Chapter235

It was a pity that the Chrysanthemum Kingdom was already one of the commercial zones of the Plumera Royal Merchant Headquarters. The most famous local specialties had already been seen by Elara at the Plumera merchant guild, and they had already spread into Plumera.

So after exploring the northeastern regions of the Chrysanthemum Capital, Elara and Mr. Gong found nothing among the local specialties that caught their interest.

However, in the most remote corner of the eastern district, they discovered a humble street craftsman shaping people and animals out of clay.

The craftsman's skill was impressive. The figures he made looked vivid and lifelike. He also knew how to fire the clay, and his technique for strengthening the material was strong. With some further training, he could probably create all sorts of fine porcelain.

But since he was in a difficult situation, he only had access to regular clay and lacked extra materials or techniques to add color. The officials and wealthy people of the northeastern district weren't interested in him, so he could only sell a few clay toys now and then to children in this remote spot.

Elara stood in front of his small stall for a long time. She really wanted to sign him, but she wasn't heading back to the city yet. The place she needed to go was still far away, and there were still many things to do. It wasn't convenient to bring someone along now.

So in the end, she just bought a few of his best porcelain figurines and gave him some deposit money, asking him to make a batch of porcelain items she wanted to try out.

If she passed by here again in two months when returning to the city and saw him, she would sign him and bring him to Plumera.

If she didn't return this way, the craftsman could sell that batch of porcelain himself or take them to Plumera to find her.

They had seen enough of the Chrysanthemum Capital. Elara and her group went back to the inn to rest for the night, replenish some supplies, and prepare to leave for Sargassum the next day.

Two more days later, when they finally stepped into the borders of Sargassum, it was already noon on the sixth day of their journey.

The moment they entered Sargassum, they were met with endless dry white saline-alkali land.

In her previous life, Elara had only seen this kind of vast and harsh saline land a few times. As she led the trade caravan forward, she noticed that the wind carried heavy salt particles. Without timely hydration, even skin could start to wrinkle from exposure.

But as they moved further into Sargassum, Elara noticed that the ground, which should have worsened in salinity, was now covered with black alum and phosphogypsum—substances that help neutralize saline-alkali soil.

She dismounted and picked up some of the material to examine it closely. Her brows lifted slightly, and a smile appeared in her eyes.

This was exactly the method she had once shared with Francis when discussing how to treat saline-alkali land.

It seemed that after returning, he had immediately ordered someone to test it out and then acquired a large quantity of black alum and phosphogypsum to cover the land on a large scale.

These substances had started to take effect, reducing the severity of the saline soil. It hadn't worsened.

But the powder had clearly only been spread for a few months. The time was still too short to bring major changes to the severe salinization, so the area around remained barren, with no vegetation or people in sight.

There were no cities or towns nearby, just bare land with high salt content. Elara and her group didn't stop. They kept moving through Sargassum and traveled for another full day before finally reaching the easternmost part of the country where some greenery returned—Sargassum's capital city.

As the founding base of the Plumera Royal Merchant Headquarters, Sargassum wasn't strong in military power, but its economy was very prosperous. It had reached the level of a third-tier major nation, even more advanced than Plumera in some ways.

The Dahlia Kingdom ruled by the Empress of Carnation also had extensive trade relations with the Plumera merchant network.

As a third-tier male-dominated medium country, the capital city of Sargassum was just as bustling as expected.

After entering the capital city of Sargassum, Elara finally let out a long breath. She felt the air was much clearer and more refreshing.

The day before, she had crossed most of Sargassum. The ground all around was high-salinity rock, and she was covered in salty mineral dust. It was even more uncomfortable than rolling around in sand.

After leading the caravan into the city, Elara didn't go exploring right away. She first found a big inn to stay in, took a bath, and washed off all the salt from her body. After changing into a new set of clothes, she stepped out feeling refreshed.

Their caravan of two hundred people didn't attract much attention in the capital of Sargassum.

Sargassum had a strong trade network and was home to the massive merchant group that connected over a dozen nearby countries. In the capital, it was common to see caravans from other nations hauling long, heavy goods to trade in the markets.

Elara leaned against the window of her private room and watched the busy streets below. When Uno, Mr. Gong, and Emory had also washed up and changed clothes, she asked the attendant to take the two hundred shadow guards to enjoy a good meal and some rest. Then she brought Uno and the other two to a large restaurant in the city.

They ordered a full table of dishes made with spices passed down through the merchant group and served in this place. Elara perked up her ears, ready to listen in and gather news about Sargassum.

Just after eating two dishes and before she could even begin asking questions, Elara overheard a middle-aged man in fine clothing pounding on a table while loudly talking about recent big events in Sargassum.

"Hey! Leif has really been blessed by the heavens lately! Two months ago, one of his household guests told him a method to save the dead salt lands of our Sargassum. He brought in all kinds of strange materials like 'black alum' and 'phosphogypsum,' spread them across the salt lands in the west, and it actually worked! After reporting it to His Majesty, he was immediately made our country's first non-royal duke. What a leap!"

"Half a month ago, Leif even became sworn brothers with a duke from Salvia Kingdom, a third-tier nation in the north. He also bought a huge amount of stored grain from Salvia at a very low price to help with disaster relief in the western region of Sargassum!"

"That's a great deed! Leif's actions earned him personal praise from His Majesty of Sargassum. Even the ruler of Salvia admired it and promised to recommend Sargassum to their suzerain kingdom!"

The man got more excited as he spoke. His eyes widened, and he waved his arms around.

"Salvia is already a third-tier kingdom. Its suzerain is one of the rare second-tier nations in the southwest part of the continent!"

"If Sargassum gains favor from Salvia's suzerain because of this, then Leif would truly become the greatest hero of our time!"

Others nearby also joined in. Their mouths were full of praise for Leif, and they spoke one flattering word after another, as if he were some kind of savior.

In the midst of all this praise, Elara heard someone else say, "Hey? I heard that while Salvia is willing to recommend us to its suzerain, there's a condition, right?"

"Yes! Salvia has an elder princess, the current ruler's aunt. She raised the ruler when he was young, so their bond is extremely close, almost like mother and son!"

"That elder princess is already fifty-nine this year. She enjoys the full favor of the court, and lacks neither wealth, power, nor fame. But it's said she doesn't care for fine clothes or makeup. She only likes handsome men! So when she heard that Sargassum has a certain… well, you all know, that person…"