Lord: Starting from the Pit-Dwelling Courtyard

Chapter 144 The Plate

Ron said in a serious tone, "You heard me right, it's excrement, whether it's feces or urine."

Haaland asked in surprise, "What's that thing for?"

Ron said, "You don't need to worry about that. Take it or leave it."

"Why not? Why not?" Harland asked. "What about those that's been buried for a while?"

Here, excrement is the most difficult type of waste to handle. Even the building mage cannot recycle it and can only bury it in a pit.

Over time, large latrines will appear, but given the barren environment, they will quickly dry out.

Although it's not as smelly or disgusting, it still attracts flies and is highly toxic to the soil, making it difficult for plants to grow around the area where the excrement is processed.

Ron warned the two, "Take as much as you want, but don't try to fool me with sand. If I find out even once, our cooperation is off."

Haaland smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, how could that be? I'm overjoyed that someone has taken care of these things for me."

Novia echoed this sentiment.

"Lord Ron, do you have any news about my elder brother?"

Faced with the sudden question, Ron thought for a moment and said, "Yes, Devon was among the goblin army that attacked the territory, but I don't know where he is now."

Novia nodded regretfully.

Ron suddenly asked, "I wonder how Lord Degea is doing? After this great battle, I realized that a single territory is not enough to resist the goblins, so I decided to create an alliance specifically to defend against them."

Novia stiffened briefly upon hearing this, then smiled and said, "My father was slightly injured while defending against the goblin attack and is currently recuperating in the territory. As for the alliance, I'll have to trouble Lord Ron to take care of it."

Harland asked with great interest, "What is the purpose of this alliance, and what benefits does it bring to the lords who join it?"

""

Ron had only intended to test Novia with this suggestion, but after being asked by Haaland, he had no choice but to agree to the alliance.

"The role of the alliance is self-evident. It represents the power of all the lords in the Blackthorn Wasteland. The lords are far enough apart that they will not threaten each other for the time being, making it possible to form an alliance for both offense and defense."

"Secondly, we can integrate the goods and products of the entire alliance to form an industrial and transportation chain. Only by selling them to Gorubborg can we maximize our profits."

Haaland nodded repeatedly and asked, "What does 'transportation chain' mean in that industry?"

Ron explained, "For example, the De Gea Territory has a high yield of volcanic ash, but it's not very useful. It's worthless when sold individually, and there's no market for it. But I can use it to make bricks, which will also increase the sales of De Gea Territory's volcanic ash. Both sides can make money."

"The transport chain is to build a large transport fleet, centered around several territories, such as my territory. Goods that want to be transported to De Gea territory can be gathered in my territory, and once a certain amount of goods are delivered, they will be sent together, without each territory having to deliver them themselves, thus reducing transportation costs."

"In fact, the price of many goods is increased due to transportation costs. If we reduce transportation costs, we can make more profit and be more competitive."

Novia was the first to understand the importance of this transportation chain and immediately expressed her agreement.

Haaland gradually came to understand.

Ron continued, "That's not enough. To get rich, build roads first. If we can build roads connecting the various territories, transportation efficiency will be greatly improved, and transportation costs will continue to decrease."

Upon hearing that the road was to be built, Novia and Haaland fell silent instantly.

It's not that they don't want to, but that they are powerless to do so.

The Blackthorn Wasteland is gradually turning into desert, and sandstorms blow from time to time. If you're unlucky, you might be buried while the road is under construction today.

"Building a road is a bit of a hassle, but I will do my best to make it happen," Harland assured him, since the Blackthorn Wasteland, apart from being desertified and barren, is essentially a plain.

Novia then assured him, "I will cooperate."

"Excellent!" Ron clapped his hands. "Gentlemen, I have prepared lunch. I will have to trouble you two to contact the other lords."

It was called a luncheon, but in reality it was just a simple lunch, only a bit more lavish than usual.

After all, among nobles, inviting someone to dinner is a matter of class, but since conditions in Blackthorn Wasteland are rather poor, people don't want to be too picky.

Angel personally led a group to deliver lunch. The main dish was golden and crispy baked flatbread made from ground rock potato starch, along with a stir-fried beef dish and a glass of red wine.

The red wine was brought back by Duolong when he returned. There were only six bottles, and they were only brought out to serve guests.

The only thing that surprised the two lords was the plate on which the food was served; it was as white as jade and had a smooth, delicate texture.

At the kingdom's dining table, the main cutlery consists of hand-held utensils, personal knives, and wooden forks. Plates are usually made from wooden platters or bread slices. Only high-ranking nobles would have silver cutlery made for use when welcoming important guests.

"This plate is beautiful! What is it made of?" Haaland asked.

Ron spread the beef and broth on his bread, saying as he ate, "The tableware I made with building magic looks pretty good, so I made a few more."

The architectural sorcerer said that things created using architectural magic are basically impossible to produce, let alone mass-produce.

Haaland gently stroked the plate with his hand. "The feel of this plate, its flawless whiteness... I don't care, after this collaboration, you have to give me ten plates like this."

Harland's words made Ron think deeply; perhaps he could try ceramic production.

They started by producing the most basic pottery, and then gradually moved on to porcelain.

It might become a pillar industry of the territory.

Of course, it's absolutely impossible to sell exquisite porcelain for the price of gold like it did in the Middle Ages.

The architect was both their greatest asset and their greatest liability.

If the unit price of a product is too high, exceeding the price of a builder's spell production, many builders would be happy to produce such an expensive yet easy product.

"Okay!" Ron agreed without hesitation.

Upon hearing that Haaland had a gift, Novia immediately said, "Everyone gets a share! I'll take ten too. But how was this meat prepared? I've never seen it before; it's delicious."

Ron briefly explained how to make stir-fried beef, but the two of them were still confused.

Here, the most common ways to prepare meat are boiling and grilling.

The production methods are too simple, and over time they become less appealing.

After explaining it once, Ron was too lazy to explain it again.

"This requires special culinary skills and utensils, which you wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you."

The two didn't ask any further questions. They decided to bring the cook with them next time they came so he could learn properly.