Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 513. World's Crown

The colossal mushroom the size of a towering mountain in the middle of the island, which was called the World's Crown, had fallen, but the island was still called the World's Crown.

The World's Crown had lost many denizens, but many were still struggling to live amidst the calamity.

The fields near the docks were supposed to be growing ryegrass, but specks of green had riddled the fields; they were branches of banana trees, which grew beneath the sun.

Donna was working diligently in the fields while wearing a massive sun hat that protected her entire body from the deadly rays of sunlight. She was an experienced farmer, so tending to a new crop was no trouble for her at all.

Regardless, she worked with utmost care and extreme meticulousness in the face of the tiny seedlings that had just sprouted before her. She dared not to be even slightly careless with both the watering and fertilizing process.

Sparkle had provided them with these seeds, and the survival of the seedlings would decide whether they'd live or die.

The new Governor of the World's Crown had also issued a decree. The farmers would be rewarded handsomely for a great harvest, and they could also become leaders, who'd manage farmers rather than farm themselves.

However, the greater the reward, the greater the punishment as well. A bad harvest, or much worse—a crop failure meant punishment, and the worst punishment meant becoming a slave for an entire lifetime.

"Mom, look, Sparkle gave me food again! She gave me ten fruits!" Nene exclaimed with a delighted look as she ran across the fields with her sun hat bobbing up and down.

"Stop running! Be careful and don't let the death light hit you!" Donna exclaimed anxiously as she rushed toward her daughter.

"Mom, look! Sparkle sent me food again!" Nene exclaimed once again.

A glimmer of joy flashed in Donna's eyes upon seeing the fruits. "Is Sparkle at our house right now?"

Nene shook her head and said, "No, she already left. She said she still has to deliver a lot of seeds. She also mentioned that she'll come and play with me once she's done delivering the seeds."

Donna sighed in relief. She surreptitiously glanced at the other farmers in the distance before grabbing Nene's hand and hurrying home with the latter in tow.

"Be quiet... The next time Sparkle gives you food, wait until we get home, and then tell me quietly. Don't make a fuss. Things are no longer the same as back then."

"Oh, okay. Mommy, try this one! This fruit is so sweet. Sparkle gave me one of these before, too!" Nene exclaimed.

Donna hurriedly shoved the fruit back into a wooden basket and said, "I won't eat these, and you can't eat them either. These fruits aren't going to fill you up. Let's go to the docks and exchange them for dried fish and rye bread. That way we can eat for many days."

"But... Sparkle gave me this food to eat. She also said that whenever I'm hungry, I can just make a wish to the portrait she gave me, and she'll send over some food for me to eat," Nene replied.

Donna stopped walking and squatted down, casting a complex gaze upon her daughter before saying, "My daughter, I'm not educated, so I don't know much about how the world works, but I know one thing for sure, and you must remember it: taking someone's favor for granted and not reciprocating their gifts will make that certain someone leave you in the end.

"I want you to remember that we're lucky that God Sparkle has blessed us. She bestows food upon us, and we should be grateful for it without being too greedy."

"Mhm... okay, all right!" Nene nodded, even though she couldn't really understand what her mother was talking about.

The mother and daughter pair walked down the main road; Donna brought her daughter straight to the docks of the World's Crown.

There was a massive canopy above the docks, and it was quite lively beneath the canopy, even though it hadn't been that long since it was desolate without any people in sight.

The bustling docks were the result of the new Governor's Mansion, which was built close to the docks. Of course, the docks weren't as lively as they once were, but at least there were quite a few people on the streets.

The faces of the people nearby were sallow, and their figures were emaciated, but their eyes were full of hope. In any case, no one dared to kill and rob openly anymore. At the very least, law and order had been restored.

Donna took Nene to a small alley, which contained a market for selling goods. It was a massive market that spanned the entire road, and it was unique; there was a wall on one side, while the sea was on the other side. Everything could be found here—food, daily necessities, and even portraits of Sparkle.

Donna walked down the market once before squatting down not too far away from a police officer, who was busy smoking on one side. The police officer was part of the group that had rounded up farmers and sacrificed them to the Divinities, but the denizens of the World's Crown had to respect them, as they were still keeping order on the island.

Of course, it wasn't like the farmers had forgotten their atrocities; the farmers just had no choice but to acquiesce, as their group had many powerful people—powerful enough to dominate mere farmers.

In other words, these farmers couldn't overthrow their rule.

Fortunately, Sparkle had come and brought hope to anyone, so no one dared to go too far. And just like that, everyone lived quietly, taking every single day, one at a time.

Donna used her clothes to wipe clean the ten red and green apples in the wooden basket before placing them on her sun hat.

Evidently, the apples were new in the eyes of some people, and they attracted quite a few glances. However, everyone immediately shifted their gazes away upon seeing the prices that Donna had written on her sun hat with charcoal.

Soon, noon arrived, and more and more people came to the alley to browse through the market. Donna's apples caught a ton of attention, and many people started bargaining with her.

However, everyone shook their heads in the face of Donna's firm price, which was one loaf of black bread in exchange for an apple. It wasn't strange, after all, apples were considered a luxury item on the World's Crown, so the survivors couldn't afford them.

To make matters worse, there was a food shortage. Everyone knew there was a lot of food in the warehouse at the docks that had yet to be distributed, but no one was daring enough to open the warehouse without the governor's orders.

The denizens of the World's Crown couldn't help but wonder just what the governor was going to do with so much food. Regardless, a hierarchy was inevitable upon the establishment of order, and the rules had to be followed.

Some time later, an assistant cook working for the new governor bought five apples. He planned to use the apples to make soup and create a special dish for the governor's dinner.

The assistant cook paid with Echo. Donna wasn't exactly happy about being presented with Echo, but she still accepted the offer. Money could still be used, after all, even though its value these days was extremely volatile.

The mother and daughter pair waited for quite a while, but no one made a purchase—no one could afford the apples. The bored Nene leaned against her mother's shoulder, watching the passing ships in the distance.

Her eyelids drooped, but her eyes shot wide open when she saw a battered boat swaying toward her. Nene stared at the boat with wide eyes, and the police officer next to her had seen the boat as well.

"Hey, hey, hey! Stop! You can't land here! You have to land on the docks and register there!" the chubby police officer with a cigarette in hand roared. His clothes were too small for him, and the buttons on his belly looked like they were about to burst open.

The small fishing boat didn't respond to him and headed straight for the small alley.

The chubby police officer felt a bit embarrassed upon being ignored in front of so many people. He took out an old, rundown pistol and shouted, "Who's there?! Get the hell out of there! Do you not hear me?! Are you deaf?!"

A dull noise echoed as the boat's bow collided with the shore. Then, three figures staggered out of the boat—two adults and a child. They seemed to be a family, and they looked so haggard as they stepped out of the boat.

Their figures were emaciated, their eyes were sunken, and their lips had cracked open. Overall, they looked like zombies.

Upon seeing the bustling alley before them, they knelt on the ground and their dehydrated eyes produced not even a single tear as they wailed.

"Waaaah! We finally made it, Mommy! Mommy, look! We're going to live!"

"Wilcon, is this real? We're not hallucinating, are we?"

"Daddy, we don't have to drink Grandma's blood anymore, do we?"