Thanks to the relief grain delivered by the Elves, Landingst had seen a rare streak of days without a single death.
At the very least, no one was dropping dead in the streets, throwing themselves into the sea, or committing suicide in the forests of the villa district.
Impacted by this influx of food, the black market price for a basket of wheat or rice, which had once exceeded 100 Grosso, plummeted instantly to twenty Grosso a bag, with the downward trend continuing.
The reason was simple: Her Majesty the Queen of the Kingdom of Elves had declared through an official state letter that she would continue to send relief grain.
Furthermore, Her Majesty ordered the Governor’s Office to investigate any attempt by nobles to use household servants to claim grain illegally.
Once verified, the noble in question would be executed immediately.
They would be publicly hanged at the marina.
The catering industry, which had been in a state of depression, suddenly buzzed with new life.
Though a serving of staple food remained expensive, one could actually order it now.
Gone were the days when shops hung signs saying: “No staple foods for sale. Customers are welcome to bring their own wheat or rice for processing. We guarantee honest weights.”
Building on this, the Civil Affairs Department published market reference prices for wheat, rice, barley, rye, and beans.
This had been a suggestion proposed to Elena by Liv.
According to these reference prices, market rates could fluctuate slightly, but any price exceeding a certain threshold would be hit with an exorbitant tax.
These taxes increased almost exponentially.
This meant that if someone tried to sell at the old black market price of roughly 100 Grosso, almost all the profit would be stripped away as tax.
Consequently, it was true that several merchants and aristocratic agents had jumped into the sea over the past two days.
Liv was in an exceptionally good mood.
She was rarely so humble as she accepted Tess’s guidance and criticism, practicing her swordsmanship with diligence.
She had progressed from being unable to keep her balance after a single swing to being able to stabilize her lower body while performing basic slashes and thrusts in place.
Moreover, her sword, Elsa, was a masterpiece of craftsmanship.
It was so aesthetically pleasing that the more Liv handled it, the more she loved it.
The sword’s total length was approximately 1 piede, 3 oncia, and 6 linea, making it slightly shorter than one-third of her height.
Combined with its slender, narrow blade, it was incredibly light, allowing her to wield it without much effort.
The wooden hilt felt as warm and smooth as jade, yet it fit her fingers perfectly, ensuring it would never slip from her grasp.
Ignoring the dim blue glow it emitted at night, the sword appeared almost plain.
However, its scabbard was magnificent.
The ivory-white wooden body had been polished repeatedly until it was perfectly smooth, with no burrs or protrusions.
Enamel filigree in the shape of flower stems wound across the entire length, blooming quietly at the mouth of the scabbard.
The gemstones embedded around the enamel stems looked like tiny flower buds.
Red, yellow, purple, blue, and moonlight white—Liv had no idea how much those gems would even cost on the open market!
Liv’s favorite part was the moment she drew the sword from its sheath.
In her mind, she would point the blade forward and shout: “Rise up, children of Elindria! Charge! Punish these heinous acts! We march toward death, just as the enemy’s demise has arrived!”
In her imagination, the Elven cavalry charged forward while the infantry held the center line, firmly blocking the vast army of the Frostwave Kingdom.
It was a marvelous feeling.
Now, Liv possessed both the Gun of Valenria and the Elven sword, Elsa.
‘Hehe, these aren’t inferior to Tess’s longbow, Selvane, at all.’
Liv had actually begged Tess many times to let her play with that bow, promising she would do anything in return.
With a teasing smile and without a moment’s hesitation, Tess had handed Selvane to Liv and taught her how to draw and fire.
The result was a red welt on Liv’s fair, tender hand from the bowstring, which had even seeped a bit of blood.
The arrow itself had gone wide, cracking the window on the right.
Well, she was just a child playing around, not knowing any better.
Since then, Liv never mentioned archery again.
‘Let’s forget about this,’ she thought.
‘At the very least, I’ll wait another 10 years before trying again.’
Currently, she sat in the dining room, huffing with annoyance while a maid applied medicine and bandaged her left hand.
Tess stood nearby, looking perfectly composed as she spoke in a mocking tone.
“So, Your Majesty, do you still want to commandeer my Selvane?”
Liv shot her a glare.
“You should have told me sooner that longbows are so difficult to use. I see you pulling the string as fast as a bard plucking a lute, so I thought it was another magical weapon that was effortless to draw.”
Tess realized then that after using Elsa, Liv assumed all Elven weapons were just as light and easy.
“Elsa was a toy I played with when I was little. Selvane is different. I had to train hard for a very long time before I could master drawing it.”
Tess’s expression turned serious.
“This bow is an heirloom of my family. Legend says my ancestors used it to slay Renn the Skinshifter and pierce the left wing of the great dragon Asratha. I can’t even count how many noble lords have been struck down by it from 100 meters away.”
“If you truly want it, I’m willing to give it to you. After all, you’re my favorite.”
“But you have to take it with your own strength. Once the day comes when you can actually pull this bow, it will be yours.”
Liv grumbled under her breath.
‘She clearly just doesn’t want to give it to me. I probably won’t be able to pull that bow in this lifetime.’
“Forget it, Tess. I don’t want to take away your family’s ancestral treasure. Just use that bow to protect me.”
After all, Tess had already protected her several times.
With Tess around, Liv felt safe even in the most dangerous situations.
Lady Julia was the same, always making decisions that benefited her.
However, lately, Liv felt like they were hiding something from her.
For instance, the flagship formerly known as the Riccardo Dandolo was being given to her to rename and officially join the Elven Navy.
This should have been a very happy occasion.
So why did Tess and Julia look so unhappy when they told her the news?
The old Loren might not have cared about such subtle expressions and moods.
But that wasn’t the case anymore.
The current Liv cared deeply about the sadness they radiated.
Since she noticed it immediately, it was hard to ignore.
In that moment, Liv felt a deep sense of empathy and wanted to comfort Tess and Julia.
But then she realized she didn’t even know what was wrong, so she didn’t know how to console them.
She began to pay closer attention, carefully analyzing their expressions every time they discussed the Republic’s official business.
Finally, she reached a preliminary conclusion.
There was something wrong with the 1,500 militia members being recruited for “capital defense and maintenance of stability.”
To put it bluntly, those 1,500 people were definitely not for capital defense.
She decided to visit the Shipbuilding Bureau for the first time in a long while.
Using her position as General Affairs Officer, she would search for documents that might be related to this.
If she asked them directly, they would likely just give her another half-truth to protect her.
‘Tess, Julia, you don’t need to hide this from me. I don’t want to be a silly, soft, protected little wretch anymore,’ Liv thought.