Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 654 The Secrets of Silkworm Raising

"Although sea silkworms are produced at sea, they do not actually live in water."

On their second audience with the emperor, the two envoys from the sea tribe were noticeably more relaxed. Before Harvey could even ask any questions, they laid out all the details about their tribe's special products.

"That's right. After sea silkworm eggs hatch in the sea, the larvae will instinctively climb onto coral reefs, shrink into the crevices of the rocks, feed on seaweed and moss, and spin silk to form cocoons."

Upton pointed to his brightly colored silk robe and explained with a touch of pride, "So our people don't need to bother raising and domesticating them at all. They just need to go to the islands and reefs to collect the silk cocoons after they emerge from their cocoons and return to the sea to lay their eggs... This is like a gift from the sea god to the sea creatures."

It turns out to be a gift from nature... it doesn't need to be artificially raised at all.

Harvey nodded somewhat disappointedly, realizing that his plan to extract breeding techniques from the other party had failed. He sighed and said, "I originally intended to consult the two envoys about the issue of ice silkworm breeding in the northern border of our country..."

He then patiently explained to Zaka and Upton how artificially hatching Northern Ice Silkworms always resulted in a large number of deaths during the larval development stage.

After the implementation of the new currency law, the kingdom's commercial market and import and export trade will soon usher in a period of explosive growth. With the complete liberalization of the sales rights of agricultural and sideline products other than grain, it will inevitably lead to the vigorous development of light industry.

Even today, the consumer goods industry in Saint-Valen and the North is still in its infancy... Whether it is textiles, daily necessities manufacturing, salt, sugar, spices and tobacco processing, it still relies on a few large chambers of commerce that cooperate closely to import from abroad.

The textile industry has been particularly slow to develop. Basic raw materials such as cotton and flax are entirely imported from countries like Orland in the western borderlands. More luxurious and expensive silk products are partly sourced from Pharos and partly from the elves of the Golden Forest in the eastern borderlands.

Food, clothing, housing, and transportation are the essential foundations of national economy and people's livelihood, and are also a powerful support for improving national happiness and stabilizing people's hearts. Harvey spent several years working hard to solve three of these problems... so naturally he would not choose to give up on the issue of "clothing".

After a moment's consideration, Zaka stood up and patted his chest, saying, "Your Majesty need not worry. Although our people have no experience in raising sea silkworms, through long-term observation and collection, we have managed to grasp some of the secrets of silkworm growth... If you do not mind, please allow us to visit your ice silkworm farm. Perhaps we can offer some useful advice to your ministers."

Ever since Harvey agreed to sell the ships to the sea people, the delegation that had traveled thousands of miles to the northern border had been caught in a long wait. Even with all the shipbuilding materials available, it would take at least a month to complete the welding, assembly, and internal outfitting of the five brand-new ironclad ships. The long wait made him restless, fearing that the emperor might suddenly change his mind... Now that the other party suddenly needed his help, he naturally couldn't wait to demonstrate his value and add some goodwill to the deal.

……

Anbich waited anxiously at the ice silkworm breeding farm for most of the day, and finally Ash arrived... along with two sea creature "experts" appointed by His Majesty the Emperor.

Inside the spacious shed, large numbers of dead silkworms could be seen everywhere. The unprocessed insect carcasses were being collected by workers with shovels, to be transported to the neighboring poultry farm as feed the next day.

The tragic scene immediately silenced the three who had just arrived, before they could even exchange pleasantries.

"How could this happen?" "Whether it's the breeding environment, temperature, or food... we try our best to replicate the growth of wild ice silkworms, but every time the larvae hatch, a large number of them die quickly. Only less than 10% can barely survive, and the quality of the silk cocoons produced afterward is far inferior to those picked from the wild."

Upton slid his arms around the area, bent down, picked up a finger-sized ice silkworm corpse, and examined it closely.

"They are indeed very similar to sea silkworms in some ways, but unlike ordinary silkworms, they do not have a pair of eyes. Instead, they rely entirely on their sense of smell and skin to sense movement."

Anbic forced himself not to look away from the "expert's" slippery octopus tentacles, and gave a wry smile as he raised a thumb in praise, "Your observation skills are indeed amazing, and you have a great understanding of the nature of silkworms."

Ice silkworms are indeed quite different from the common silkworms found in the Southern Territory. The difference is not only that the silk they produce is of excellent quality, and the robes made from it are not only soft and comfortable, but also have the magical property of being warm in winter and cool in summer... The most important point is that they are most active at night, while during the day they will curl up in the cool corners of the breeding farm and remain motionless, and will not eat at all.

This alone leaves many experienced silkworm farmers hired by the Ministry of Agriculture completely baffled. They not only have to work day and night, but they also have to be especially careful when taking care of these shade-loving and cold-resistant silkworms, as they are prone to a wave of devastating "mass deaths".

"What about the feed? Is the same kind of food that you provide for the silkworms that they normally forage for in the wild?"

Anbich quickly replied, "Of course, although ice silkworms are nocturnal, their daily diet is the same as that of ordinary silkworms. We have selected their favorite mulberry trees from the wasteland, and we have not only transplanted a large area to the Royal Capital Farm, but also provide freshly picked mulberry leaves every evening."

Having gone to such lengths, he still couldn't manage these silkworms. The shepherd knight felt as if he had encountered the biggest Waterloo of his career, which was even more troublesome than raising the tens of millions of precious energy-absorbing beetles that His Majesty was raising.

Zaka sniffed a few times and found that in this seemingly well-lit and well-ventilated farm, there was not a trace of silkworm droppings or rotten mulberry leaves. The hardened and flat ground was obviously washed and cleaned frequently, making it much cleaner than those poultry and livestock farms.

Perhaps... that's where the problem lies.

He and his companion Upton exchanged a glance and immediately realized that they both understood the key point.

"It's too clean! The environment here is not set up according to the wild survival environment of the ice silkworms at all. Forgive me for speaking frankly... When my clan was observing sea silkworms, we discovered an interesting phenomenon: the larvae that hatch and come ashore are forced to eat faster because of certain bird predators on the coral reefs, in order to form a cocoon as soon as possible to survive."

The breeding farm in front of them is a completely unnatural artificial paradise for these weak larvae, where they are fed without any care... Moreover, excessive cleaning, lighting, and ventilation will cause them to lose much of their original wild immunity, and they will die in large numbers if anything goes wrong.

"Really... is that the reason?" Anbich was stunned by what he was told, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses before he excitedly said, "I will carefully consider the suggestions you all made, and immediately arrange for a batch of newly hatched larvae to be used for experiments!"

(End of this chapter)