The little girl's eyes widened abruptly, and tears fell patter-patter onto the wheat cake.
Although she could not understand what 'labor force' meant, she understood 'eat your fill' and 'have work to do'.
After speaking, Sophia turned and left. Hailey subconsciously knelt on the ground, kowtowing desperately toward Sophia's retreating figure, mouthing a slurred and chaotic stream of 'thank yous'.
Walking back toward the center of the market, Delilah's gaze followed Sophia's back relentlessly.
She was not handling a dispute at all.
A tempest of realization surged within Delilah's heart. Her Majesty is establishing an order.
She punished that helper to tell everyone that even the lowliest beggar in the Kingdom is her private property, not to be trampled upon by others.
She took in that orphan to harvest the loyalty of these desperate people from the very root.
Sending a dying orphan to feed pigs not only gave the girl a way to live but was also cultivating a 'deathsworn' absolutely loyal to the Royal Power.
This kind of profound foresight, where every step lays the groundwork for the next ten years, this grand benevolence hidden under a cold exterior—this is my Queen.
Thinking of this, the hand Delilah kept on her longsword tightened once more. The trace of confusion in her eyes that originally belonged to her past life dissipated completely.
"Your Majesty," Delilah spoke softly.
"Hmm?"
Sophia was staring at a box of something that looked very much like candy in a Leighton shop ahead, responding absently.
"Just now, you were truly benevolent."
Sophia did not continue the conversation. Her black cloak swept through the wind as she said, "Willow, I want to eat that. Buy one."
Watching Sophia's back, Irene and Willow smiled at each other and hurriedly followed.
Since the lead deacons of the caravan were currently busy grinding their lips with Victor in the side hall, only a few low-level errand runners were left at the stalls.
seeing these wealthy young ladies—who, despite their disguise, clearly possessed extraordinary bearing—the helpers hurriedly put away their lazy expressions and greeted them enthusiastically.
"What would you ladies like to buy? Please, feel free to look around. These meat jerkies have been very popular recently."
"Hello, we are just looking around," Willow responded with a smile.
As a qualified Head Maid, it was her duty to deal with peddlers when Her Majesty did not wish to speak.
Irene, meanwhile, darted between the various stalls like a detector.
She hadn't gone shopping in a long time, even if these small stalls didn't seem to have anything special.
Suddenly, her footsteps were nailed firmly to a corner piled with miscellaneous goods.
Next to several pockets containing spices, there were two small, dusty hemp sacks that had been patched crookedly.
One sack was filled with red, shriveled, long dried fruits.
The other sack was filled with fist-sized lumps covered in soil that looked like a pile of brown stones.
"What is this?" Irene crouched down, her voice trembling slightly.
"Oh, that." The helper scratched his head. "That is something we collected from the wandering tribes in the south.
"Those red things are extremely prickly to the mouth when ground up; they burn the throat. No one in Leighton can stand that taste.
"As for those dirt clods... they can't be boiled soft and can't be bitten into. If left for a long time, they turn green. They are purely free gifts used to make up the numbers.
"We tried many times in Leighton but couldn't find a suitable way to eat them. They are even harder to swallow than Black Bread.
"If the young lady wants them, buy some spices and I'll give them to you for free."
Sophia also leaned in, lowering her head to scrutinize the two bags of items.
Hmm?
These red pointy tips... why do they look so much like dried chili peppers?
They don't look exactly the same as the dried chili peppers from my past life, but they are seventy or eighty percent similar. Is it a mutated variety or an ancient variety?
Moreover, they are covered in mud and dust, so their original appearance isn't clear, Sophia muttered internally.
And these dirt lumps. Although they are a bit ugly, that muddy and shriveled look... they are a bit like potatoes, but also not quite the same as the potatoes I saw in my past life.
If I'm not sure, should I take them back and let Irene test them?
If they are real, aren't my french fries and spicy hot pot saved?
Although her heart was overturning seas and rivers, Sophia's face remained as steady as Mount Tai.
Her pale golden pupils even revealed a hint of disdain, as if she were looking at a pile of useless garbage.
The Kingdom of Leighton obtained these from wandering tribes, and these are the only ones left; this is enough to show they are extremely precious.
It is just that these people haven't discovered the true method of eating them... although even Sophia isn't sure if these things are truly the food she has seen in her past life.
Unlike Sophia's uncertainty, Irene—a top engineering student who also liked to grow small vegetables on her balcony—knew what these were the moment she saw them.
Irene was so excited her entire body was trembling slightly.
She knew too well the significance of these two items for the Kingdom of Mason.
Chili peppers could make monotonous food easy to swallow and improve the subjects' ability to withstand the cold.
And potatoes... they were the foundation that would allow Sophia to build a colossal empire upon the ruins!
However, she didn't bring money when she went out.
All the coins were in that inconspicuous cloth bag Willow was carrying.
Irene winked frantically at Sophia, and even quietly reached out to tug at the hem of Sophia's cloak. She lowered her voice, speaking in a tone bordering on begging:
"Your Majesty, um, I think that although these two things are ugly, their research value is extremely high.
"I... I really want them. Could we..."
Sophia glanced sideways at Irene.
She elegantly extended a slender finger, tapping lightly on those two bags of 'garbage', her tone cold and carrying a hint of reluctance:
"Irene's taste is always so peculiar.
"Since you like collecting these things, then buy them."
After speaking, Sophia turned to look at Willow and instructed indifferently:
"Willow, pay."
Although Willow also felt these two bags of items were useless and looked dirty, for her, Her Majesty's will was a divine oracle.
She fished out twenty shiny copper coins from the money pouch and handed them to the helper.
"Twenty copper coins. We'll take these two bags of items."
Willow's voice carried a haughtiness derived from being by Sophia's side for so long.
The helper was completely dumbfounded, followed by wild joy.
Twenty copper coins! That was enough to buy five or six loaves of bread!
Those two bags of garbage, which he had planned to throw into the stinking ditch tomorrow, actually sold for such a price!
It was a pity that the wandering merchants only had that much, and after their experiments, only these were left. Otherwise, perhaps these noble ladies would have bought them all out of curiosity.
"Alright! Miss, you are truly generous! I'll wrap them up for you right away!"
The helper beamed with joy, afraid that these lavish young ladies would go back on their word, his movements as nimble as if he were handling some peerless treasure.
The merchant from Leighton was completely unaware of what he had just sold with his own hands.
In his eyes, this was nothing more than a few pampered noble ladies coming out to experience life and spending money recklessly.
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