On the other side.
As night fell, in another small house some distance from where Lin Ke was, the Inca people sat quietly.
They are waiting.
There were a dozen or so Incas dressed in patterned sleeves, sitting around a stone table.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the food laid out on the table.
That was the standard meal the Greeks prepared for each of the participating leaders. Of course, it was the meal prepared for these leaders of lower status, so it wasn't as good as the one in Holy Egypt.
On the stone table are freshly baked bread, pickled fish, some fruit, a pot of water, and some steaming rice.
To the ordinary people in the city, it was a fairly good meal, but to these Incas, it was a rare feast.
Pachakutk the Stonebreaker sat in the main seat.
He was tall and straight, with a resolute face, and his deep eyes showed no emotion.
At this moment, he simply stared at the food in front of him without immediately starting to eat. Instead, he picked up a knife and began to carefully divide each portion of food into more than a dozen equal parts.
"Everyone, please wait a moment."
He spoke to the crowd in a low voice, yet it made everyone afraid to make any rash moves.
"Everyone has a share; no fighting over it is allowed."
He arranged the cut food into small dishes and handed them to everyone around him.
Each person was given only a small piece of bread, a slice of fish, and half a piece of fruit, but even such simple food was considered a delicacy by the Incas who had long suffered from hunger.
"Thank you, Your Majesty..."
A young soldier swallowed hard as he took the plate with both hands, his fingers still trembling slightly.
Pachakutk smiled and nodded.
"It's ready to eat."
This is not a suggestion, but an order from Pachakutk.
As soon as he finished speaking, a rustling sound immediately came from inside the room.
Everyone eagerly picked up the food and began to wolf it down.
Some people ate too quickly, and some bread got stuck in their throats, so they quickly drank some water.
Some people are reluctant to finish their food at once, so they carefully divide it into smaller portions and savor it slowly, each bite enough to make their eyes widen in amazement.
Pachakutk watched this scene quietly, a slight smile playing on his lips.
His gaze lingered on each person's face for a moment, as if trying to firmly imprint the joy and satisfaction of his people in his mind.
"Your Majesty, thank you so much!"
An elderly man wiped food crumbs from the corner of his mouth, filled with emotion.
"This is the most delicious meal I have ever had in my life."
"Thank you for choosing to bring this old servant here. Otherwise, I would never have known in my life that there is such a delicacy in the world."
Another woman was eating when her eyes filled with tears.
She was still tightly clutching the edge of that precious half-fruit in her hand.
"Yes, if it weren't for the King's willingness to bring us along, we might never have had the chance to leave the mountains, let alone... taste such delicious food."
"Your Majesty, thank you so much!"
Everyone expressed their gratitude to Pachakutk.
Some say he saved Cusco, some say he unified the scattered tribes, and others say he brought prosperity and dignity to the Inca.
Of course, what many people praise most is that she brought the Inca civilization to an unprecedented level, namely, becoming a member of the World Conference and being able to come to the venue of the World Conference once again.
Their words were filled with respect and admiration for this "stone shaker".
"Huh?"
But then someone noticed that the plate in front of Pachakutek was still full and hadn't been touched at all.
"Your Majesty, why aren't you eating?"
The other person, witnessing this scene, was filled with heartache and surprise.
"His Majesty must have saved his share for us..."
Upon seeing this, the elderly men all stood up.
Because they were so focused on enjoying their food, they failed to notice that their great patriarch had not eaten a single bite.
"Your Majesty, please eat! You need your energy more than any of us!"
"How can you not eat? You've already shared a lot of your rations with us along the way!"
"Your Majesty! What will become of our Inca Kingdom if anything were to happen to you?"
Pachakutek listened to what everyone was saying and simply shook his head.
"I have already had dinner, so don't worry about me. Just make sure you've eaten your fill."
"Let's leave these for those who need them more. There are too many people coming this time, so we have to be careful with all the food."
“Everyone is a very important person to the Inca Kingdom. I never expected that natural disasters would be so frequent in recent years and that food production would be so severely reduced.”
“I am extremely grateful to you all for coming here with me to suffer so that we can save food for our people.”
"So let's leave these for those who need them more."
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, all knowing that their king's claim of "having eaten" was a complete lie.
They had traveled a long and arduous journey, and upon arriving at the island, they had only simple coarse food to eat.
How could Pachakutk, as the leader, possibly eat better than them?
"Your Majesty, please take these things!"
A young man quickly handed over his plate, which contained the small half-eaten piece of bread and a few dozen grains of rice.
"I'm not hungry, this is enough for me!"
"If something were to happen to you, who would lead the Inca Kingdom?"
"Moreover, you will be requesting assistance from other countries at the conference later, and you need your physical strength more than any of us!"
"Please eat it!"
Upon hearing this, Pachakutk still resolutely shook his head in refusal.
"Keep it for yourself, I don't need it."
The two pushed each other back and forth, neither willing to compromise.
Tears even welled up in the warrior's eyes, but Pachakutek remained unyielding.
Just as the argument inside the house reached a stalemate, there was a knock at the door.
"Knock knock knock—"
The room fell silent instantly, and everyone looked warily toward the doorway.
Pachakutek quickly stood up, his face immediately turning serious.
"Get it tidied up immediately, so that visitors don't notice anything unusual."
Everyone immediately sprang into action. Some quickly wiped food crumbs from their mouths, some hurriedly tidied their disheveled clothes, some quickly hid the remaining food, and others neatly arranged the scattered plates.
Of course, they couldn't let anyone know that the food reserved for the leader had been shared among everyone here.
If discovered, Pachakutk would lose all face.
In a minute, the entire house was transformed, leaving only the lingering aroma of food in the air.
However, this is no big deal, since no one can really analyze the smell in the air to find any clues.
"Your Majesty, this servant will go open the door."
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