Chapter 15: Sea Salt Like Snow is Worth More Than Gold

As the fully loaded fishing boats gradually approached the shore, old Ford, who had been standing on the rocky coast anxiously waiting, was already in tears...

Why was his lord always so reckless?

When he first heard the news that Count Bruno had sailed away, he nearly fainted on the spot—what a disaster!

Fortunately, after enduring countless reckless acts from his lord over the years, old Ford had built up some resilience. As long as the shock wasn't too overwhelming, he could manage to stay conscious.

As soon as the boat reached the shore, Bruno leaped off and landed steadily.

"Old steward... I left in a hurry and forgot to inform you," Bruno said, feeling somewhat apologetic toward the elderly man in front of him.

"As long as my lord returns safely, that is all that matters. However... that Lopida is always misleading you. Surely, he must have tricked you into this fishing trip as well! This man is truly detestable. My lord, you must punish him severely..." Old Ford shot a fierce glare at the head-down, guilty-looking Lopida behind Bruno.

Lopida was still dizzy from the churning waves of the sea, but upon hearing the steward call his name, he immediately sobered up a little and hurriedly defended himself, "Steward, this really has nothing to do with me..."

"That's right!" Bruno immediately interjected, "Lopida did make some mistakes, and I will surely reprimand him later. But... since we actually managed to catch a large haul of fish, I'll let it slide this time."

"You caught fish?" Old Ford was taken aback.

"Of course! The deck is full of them," Bruno said, gesturing toward the fishing boat behind him.

Previously, old Ford had been too preoccupied with scolding Bruno to notice the cargo on the boat. Now, with Bruno pointing it out, he finally saw the piles of fish stacked on the deck.

His eyes widened in shock, filled with disbelief.

"This... how is this possible..."

"All thanks to lopida's idea!" Bruno said with a sly smile, patting lopida on the shoulder.

lopida's body stiffened, and he quickly responded, "This was all my lord's doing!"

Old Ford had no time for their mutual flattery. His attention was entirely focused on the fish. An entire boatload of fish—was fishing really this easy?

He had always heard that catching fish depended on the blessings of the sea god!

So in his mind, fishing should not have been such a simple task...

"What are you waiting for? Hurry and unload these fish!" Old Ford's voice trembled as he ordered the serfs to move the piles of fish onto the shore.

The serfs waiting at the dock had been itching to do just that. As soon as the words left old Ford's mouth, they rushed forward eagerly. After all, when had they ever seen so much food?

"Is there some sort of technique to fishing?" Old Ford finally came to his senses and asked.

"Of course there is. This time, I've decided to have lopida stay behind and oversee all fishing operations," Bruno replied.

"That's wonderful news! If every fishing trip can bring in this much fish, then food shortages will no longer be a problem," old Ford said approvingly.

Meanwhile, lopida was feeling both honored and terrified.

Being entrusted with such an important task filled him with pride. However, the thought of the sea's waves and turbulence made him shudder in fear.

"Since my lord has given me this opportunity, I will do my utmost!" lopida forced himself to say, though his heart was full of dread.

Now that they had returned to shore, Bruno didn't need to worry about the rest. The serfs would handle unloading the fish, sorting them, salting them, or drying them as needed. Regardless of the method, these seafood hauls would soon become an essential food source for Idar.

"Let's go check out the salt fields," Bruno suddenly suggested as they walked along.

Having addressed the food supply issue, it was time to think about finances. After all, sea salt was Idar's most crucial source of revenue, and Bruno wanted to see it for himself.

"I will lead the way," old Ford offered.

As Idar's steward, he had always managed the domain's finances personally. Naturally, he was very familiar with the salt fields.

The salt fields weren't far from the dock; a short walk was all it took.

Salt production required a huge workforce, and even from a distance, one could hear the clamor of laborers.

The method used in this world for extracting salt from seawater was still quite primitive, not much different from ancient Chinese techniques—it involved boiling seawater.

While boiling and sun-drying might sound similar, the actual processes were vastly different.

Boiling salt required extensive labor. Some workers had to fetch seawater, while others had to chop firewood and keep the fires burning to evaporate the water. After repeated boiling, only small amounts of salt could be obtained.

Because of the enormous effort and resources required, high-quality salt was often considered as valuable as gold. A small bucket of salt could be worth an entire house, making it an extremely valuable commodity.

As for sun-dried salt... it seemed that this method had yet to be discovered in this world.

However, Bruno knew about it well. After all, it was part of basic high school education—it even showed up in exams.

But...

"Old Ford, within Idar's territory, is there a place with stronger sunlight than this?"

The steward thought for a moment before responding, "Yes. About several dozen miles south of here, there's a coastal tidal flat with no cliffs or reefs blocking the sun. It's completely uninhabited."

Bruno couldn't help but grin. This was exactly what he needed! "Really? That's a perfect spot for sun-dried salt production!"

"Sun... sun-dried salt?" Old Ford was stunned for a moment. What new idea was his lord coming up with now?

In just a few days, Bruno had completely shaken up his world.

Before, his lord's reckless behavior had always been pure wastefulness, bringing no benefit to Idar whatsoever.

But now, his seemingly wild actions were actually improving the territory.

Just before Bruno returned, old Ford had received a letter from Idar City. According to the report, under Shabi's management, the city's conditions had significantly improved—though not completely transformed, at least people no longer had to worry about stepping in waste whenever they left their homes.

And now, Bruno's journey out of the city had not only resulted in a large harvest of seaweed but also an abundant catch of fish and shrimp, significantly bolstering the territory's food supply.

Although all of this seemed to stem from Bruno's grand, extravagant ambition to build a floating garden…

Old Ford was still genuinely pleased.

After all, the Idar domain was finally beginning to show signs of vitality.