614 Water Shortage

At the northeastern edge of the Thundering Highlands, Vaan's group made it through the last stretch of steep hills and rocky pillars before a vast, open land filled with crops and vegetation appeared.

The sheer contrast between the flourishing landscape before them and the barren lands behind them left Jihaad and the three brothers in amazement as they took in the breathtaking view—especially the plethora of purple heaths growing on the outskirts of the land.

It was simply a beautiful sight – one that most people would not expect to find in a barren land of rocks and sand.

They didn't expect the Dukedom of Dragonmoor to be so beautiful; it was an oasis in the middle of a desert.

It showed the tenacity of life to prosper even in the harshest of environments.

"So this is the Dukedom of Dragonmoor… It is indeed full of farmlands…" Vaan casually commented with a thoughtful look.

The Dukedom of Dragonmoor certainly lived up to its reputation as the biggest food supply of the western region; the scale of its farmland was on a whole different scale to others.

However… many of its people still lived in poverty.

As Vaan and the others took the main road leading to Dragonmoor City, they saw many farmers on the way.

None of these farmers looked healthy; they were all thin and slightly malnourished, like they had never eaten until they had a full stomach and only had enough to get by each day.

Food was life to the common people, and this region's farmland was also considered the heart of the West. If the ruling lord wasn't a fool, there was no way he would mistreat the farmers who cultivated his precious farmlands with their blood and sweat.

'If the conditions of the farmers are already like this, then the people living in the city should be even worse… It seems the Dukedom of Dragonmoor is not doing too well these days,' Vaan mused.

Suddenly, a male farmer in his 60s collapsed a short distance ahead while tending to the crops.

In the same timespan when Vaan furrowed his brows, Jihaad had already rushed ahead to assess the farmer's situation. Dahr, Dink, and Dunny didn't follow to help either. They stuck close to Vaan and observed the situation from afar.

"Old man, are you alright? What's wrong with you?"

"Wa… Water… I'm too thirsty…"

Once Jihaad understood the old farmer's needs, he quickly pulled out his wineskin of water and helped the old farmer quench his thirst.

"Thank you…" the old farmer said gratefully after his body was invigorated and felt alive, but his eyes briefly glimmered with guilt.

However, Jihaad didn't notice it. He helped the old farmer back on his feet before rejoining Vaan and the three brothers. Along the way, Jihaad helped another six farmers in similar situations before he ran out of water and felt a little frustrated.

He didn't expect Vaan and the three brothers to be so cold-hearted for ignoring people in need.

When Jihaad raised this problem, Vaan replied, "If you can't help them all, you shouldn't help them at all."

"Why?" Jihaad frowned.

However, he couldn't wait for Vaan's answer before rushing ahead to help another collapsed farmer near the main road. Unfortunately, the 'collapsed' farmer was also too thirsty, but Jihaad no longer had any water to give.

"I'm sorry, I ran out of water…"

"What? Why don't you have any water? You had water to give others, but you don't have any to give me? Why?"

"This…"

Jihaad frowned at the farmer's attitude and found himself retreating from the person. The person was giving him a resentful and angry look – that was not the look someone would have when seeking others for help.

In that instant, Jihaad realized the farmers had been faking their collapse to receive free water from passing travelers.

Once the truth became clear to him, Jihaad decisively abandoned the farmer and returned to Vaan with a gloomy look. At the same time, the farmer did not dare to pursue him and press the issue. Jihaad's oppressive pressure had terrified him.

"Now you know why," Vaan calmly said before adding, "If you can give them water, then they will naturally feel grateful to you. But if you can't, then not only will they not feel grateful to you, but they will even resent you."

"How can people be like this?" Jihaad had a conflicted look as he frowned with mixed feelings. "If I don't have any water left, then I don't have any water left. Why the hell would they resent me for something I can't control?"

Vaan glanced at Jihaad silently before saying, "You must be from a pretty well-off family. You don't understand the desperation of the poor. They don't actually resent you; they only resent the fact that your water was already given to someone else and couldn't be given to them."

"Since they were too helpless to change their situation, you unluckily became their target, an outlet for venting their negative feelings," Vaan stated.

Jihaad sighed, feeling a little depressed.

A few moments later, he glanced at the three brothers and asked, "Did you three also realize the farmers were tricking me for water?"

"Not at all, Sir Jihaad. We didn't think that far," Dahr quickly shook his head and said, "We just noticed everyone was parched and in need of water and figured the Dukedom of Dragonmoor was experiencing a water shortage."

"Right. We didn't want to give away our precious water if water is scarce and costly around here. That would be like helping others at the expense of ourselves. We aren't that selfless," Dink added truthfully.

Jihaad's eyes twitched at the thought that he might not be able to acquire any drinking water even if he reached Dragonmoor City.

However, he suddenly had another doubt, "Hold on. If the Dukedom of Dragonmoor is experiencing such a severe water shortage, how can the farmers maintain their crops?"

"That's a funny thing to say, Jihaad," Vaan commented.

"It's precisely because they are maintaining such a large farmland that they are suffering from a water shortage. However, the Dukedom of Dragonmoor has no choice but to do it. The livelihood of the western region is dependent on the food produced here."

"If the crops die, then there will be a long period of famine. After all, water is easy to obtain, but crops take time to grow," Vaan calmly explained.