Chapter 72: Chapter 70: Let the water wash it all away

I worked on this small farm my entire life. It was my father’s father’s farm and now it’s mine. For generations, we’ve worked this land with our hands, ploughs and animals.

— But now it’s failing, under my watch.

The specific, low-yield, high-value crops that we raise here, as one of the only operations in the region, are extremely sensitive to changes in the environment. We supply half of the whole south, you know? Just this farm.

Anyways, the crops – they need precisely the right amount of wind, rain, and sunlight, day in and day out. Even a tiny change, like a week of too cloudy weather in summer, is enough to kill a chunk of the harvest.

So what the hell am I supposed to do now?

The tower outside of the city, in the distant forest, silhouettes the sunlight, casting a long shadow over the world that reaches my lands and covers them during the most important hours. My crops are failing. How am I supposed to feed my family like this? We have some reserves to last a while, but…

- If this keeps up, I’ll be the last one on the farm. My kids will have to go to the city to learn other professions and trades. It’ll be the end of us.