Miss Witch’s Devotion Has Gone… Twisted-Chapter 14: The Journey

"Anna, we're going on a trip, not fleeing from disaster. You don't need to bring this much stuff."
"Mirrorheart, if you dare bring any of your... things, I... I'm begging you not to bring them, okay?"
Loren thought for a long time but couldn't figure out how to threaten Mirrorheart. Even if he tried beating her up, it would only make her more excited... In the end, Loren was the one who backed down.
The most reliable one was Naclis, who only brought some clothes and daily necessities. She had already taken her seat in the carriage, waiting for the others.
"But you're bringing so many guns and bullets too! We're going on a trip, not to war."
Anna held onto her large bag of snacks reluctantly as she argued back.
Instead of getting angry like a normal parent would, Loren simply patted Anna's head and taught her some life philosophy:
"There's an old saying that goes, 'When neighbors stockpile grain, I stockpile guns. My neighbors become my granary.' As long as we have guns, we can get as much food as we want."
Anna didn't fully understand the profound wisdom, but Loren didn't push her too hard. After teaching her this lesson, he still let her bring the snacks.
"Let's depart."
After loading all the luggage onto the carriage, Loren gave the signal to the church member driving the carriage, and they finally set off.
The carriage was spacious enough to accommodate Loren's group and their luggage. What pulled it wasn't horses, but some kind of magical beast. Only now did Loren finally feel a hint of Western fantasy atmosphere - most of the time, this game felt more like a horror game.
Scarecrows and knights guarded both sides of the carriage, providing both physical and magical firepower sufficient to handle most situations. Very few people in the entire kingdom received such treatment.
"Why did His Majesty summon you?"
Naclis voiced her question during the journey.
"Because I've been dealing with Outer God cultists, but the kingdom's upper echelons are deeply connected to the Outer Gods. What I'm doing is cutting into their profits."
Loren didn't lower his voice when speaking, but the Scarecrows guarding both sides instinctively distanced themselves from him.
There was no need to hide these matters. Knowing this much was actually Loren's source of confidence.
"If that's the case, is our journey fraught with danger?"
Even as she asked, Naclis already knew the answer in her heart. If it were truly something particularly dangerous, Loren probably wouldn't have brought them along.
They hadn't been traveling long before Anna felt drowsy and simply laid her head on Loren's lap to rest.
Loren stroked Anna's hair as he continued:
"Not really. The King doesn't dare touch me. For normal people, knowing this much would be suicidal, but it's different for a public figure like me. The whole world knows about me, and if I want to spread any information worldwide, it's easy."
It's worth mentioning that Loren's pen name was Luo Tianyi. Originally, he planned to conceal his identity to avoid being targeted, as he understood the principle that "while the innocent man may possess the jade, he becomes guilty by its possession."
But later, after getting involved with the church and gaining some power, Loren simply started using his real name.
"The Outer Gods are enemies of all humanity. Outer God believers are basically synonymous with crimes against humanity. If other countries learned that Gedlan Kingdom has ties with the Outer Gods, they'd receive the news today and the Royal Capital would be breached tomorrow."
"As long as I don't cross their bottom line, they have to treat me well."
Naclis nodded. She clearly understood what the bottom line was - the witches.
At this moment, a sense of guilt rose in Naclis's heart. Once again, she felt she was burdening Loren, but Loren didn't mind at all. Naclis swore to herself that she would protect Loren, no matter the cost.
The carriage ride to the Royal Capital would only take half a day. Gedlan Kingdom wasn't large, and in this short time, they had already left their familiar town. This was Naclis's first time seeing the outside world.
Naclis unconsciously gazed out the window, contemplating how she could help Loren. Her reflection in the carriage window smiled at her, but this time Naclis wasn't frightened as usual. With her goal firmly set, she felt her mindset beginning to change.
Having been transmigrated for so long, Loren had grown accustomed to life without phones. He slapped away Mirrorheart's hand as she tried to reach for his, then opened a book to read.
The novels in this world all followed the same old knight-and-princess tropes. Originally, Loren considered copying novels too, but copying songs was easier - at least it related to his expertise, and music held high status in this world.
Although he couldn't compose or sing, he could still play instruments.
Loren was reading a magic book containing spells from the God of Bountiful Harvest sequence. The church intentionally limited mages' power, even their own mages, so the spells recorded in the book were extremely complex, even the simplest entangling spell.
Therefore, Loren was trying his best to improve the spells. Learning magic in reality wasn't as easy as in games.
"Master Mentor..."
Naclis was about to say something when the carriage suddenly braked, causing her to tumble onto Loren. Fortunately, Loren caught her in time.
"What happened?"
Their route was predetermined, so they shouldn't have braked suddenly. Loren opened the door to ask the Scarecrow guarding nearby.
"Someone is blocking our path."
The Scarecrow pointed ahead, where a group of emaciated people knelt before the carriage, some holding children in their arms.
"Honorable sir, please give us some food!"
They chanted in unison - this wasn't their first time doing this.
"Master Mentor, are they refugees?"
Naclis had wanted to ask this question earlier but was interrupted by the sudden stop. She had seen these people during the ride.
Not just those blocking the road, but even people along the roadside were equally thin and weak.
"No, they're just ordinary God of Bountiful Harvest believers."
The Scarecrow apologized to Loren, saying he would handle it. Naclis continued her questioning:
"But doesn't the God of Bountiful Harvest's authority ensure perpetual bountiful harvests in the fields? Food should be overflowing, right!"
In Naclis's memory, God of Bountiful Harvest believers never seemed to go hungry. If the god willed it, making crops mature daily wouldn't be difficult. Surrounding countries barely survived by importing food, and Gedlan Kingdom was a major food exporter.
"If people truly had no worries about food and drink, who would worship the God of Bountiful Harvest? Only by keeping people on the brink of death, barely surviving through faith alone, can you ensure the most devout faith."
"Eighty percent of Gedlan Kingdom's food is exported, with another nineteen percent stockpiled in nobles' granaries. The town we lived in before was at the kingdom's border, serving as a food export route. Keeping people well-fed there ensured stability and prevented such incidents. This place represents the true Gedlan Kingdom."
"Starving people will try begging from passing nobles. To display their benevolence, nobles usually hand out some alms. This little bit of food helps them sleep more peacefully at night."