Chapter112

As soon as Elara spoke, Erwil let out another soft chuckle but didn't open his mouth to respond.

Could he really say his friend came here just to escape the pressure from the royal family to marry? He didn't want to truly upset his friend, so he only smiled and stayed quiet.

"I originally planned to wander around nearby states, but when I reached the border, I heard the Plumera Kingdom's trade route in Marigold County had been destroyed. Transporting goods became difficult. Since Leif had never been to Marigold County, I decided to escort the goods here together with him."

Leif's voice, like others', was gentle and smooth, very pleasant to hear. His tone remained calm and natural. He didn't point out the chaos inside the Plumera Kingdom, only stated the truth about the transport issue.

Even if he had intended something more, Elara didn't care. After all, the Plumera Kingdom truly was in chaos right now.

"So the young master came to see me just to talk about the goods you brought?"

Leif answered plainly, "Yes."

Elara looked at his delicate and attractive features and smiled slightly as she asked on purpose, "Then what exactly is in this shipment?"

As she spoke, she had System 92 pull up any known information about the Sargassum State.

This business deal came suddenly, but she could still talk while gathering intel and planning how to reach her goals.

Know yourself and your opponent, and you will never lose.

Understanding the basics of the other country was a key to successful negotiation.

[Sargassum State]

[National Tier: Third Class]

[Ruler Gender: Male-dominated]

[Government: Ancient feudal system (similar)]

[Military Strength: Twice that of Plumera]

[Economic Strength: Seven times Plumera's]

[Land Area: About 465,000 square kilometers]

[Location: Entirely in the southwest corner of the continent]

[State Status: Stable regime, developed commerce, ample treasury. However, due to excess salt mines, the land has high salinity, causing widespread alkaline soil. Farming is very poor. People are not short on money but lack food.]

[Key Leaders: Emperor Yueshang of Sargassum, Crown Prince Jiang, and other royal bloodline members (click to view faction details)]

[Vassal States: None]

[Overlord State: Leans toward Bluebell State (Second Class Matriarchy)]

[Other: To be explored]

System 92's data was becoming more detailed. The numbers for military and economy were now measured directly using Plumera as a base.

Heh, using Plumera's stats as the default unit of measurement… Elara gave a cold, faint smile. At least it made it easier for her to grasp the situation clearly.

Overall, Sargassum was economically strong among third-tier states, but its military was relatively weak. That was largely due to the abundance of salt mines.

Too many salt mines and salt fields, and without any advanced methods to process or control the salt, large parts of the country became saline-alkali wastelands.

Saline-alkali land was a nightmare for farming.

The salt concentration in the soil was so high that most crops couldn't grow and would die quickly. Even regular grass and trees could barely survive.

People who lived long-term on such soil would suffer serious health problems from poor water quality and other issues.

It was a classic case of gain and loss. The wealth from salt had made them rich but cost them most of their farmland, causing food shortages and a declining population.

The salt problem had to be the biggest burden for Sargassum right now.

Thinking about how they had too much salt while Plumera didn't even have one salt field, Elara sighed inwardly. It really was feast or famine, nothing in between.

[System, pull up a topographic map of Sargassum for me.]

[Yes, Master.]

While Elara quietly reviewed the data in her mind, Leif blinked his long lashes as he looked at the calm and beautiful woman across from him.

She had executed Gao Qiong and seized his estate, so surely she had cleared all the accounts too. He didn't believe she really didn't know what he was selling. She was just playing along.

"It's salt," Leif still answered.

Elara picked up her teacup and took a sip, then nodded. She asked again on purpose, "Only salt?"

Before Leif could respond, she looked up at him and said in a relaxed voice, "That reminds me, I forgot to ask. Two months ago was the flood season. I assume the mother river of Sargassum, the Bidai River, must have flooded again. The floods likely affected several cities along the lower reaches, near Plumera and the Bluebell border. Especially those farmlands that had just been planted. Once flooded, they might never be suitable for farming again."

Negotiation and business talk weren't that different. Before making an offer, she liked to grab hold of the opponent's weak point, control the rhythm, then discuss benefits slowly.

Of course, Elara was someone who valued principles. When she said to hold the opponent's weak point, she didn't mean using dirty tricks or threats.

She preferred peaceful, mutually beneficial talks. As long as the other party didn't play dirty, she wouldn't either.

But the moment she pointed out Sargassum's biggest current problem, Erwil and Leif both showed a subtle change in expression. They each had their own guesses about why she brought it up.

Erwil narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at her. Leif, on the other hand, kept a calm and clear gaze.

"Your Highness is far away in Plumera, yet you seem to understand Sargassum quite well."

Leif's voice remained even. He didn't sound upset at all that she had mentioned their biggest trouble. Floods were major events. Anyone could learn of them with some effort. Still, there was a bit of probing in his tone.

Elara smiled, lifted her teacup to toast them both, then sipped before chuckling softly.

"No need to overthink it. I can barely manage things here in Marigold County. How could I have time to worry about other states? What I said just now was only speculation. Since Sargassum produces so much salt and its mines and fields cover half the land, it's easy to imagine that a heavy storm would wash away the salt into the soil, damaging farmland."

"Also, the Bidai River collects nearly all the small rivers across Sargassum. It has a large volume and flows mostly through mountainous regions with steep slopes. Yet its lower course narrows sharply and twists like a maze."

"In this setup, once flood season arrives and rain pours down, the river collects it all and turns into a major flood. When it reaches the narrow lower section, it overflows, breaking through the banks and flooding everything around it."

She spoke as she took another sip of tea to soothe her throat.

Her words, though few, precisely explained the cause of the annual floods. Leif and Erwil now looked at her differently.

Erwil smiled again and raised his cup in a toast, "Your Highness is truly knowledgeable."

Elara shook her head with a smile. "I haven't even gotten to the key point yet."

The two men glanced at each other. "Then we're all ears."

Elara glanced at them. "Since you want to hear it, I'll share a few more thoughts."

"Each time the Bidai River floods, the biggest issue isn't just the flood itself. It's that the land it washes over becomes useless for farming."

"Yes." This time, Leif responded right away.

His overly handsome features looked even fairer under the warm sunlight pouring through the window. His amber eyes were fixed steadily on Elara, reflecting her image clearly. That focused gaze, along with his clear eyes, made it seem like she was the only thing in his world at that moment.

"Since Your Highness understands so well, may I ask what you believe the reason is?"

The biggest issue after every Bidai River flood was that the land it passed could no longer grow crops. Sargassum's best minds had been trying to figure it out for a long time and had only recently made progress. But Leif wanted to hear what this eloquent and insightful woman had to say.

Somehow, he believed she would know.

Elara smiled and didn't hesitate. "It's simple. Just think about the name 'Bidai.' Whether it's 'Bi' or 'Dai,' both suggest beautiful blue-green hues. That tells us the river must be incredibly clear and lovely. But sadly, its beauty is poisonous. Normal river water wouldn't have such a strong color unless the salt content was very high."

"And since Bidai is the mother river of Sargassum, crossing almost the entire land, it would naturally collect salt from everywhere, increasing its own salinity."