Germination (Battle Mage Farmer #2)

by Seth Ring

“Poverty. But not just a lack of resources. No, it’s the dangerous kind of poverty. The ‘I don’t have any food and I’ll kill for a mouthful of bread’ sort of poverty. But the problem is that it’s not just poor people. Everyone has been infected with the mindset. You know, it’s more than that though. Sure, there’s not enough to go around, but people are resourceful and can survive on very little. The real problem is when everyone feels like they don’t have enough and that stabbing their neighbor to get his share is an acceptable option. Sure, sometimes people need a good stabbing, but never because they have something we don’t.

“When I left the capital city, which is supposed to be the shining gem of our kingdom, I was mugged three times before I was able to make it out of the gate. And only once was it by an actual mugger. The other two times were gangs of women and kids. Completely wild, but they saw me making my way through their alleys and figured my gear would sell for a good penny. What shocked me is how happy they were to attack me when I didn’t give in. Though, I guess nothing trains a population that violence is an acceptable solution to their problems like two hundred years of war.”