Chapter 13 Sea Outing Plan

"Feiya brought this for me the last time she came back,"

Uncle said, "The employer had no money, so he paid with this instead."

"Is it equivalent to gold dust?"

Bailuo naturally recognized what this 'pepper powder' was.

Simply put, it was an incredibly precious spice in this world.

Just as black pepper was in Bailuo's previous life during the medieval times, the value of this pepper powder in this world was extremely similar to black pepper.

Bailuo could naturally produce black pepper as well, but a completely new spice couldn't be cashed in immediately, it would bring too many problems.

So...

Producing black pepper that everyone was familiar with could avoid these issues.

"Let me try and see if I can produce it."

Bailuo took some with his finger and put it in his mouth, and indeed, it tasted very much like black pepper.

Black pepper itself doesn't have much taste; the salty and spicy tastes are created by adding salt and chili pepper, but the scent of this seasoning was truly pleasant and refreshing.

"I casually mentioned it to my senior sister last time, and she really found me some pepper powder."

"Speaking of which, Uncle, why didn't you give it to me earlier?"

"What do you think?"

Uncle glanced at Bailuo, "Were you really planning to eat it?"

Sprinkling a mouthful of gold on roasted wild pig, Uncle must have gone mad.

Bailuo didn't have many hobbies, but enjoying good food was one of them.

"Hehe."

Bailuo chuckled, then thinking about the taste of pepper powder in his mind, he indeed felt the pouch in his palm getting heavier.

Bailuo peered inside, and there they were, black peppercorns that hadn't yet been dried. He smiled, "Now, even if we wanted to, we couldn't finish eating all of it."

"Rustle rustle rustle."

Pepper powder in this world is made from a plant called 'black pepper.'

Its fruit is very small, looking only half the size of green beans, which meets the Initial Sprout Holy Pouch's requirement of 'fruits no larger than the size of a thumb.'

"Definitely black pepper."

Uncle picked up one from the basin and, with his experience, could completely judge the quality of these black peppercorns, all of which were superb.

Seeing so many black peppercorns, these were equivalent to gold!

"Each one is different."

Gathering a handful of black peppercorns, Bailuo inspected them carefully and noticed that although their sizes and coloring varied, they were all of excellent quality.

He had speculated before: where exactly did the seeds and fruits he produced come from?

Duplicates?

This was the first time in Bailuo's life that he tasted pepper powder.

But the black peppercorns he produced were not identical; each had subtle differences and were not exactly alike.

Bailuo couldn't understand the principle behind it, but fortunately, it wasn't important, so Bailuo didn't dwell on it.

"How much can you produce at one time? Also 100 kilograms?"

"Yes, no matter what I produce, the total weight is always 100 kilograms."

That was the description in the Black Leather Book about the Initial Sprout Holy Pouch.

"Then let's produce 10 kilograms of black pepper first,"

If all 10 kilograms of black pepper were sold, even if it couldn't be equivalent to 10 kilograms of gold, it would still be worth about 8 kilograms.

If the People of Yatun were merchants, this would surely be a path to wealth.

However, Bailuo saw Uncle's expression did not relax with the appearance of the black pepper; instead, it became more solemn.

"Uncle?"

"To possess a jade is a crime,"

Uncle used the phrase Bailuo had created before, and used it aptly, "If we rashly sell this black pepper, I'm afraid it will bring disaster upon us."

The mountains where the People of Yatun lived were deep mountainous areas.

There were no passages there, and one had to cross mountains and ridges. Horses could only come in by traversing the perilously dense forests, which meant ordinary people couldn't get in.

In addition, the nearest towns to Yatun Village are all under the rule of Count Thorn.

The Iron Eagle King and the People of Yatun had a blood feud, and he had issued orders to hunt down the People of Yatun.

Count Thorn himself didn't care about the People of Yatun and perhaps didn't even know what the People of Yatun were.

But it's easier to meddle with the King of Hell than with his little devils.

Some of the gentry, rich businessmen, and local gangs in Thistle Province were always eyeing the bounty offered by Count Thorn.

"So what do we do?"

"Feiya will be back soon. When she does, we'll cross the mountain to a town that's farther away. Each of us selling a little can reduce the risk,"

Uncle thought of a solution but voiced, "However, this isn't a long-term plan."

"I still need to think about it," Uncle said. "Even though we have the miracle, it's far from time to announce it. We need time."

The people of Yatun are not all in the village. For example, my martial sister, who spends most of her time outside the village searching for the whereabouts of our people in Earl's Territory and the Marquis Territory.

"I had the children of the Baiying Family release the eagles earlier."

The connection between Yatun Village and the outside world depends on these Iron Eagles, specially refined by my uncle.

The Baiying Family are formidable vanguards of Yatun Village.

They are siblings, the brother named Nors Whitehawk, who is now seventeen years old.

Although young, Nors is the only teenager in the village over fifteen years of age, apart from Bailuo.

He is Bailuo's junior and Uncle Saros's proud disciple.

Nors is highly skilled in martial arts, excels in spearfighting and solo combat, and has admired Bailuo from a young age, knowing him thoroughly.

His sister, Fiona White Eagle, is a year younger than Inya. She's thirteen this year, and Uncle taught her to train hawks in the village for communication and scouting.

"I haven't told Feiya about the miracle you've obtained."

Uncle always acts with caution. He informed Isefia that there was a significant event in Yatun Village, but he didn't mention the Initial Sprout Holy Pouch.

But my martial sister is clever and alert, even if she can't guess the matter of the miracle, she would lay down her current tasks and rush back at the earliest opportunity.

In this regard, both Uncle and Bailuo are confident.

"As for now."

Uncle said, "We maintain the status quo, the same as before."

"The power of the pouch will need at least two to three years to truly manifest."

"Then we..."

Bailuo was about to ask if they should leave the current Yatun Village for a better place to develop.

"Leave that to me," Uncle said to Bailuo. "I've traveled quite a bit outside in the past."

"After the village was raided by bandits years ago, I settled our people here partly to avoid the covetous eyes of the Miracle Lord and partly to prepare a retreat for our people."

"A retreat?"

"Sail away."

Uncle said, "Yatun Village is located in the Grey Rock Mountains, close to the southeastern coast. Just beyond lies the seaside city, 'Ancient City Xilu'en'."

"As long as we can get the people from here across and then set sail."

"That would be like a dragon entering the sea," Bailuo added to Uncle's words. "The sky's the limit!"

"Exactly."

Uncle had long become accustomed to Bailuo's occasional novel phrases.

The sea is vast, but because of the sparse land and population, the number of miracles is not significant.

The people of Yatun, with their small population, could develop anywhere at random.

Compared to the continent, islands are more suitable for them.

"You make a good point."

After careful consideration, Bailuo found Uncle's words to be true. Now that he had the Initial Sprout Holy Pouch, instead of fighting to the death with the Iron Eagle Kingdom, it was better to strategically retreat first.

Holding grains, they didn't need to worry about food at all.

"However, there are still many issues," Uncle said. "Fortunately, there's no rush. We should wait for Feiya to come back before making a decision."

"Hmm."

Then, Bailuo continued to consult with Uncle on major matters.

Uncle is very knowledgeable; he could answer all of Bailuo's questions, which greatly enlightened Bailuo's thought process.

Before they knew it, dawn was breaking.

"Let's call it here, Uncle."

Bailuo said, picking up the Initial Sprout Holy Pouch. With a smile, he added, "Next, we prepare breakfast for everyone."

"Dad, big brother, what are you two doing here?"

Inya's voice happened to come through. They turned to look and saw the girl sniffing around as if searching for something. "I think I smell food. Didn't you hide and eat something without me?"

Uncle: "..."

Bailuo: "..."

"Why aren't you speaking?"

Inya was just joking. They doted on her the most. Anything delicious was always saved for her. They couldn't possibly hide and eat without her. "I didn't guess right, did I?"

"..."

"Uncle."

After a moment of silence, Bailuo said to Uncle, "Yatun's future is worrisome."

"The girl is an exception. She belongs to the especially foolish kind."

"Is that so? Then I'm relieved."

The uncle and nephew's lament was lost on Inya. She was only thinking about breakfast. "What's for breakfast today? I'm hungry."