For the next five days, while the miniature quantum satellite could still monitor the situation below in real-time from the sky, Ding Yun barely rested. She utilized the Any-Door ability tirelessly for a full five days.
She visited most of the large and medium-sized grain merchants across the country who were hoarding goods and egregiously inflating prices. Small grain merchants were too numerous and scattered, and their stored grain was also relatively meager. Unless Ding Yun happened upon them actively doing wrong, she generally did not target them specifically, deeming it a waste of time.
Additionally, corrupt officials, local warlords, aristocratic families, and noble houses with their private treasuries and treasure vaults were also "visited" by Ding Yun along the way. She knew that to cause further trouble, money and grain would be indispensable. If she didn't acquire more during this current safe period, it would become far less easy to collect them later.
And with her efforts, countless disaster victims received life-saving provisions, rekindling their hope for survival. Unaware of which benevolent deity had blessed them, they began to offer fervent thanks to the God of Grain. Although the existence of gods and spirits was ethereal, their role in stabilizing hearts and providing spiritual support was considerable. Those who witnessed the heavens raining down grain genuinely felt they were protected by a God of Grain, who would not let them perish, and they were filled with unshakeable confidence in the future and their ability to survive.
Of course, this was the situation on the disaster victims' side. The grain merchants' attitudes were entirely different. They were terrified and quickly reported the incidents, urgently appealing to the authorities, stating their warehouses had been robbed and requesting swift resolution of the cases.
Concurrently, some corrupt officials, noble families, and powerful warlords also began discovering that their private and public treasuries had been pilfered. Their attitudes were even more pronounced. While merchants dared only implore the authorities for a speedy investigation, these individuals directly demanded it. They even threatened to hold responsible officials accountable, demanding their dismissal and investigation if the results were not found or the items not recovered.
However, this was merely the beginning, before the news had spread. This was their initial reaction and behavior. After three to four days, when the related news had fully circulated, everyone was astonished to realize that their recent experiences, occurring in disparate corners of the country, were so remarkably similar. Their warehouse doors were undamaged, there were no signs of tunneling from within, and all their belongings had inexplicably vanished as if from thin air. At this point, no one could remain calm.
Especially after learning that many disaster-stricken areas had experienced rain of grain, their fear and fury intensified. Some were so enraged they wanted to have the disaster victims arrested and the grain reclaimed, while others were furious enough to interrogate the victims, demanding to know if they were responsible. The situation rapidly escalated to the point of shaking the imperial court.
Corrupt officials might not have dared to openly declare their losses, but the noble families and powerful warlords had no such reservations. They were frantically converting hidden gold and silver into tangible assets and concurrently submitting urgent memorials, requesting thorough investigations and imploring the Emperor to uphold justice for them. The affair was immensely significant, even startling the Emperor himself, who hurried to check his personal treasury, finding most of his valuables still intact. This brought him a sigh of relief, and he ordered the relevant officials to investigate the matter strictly.
This was the situation from the official perspective. Privately, or rather, in folk rumors, there was much more. Not only were there numerous stories, but due to the flaws in the dissemination channels, the final reports were often quite wild.
Some claimed that the grain merchants, having driven prices to ten to twenty times their usual during the famine, had angered the heavens, thus bringing down divine punishment by whisking away their grain to the disaster areas, where it rained down to punish the merchants and save the people. Others said that those officials and warlords had offended truly powerful Taoist priests who used the technique of "Five Ghosts Transporting Treasures" to effortlessly empty their private treasuries without leaving any trace. Still others suggested it was a haunting, a disaster, or an inside job where silver was hidden by the owners themselves, who then cried foul play.
Eventually, the rumors grew so exaggerated that they spoke of a colossal deity swallowing tens of thousands of grain merchants, transforming their flesh and blood into a rain of grain to feed the starving disaster victims. Later, rebel groups like the White Lotus Society in various regions seized upon these rumors, widely proclaiming that their Holy Maiden, Holy Mother, or their leaders like the Heavenly Kings were responsible. Since they were already rebelling, claiming responsibility for these events presented no issue and could attract more refugees to their cause, thereby increasing their mystique and power, and aiding in consolidating their strength and rallying support.
It could be said that with Ding Yun's interference, the already chaotic Kingdom of Qian became even more disordered. As the related news fermented, the five days concluded. The miniature quantum satellite Ding Yun had launched into the sky returned as per her instructions and was put away by Ding Yun. At this point, there were still two days left until the end of the safe period.
Ding Yun genuinely felt that the actions she had taken during this period could not be offset by merely a few rains of grain and the merits earned. After some thought, she ultimately consumed some tonics and continued her endeavors. This time, she was not causing rains of grain. Instead, she was causing actual rain.
For Ding Yun, who had basically mastered most functions of the Any-Door ability, causing rain was merely a troublesome task, not an impossible one. If she could alleviate the disaster by causing rain in these two days, it would undoubtedly be a great merit. To minimize potential targeting by the world consciousness in the future, no matter how troublesome, Ding Yun had to act.
As Ding Yun continuously traveled to regions with abundant freshwater resources, areas even on the verge of flooding, she used the Any-Door ability to draw massive amounts of water. Then, by setting up thousands upon tens of thousands of pinpoint locations in a small patch of sky, she rapidly cycled the Any-Door ability between these locations using her mental power while opening its storage space and continuously releasing water. She managed to contrive a situation that was somewhat similar to normal rainfall, bringing rain to the drought-stricken areas successively.
As long as Ding Yun's speed was sufficient and the number of designated locations was large enough, the water released through the Any-Door would not form waterfalls but, influenced by atmospheric pressure and other factors, would descend as water droplets slightly larger than raindrops, nourishing all things. This was precisely why it was considered troublesome.
As for whether she could simply dump it all at once, if she did so, it wouldn't be rain. It would be one large stream of water pouring down from one opening, and another large stream pouring down from another. One might think the sky had sprung a leak. Moreover, the impact of such large water flows would be significant, making it difficult to nourish the land and even causing some impact and damage to the soil and water below. Therefore, Ding Yun's method was the most effective. Although troublesome, it was at least safe and effective.