After Being Sold Out By The Empire, I Decide To Assist The Demon King
Chapter 39 - 38 Buying and Eating Trees

Chapter 39: Chapter 38 Buying and Eating Trees

Editor: Atlas Studios

"Establishing sustainable trade was very necessary. For a nation, being self-sufficient in everything was certainly good; that way, they wouldn’t be at the mercy of others."

"But if one wanted to gradually build a self-sufficient nation from scratch, it would be a waste of time and resources. That was not a good choice."

"Consistently producing excess resources and using those resources to trade for other essential goods needed by the country was what many nations chose to do. The territories ruled by demons did this, the Silver Moon Tree Court did this, and so did the dwarves and beastmen."

"Except for the Empire... This doesn’t mean that the Empire already had all kinds of materials and planted all kinds of crops, but rather that the Empire saw no need for trade."

*Because civilians didn’t need "abundant food" to increase their happiness.*

*As long as they had enough to eat (enough not to starve), that was sufficient.*

*The Empire had never expected those disposable "materials" to become warriors fighting for the Empire or become civil officers able to improve the Empire’s environment... even though these civilians were also essential parts of the Empire.*

"Xiao Ti?"

Accompanied by Yila’s call, the male succubus servant appeared on the open platform, kneeling. She... no, he waited quietly for Yila’s instructions.

"Go ask Hilena and that ghost lady if they can purchase some *Poison Eating Trees*, which are also known as Ancient Priest Trees. Tell them it’s a tuber crop that’s easy to plant."

Yila said this, and Tikap nodded immediately and disappeared.

"Poison Eating Tree, what’s that? Ancient Priest Tree?"

In response to Vera’s question, Yila leaned out to look at Tikap, who seemed to be repeating his words. He explained, "I think I’ve made it clear already. It’s a tuber crop, like taro."

"I heard that. I was asking about something else..."

Facing Vera’s confusion, Yila understood what she truly wanted to ask and said, "It originated from the Silver Moon Tree Court and was later widely planted within the beastman territories. It’s a food crop that looks like a tree."

"Although it might not taste as good as wheat and requires a lot of processing to eat, because it’s easy to plant, I think we can plant the Ancient Priest Tree as a substitute for wheat to become one of the food sources in the Demon King’s territory."

"You just need to cut off the branches of the Poison Eating Tree a little, and after complex processing, it can be eaten. If you stick the untreated branches into the ground, with a bit of luck and enough rainfall, new crops can grow. The rainfall here meets the requirements quite well."

With this said, Yila felt that the crop called *Ancient Priest Tree* was very suitable for planting as a staple or a supplementary food to blue-purple mushrooms.

"Eh, why didn’t I hear you mention this crop when you were in the Empire? The people of the Empire never eat this stuff. If it’s so easy to plant, why didn’t you promote it in the Empire?"

Vera looked at Yila skeptically. Based on his description, this crop was very suitable to be the food for the poor, and Yila should be someone who cared about the impoverished.

"..."

Yila didn’t know where to begin. After organizing his thoughts, he said, "In fact, this crop is very popular in the Duchy. The Empire already has black bread as a staple, and the nobility does not need the civilians to have more food."

"Moreover, if I proposed the existence of this crop and wanted to introduce it to the Empire, I would first encounter the opposition and resistance of the nobility because it’s me, *because it’s ’Yila’ proposing it*."

With a sigh, Yila shook his head helplessly and, seeing Vera nodding in agreement, added, "Also, this crop is poisonous and must undergo detoxification before it can be eaten."

"I can foresee that some noble would claim that civilians under his rule were poisoned to death because of the crops I introduced. They would then attack me with words, leading to endless mutual denunciations."

Yila had spent countless decades allowing the Empire, this giant beast, to grow sharp claws and spines strong enough to tear apart other beasts, but the festering sores on this giant beast still persisted.

*Neither the giant beast nor its claws could deal with the sores... Yila fully understood this after he left the Empire. To change the Empire, one must first step outside the Empire.*

*Only other giant beasts could cut out the festering sores of the Empire along with the flesh that must be sacrificed.*

"You really have it tough."

In Vera’s sigh, Tikap’s voice reappeared before Yila. He reported, "Lord Yila, Lord Demon King asked how much you wanted to buy, though I think she might not understand what the Ancient Priest Tree really is."

"..."

"Ah, I really appreciate her trust."

Yila shook his head with a wry smile and then became serious. He responded, "Just buy seven or eight silver coins’ worth. If there’s a funding issue, you can buy less. We might get overcharged, but don’t worry about it too much."

"Yes."

"..."

"People do trust you... I don’t even have extra funds to buy experimental materials."

Vera said somewhat jealously, looking at the disappearing Tikap. She then added, saying something even she didn’t believe, "Obviously, my research is also for the Demon King’s territory..."

In these words, Yila glanced at the former Imperial Court Mage, who chose to become a Witch Demon just because of a few wrinkles. He ridiculed her, "If you say it’s to explore the truth of magic, I might believe you a bit more."

"Fine, actually I am trying to concoct a Super Love Potion to drug you and then bear a bunch of small Witch Demons with you."

Seeing Vera blatantly exaggerate, Yila twitched his mouth and retorted, "I don’t think Witch Demons can still bear offspring, and I don’t think a Governor like me will have descendants."

Hearing this, Vera was visibly shocked. She widened her eyes in disbelief and said, "Ah? Governors can’t have children either? No way!"

Yila just quietly leaned against the wall. After a long time, he said, "A powerful and easily obtained power always comes at a price. This is no secret within the Empire... perhaps it is for this reason that Governors are the trusted right hand of the royal family without suspicion."

Though Yila himself knew very well that Isabella and Yose didn’t trust him for this reason.

"You’re all... a bunch of madmen."

In response to Vera’s sharp comment, Yila just smiled, "I hope you can call them ’heroes.’"

"Wait, then what about you?"

*"I have my desires. I fight only for the nation in my dreams. Whether it’s the Empire or the Demon King’s territory, they are both seedlings of that world, that ancient distant kingdom..."*

Facing Vera, who noticed the loophole in his words, Yila said, looking towards a seemingly distant place.

"Substitutes."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.