Chapter 529: Chapter 388: Invitation
After listening to Ye Liuyun’s account, Dong Tianyu hadn’t expected that after he left the camp, there had been such significant changes there.
Although it seemed as though the camp was developing well, Dong Tianyu had a rough idea about Pengcheng’s future, and it was not just him; Ye Liuyun and other smart people from Pengcheng were also aware of it.
However, there weren’t many survivors as decisive to leave as Dong Tianyu. After confirming that the insect disaster wouldn’t threaten Pengcheng, most people were thinking of waiting until the end of this insect outbreak before seeking an opportunity to move.
But when those people saw refugees from other areas fleeing towards Pengcheng, the determination they had to move away began to waver.
After all, they had seen what state those refugees were in when they arrived, the pitiful sight of being uprooted and coming to Pengcheng wasn’t unfamiliar to them.
So even though many were aware of the problem with the giant tree in the center of Pengville City, they still hesitated about whether to move away from there in advance.
"How are things on your end? For Kyoto, these few waves of insect swarms shouldn’t be much of a problem, right?"
Upon hearing Ye Liuyun’s question, Dong Tianyu’s expression became somewhat helpless. If they had simply stayed in the city center, they likely wouldn’t have encountered those problems.
Hearing the sigh coming from Dong Tianyu over the phone, Ye Liuyun expressed her disbelief with surprise, "No way, did Kyoto really suffer significant losses from this wave of insect swarms?"
"No losses, Kyoto is different from Pengcheng. The fighting power of the officials and soldiers here is very strong, so basically, there is no need for non-direct personnel to join the battle."
Ye Liuyun was clearly taken aback by Dong Tianyu’s response, "Is Kyoto really that strong? To not rely on civilian hunting teams... indeed, big cities are always stronger than smaller places no matter the circumstances." After chatting idly for a while longer, Dong Tianyu hung up the phone.
Since he was staying as a guest in someone else’s house, Dong Tianyu only used up the daily quota for idle training in the Cave and then went back to the room to lie down and rest.
A month later, the housing authority delivered the newly renovated house to Dong Tianyu.
After he got the house, Dong Tianyu hosted a feast for his teammates from the last adventure, as well as Gordon and Franklin whom he had met on his last visit to Kyoto.
With the arrival of the insect disaster, although the insect swarms were intercepted far from Kyoto and didn’t come close to the city, the crops planted in the rural fields near Kyoto were largely destroyed by the Bug Race.
Moreover, after the Bug Race arrived, the Soldier Bugs not only actively hunted prehistoric creatures but also caused extensive damage to cities they passed through, resulting in a significant drop in Kyoto’s self-sufficiency in food.
Although there were transport aircraft for trade with other cities, during this period, the situation in other cities was essentially the same as in Kyoto. After all, the Plantation Areas were mostly located outside the cities, and regardless of how well they defended, the crops outside would usually be destroyed following an insect surge.
So even the provinces previously known for their grain production barely harvested any crops after the insect disaster struck, with many cities ending up with no yield at all.
If it were just an inability to plant crops outside the city, it wouldn’t be too significant a blow to the survivors, as they had already experienced such events.
But the arrival of the Bug Race didn’t only ruin the outdoor farming environment, with their massacre of prehistoric creatures living outside, life became very difficult for the survivors.
Although they had also gone through times when they helplessly hid in safehouses underground, living in constant anxiety, back then, they had reserves from previous years. Now, those reserves were long gone, and if no new source of food was found, many survivors might have to resort to eating bark.
Upon discovering this situation, the Imperial Court immediately instructed the officials to expand the mushroom cultivation area and increase the number of worms bred.
Mushrooms, needless to say, can be grown using vertical farming techniques, and in the same square area where only a few crops can be planted, mushrooms can be farmed on multi-tiered shelves at scale.
Worm breeding is even more convenient – kitchen waste, manure, and decaying plants are all fodder worms enjoy.
So when materials were scarce, worms provided the most cost-effective source of protein.
Kyoto, as the capital city, deservedly had enough reserve food from the last natural disaster, and although the crops planted outside were mostly destroyed in the Bug Race’s assault, essentially resulting in a complete loss for this season, they still had sufficient food stored.
So, despite the rise in food prices and a notable decline in quality, average residents in Kyoto could still afford to buy things – they just couldn’t get some of the fresher ingredients.
But when they saw that Dong Tianyu was hosting a hot pot dinner, setting aside the meat dishes on the table, just the plates of tender green vegetables indicated that Dong Tianyu wasn’t merely going through the motions for this feast.
Furthermore, the meat on the table seemed extraordinary – despite prehistoric animal meat containing far more energy than traditional pork, beef, or mutton, the taste was not lacking in comparison.
