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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

nThe Desert Bandits served as Kant’s backing.

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nHe was very confident about being able to finish that Side Quest assigned by the system.

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nIt was mostly because the Desert Bandits were from the desert nation of Sarrand Sultanate, so they were more than familiar with the brutal environment of a desert. Their skills were honed in the vast sea of sand, so they could all be considered desert survival experts.

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nThe six Desert Bandits had the potential to help get into the deeper reaches of the Nahrin Desert.

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nAs for that alkali soil, which was rich in natural salt, Kant had long made up his mind about it.

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nHe would take it by all means.

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nKant hailed from the Dukedom of Leo and was the youngest son of Duke Cameron, who was the top leader of the entire nation. Although Kant was not a favorite due to his mother dying young, all the mandatory aristocratic education he received from his youth enabled him to be quite knowledgeable.

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nHe was also a Transported. Having lived two lives, there was no doubt that his learning ability was extremely formidable. He had indeed learned a great deal.

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nIt was just like how things were at the moment.

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nKant was able to tell how much of a commotion he would cause back in the dukedom, which was a nation filled with flatlands and hills, just from the fact that he had acquired intelligence regarding table salt resources.

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nThat was because the Dukedom of Leo was not a salt-producing nation.

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nFurthermore, none of all the other dukedoms, which were human territories, neighboring the Dukedom of Leo, were salt-producing nations either.

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nIf they wanted to have saltiness in their food, they could only satisfy such needs by importing salt.

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nAccording to the books Kant read in the tower of mages back in the castle, merchants needed to venture into faraway mountains, which were territories that belonged to non-human races. Those were territories belonging to dwarfs, who were versed in the art of tunneling and smithing. Table salt was bought from those stout, earthy dwarfs, who were usually around 4-feet-5-inches tall, before ferrying them back thousands of miles to be sold in the human nations.

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nThe dwarfs owned a salt mine 984 feet underground. Mining operations were conducted all day long, satisfying the alt needs of many nations. They were the greatest exporter of salt in the entire continent.

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nAs such, the price of salt in human nations had always been high. Also, salt was not the usual type of seasoning available to commoners.

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nOne pound of high-grade fine salt was of equal value to a strong, healthy horse.

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nThat was the testament to just how pricey such a seasoning could be.

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nDuring the years that saw trade routes hindered by war or spice shortages, spices of even higher value, such as top-grade black pepper, were almost worth their weight in gold. They were also luxuries that greater nobles held in high regard and greatly valued.

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nKant had ample experiences regarding such facts.

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nHe had been in that world for 16 years and attended all manners of feasts and banquets, regardless of size.

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nHowever, he had never been able to feast on foods that were heavily seasoned with many different spices, not even once.

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nWhile this world had swords and magic, as well as numerous mystical items and fantastical races, it was still one that fundamentally resembled Earth during the European middle ages. It vastly lacked material supplies, and things were simple and backward. It was a feudal age that many found to be exasperating.

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nHuff.

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nKant took a deep breath.

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nHe quelled all that excitement deep down, returning to his usual calm self.

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nHe still had to deal with reality.

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nWithout ample strength, there was no way he could initiate contact with the Dukedom of Leo personally.

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nThat place was filled with hyenas.

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nIt was where eternally insatiable monsters thrived.

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nThe concept of vast wealth eventually getting one into major trouble was something that had been abhorrently apparent back in his past life on Earth. If the image of the Nahrin Desert being a destitute, barren place was broken, and the fact that there was a salt mine that represented massive profit presented before the eyes of the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo, there might just be some bandits from somewhere out to make that baron of the Oasis Lookout disappear from the world forever.

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nKant never held the safety and security of that world in high regard.

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nIt was a world in which might made right. If a child were to carry gold pieces while getting near thugs, one could easily imagine what awaited that child.

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nI still need to become powerful myself.

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nKant shook his head somewhat, but he still wore a joyful smile.

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nHe was able to feel that joy because he was confident.

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nHe was born with the essence of the Kingdom of Swadia, which was inherent within the system.

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nIt was a cheat that belonged only to Kant.

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n“Go back and get busy.”

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nKant gave orders to the Swadian Peasant who was waiting by his side.

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n“Yes, My Lord.” The peasant nodded respectfully.

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nAs the peasant was about to leave, he seemed to have recalled something. While still cradling that tattered urn, he asked, “My Lord, what should I do about the coarse salt in the urn?”

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nThat salt was raw and coarse and had yet to be filtered. Not only was there sand mixed in it, but there were also a number of potentially harmful substances.

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nThe coarse salt had been scraped directly from the alkali soil. The Jackalans had no problem eating it like that. For human digestive systems, which were more delicate, eating things like that was a challenge. After eating this kind of coarse salt, a human would have quickly displayed signs of food poisoning, such as vomiting and diarrhea. In the worst-case scenario, it had the potential to be life-threatening.

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n“Well…” Kant was rather baffled. He turned his eyes toward the six Desert Bandits.

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n“My Lord, we know how to cook the salt to run coarse salt into table salt.”

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nThe six Desert Bandits were living up to their expectations. They nodded affirmatively and said, “Doing so is actually quite simple.”

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n“Very well.” Kant nodded with satisfaction.

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nThe desert where the Sarrand Sultanate was located also had alkali soils. Sarrandans, who lived in the desert, knew how to make the inedible raw coarse salt into edible seasoning through some ancient methods passed down through the generations.

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nA furnace, two large pots, and a huge amount of charcoal were all that was required to refine salt.

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nAll of that was easily found inside the Council Hall.

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nKant looked at the Desert Bandits with curious eyes. He paid close attention to how they turned harmful raw coarse salt into edible table salt.

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n“So, do you people filter the salt using charcoal?”

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nKant had a general concept of how the process worked. All the mandatory education he received in his past life did not go to waste.

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nThe furnace was lit.

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nThe water in the huge pot quickly came to a boil. The Desert Bandits poured all the coarse salt from the old, tattered urn into the pot.

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nAs the steam rose, the white coarse salt began to dissolve in the boiling water.

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nHowever, that huge pot of clear spring water seemed to have grey impurities seen in it. There were so many that bits of granules could almost be seen in all that boiling water with the naked eye.

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nIt was all dirt.

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n“Keep the fire low. We shall lower the heat afterward,” a Desert Bandit said.

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nAnother Desert Bandit, who was waiting at the side, immediately turned the fire in the furnace to low.

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nThe boiling saltwater gradually settled. A layer of fine sand could be seen at the bottom of the pot.

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nWhile the salt was water-soluble, any other solids fell to the bottom.

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n“This is interesting.” Kant nodded. This was a piece of useful knowledge that could be applicable to daily life.

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nAfter a while, the saltwater became clear while the sediment at the bottom was packed together. One would have found it hard to imagine just how dirty the seemingly clean, white coarse salt had actually just been.

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n“Get ready.”

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nThe Desert Bandit in charge of the operation had spoken.

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nAnother Desert Bandit quickly fetched a second big pot, which was packed with charcoal on the inside.

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nIt served as the key to filtering out the impurities.

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nThat Desert Bandit took a large wooden spatula and began to dump saltwater into the pot filled with charcoal. His moves were fast and adept. There was only a thin layer of saltwater and a layer of dirt left at the bottom of the pot.

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n“We’re basically done.”

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nThe Desert Bandit told the others, “Dump the garbage away and scrub the pot clean.”

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nHe hastily wiped the sweat off of his face and turned around to face Kant with a smile. He said, “My Lord, we shall let it sit for an hour before repeating the process with a new pot and fresh charcoal four times. After we’re done with the filtering, we will boil the water until it dries up. We will then be able to sift good, edible fine salt from the finished product.”

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n“Very well.” Kant nodded.

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nHe looked at the steaming iron pot with salt water being mixed within the charcoal. These natural filters easily filtered out most of the impurities. The only steps left were to repeat the process several times, leaving only pure saltwater behind.

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nAfter that, they would have to continue to heat the iron pot with fire and sift the salt from the end product. Eventually, the process resulted in edible table salt.

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n“My Lord.”

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nThe Desert Bandit said with full surety, “This will become high-grade white salt.”

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n“Splendid. Splendid indeed.”

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nKant nodded as he wore a brimming smile on his face. This was definitely something to be happy about.

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nHe fully understood what white salt really meant.

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nHe knew the value of such things better than most.

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nThe eventual fine, snow-white salt was capable of fetching very high prices back in the Dukedom of Leo, especially since such an item was only available to great nobles and very wealthy merchants. It was possible that every pound could be sold for at least 50 Great Silvers.

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nIt was a luxury that only nobles had access to.

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nThis salt was definitely different from the coarser salt, which was obtained through wells, usually eaten by wealthier commoners and lesser lords.

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nThis fine, high-grade salt was not only expensive, but it also came with a symbol of status.

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n“I really can’t wait.”

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nKant was already smiling from ear to ear.

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nWithin just half a day, inedible coarse salt from alkali soil was turned into fine white salt that could fetch exorbitant prices.

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nAs long as Kant was able to seize that natural salt mine in the form of alkali soil, he could easily earn massive profits from the monopoly.

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nAs such, he was very eager to see the finished product.

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nWhile he was currently incapable of organizing trade caravans in broad daylight and selling the salt in huge batches in the dukedom, he could still sell small amounts of the fine, white salt on the black market. He believed that many would likely kill to get their hands on the salt.

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nThis salt was much more than just a seasoning.

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nIt was an essential material for the mages in the towers to cast spells, as well as a symbol of status flaunted by the nobles.

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nOne way or another, Kant would have no problem selling the precious salt.

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