Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start - Chapter 97: Grey Soil

Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Grey Soil

In the living room of the wooden house, Juliet opened a linen bag that had been set aside, revealing the soil inside.

“My Lord, this is the Grey Soil you asked us to bring back.”

Ronin crouched down, held the sack open, and carefully observed the Grey Soil inside.

He noticed that the soil wasn’t truly grey, but a greyish-white, and was composed of small clumps.

Ronin picked up a small clump between his thumb and forefinger. It crumbled with just a little pressure. Rubbing it further, he found the Grey Soil became a fine powder with very small particles.

Ronin was no geologist, nor did he have any related expertise, but he could still tell this soil was highly unusual.

“How much of this kind of soil is there at Grey Soil Village?”

Juliet answered, “My Lord, there was a ton of it when I went to gather some. It feels like half the mountain is made of this soil. The people there said that in the past, some would eat this soil to stave off hunger. But they later found that anyone who ate it would get a severely bloated stomach and couldn’t relieve themselves, eventually dying from the blockage. After that, no one ate it anymore.”

’Guanyin Earth?’

The term naturally came to Ronin’s mind.

But it was quickly replaced by another term as his eyes suddenly lit up. ’This is… Kaolin?’

“Wilson, get me a bowl of water,” Ronin ordered hastily.

Hearing the urgency in his voice, Wilson quickly ran to the kitchen and brought back a bowl of water.

Ronin took a handful of the soil from the sack, placed it on the ground, poured a little water on it, and mixed it briefly.

He soon discovered that the Grey Soil, which hadn’t been sticky at all, was now clinging to his hands. At the same time, the fine texture of the soil became even more apparent.

“This must be real Kaolin!”

Ronin was both shocked and delighted.

Kaolin is a non-metallic mineral. The higher its purity, the whiter and finer it becomes. It possesses excellent plasticity and fire resistance.

In Chinese history, the discovery and proficient use of Kaolin led to the creation of porcelain, which became famous throughout the civilized world.

’If I could produce porcelain…’

Ronin’s mind began to race.

In this world, most of the tableware and vessels used by the nobility were made of silver—silver goblets, silver cutlery, and so on. Some nobles also used glass or crystal, but those two materials were not in widespread use.

As for porcelain, it was out of the question. In all likelihood, it had never appeared in this world before.

For one thing, very few people could master the high temperatures of 1200°C required for firing ceramics; otherwise, pig iron would already exist.

It seemed the bellows he had recently developed in Mountain Forest Town could be used not only for smelting metal but also for firing ceramics.

Of course, the bellows were only an auxiliary tool. Firing porcelain required several other critical steps.

For instance, how to process the Kaolin to prepare the clay, how to throw it on a wheel, carve it, glaze it, and fire it—these were all difficult problems that needed to be researched and solved.

Once all these problems were solved, Mountain Forest Town would be able to produce porcelain.

Ronin sighed just thinking about it. He never expected to be able to gather the means to produce pig iron, silk, and porcelain all in the northern part of Wushan Territory.

This land had truly given him one surprise after another.

’Setting aside the difficulty of implementation for now, as long as I get a firm grasp on these three things—especially porcelain—future development won’t be a problem!’

With this material foundation, combined with the knowledge in his mind, Ronin already had a preliminary vision for how to proceed with development.

“Juliet, we’ll set out for Grey Soil Village first thing tomorrow morning.”

This time, Ronin’s purpose was no longer simply to meet his subjects; he was more interested in observing the scale of the Grey Soil Vein.

“As for you, Wilson, our work here is temporarily concluded. Have two Guards escort you back to Mountain Forest Town and supervise the village and group leaders in mastering the new farming techniques.”

Ronin added, “Also, have the Peasant Slaves and tenant farmers observe and learn as soon as possible. If everyone masters these farming techniques, we can then send some of them to these three new villages to pass on their skills.”

Having one group master the new skills first, then having that group teach those who had not yet learned, was the method of implementation Ronin advocated.

“I understand, My Lord!”

Wilson committed his Lord’s command to memory. He felt the weight of his responsibilities growing heavier, but correspondingly, his status was also rising.

At the very least, the number of village and group leaders under him would only continue to grow.

“My Lord, Commander Ridder also has something for me to give to you.”

As Juliet spoke, he picked up a second linen sack from a nearby chair. Something inside jingled.

“After we reached Grey Soil Village, we took Sleirein’s and Mam’s women into custody. The Commander has put them to work for you in Grey Soil Village along with the others. Also, this bag contains the wealth of Sleirein and Mam. He asked me to give it to you.”

“Oh?”

Ronin smiled as he accepted it, asking curiously, “How much is there?”

Juliet smiled and replied, “My Lord, Ridder had me count it. Mam didn’t have much, only 6 gold coins, 12 silver coins, and 98 Copper Coins. But Sleirein’s fortune was substantial—a full 36 gold coins, 48 silver coins, and 539 Copper Coins!”

“In addition, Sleirein’s warehouse also contained five Knight’s Swords, a Shield, and a suit of Chain Armor.”

“Furthermore, it’s said that Grey Soil Village has over 2,300 mu of cultivated land, and their granaries hold wheat from the autumn harvest. The specific quantity hasn’t been determined yet.”

Ronin was taken aback. “Sleirein was quite a wealthy leader.”

As a fellow leader of a Wilderness Tribe, the slain Willie Knight’s savings were only equivalent to 8 Gold Coins, but this Leader Sleirein’s fortune was worth over 40 gold coins in total.

Moreover, the amount of cultivated land in Grey Soil Village far surpassed that of Cyan Bamboo and Purple Fruit. They were truly worthy of being the strongest in the Tripartite Alliance.

’I wonder how much Horn and Jenny have in savings?’

Unfortunately, since they had both surrendered without any resistance, Ronin couldn’t very well just confiscate their private property.

’But the Purple Fruit Tribe was the weakest, so those two probably don’t have much in savings anyway,’ he mused.

Ronin quickly reined in his thoughts. Constantly coveting his subordinates’ meager property was not befitting of a good leader.

“Juliet, have Ridder inform the others that, in light of our complete victory on this expedition, all militia members from Mountain Forest Town will be rewarded with 3 Copper Coins each, and all Guards will receive 5 Copper Coins each. The other professionals, as well as you and Wilson, will receive an extra week’s salary, to be paid out with next month’s wages.”

’As for the money,’ he thought, ’I’m taking the lion’s share, so I have to share some of it to keep my men happy, especially after winning a battle.’

The Guards and militia may not have exerted much effort, but they still played a significant role in capturing the subjects, maintaining control, and conducting patrols.

A rough calculation showed Ronin that this grand reward for his forces would cost about five or six gold coins, which was more or less the amount he had taken from Willie Knight.

Wilson and Juliet exchanged a look, both seeing the joy in the other’s eyes.

“My Lord, you are truly a lord who is fair in his rewards and punishments!”

“Thank you for your generosity, My Lord!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com