20demayo Chapter 18: Brightly Colored Insects
Chapter 18: Brightly Colored Insects
Upon receiving the news, Li Ang's expression tightened slightly; the situation had indeed unfolded as he had predicted.
Those were no ordinary aphids; the strange, "corrupting" aura they carried finally began to erupt.
A large number of aphids have "resurrected," and their counterattack is exceptionally fierce.
The messenger, sweating profusely, cried out, "Your Majesty, the situation in Amber Town is extremely critical! The Baron says that if the aphids cannot be eradicated, the town's wheat fields are very likely to yield no harvest at all!"
Li Ang calmly tapped his fingers: "Don't panic! Keep spraying the fumigant and insecticide! The aphids coming back isn't a big deal! I have a new method!"
The envoy could only bow and retreat, conveying Leon's words to Migler.
Migler said bitterly, "Now, smoke and pesticides are no longer effective in controlling aphids!"
The envoy said optimistically, "Hopefully, His Majesty the King can come up with a new way to exterminate the insects!"
The serfs and freemen of Amber Town were also terrified by the "resurrection" of the large number of aphids.
The people who were originally full of confidence are now gradually becoming depressed, and even starting to doubt.
"Will His Majesty's method work?"
"The more smoke and pesticides are used, the more aphids there are—instead of decreasing, they're increasing!"
Suddenly, an old woman with disheveled hair spoke incoherently from the crowd.
"Alas, this aphid plague must be a divine punishment sent down to us! It's beyond human power to fight!"
Fortunately, the town's agricultural official arrived in time with his guards.
"Whether you are slaves or free citizens! Anyone who dares to speak ill of His Majesty the King behind his back will be executed immediately! There will be no leniency!"
The agricultural official's tough stance finally stopped the "dissatisfaction" spreading throughout the town!
An anomaly occurred in Amber Town, which greatly affected the increase in Li Ang's faith value.
Previously, under normal circumstances, one could naturally earn eight or nine hundred faith points a day, but now it has been reduced to three or four hundred faith points.
"It can't be that bad! The wheat fields in Amber Town were damaged; the impact should only be limited to the town. Now, hundreds of thousands of poor people in the slums have been incorporated into the factory system. Logically, the natural increase in faith points shouldn't be this slow!"
Li Ang was able to ascend to the throne step by step, and he was by no means a person with pure intentions. After thinking for a moment, he came to some conclusions.
"Andrew, you will directly assign some guards to secretly assist old Foye in investigating the slum factories and Amber Town. If any suspicious individuals are found, immediately track and monitor them, and report to me promptly!"
Li Ang gave the order.
.............
As the largest central city in the Kingdom of Grant, Amber Town is just one of the seven satellite towns.
The furthest town from Amber Town is a comprehensive commercial town called Gale Town!
Unlike Amber Town, which is an agricultural hub, there is only one Tomato Village within the Storm Town area, covering an area of several thousand acres.
Lord Yaru, the village chief of Tomato Village, had reported the unusual events to Viscount Sonata, the lord of Gale Town, a week earlier.
Lord Yaru extended his smooth fingers and carefully picked up an insect.
The insect is about the size of an adult's fingernail, with a plump oval body and a high arched back, smooth like a delicate red agate.
What is most striking is its bright orange-red elytra, adorned with seven symmetrical, glossy black round spots, resembling meticulously drawn totems.
Its head and chest are a somber black, but each of its two front corners is adorned with a striking square pale yellow patch, like a pair of small epaulettes.
If you look closely, you can even glimpse an inconspicuous triangular white dot at the base of each elytra, right next to the midline of the body.
Its six slender legs and abdomen are also pure black, making it look like a tiny warrior wearing a bright cloak and black clothes.
"This is the first time these insects have appeared in Tomato Village! And there are a huge number of them! The farmers estimate that there are probably hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of these insects in the several thousand acres of Tomato Village."
Lord Yaru gave a serious report.
However, strangely enough, the appearance of so many strange insects did not have any adverse effects on the tomato plants in Tomato Village.
However, out of a sense of caution, and also because Lord Aru had heard some rumors about Amber Town,
The agricultural town of Amber is currently being attacked by "insects," and 200,000 mu of wheat fields are in imminent danger.
This greatly worried Lord Yaru, as tomatoes were much more expensive than wheat and, as a pricey vegetable, were usually supplied to nobles.
The yield of tomatoes from several thousand acres is neither a huge nor a small amount, but for Lord Yaru, the village chief, tomatoes are everything.
The town's lord, Viscount Sonata, was promoted from village chief, so he naturally paid extra attention to the "good" or "bad" aspects of Tomato Village.
"I don't recognize this insect either! I even went through every book in the town library's collection!"
"However, there's no need to worry about Lord Yaru! I've already reported this matter to the Royal Capital's Grain Supply Office!"
Viscount Sonata offered words of comfort.
The officials of the Royal Capital Grain Bureau, which is headed by Andrew, have now undergone a significant change in their approach.
The previous procrastination, sluggishness, greed, and bureaucratic habits have almost disappeared.
After a preliminary review and a second review, officials from the Food and Supplies Department found that they did not recognize the strange insect either.
Recalling the "aphid" incident in Amber Town that His Majesty the King was dealing with, the head of the Food Service immediately reported the brightly colored strange insects in Tomato Village to Andrew.
Andrew then reported it to Li Ang.
Li Ang caught a glimpse of the "strange insect" that the crowd was talking about, and he was also stunned!
The farmers in the world of swords and magic didn't recognize this insect, but Li Ang immediately identified it by its distinctive features: "The Ladybug!"
"This is a ladybug from Earth!"
Li Ang breathed a sigh of relief. The gloom that had been hanging over Amber Town for many days was finally about to "break through the clouds and see the sun"!
Ladybugs are beneficial insects found along the edges of crop fields!
Experienced farmers on Earth call these insects "Dr. Mai"!
A single ladybug larva can prey on hundreds of aphids during its entire development period, and the adult has an even greater appetite, making it a veritable "aphid killer." It can greatly reduce the damage to trees, fruits, and various crops caused by pests, and is a "living pesticide" on the field ridges.
Looking at the report submitted by Andrew, Li Ang was even more confident: "Tens of thousands, even millions of ladybugs! This time, the wheat in Amber Town is saved!"
However, considering the strange "rotten smell" carried by the "aphids" in the wheat fields of Amber Town, Li Ang still felt a little uneasy.
"Steward Mike, summon the court magician and the president of the Royal Capital Magicians' Association!"
Li Ang gave the instructions.