Regret Came Too Late

The people of Northbrook had long been hardened by la.

Even if the world forget about them, they knew how to fend for themselves. They'd hail the gods on makeshift carts to sell in the neighboring city

It wasn't enough to make them rich, but in kept food on the table. Hard work was just part of the deal.

But this year, the relentless downpours had caught everyone off guard. No one had been prepared for the sheer force of the storms.

dece kept her stance low-key, and even when

she was injured, she didn't make a fuss. The gathered fruit farmers exchanged glances, hesitating Then, a few younger ones finally booke the

"Three days. Just three days, She's a streamer. Maybe she really can help "

The others still looked uneasy, but in the end, they nodded.

Mandy red or tocheck Grace's injuries, but she shook her head. "I'm fine."

Not a chance. Her entire back was

farmers and stepped inside, issing instructions as she went. Send a message to

that message? We've got over to thousand orders lined up. If we just ship them out, no one will know the difference between Southbrook and

like a bunch of bandes. "And now if they let their apples ride on Southbrook's reputation, it's no different than groveling

people in this would clung stubbornly to

liker the people of Northbrook. Their elders never bowed their heads. Naturally, neither would the younger generation. That unyielding pride ran through

by wasn't such a bad thing. At least they weren't like the people of Southbrook, who repaid kindness with betrayal. The

My mom always said we should never ride on Southbrook's cortails. You have no idea how disgusting they were

chose to come here, determined "It was his idea to start growing apples in the first place. Back then, Brookfield wasn't split to Southbrook and Northbrook yer.

getting

straight, but the chief told them to let it

soon after, Southbrook completely shut us out. They blacklisted our apples. The chief went to negotiate for our rights, but before the meeting even started, he was beaten to death with arake. Southbrook's Three hundred dollars. That was the price they

who had given up everything for his