Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start - Chapter 147 - 146: Horse Farm
Chapter 147: Chapter 146: Horse Farm
The banquet lasted late into the night.
Ronin couldn’t remember how many dances he’d had, nor how many glasses of wine he’d drunk. He was so exhausted by the end that he had to pretend to be drunk. He had Macken and Tom help him out of the great hall and back to his room to sleep.
The guest rooms at Ironhoof Castle were quite comfortable, much more spacious and grand than his rooms in Mountain Forest Town. The moment Ronin lay down on the soft bed, he quickly drifted off to sleep.
「The next day.」
After enjoying the exquisite breakfast prepared by Ironhoof Castle, Ronin first paid his respects to Marvin Viscount. He then demonstrated the effectiveness of his Ironwood Armor, along with other pieces of armor and weapons.
Marvin Viscount hadn’t been particularly interested in these items at first, but his opinion changed immediately after seeing their performance with his own eyes.
Setting aside the power of the weapons made from this wood, this set of Ironwood Armor, Chest Guards, and Shields could at least meet the armament needs of infantry, and even Basic Level Knights.
He was confident that these items produced by the Mountain Forest Town Ironwood Workshop would certainly have a significant market.
Marvin Viscount didn’t try to haggle, either. He purchased the equipment directly at the same price Wushan Castle had paid for their order.
As for how Ironhoof Castle would profit, it was simply a matter of marking up the price and reselling. Ronin didn’t ask how much they planned to add; that wasn’t his concern.
Ronin left the equipment he’d brought with Marvin Viscount for study and promotion. He himself, led by Rogner, went to one of Ironhoof Castle’s horse pastures.
According to Rogner’s introduction, this pasture wasn’t very large, holding only about a hundred horses or so. However, it had warhorses, riding mounts, and draft horses.
Ronin gazed out from atop his Cloud Stepper.
The pasture’s terrain was relatively flat, though it had some rolling hills. At its borders, in addition to tall, planted trees, there were also man-made fences.
On the eastern side of the pasture were stables and living quarters for the horse handlers. There were other buildings on the far side, though it was unclear if they were for storing feed or processing manure.
“Where are the horses?” Ronin asked in surprise.
Rogner smiled. “Well, since you were coming today, we had the managers here pen up the horses in advance.”
As he spoke, he led Ronin into the pasture.
Upon entering the pasture—or more accurately, as soon as he got close—Ronin could smell a faint, pungent odor. It was likely the smell of manure and hay mixed together. It was not pleasant.
“Rogner, how does Ironhoof Castle deal with its horse manure?” Ronin thought to ask.
He was genuinely curious. A city like Pasture City, which raised horses on such a massive scale, must produce a huge amount of manure every day. If not handled properly, it could not only pollute the city’s air but also lead to plagues and diseases.
“I don’t know the exact process, but I have looked into it. To be precise, dealing with manure is indeed one of Pasture City’s major problems.”
Rogner said, “Generally, the pasture managers collect the manure and then haul it to unused fields to spread it out. Although not much grass grows on those fields that year, the following year the grass grows quite well.”
“However, this method is too labor-intensive. Many pasture owners prefer to haul the manure into the desolate mountain forests and just dump it. Some people, to save time and money, even choose to pile it up right inside the city.”
He shrugged. “Ironhoof Castle is strongly against that last method. We issue a hefty fine every time we catch someone doing it, which barely keeps it under control. But there are still people who do it secretly.”
Ronin nodded slightly.
He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but the air in Pasture City suddenly seemed even more unpleasant.
“If I were willing to buy it, I wonder if these pasture owners would be willing to sell?” he said thoughtfully.
“What?”
Rogner’s eyes went wide with astonishment. “Did I hear you right? You want to buy horse manure?”
Ronin nodded seriously. “Is there a problem with that?”
Hearing such a certain reply, Rogner was even more stunned. ’Is this man insane?’ his expression seemed to say.
“What would you do with something so useless?”
“Besides, how much manpower, time, and money would you need to transport it from Pasture City to Mountain Forest Town?”
“Also, if you’re really serious about buying it, how much would you pay?”
Unable to comprehend Ronin’s idea, Rogner fired off three questions in a row.
But Ronin had his own calculations.
In Mountain Forest Town, the manure collection team had now gathered most of the waste from the town’s streets. They were currently fermenting it by mixing it with things like dead branches and fallen leaves.
Although there were now quite a few compost piles—enough organic fertilizer for Ronin’s experimental fields and some other plots of land—it was clearly not enough for the long term.
After all, Mountain Forest Town had so few people. Even if every single person were a shitting champion, they couldn’t produce that much waste in a day.
As for livestock and poultry like horses, cattle, and sheep, their numbers were small, so their manure output wasn’t much either.
More importantly, the town’s subjects had gotten smart.
Seeing their Lord not only collecting manure but also building latrines, they gradually came to understand the concept of fertilizer. One by one, they began to treat their own droppings like treasure, no longer disposing of them carelessly.
Therefore, if Ronin wanted to acquire more fertilizer, buying it from elsewhere was probably a good option.
And with so many horse breeders, Pasture City produced a lot of manure, making it an excellent choice.
“You’re just going to waste it anyway. You might as well sell it to me.”
Ronin didn’t explain what he planned to do with the manure, instead directly answering Rogner’s third question.
“If they’re willing to sell, I’d offer 1 Copper Coin per…”
He hesitated. The price was a bit tricky to set.
He thought for a moment before saying, “1 Copper Coin for every 100 pounds of manure, what do you think? Of course, I’ll be responsible for hauling it away.”
“Are you sure?”
Rogner was shocked once again. He immediately pulled over one of the pasture managers to ask a few questions. When he learned that a single adult horse produces about 13 pounds of manure a day, he looked at Ronin with a smile.
“This pasture alone has a hundred horses. Collecting their manure for a year would cost you thirteen Gold Coins! There are at least a hundred pastures like this in Pasture City. Are you telling me you’re going to spend several hundred Gold Coins a year buying manure?”
“And on top of that, you have to provide the men and labor to haul it away and process it. Oh, heavens, I don’t even know how to describe such a move.”
Ronin rubbed his nose, hiding the smile tugging at his lips. For less than five hundred Gold Coins a year, he could buy an enormous amount of fertilizer. How much more grain and vegetables would that allow him to grow?
He reckoned it was a deal where he couldn’t possibly lose.
“Rogner, if anyone is willing to sell, please help me get in touch with them. After I get back from Wushan Castle this time, I can start handling this matter.”
Ronin said with a smile, “Of course, please also help me haggle the price down. If possible, 1 Copper Coin for 200 or even 300 pounds would be best!”
Rogner shook his head helplessly. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t help Ronin, but rather that he couldn’t understand the purpose behind this plan. What benefit could there possibly be?
“Fine, I can help you make contact.”
He said, “I imagine there will be plenty of pasture owners lining up for you to help them dispose of their manure. By then, you’ll surely have enough of that filthy stuff to bury your entire Mountain Forest Castle.”
“Hahaha, then I thank you!”
With so much manure to process, Ronin naturally wouldn’t set up his fertilizer base inside the town.
He would clear an area in the mountains specifically for processing this stuff. The northern forests were huge and uninhabited anyway, so he could set it up anywhere.
Once it was processed into fertilizer, he would use it in Mountain Forest Town and its surrounding villages. Any surplus could even be sold.
The horse manure he bought might be worthless, but the fertilizer he sold would be a different story. As long as people recognized the value of fertilizer, the selling price would be much, much higher.
He hadn’t expected to discover a business opportunity while coming here to buy horses today.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
