Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.
Chapter 307: The Flower Sea of Rothen Canyon and the Territory Honey Industry
Chapter 307: The Flower Sea of Rothen Canyon and the Territory Honey Industry
If the professions and groups associated with Moonlight Heart are rural doctors and night watchmen, then Stoneskin Pumpkin corresponds to stonemasons and wall guards.
The Frost Whispering Pea corresponds to the mountain tribe and the noble steward.
After introducing the first two plants, Fandral continued, "The Frostwhisper peas we brought back aren't ideal for cultivation right now. They only grow near the snow line at high altitudes, relying on the temperature difference between day and night to form a magic circuit in their pods."
"We have to rely on mountain shepherds to climb the mountains to plant these plants, or we can hand them over to the dwarves to cultivate them widely. If we move them to the current warmer areas, they will degenerate into ordinary peas and lose their extraordinary magical properties."
This was the first of the plants Phyllis had given her that she couldn't grow. Su Li asked with concern, "What's the effect of this Frost Whisper Pea?"
"It has many benefits. When the pods mature, natural ice crystals condense on the surface, making the beans translucent like frozen mist. When you chew them, you briefly exhale a chilling air from your mouth. Placing the pods in a cellar can delay the spoilage of stored food by three times, making it extremely valuable for the nobility in preserving fresh fruits and vegetables during the winter."
"Also, its bean husk fibers can be woven into curtains and wall coverings, which can block out the sounds of ordinary people. They are extremely useful in the castle's spy room or the delivery room of Shalya Hospital."
That's fine. So, there's really no rush to plant the Frostwhisper peas. Just find a Highland Tribe to plant them before autumn. They're quite picky about growing conditions, and like the Tranquility Flower, they need a specific environment to thrive naturally.
The yield of this thing will not be too large, but fortunately the Hesse Territory is vast enough, so it can be used by planting it slowly.
Su Li then asked, "What is the effect of the last plant, the Traveler Onion?"
Fandral smiled and shook his head, saying, "My Lord, this is not the last extraordinary vegetable."
"Huh?" Su Li raised his eyebrows and asked, "What does this mean?"
"The Traveler's Onion is indeed one of the four extraordinary vegetables Prince Phyllis gifted us. Its bulb is layered like a miniature spiral staircase, with each layer engraved with a different geographical symbol (mountains, rivers, deserts, etc.). This is because it must grow within the caravan, absorbing moisture from different regions. The effect is that when the outer layer is peeled back, the current outermost symbol can point to the safest water source nearby."
"This plant is undoubtedly suitable for caravans and explorers. However, if used for war reconnaissance, it will be cursed by Rhea. The onion will quickly rot and emit a foul odor, causing large amounts of grain to mold."
Su Li heard this and felt that the scope of use of the latter two plants was quite targeted and not very universal. They could only be sold to some wealthy people as some kind of precious extraordinary plants to make a fortune.
While he was thinking, Fandral continued, "When we were next to Mar-a-Lago this time, while you were out sightseeing, I also visited the Emerald Academy and applied to purchase a new extraordinary plant from them."
"It's called the Emberroot Leek. It's a widely cultivated plant cultivated by the Emerald Academy. Its growing conditions aren't particularly demanding, and its yield is extremely high. As long as volcanic ash is mixed into the soil, it will absorb the embers of the fire and grow rapidly."
"As long as the vitality of the volcanic ash remains, you can harvest leeks over and over again. Each harvest will quickly produce a new crop. And within three hours of consuming it, you'll gain night vision, allowing you to see clearly even in the dark. It can also be used as a fire prevention diet for miners' families."
This cinderroot leek can obviously greatly improve the production capacity of miners. They are mainly suitable for miners, thieves and adventurers.
Su Li asked in surprise, "The Jade Academy actually has such strong scientific research capabilities? This extraordinary plant doesn't require a harsh growing environment, and its yield is enormous. So there must be some side effects, right?"
Su Li had long been familiar with the style of this world.
If something is perfect in every aspect, then there must be some huge hidden flaw.
Fandral's smile froze, and he quickly defended himself, "You know, even the Emerald Academy's research sometimes goes awry, leading to absurd designs. Although the growing conditions and yield of this Cinderroot Leek have been greatly improved,... it can't be consumed in large quantities. Eating too much every day will cause sulfur crystals to form in the lungs, and sparks will be emitted when coughing. Of course, the Emerald Academy has firmly assured us that consuming less than one ounce of it daily will reduce the mortality rate by 1%!"
Su Li was very upset and asked, "If this thing can't be eaten in large quantities, what's the point of having such a large output?"
It is difficult for Fandral to be as confident as when the Emerald Academy first introduced it to him.
At that time, the druid from the Jade Academy asked confidently and aggressively, "Just tell me whether the production volume is high and whether the production conditions are normal. Don't worry about whether it's edible or not!"
Fandral could only cautiously say, "Since the requirements aren't too demanding, let's just plant them first. At least if we eat a few less trees every day, the miners' production speed will be greatly increased. It's also said to improve male sexual function and increase libido."
Then plant it!
It's definitely not to make men more passionate, but mainly because Su Li has to consider the safety of the miners. Being able to see at night can reduce a lot of trouble and danger!
But no matter what, once these extraordinary vegetables are planted, the strength of the territory will be improved in all aspects.
Su Li looked down at the bottom of Bjorn Bay. After this place was transformed into a holy place, even the wind blowing through seemed to be exceptionally warm. In this climate, the entire land looked exceptionally fertile, and the crops on it grew lushly. Various wheat fields, vegetables, hemp, cotton and the like grew very vigorously, and each piece was neatly connected to each other, destined to usher in a good harvest.
Su Li asked, "How is the development going here this year?"
Bjorn Bay is a major project. According to the irrigation scale of Lake Raveling and the wetlands drained by the water conservancy facilities, the arable land that can be developed here is at least 30 miles wide, equivalent to about 337500 acres of land.
But up to now, the land developed in Hesse Territory is only hundreds of thousands of acres, and there is still at least half of the development potential.
Fandral immediately said, "Our farming has been going very smoothly this year. With all the agricultural machinery we have, we've quickly completed sowing the existing farmland. Our previous fertile farmland was 173000 mu, and after this spring's development, it has been successfully expanded to 212000 mu."
212000 mu is equivalent to 2120 hectares of fertile farmland. No matter what, the scale of land currently owned by Lord Su Li is comparable to that of the two major landlords in the Central Plains Dynasty.
With another round of reclamation in summer and winter, it should not be difficult to realize the plan of 2500 hectares of fertile land this year.
Su Li then asked, "How many kilograms of grain do you estimate you can produce this year?"
Fandral assured confidently, "This harvest season, we will definitely realize our vision of a granary for the border. Of these 2120 hectares, two-thirds will be planted with staple foods like wheat and soybeans, and the remaining one-third will be planted with vegetables and cash crops."
"You've activated the Breath of Harvest. This year's wheat harvest will yield at least 300 kilograms per mu. Based on this calculation, a conservative estimate is 25000 tons of grain revenue. This alone will bring us 5000 gold crowns."
The 5000 gold crowns refer to the output value of these grains, and it is estimated that only about 2/3 of them were actually sold.
But you have to know that all this food belongs to Su Li alone. It is the value created for him by the slaves. In fact, even those that are consumed are still considered the wealth of the territory. It is just that they are converted into military expenses by being sold abroad.
This means that this year's farming income has finally paid off, with more than 15000 yuan coming in from grain alone.
This is a very impressive number. Even in Maleburg, someone who can produce 15000 gold crowns would make him an extremely wealthy businessman.
But the situation goes far beyond that. Vandal continued, "Our remaining vegetables and cash crops are the main source of income this year. Compared to last year, the increase in our staple food production is actually relatively limited. This is because last year, the vast majority of our land was used to grow staple food, but this year, the proportion is only two-thirds. The remaining one-third is used to improve our diet and life."
"This means that our territory has shifted from satisfying the most basic needs of survival to living a better life and eating more abundantly. Undoubtedly, the rise of a large number of new knight families and manor owners has provided a sufficient market for all of this. They are able to consume more vegetables, fruits, cheese, and other higher-value foods."
"We estimate that after this spring, the income from Bjorn's Bay will be no less than 9000 gold crowns."
On average, that means an income of 3000 gold crowns per month?
This is indeed a good result, and it has solved one-third of the territory's finances.
But Fandral is responsible for much more than just the agriculture in Bjorn Bay. He is also the Minister of Agriculture of the territory and the Patriarch of the Church of the Goddess of Dawn. He is responsible for guiding the agriculture of the entire territory.
So after reporting this, he went on to say: "Of course, the agricultural achievements of the territory are far more than this. In addition, the output of our territory's specialties, amethyst vineyards, rose star dew, medicinal herbs and spices have all been increased." When you count them up like this, the territory's specialties are indeed quite a few.
Su Li then said, "Let's go and take a look at all these specialties. Let's go to Roteng Canyon first."
The only way to reach the Rose Dew Orchard is through Rothen Gorge. This mountain road, traversing the ridge, transforms its slopes into a vibrant sea of flowers in spring, summer, and autumn. This scene greatly pleases the goddess of dawn, and so it has become a small, though not quite holy, sanctuary of dawn.
These flowers provide nectar for the numerous beehives lined up on the edge of the hillside. The Church of Dawn has sent a Dawn Sister with more than 30 beekeepers to take care of these hives.
Su Li stopped and looked at the beehive for a while, then Fandral summoned the nun here and introduced her to Su Li: "My Lord, this is the nun in charge of Rothen Canyon, Ms. Hippolyta Doorlight. Let us ask her to introduce the situation in Rothen Canyon to you."
Most priestesses of the Church of the Dawn come from humble beginnings and are drawn to the path of the Rhea priesthood through a natural affinity for animals, a knack for plant care, or a strong sense of responsibility to care for young people and expectant mothers. They are part of the community, marrying and raising children, while also helping with the daily tasks of village life. They often have large families, and many Rhea priestesses inherit this mission from their parents.
The same is true for Sister Hippolyta, a nun of the Church of Dawn and also the village chief of Khokhlov Village in Rothen Canyon. Her clothes are not gorgeous, but are obviously made of rags. She also carries many cloth bags and tools around her waist. At first glance, she is a kind elder who is proficient in agriculture and animal husbandry.
She had no fear of Lord Su Li, and upon being summoned, she calmly began to introduce herself: "Lord, we have a total of 430 beehives in Rothen Canyon. Due to the abundant pollen provided by the orange blossoms, lavender, and rose dew in the orchard, we produce a large number of queen bees. We are continuously selling queen bees to help build beehives in more territories in the Hesse Territory."
"The queen bee produces a lot?" Su Li asked, "What do you mean?"
Xipuria opened the cloth bag beside her, which contained a small cage woven from grass and straw. She showed it to Su Li and said, "It should mean all aspects. Every beehive has one or two queens, and it is possible for two queens to coexist or alternate."
"But generally speaking, one queen bee is enough. If a new queen bee appears, the original queen bee will bring some worker bees to split the hive. We will sell these queen bees to farmers in need at the price of 10 silver coins each and guide them in beehive cultivation."
The situation of bee hive division is simpler than what Xipuria said. Generally, an experienced beekeeper can guide the farmer to divide the hive and provide the new farmer with several queen bees and thousands of corresponding bee colonies.
Because the queen bee lays 1500 to 2000 eggs every day (approximately equal to her own body weight), when the queen bee is lost, the worker bees will urgently expand the nest cells and urgently cultivate female larvae, feeding them royal jelly, so that they can become queen bees.
Therefore, with so many beehives, Rothen Village can make considerable profits every quarter by selling queen bees and bees to all the manors and villages in Hesse.
If you sell 10 bees, you get a gold crown. But if a farmer wants to raise bees, he or she will not buy just one bee, but usually build 1 to 3 beehives.
From this perspective, the income of Luoteng Village is actually very high.
Any holy site of the Church of Dawn can significantly increase the income of the local village.
Of course, their profits go far beyond this. Xipuria continued, "On the other hand, thanks to the abundant flowers and pollen, each of our beehives produces more than 90 kilograms of honey!"
"So many?" Su Li smiled and raised his eyebrows: "This number really surprises me."
Sister Hyperia calmly replied, "Generally speaking, a beehive can produce between 20 and 60 kilograms. Professional apiaries can increase their annual output by over 4% through mobile flower chasing. We don't need mobile beehives here, as Rothen Canyon is favored by the goddess, and there are densely populated areas of orange blossoms, lavender, and other flowers, which basically guarantees the highest yield."
"Those farmers who come to buy queen bees also have orchards at home or have large fields of wildflowers, rapeseed and other plants near their villages."
"I see." Su Li nodded. He had seen large rapeseed fields in the territory. This year, the territory had converted large tracts of fertile land to cash crops, with rapeseed and sugar beets being the main crops. It was indeed a good place to expand the beehives. Furthermore, there were many forests surrounding the territory. For example, one hectare of lime trees could support 1 beehives collecting.
Su Li asked, "How much does honey cost?"
Speaking of this, Sister Hippolyta shook her head regretfully and said, "My Lord, this is exactly what we're worried about. The price of honey hasn't increased at all. Right now, a jar of honey costs less than a ceramic jar. We can only sell it at a relatively profitable price when a caravan visits. Currently, we're only selling it for one silver coin per jar. Of course, we'd rather sell a barrel directly, which weighs about 1 kilograms, plus the oak barrel for 30 silver coins."
Su Li nodded. This price was indeed not high. He remembered that on Earth, a pound of pure natural honey would cost at least 50 yuan. Some unscrupulous merchants added water and some technology and hard work, and the price per pound would also be 20-30 yuan.
If you compare it roughly, the price of honey in Luoteng Village is cheaper than the honey produced by industrial means.
A beekeeper takes care of 6 beehives, and his income is only slightly higher than that of an ordinary farmer. Even if the output here is calculated based on the Holy Land of Dawn, they take care of more beehives, and their income from honey is only twice that of a farmer.
It is indeed not a very profitable industry.
Sister Hyperia said sincerely, "Lord, honey can be considered a specialty of our territory. We implore you to attract more caravans and find more trade routes for our honey. I believe that the honey produced by the beautiful flower fields of Rotten Canyon will taste outstanding. Even if the price doubles, it will still be sold."
After she finished speaking, she waved to the villagers behind her and said, "Go get a piece of honeycomb for the Lord to taste."
This is the best time to ask the lord to help them solve the sales problem. The villagers immediately brought a piece of honeycomb honey from Penglai. It was not like ordinary honey, but more like a faceted crystal cluster, like a miniature amber palace, covered with milky white beeswax and with golden honey flowing inside.
Su Li took a bite, and the cover on the surface made a crisp cracking sound, then quickly softened under the temperature of the mouth. The sweetness of honey and the freshness of flowers intertwined. When the honey flowed to the root of the tongue, it released an aroma similar to caramel baking, and a fruity sour feeling briefly emerged.
As he chewed, the fibrous honeycomb bounced gently between his teeth, and the tip of his tongue felt the tingling sensation of tiny bubbles bursting. Su Li's temples felt a brief, numb warmth from the high concentration of aromatic substances, but this was quickly soothed by a cooling sensation.
This is truly an incomparable enjoyment!
Su Li asked in disbelief, "How could such a piece of honeycomb honey only cost a few copper coins?"
Xipuria sighed and replied, "The honeycomb honey in each beehive is smaller than regular honey, and the price is slightly higher, but not more than double. Theoretically, a pound of honeycomb honey costs at least five to seven times as much as regular honey."
"Our beehives also produce a lot of beeswax and propolis, which are important materials for making art, perfume, lipstick and cosmetics. Now they are piling up in the village and cannot be sold."
In fact, there are more things in the beehive than what she said, including bee pollen and bee pupae. These things are more expensive than honey, but because they are nutritious, they can still be sold in the Hesse Territory.
What beekeepers are most worried about now is that the items with higher yields are piling up in the village and cannot be sold in large quantities.
Su Li handed the uneaten honeycomb to Seranweier who was following him. This legendary female knight was one of Su Li's most valuable assets now, and Su Li would take her with him wherever he went.
She had lived up to Su Li's expectations. Less than two weeks after returning to the territory, she had already successfully broken through to the intermediate-level trainee knight, and was about to reach the advanced level. She felt that if she increased the intensity of her knight training tonight, her breakthrough would be just around the corner.
Su Li is now trying every possible way to find her more props that can improve her qualifications and increase her cultivation speed.
Su Li then assured Xi Puliya and the surrounding villagers of Roteng Village, "Don't worry, everyone. The previous harvest was difficult to sell because there were too few caravans in our territory. But within next month, a large number of caravans will surely arrive in our territory! I just tasted it, and the taste of this multi-flower honey is truly outstanding. It's bound to sell for a good price."
"I think the next step for you, Roteng Village, is to give your honey a nice name, like 'Secret Whisper of the Corolla,' and give it a sense of ritual and religious background. Then package it in special double-layered wooden barrels from the Sacred Forest of the Church of Dawn. I believe a barrel of royal jelly like this will easily sell for 1 gold coin. A barrel of ordinary honey can also sell for 30 silver coins!"
Su Li didn't need to worry about what specific background their church would list. Fandral and the priests of the Church of Dawn had always been good at this kind of thing.
Su Li just needs to ask the Hesse Provincial Government to promote and take care of the honey industry.
Su Li has gained a very loud reputation at the auction in Maleburg this time. In a little over a month, a large number of caravans will follow Senator Zoe and President Roger's team to Hesse Territory.
What Su Li is more concerned about now is the output of the sun bee. If the output of ordinary bees is 90 kilograms, then the output of the sun bee may be more than the originally estimated 100 kilograms.
(End of this chapter)
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