Patrael heard the knock on the door and dragged his weak body up. After opening the door, he was a little surprised to see the figure standing before him.
“Rackel, you all right?”
Rackel grinned as his tall figure walked into the room, and it turned a little dark.
“Uncle Pat, I’m good. Lord Kaschar had hired me to help cook food and distribute it to the residents of the city for free. We have wheat porridge and bread ready at the plaza, and you can bring little Pat to pick it up later.”
“Right, remember to bring your identification certificate, and everyone can only get the food once. You can’t get them without the cert though, remember that.
Patrael looked at Rackel with surprise.
“You’re hired by the bloodsuckers?”
Ollie, who was behind Rackel, retorted in discomfort.
“Uncle Pat, they are not bloodsuckers, they are Vampires of the Divine Light. Lord Kaschar had asked Rackel to manage the logistics department, and that’s just to help prepare and cook food. There are also 10 silver Pykes as salary every month.”
Patrael looked stunned and thought he had turned deaf for a moment.
Those bloodsuckers were hiring humans to work, with a salary of 10 silver Pykes every month?
Goddess of Life above, this was probably the most outlandish thing he had ever heard in his life.
Looking at Pat’s reaction, Ollie pulled out the sack filled with silver Pykes out disapprovingly and shook it a few times.
The crisp sound of clashing metal rang out.
“Uncle Pat, see that? This was given to us personally by Lord Kaschar himself and said it was an advance payment. As long as we help cook food for everyone to eat, everyone would get an advance of 5 silver Pykes, and the rest would be given at the end of the month.”
After he was done talking, he looked at Pat smugly. “How about that, Uncle Pat, I’m not bamboozling you right?”
Patrael took a deep breath.
“Ahhh… not only has the Lord of Dawnbreak distributed food for free, but he is also giving you a salary. This… This…”
He had no idea what to say.
If this was a ploy by the vampires, it could not be explained. They had no ability to resist, and who would scheme against a group of pigs waiting to be slaughtered?
Their lives were in the hands of their opposite number.
Rackel looked at Patrael’s expression with a complicated feeling in his heart, as he too was no less surprised when he heard those words.
“Uncle Pat, we have nothing in Dawnbreak that is worth snooping by the Divine Light Vampires. If they wanted something they could just take it. Plus, would we be able to even resist? But Lord Kaschar’s actions have proven that they are different from the evil vampires. Goddess of Life above, even the greatest of schemes would be exposed given time. Since we have no means to resist, it is better to join them. If they mean us ill, we can notify the rest as soon as possible. Uncle Pat, you know that you are a very respected warrior in Ayric. I hope you can join me on this task and accept Lord Kaschar’s employment to be one of us. This is not only for us but also for the people of Ayric.”
Patrael looked at Rackel’s sincere eyes, and he was moved by those words.
Yes, since he could not resist them, and these Divine Light Vampires had not done anything to harm humans, then why not try to understand them?
If there was a ploy, it too could be discovered sooner.
As he turned his head and glanced at the sleeping little Patrael Jr behind him, he nodded with gusto.
For this child, he was willing to take the risk.
At the central plaza of Dawnbreak.
While it was only 1 o’clock in the afternoon, the sun had been blocked by the towering peaks on both sides.
The city’s design was very clever and was between two mountain peaks. Except for the Southern District, the central and wall of the castle would only receive no more than three hours of sunshine a day, which greatly met the vampire’s biological preference for darkness.
At the center of the plaza, huge fires were set under five cauldrons, and wheat was tumbling about in the boiling water.
The baking oven next to it had also been placed on the flames.
The refugees who were informed to come out for food all had excited expressions.
Most of them still bore great doubts about the promise of the vampires, but they did not expect the latter to be really fulfilling their promises one after another.
Not harming them, protecting their property, providing clean houses, and distributing free food.
This change surprised everyone.
If everything was like the vampires had said, would the promise of land be fulfilled as well?
Silently, the mindset of many had undergone tremendous changes, especially the allocation of land made their hearts beat faster as they clung onto it.
Although they knew that dealing with vampires that were more terrifying than the demons was a very unwise thing, but they could not control their thoughts.
What if it was real?
What if they were really what they said, that they were the Vampires of the Divine Light and would not bring harm to humans?
Humans were never without desires, especially these forgotten common folk living at the border of the Norland Empire.
Without land to call their own, and the danger of being attacked by monsters at any moment, plus they had to worry about the yearly orcish incursion, yet none of those nobles would be protecting them.
These people did not live in a stable environment, and their desire for a peaceful life was unimaginable.
As long as there was a little hope, even if they had to live with vampires, they had nothing to fear.
This was also the reason why Reed insisted on choosing refugees from the border. Only people who had experienced turmoil and war would yearn for a stable life, and Dawnbreak could provide them such a life.
He believed that under his management, this place would be a holy land for humans, and of course, it would also be holy land for the vampires.
“Line up, and show your identification certificate. Each person is only allowed a portion of food. Anyone who violates the rules will lose out on today’s rations.”
A red armband hung on Patrael’s shoulder as he led a few people to maintain order loudly.
“Uncle Pat, are those food really free?”
At the end of the line, a young child in tattered linen clothes looked up expectantly and asked, his eyes full of yearning.
Patrael was taken aback before showing a gentle smile as he reached out and touched the young boy’s head.
“It’s free, Rick. I’ll let them give you an extra piece of bread later. Young ones like you must eat more to grow taller.”
“Uncle Pat, didn’t the priests in the temples say that vampires were demons that eat people? Why are they giving us food? ”
There was a deep puzzlement in Rick’s little eyes.
“Because there are good and evil vampires too, just like there are thieves and robbers in our town.”
Patrael patted him on the shoulder. “Rick, only what you’ve seen before is the truth. Don’t just believe what anyone else says, even if they are priests.”
As he said that he turned his head and looked at the townsfolk who left the plaza happily after receiving bread and wheat porridge. Those words were meant for himself.
Perhaps, Dawnbreak was really heaven for the residents of Ayric… If Lord Kaschar had not deceived them.