Cosmic Ruler-Chapter 796: Mix VIII

The farmer’s eyes widened.

"A landslide?"

The strongest member nodded.

"We cleared part of the blockage. The water should start flowing normally again."

The farmer looked toward the river.

He walked closer to the edge and watched the current for a moment.

"It does look stronger," he admitted.

The oldest spoke gently.

"The change will not happen instantly. But the farms should begin receiving more water soon."

The farmer seemed relieved.

"If that is true, it will save many fields."

But then his expression changed.

"The city council needs to hear this."

"That is why we are returning," the oldest said.

The farmer nodded.

"Good. Because right now, everyone in the city is blaming each other."

The group continued toward the city gates.

When they reached Lareth again, the streets were still tense.

The food line outside the storage building was even longer than before.

People argued in several places.

The youngest looked around.

"It feels worse."

"Yes," the oldest said quietly.

"Fear spreads quickly when people believe things are getting worse."

The strongest member pointed toward the council hall.

"We should speak to the leaders first."

The group walked to the large stone building.

Two guards stood outside the entrance.

One of them recognized the group.

"You’re back," he said.

The oldest nodded.

"We need to speak with the council."

The guard hesitated.

"They are arguing again."

"That is exactly why we must speak with them," the oldest replied.

After a moment, the guard opened the door.

Inside the council hall, several leaders were gathered around a large table.

Maps and papers were spread across the surface.

The voices inside were loud.

"We must ration food more strictly," one leader said.

"That will cause riots," another replied.

"The farmers are hiding grain," someone else argued.

"The traders are the ones hoarding supplies," another shouted.

The room became quiet when the young beings entered.

One of the leaders looked at them with frustration.

"Who are you?"

The oldest stepped forward calmly.

"Travelers. We went to investigate the river."

Another leader frowned.

"The river?"

"Yes," the oldest said.

"The river has been blocked by a landslide in the mountains."

Several leaders looked surprised.

"A landslide?" one repeated.

The strongest member nodded.

"We found the blockage and opened part of it. The water is beginning to flow again."

Some of the leaders looked uncertain.

"How do we know this is true?" one asked.

The youngest stepped forward.

"You can check the river yourselves. The flow is already increasing."

One of the older council members stood up slowly.

"If what they say is correct, it explains the failing farms."

Another leader crossed his arms.

"But that does not solve the food shortage immediately."

The oldest agreed.

"That is true. But it means the farms will recover."

The room became quiet as the leaders considered this.

One woman on the council spoke thoughtfully.

"If the river returns to normal, the farmers will produce food again next season."

"And the wells will recover too," another leader added.

But one man still looked doubtful.

"Even if this is true, people in the city are already angry."

The oldest nodded.

"That is why you must tell them the truth."

The youngest added something important.

"And you must tell all groups together."

Several leaders looked confused.

"What do you mean?" one asked.

The youngest explained.

"Right now, the farmers blame the traders. The traders blame the farmers. Everyone blames someone else."

The strongest member continued.

"But the real problem was the river."

The oldest looked around the table.

"If you show them the truth together, they may begin to understand."

The council members spoke quietly among themselves.

After a few minutes, the older council member stood again.

"We will send people to confirm the river."

Then he looked at the others.

"And if it is true, we will announce it to the city."

The youngest felt hopeful.

"That will help."

But the oldest spoke carefully.

"It will help... but it will not fix everything immediately."

The leaders looked at them.

"Why not?" one asked.

The oldest answered simply.

"Because trust takes longer to repair than a river."

The room became quiet again.

Outside the council hall, the city continued to struggle with fear and anger.

But now, for the first time, the truth about the river had begun to spread.

And that truth might become the first step toward healing the city of Lareth.

Far away, beyond the world of the trial, Vahran watched silently.

The young beings had solved the physical problem.

Now they would face the harder challenge—helping people learn to trust again.

The council hall remained quiet for a few moments.

The leaders were thinking carefully about what they had heard.

Finally, the older council member spoke again.

"We will send three riders to the river," he said. "They will confirm whether the water is truly increasing."

One of the other leaders nodded.

"That is reasonable."

Another leader added, "If the river is recovering, we must inform the city quickly."

The oldest member of the group agreed.

"The sooner people know the truth, the sooner fear will begin to fade."

The riders were sent out immediately.

While they prepared their horses, the council continued discussing what to do next.

Outside the hall, the youngest looked at the crowded streets again.

People were still arguing.

A group of traders were shouting near the market.

Nearby, two farmers were loudly complaining about the price of grain.

The youngest sighed.

"It will take time."

The strongest member nodded.

"Yes. Anger does not disappear quickly."

The oldest looked toward the sky.

"But truth has already begun to move."

Several hours passed.

The sun slowly moved lower in the sky.

Inside the council hall, the leaders waited.

The young beings remained there as well.

Finally, the sound of horses came from outside.

The riders had returned.

The doors opened quickly.

One of the riders stepped forward.

"It is true," he said.

"The river is stronger. The water level is rising."

A quiet wave of relief passed through the room.

Another rider added, "We followed the river for several miles. The current is clearly increasing."

The leaders looked at each other.

The older council member stood up.

"Then we must tell the people immediately."

Word spread quickly through the city.

Messengers were sent through the streets.

Bells were rung from the tower near the center of the city.

People slowly gathered in the main square.

Farmers, traders, workers, and families came to listen.

The young beings stood near the edge of the crowd.

The council leaders stepped onto a raised stone platform.

The older council member raised his hand for silence.

"The river problem has been discovered," he announced.

The crowd began whispering.

"A landslide blocked the river in the mountains," he continued. "Part of the blockage has now been cleared."

Someone in the crowd shouted, "Is that true?"

Another person asked loudly, "Will the water return?"

The council member nodded.

"The river is already growing stronger."

The crowd began murmuring again.

A farmer stepped forward.

"So the traders were not stealing water?"

One of the traders replied quickly, "And the farmers were not hiding it either."

Slowly, people began to realize something important.

They had been blaming each other for a problem caused by nature.

The youngest watched their faces carefully.

"They are starting to understand."

"Yes," the oldest replied.

"But understanding is only the first step."

In the crowd, some people still looked uncertain.

One man said loudly, "Even if the river returns, we still have shortages now."

Another person agreed.

"We still need food."

The council leader nodded.

"That is true. But now we can solve the problem together."

Another leader stepped forward.

"The farmers will receive help until their fields recover."

"And the traders will work with the council to bring supplies from nearby regions."

The crowd slowly became calmer.

People were still worried, but the anger had begun to fade.

The strongest member looked at the group.

"This is better than before."

The youngest nodded.

"At least they are talking instead of shouting."

The oldest watched the square quietly.

"This is how trust begins again. Slowly."

As the crowd started to leave the square, some farmers spoke with traders.

Others talked with council members about plans for the coming weeks.

The city of Lareth was still facing difficulties.

But the fear that had been turning people against each other had started to weaken.

Later that evening, the young beings stood near the river inside the city.

The water was already moving faster than before.

The youngest smiled slightly.

"The river really is returning."

"Yes," the strongest member said.

"And the city is beginning to recover as well."

The oldest looked at the flowing water.

"This trial is nearly complete."

At that moment, the world around them began to change.

The city slowly faded.

The river, the buildings, and the mountains disappeared.

The young beings suddenly found themselves once again inside the circular chamber.

The large stone ring floated in the air.

The blue sphere moved slowly inside it.

The figure of shadow and light appeared before them.

"You have finished the trial of Lareth," it said calmly.

"You discovered the hidden cause of conflict."

"You solved the physical problem."

"And you helped the people understand the truth."

The youngest looked a little nervous.

"Did we do well?"

The figure nodded slowly.

"You did well."

The blue sphere glowed brighter.