Chapter 109 I Want to Go to Modo! (Part 2)
” The weather is getting colder.”
Old Vick slowly walked down the street with a small pouch carefully hidden in his coat pocket. Maple leaves were falling on both sides of the road, but they no longer held their former beauty. Leaffall City was a very beautiful city, but that was beauty from the past. Now, Leaffall City was riddled with wounds, and even the collapsed city walls were barely repaired. The treasury had run dry, and the greedy nobles were unwilling to spend their own wealth to fill the void. In the alleys of the streets, there were homeless people curled up in the corners, and with the scarcity of supplies, the security of the city was becoming increasingly unstable.
Creak!
Old Vick slowly pushed open the door. It was a dilapidated house; a corner of the roof had been burned away by the war, and it could only barely be patched up to keep out the wind and rain.
“Jack?”
Old Vick softly called out, and soon a weak little boy walked out.
He showed a hint of a smile on his face, raised the pouch in his hand, and then picked up the little boy in front of him, gently saying, “I brought back some food; Grandpa will cook something for you to eat later.”
A six or seven-year-old boy looked at the pouch in Old Vick’s hand, his little face revealing a look of longing.
Soon, a whiff of smoke began to rise.
As Old Vick watched his grandson greedily drink up the porridge in the bowl, licking it clean, his heart couldn’t help but feel a pang of bitterness.
“Grandpa?”
The little boy finished the porridge and looked up at Old Vick, softly asking, “Why don’t you eat something?”
Old Vick quietly turned his head to wipe the corner of his eye and chuckled, “Grandpa already ate a little earlier.”
There wasn’t much food left.
The City Hall had already stopped relief efforts, and it would become increasingly difficult to obtain food in the future.
The war had taken away his two sons, his wife, and his brother. Now he was left with only a young grandson and a nephew serving as a lower-ranking officer at the city guards. Old Vick was already fifty years old this year; at this age, a human might be considered old, but as a half-elf, he still remained strong and healthy. He was not a remarkable professionist, merely an experienced craftsman whose hardworking and simple nature allowed him to live a comfortable life during peacetime. But when war came, everything was destroyed.
Old Vick was not lazy; he wouldn’t mind working hard if there was an opportunity.
However, in reality, he had no way to support himself and his grandson through work; the war had disrupted the order of Leaffall City, and as a craftsman, he could only rely on his nephew for some food relief.
The streets of Leaffall City were filled with homeless people who had no homes and nowhere to go.
The threat of half-orc attacks still occasionally haunted them as long as the war continued. All of this would go on. The flames of war destroyed everything, chaos trampled order, the farmlands lay barren, the streets in ruins, and the shops saw their populations dwindle. The wilds were littered with countless white bones. In the darkest corners of Leaffall City, in their hunger, half-orcs had even become part of their diet.
Old Vick was still lucky.
Because he had a nephew to help, he was not driven to a more miserable state.
“It can’t go on like this.”
Old Vick looked at his frail grandson, and the bitterness in his heart grew deeper. Relying on just his nephew’s military ration to feed three people was extremely difficult. But in Leaffall City, there were simply no opportunities for him to work and support himself. The war had forced farming to happen only near the city, faraway places were simply impossible, and the half-orc armies wouldn’t give them the chance. Yet, relying on the yield from this little land could not sustain the city’s population unless the half-elf could launch a strong counterattack to reclaim the land along the riverbank. To reestablish a defensive line strong enough to keep the half-orcs from coming and going as they pleased.
But!
From the current situation, this seemed almost impossible.
Winter was approaching.
Old Vick looked at his grandson’s thin clothing and small body, the worries in his heart grew heavier, for he did not know how they would survive this winter. There were many people in Leaffall City worse off than them; every morning one could see frozen corpses. This year’s climate was much colder than in previous years.
Heavy footsteps sounded.
Without looking, he knew it was his nephew returning. Old Vick stood up, and a young man with an eye patch appeared at the door.
A half-orc had taken one of his eyes.
But as an excellent archer, Old Vick’s nephew remained a very dangerous opponent.
“Uncle.”
The youth put down his weapon, glanced around the room, and softly said, “Where’s Jack? Is he asleep?”
Old Vick lightly nodded.
He was filled with gratitude for this nephew; if not for his help, he and his grandson would be in a much worse situation.
“I have something to discuss with you.”
The young man glanced around and then stepped into the room. Old Vick felt a bit puzzled but quickly followed.
His nephew’s expression was serious as he stared at Old Vick and directly stated, “I want to go to Modo.”
What?
Old Vick was taken aback.
The young man seemed to think he hadn’t understood and repeated, “I want to go to Modo. Leaffall City can no longer support us. If you agree as well, I plan to take you both to Modo with me.”
Modo.
Old Vick’s eyes immediately sparkled with light. Modo City had always held a special significance for the people of Leaffall City; they had missed a precious opportunity, and now they could only listen to the rumors about that prosperous and wealthy city, sighing over their increasingly difficult circumstances.
Even though he hadn’t eaten for a day, Old Vick’s heart was still ablaze with excitement.
“How do we get there?”
He looked at his nephew, a bit anxious, and asked, “Will someone come to pick us up? Modo City is overseas; it’s probably not easy to get there.”
His nephew gently shook his head.
His expression was grave as he slowly said, “No. No one will come to pick us up.”
No one will come to pick us up.
Then how do we get to Modo City, which is located overseas?
His nephew looked at Old Vick and continued, “There will be more people wanting to go than just us; there are likely many preparing to leave here for Modo City. Sir Ryan is preparing for this.”
“If we can arrange for a large ship, we should be able to reach Modo.”
Go to Modo!
For some reason, Old Vick’s heart suddenly ignited with hope, and he felt filled with expectations for the future.
But he still hesitated, “Modo!…”
“Will that lord still be willing to accept us?”
His nephew’s expression was firm as he nodded, saying, “Yes, that lord will be willing to accept us. After all, he is a benevolent deity!… Our protector!…”
Modo City.
The most prosperous and richest place overseas, as legend has it.
Old Vick didn’t seek much; if he could reach that place, he only hoped to have the opportunity to work and support his grandson with his efforts.
“I want to go to Modo!…”
It was unclear when this phrase began to echo throughout every corner of Leaffall City.
………………(To be continued ~^~)
