Sugar Cubes
There were a few special little families in this batch of slaves, those of the Black Tiger pirates who were no more. Leylin planned to integrate them into his people to fill up the population here. At the same time, they could be treated like hostages; any pirate that pledged his life to him at the start would no longer need to be doubted.
Without any major changes, the possibility of their betrayal was at their lowest.
‘When it comes to the accumulation of resources, plundering is truly the fastest method!’
Of all the resources this time, there was a special batch that was the spoils of war that Leylin would keep for himself. This included the crude sugar obtained on Half Merfolk Island, as well as items that were difficult to dispose of.
After all this privateering, it could be said that the basic conditions to build the production lines were already in place. The next step was to attempt to produce the items themselves. Had he used the normal method of having his family invest capital into the project, he would have to slowly buy slaves and make attempts to produce the product. He would have suffered difficulties even in the beginning!
“No matter what kind of production it is, privateering is the key part…”
Leylin sighed, “It’s a pity that after Marquis Louis’ organisation dispersed, I can’t go on being a pirate. After all, then I would be viewed as an enemy by many, and there would even be people who have formed grudges against me…”
Destruction and plunder easily gave rise to hatred. At the same time, it had the quickest results, which was why people could not give it up so easily. Leylin being able to make this decision showed his foresight and wisdom.
The pirates would not give up, and that led to the entire region of the sea being abandoned by merchants. Only massive growth of trade would serve as a source of wealth, which was why Leylin wanted to create a sugar and fish floss trade.
Of course, this did not mean that Leylin would disband the pirate group.
In reality, he had already thought of the alternate route for the Scarlet Tigers in the future. They would no longer engage in piracy, instead they would share their ill-gotten gains from collecting protection fees and naval escort services, for instance.
In essence, they would be taken from exploiting others openly, to exploiting them from the shadows.
Leylin was very ambitious! To do this, he had to first become the king of the outer seas, or at the very least, the king of the dark world and possess the power to draw up rules and regulations!
That would also be the rise of his power over the seas! If all went well, he might even be able to create a powerful country based on this sea!
Leylin would not reject the chance to gain power in the secular world. Rather, that was what he was working hard and making preparations for.
As the gods of this world needed the faith of mortals, especially for the newly-advanced gods, having a stable foundation for faith as well as their own territory was far too important. This was what could be relied on to protect and prevent the fall of their divine nation.
The gods were far-sighted. Leylin could not steal the followers of the old gods, because that would only result in a terrifying battle with a god!
His way would be to develop a new territory of his own, and expand the population to gain faith.
Any issues when it came to the time it would take was never a problem for gods.
Three ships steered away from the port under Jacob and the others’ watchful eyes. Leylin clapped his eyes, smiling at Jacob, “Alright! What happens next is our responsibility. How are things on your side?”
Jacob looked startled, “Please come with me!”
Leylin opened the wooden door to one of the little storehouses in the camp and was met with the smell of sea salt and fishiness.
There were rows of wooden frames inside, where a large quantity of fish floss were tightly sealed well in porcelain jars.
“Based on the method Young Master taught us, the fish floss we created can be kept for over a month. If we use this method of storing it, it can last for over half a year…”
Jacob sounded excited, “With this shelf life, we’ll be able to sell the fish floss to the continent…”
“Mm! The key now is to have a small profit but rapid turnover!” Leylin nodded.
Techniques to create fish floss were not all that meticulous. What was important now was upscaling and industrialising it, which would reduce costs.
Even so, there were a limited number of consumers. At the very least, Leylin could not place his hopes on the farmers and tenants in villages
All they could squeeze out of them was meagre, and they’d be happy if they just got to eat black bread.
Leylin’s target market lay in the larger cities. There were handicraft workers, free citizens, many adventurers and mercenaries, who Leylin were counting on.
The villages in the World of Gods were never places where wealth gathered. The cities were the only places with the greatest profits.
He didn’t need much. As long as he could break into a few cities near the shore, the profits alone would make Leylin smile brilliantly even in his dreams.
“As for the sugar refinery, due to the lack of acid and activated carbon that Young Master spoke of, we have only stockpiled a batch of raw materials in storage...”
Jacob brought Leylin to another warehouse. Sealed under dry conditions, the sugar was piled together, with some yellow and even black inside.
This was coarse sugar that was even slightly bitter. However, the bit of sweetness within was already a pretty good luxury for the nobles.
However, as this was the outer seas, the moisture in the air caused the white sugar to show signs of coagulating into clumps despite methods that attempted to rectify it.
“It doesn’t matter for now, since there will still be another process. The fine white sugar created after that will need even more attention though!”
This was the greatest wealth that Leylin had gotten for himself.
Fish floss would garner small profits but a rapid turnover and thus expand production. However, methods to refine white sugar would have to be kept a secret. This way, he had control over both high and low-end markets, and if he was lucky, this might be able to keep the Faulen Family rich for centuries!
Leylin was rather ambitious about this.
In his plans, this place would become the Faulen Island’s most important port, and even the core of the island!
Of course, before either of these two were developed, Leylin would keep all these plans deep inside his heart.
Though it looked more convenient and safer to plunder another island, Leylin was unperturbed.
The problem here was the feudal fiefdom!
In theory, the outer seas of the Dambrath Kingdom naturally belonged to the king. Once unclaimed lands were occupied, that would imply losing protection from the kingdom and would stir up hostility!
What would it imply, for the outer seas without land held by nobility, with no shrines, churches or priests?
Terrifying diseases could not be healed with divine spells, and could only be endured. People also had to deal with the ferocious natives and terrible climate.
In the deep seas, there were also numerous terrifying monsters, with some able to massacre a whole island!
Every year, the number of people who died while trying to break into the outer seas was a number that would cause one to tremble in fear.
Hence, as the Faulen Island had been cleared and cultivated, with a great port, people and church as foundations, it was inevitable that Viscount Tim coveted it.
However, Leylin had long since treated Faulen Island as his own, which determined the pitiful fate of the poor Viscount.
“Jacob, send down the order to give the slaves another meal tonight. We begin training tomorrow, where we are going to prepare the selected outstanding artisans to take part in the production. The rest of the slaves will extend the camp. Whatever it is, we can’t have them idle!”
The method to create fish floss was extremely simple, but the method to refining sugar was something Leylin was planning to keep a secret for a few years. While he would be left with no choice but to hand over the techniques later, the immense profits before that happen were going to be terrifying.
Leylin was already planning to sternly exercise control over the artisans, and even set out individual residential areas that would be monitored.
Leylin was the worthy master of this land. Once he made a decision like this, it would be enforced without question.
When Baron Jonas arrived, what he saw was an area buzzing with activity.
“Such a huge camp with so many slaves, wouldn’t that cost thousands of gold coins?”
Baron Jonas walked along the streets in disbelief, carefully sizing up the camp. The ground was tidy, and there were spaces at both sides meant for shops, blacksmith stores and tailor stores. It was clear that Leylin had planned this out very carefully, and had built this place up like a little town.
“Yes, master! To create this camp and purchase the slaves, it would be possibly only if we invest months of profit from our entire port...”
Leon’s eyes betrayed his shock, especially after he saw the many slaves being managed by Leylin in such a clear and orderly fashion. His eyes flashed and he looked on speechlessly.
Only he, as the main housekeeper, knew how difficult it was to tame so many natives!
The young master, who was able to do this, was truly the treasured child of the gods!
At this thought, Leon could not help but to say a prayer.
But this was just the start. After seeing the completed product that Leylin spoke of, Baron Jonas and Leon were even more shocked.
“Is this… truly cane sugar?”
Eyeing the snow white sparkling cubes that were reflective like mirrors, Baron Jonas picked up a cube in disbelief.
Such a translucent luster was mind-blowing to him, “It’s too- too beautiful! It’s like a crystal. This is a work of art!”
Baron Jonas mumbled as he tossed it into his mouth, and a sweetness then exploded in his mouth.
Such a sweet taste caused Baron Jonas to be so moved that he could not even speak.
“I can tell you for sure…” After a long while, Baron Jonas huffed out, “The sugar cubes will definitely be a luxury that the nobility long for. Without it, those extravagant banquets will lose much splendour…”
“You are right, Father!” Standing at the side, Leylin revealed a smile.