Beside High Cliff Castle flowed a calm, placid stream. At its deepest, the water barely reached one’s waist. To Si Kai, even the moat of Bailiu City was wider and deeper than this little creek. And yet, it bore a na grander than even the widest river in the Northern Territory—the Bengyong River.
So Jackal Wolfman pups and young Beastman boys were in the river, gathering smooth, colorful pebbles of all sizes.
Whenever they filled their back-baskets, Levi would reward them with a glistening, bright red apple.
Like devout followers receiving a blessing from the Gods they worshipped, the boys would cup the apples in their hands with faces full of adoration, then run back joyfully, planning to treasure them.
"Lord, what do you need so many pebbles for?" Si Kai finally couldn’t help but ask.
"Don’t I have that spring next to my great hall? I plan to line the bottom with these colorful pebbles. Then I’ll plant so tulips from the Southern Territory on either side. When I have free ti, I can sit in the courtyard and drink tea. And of course, if I have the ti, I could invite Miss Liya to co and relax."
Si Kai was speechless. ’He’d been wondering how the brutish Lord of High Cliff Castle had found the leisurely interest to tend to a garden. The real purpose was probably that last part.’
’No wonder he wanted to plant tulips...’
"Hiss... Hot, hot, hot!"
After taking a bite of the skewer Levi handed him, the spiciness made Si Kai quickly gulp down a large mouthful of goat’s milk.
"Lord, to be honest, you’re the most down-to-earth nobleman I’ve ever t. This spice, which ca to Debei from the Eastern Persian Gulf Kingdom, is sothing only commoners use to add a little flavor. Nobles tend to look down on such a cheap spice. But even so, very few people in Debei can handle it."
Si Kai was sweating profusely. Even the cold wind couldn’t quell the heat in his body and soul. He’d never imagined this spice could be so delicious and have such an effect.
As a native of the Northern Territory, the only things that could dispel so of the chill for him during the harsh winters were fire and strong liquor.
He instantly recognized the massive business opportunity this spice represented.
"But now I see it’s just that they don’t know how to use this spice. Lord, you have perfectly discovered its true use."
Si Kai, who had always kept his distance from chili peppers, was for the first ti experiencing a love-hate relationship with the spice.
This Knight Si Kai really had a way with words.
’Calling ’down-to-earth’ was the nice way to put it. The less flattering way would be ’lacking any noble bearing whatsoever.’’
However, the Lord had never cared for such trivialities. He just smiled mysteriously. "I’ve already planted a huge amount of chili peppers on a mountainside."
"Co next year, I will promote it throughout the entire Northern Territory."
Si Kai’s assessnt greatly boosted Levi’s confidence.
Although chili peppers were known in Debei, they weren’t actually very popular. Only so of the poor, who couldn’t afford other spices, would use them to flavor their food.
But even then, most people who tried them for the first ti would give up on the spice.
Not knowing how to use them was a secondary issue; the main problem was that the Debei People preferred sweet flavors. To them, chili peppers were no different from forcing a newborn to eat bitter lon.
As a true son of Sichuan in his past life, no one knew how to bring out the full potential of chili peppers better than Levi.
’Opening a high-end restaurant would have been the most profitable route, but his main focus was developing his Pioneer Territory. He didn’t have the ti or leisure to open a restaurant.’
’Therefore, selling the chili peppers directly was obviously the most practical approach.’
What Levi needed to do was thoroughly promote the chili peppers, and the people visiting High Cliff Castle were clearly among the first who could help spread the word.
’As for dispelling the cold? That could only be a side effect. It had to be consud in moderation. If commoners started eating it as a staple food to ward off the cold, they would only die faster.’
’After all, generating heat requires consuming the body’s energy. That was an immutable law.’
’The emaciated poor in the slums, who were nothing but skin and bones, wouldn’t have enough energy in their bodies to generate warmth even if they ate chili peppers.’
Si Kai frowned. To be fair, he had tried this spice once before and had sworn off it completely. He never expected it to be so miraculously transford in the Lord’s hands, not only giving the food a unique flavor but also helping to dispel the cold.
The business opportunity it held was naturally significant, but promoting it throughout Debei would be very difficult.
Si Kai was an honest man, and he said what he thought. "Lord, forgive my bluntness, but this spice has indeed undergone an unimaginable transformation in your masterful hands."
"But food in Debei is generally seasoned with things like honey, maple syrup, or pepper. A spice that runs completely contrary to that palate will be very difficult for people to accept."
Levi understood this point as well. It was like the Chaleon Plant from his past life—those who loved it adored it to death, and those who didn’t loathed it with a passion.
"But haven’t you co to accept it, Si Kai? The speed at which you’re eating these skewers now is no slower than my own."
It would be difficult, but wasn’t Knight Si Kai the beginning? Levi was very optimistic.
"That’s different." Si Kai fell silent.
’Could he really admit that he had refused at first, but had been overpowered and forced to eat a few skewers by a certain soone, at which point he’d just given up and gone with it, only then discovering its unique flavor?’
’Even so, he both loved and hated it. There was a unique thrill while eating, but the pain afterward made him want to drink the entire Bengyong River dry.’
"Forget it, forget it. Let’s not talk about this." Levi waved his hand. They were originally supposed to be discussing the problem of the Kexianri’s southern advance, but sohow they’d gotten sidetracked onto business matters.
The lighthearted, easygoing chat ca to an end. Now it was ti for the real purpose of this barbecue eting.
"Miss Liya wrote to so ti ago. She said your negotiations with that bull-tempered bunch fell through?"
Levi waved his hand, dismissing the young Rabbit People girl who was grilling at, her little face smudged with soot.
Si Kai, understanding the gesture, also dismissed the Attendant following him.
"That is indeed the case." Si Kai sighed and instinctively began to wring his hands—a small, tell-tale sign of uncertainty.
"The negotiation team we sent was slaughtered by those Minotaurs. Their heads were stuck on branches to show their resolve."
"A Knight who escaped brought us even more important intelligence. This Minotaur Tribe has exhausted all its war potential. The Curved Sabers they use to cut pasture grass have been forged into Iron Armor, and all their livestock have been slaughtered for military rations.
For the tribes they encountered along the way, the won and children were used as ergency rations, while the males were forced into their ranks."
Si Kai gave the Lord a deep look. "Lord, do you know? Those Minotaurs have already gathered a force of well over ten thousand! That’s a power even the Duke must take seriously, especially since they’re still growing like a snowball. By the ti they reach you, I daren’t imagine how many they will have gathered."
"This ti, they are definitely not just heading south for a simple raid. I fear they have other intentions."
"Then what are Duke Fulina’s thoughts on the matter?" The Lord’s brow furrowed as well.
’He really hadn’t expected those big oafs to actually achieve sothing of this scale.’
High Cliff Castle’s Guard Team wasn’t even a match for a fraction of their numbers. The situation was even more serious than he had imagined.
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