anthony had made manypromises and concessions behind the scenes. Otherwise, despite his centuries-long secret plotting, few would take risks with him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om<div>


    Essentially, Anthony’s actions were a rebellion. If he failed, it was highly likely he would be beheaded. Without significant benefit, who would follow him?


    However, most of what he conceded were religious benefits. But at the same time, he couldn’t resort to crude measures; otherwise, the whole Eastern Diocese would be in chaos.


    “If I dare seize one family’s property, others would definitely rebel. Everyone would think: Is Anthony going back on his word after he’s secured his own needs?”


    “Not only can I not seize property, but I also have to turn a blind eye to those hoarding resources. It’s truly infuriating, isn’t it?”


    Negris agreed, “Indeed, it is. Especially since you’ve spoken at length and the main person involved isn’t even listening.” he pointed at Ange who, after pulling them into the Consciousness Space, was now distracted by farming.


    Anthony sighed, “I’m used to it. Lord Ange respects your opinions, just as he does with you, Lord of Knowledge.”


    This ttery was perfectly executed, making Negris’ mood lift. However, after this lift, she began to scratch her head: “But you are asking for too much, a hundred thousand tons, two hundred million pounds! If we eat sparingly, that’s enough to feed millions.”


    “Yes, but that is the size of the food shortage. This year started with a drought, then a hurricane, followed by a locust gue. The crops of the ck Mountain Kingdom were ruined and their refugees have flooded into the Eastern Diocese. The good harvests in the past few years led to an increase in childbirth. The poption in the Eastern Diocese has been surging for years now, and the burden bes heftier and heftier.” Anthony said distressed.


    In eras of poor transportation and low productivity, the poption is not always a wealth, but a burden.


    Take for example a popce of five thousand facing disaster. Transporting relief supplies to them is easy, even through wildnds. But if the disaster area increases to fifty thousand people, the difficulty of aid increases not tenfold, but perhaps fifty or a hundred-fold.


    The wilderness can’t sustain such mass transportation. Roads need to be built, and those transporting goods need food and shelter. Most goods would be consumed on the journey; having 10% to 20% of them arrive would be considered a sess.


    So, the management difficulty of a nation with a poption of millions,pared to tens of millions, doesn’t increase tenfold, but several dozen or a hundred times.


    In an era of low productivity, an excess of poption often signals the start of an empire’s downfall. It is not until the industrial age that the advantage of poption could be transformed into productivity through education.


    Anthony was tasting the bitterness of overpoption. Now he was begging Ange for help, needing a hundred thousand tons. When he rescued the ck Mountain Kingdom previously, he only needed a thousand tons.


    However, this was a basic requirement. In his estimation, one hundred thousand tons was the minimum to get through this year’s famine. If managed well, it might depress grain prices and force some of the hoarding nobles and crooked merchants to release some of their stock.


    But he held out little hope, Anthony had a rough idea of Ange’s resources since he was part of the innermost circle, so Ange didn’t feel the need to hide anything from him.


    The Resting Camp’s farm, the two underground cities in the Resting Abyss, plus the two World Tree Protection Grove Farms along with the Hope Oasis and Fallen Dragon Lake.


    Of these, the grain yield of Fallen Dragon Lake should be the highest. But at the same time, it also had the highest poption, so how much grain could actually be spared was uncertain.


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