White Sugar
"White Sugar? What does that have to do with Maple Syrup?" Count Colt asked curiously.
The Viscount Scarlet Maple family Northern Frontier nobles, was famous for producing Maple Syrup, which, like honey, was sought after by nobles and merchants as a delicacy.
"It's not really related to Maple Syrup, but it's somewhat similar to Gray Sugar." This world has already started growing crops such as sugarcane and sugar beets to produce raw sugar, but the sugar-making process is not very well optimized, and the sugar produced has many impurities. It is called Gray Sugar, which has a sweet taste but also other off-flavors. It is generally consumed more by Freemen.
"Count lord, it might be complicated to explain, so please try it first." Victor directly pinched a little bit from the jar in his hand and put it in his mouth as a precaution.
Seeing Victor do this, Count Colt didn't hesitate for long either. He simply took a little from the jar in Alex's hand and tasted it, and Alex tasted it too.
Victor observed the expressions of the two men. Alex's expression changed rapidly; he was initially hesitant but quickly began to enjoy it, while Count Colt was initially curious, but gradually also began to enjoy it before becoming serious.
Victor waited patiently until the two had finished tasting it.
Alex wanted to speak, but because Count Colt hadn't said anything, he just kept quiet.
At this point, Count Colt asked seriously, "You said this is related to Gray Sugar, do you mean this White Sugar is made from Gray Sugar?"
"Yes and no. They are probably from similar sources, but the processes are very different. Both are made from sugarcane or sugar beets, but the process of making White Sugar is much more complicated."
Count Colt took a deep breath. "So, the raw material for White Sugar is the same as that for Gray Sugar, and it's much cheaper than Maple Syrup and honey, right!"
"That's right. White Sugar is definitely more expensive than Gray Sugar, but it's much cheaper than Maple Syrup and honey."
"Alex, tell the butler to open Ironheart Hall and have the kitchen prepare some fine food and snacks to be sent over," Count Colt said, turning to Alex. Then he stood up, walked over to Victor, and stood in front of him, saying, "Viscount Victor, let's continue our talk somewhere else. You haven't had lunch yet, have you?"
"Thank you for your concern, Count Excellency. I will gladly accept your offer." Victor naturally had no objections.
The Count led Victor away from the reception room and directly to a small room. The room was small, with only a small round table that could seat five or six people, but it was filled with various works of art. Even with Victor's limited appreciation, he could tell that they were all valuable antiques.
The group sat down as arranged by the butler. Count Colt did not continue to inquire about the White Sugar situation, but instead asked about the situation in the Two Rivers Territory. He asked Victor what major difficulties he was facing in developing the territory. Apart from some things that needed to be kept secret, Victor told Count Colt about the development status of the other territories and the bottlenecks he had encountered.
Meanwhile, the kitchen had already served the food to the table. Alex introduced the delicacies to Victor and urged Victor to taste them while they were hot. They were indeed delicious. Some of the special ingredients were ones that Victor had never encountered before, which made him realize that the lifestyle of the great nobles was indeed higher than that of ordinary nobles. He wondered what the daily diet of the Grand Duke Silver Maple and the King of the Raine Kingdom was like, and what other precious ingredients they had.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Count Colt had the table cleared, glanced at Alex, and then told him to leave and guard the door.
"Victor, now that it's just the two of us here, you can say some things to me directly."
"Count Colt, the Two Rivers Territory is currently facing significant financial difficulties. Last year, the Two Rivers Territory invested heavily in its territory, purchasing a large number of serfs to cultivate land, building towns, and expanding its military, all of which consumed a great deal of wealth. Of course, I am grateful for the opportunity you provided. Through this campaign, I was able to complete my promotion to Viscount and also obtained many spoils of war, which greatly contributed to the development of the Two Rivers Territory."
"But even with the wealth brought by the large amount of spoils of war, the finances of the Two Rivers Territory are still very tight, especially the maintenance costs of the army and the next stage of the territory's development plan, which require a lot of money. I hope to resolve the difficulties I am currently facing." Victor paused.
"The reason I want to offer this White Sugar to you, Count, is that I hope to cooperate with you in operating this product. I believe it can bring us enough profit, not only solving my current difficulties but also helping your great cause."
"If we're just talking about financial difficulties, every territory will encounter this in the early stages of development. Investment in all aspects of the territory requires money. However, the best solution at this time is to slow down the pace of the territory's construction. As far as I know you, even though you expanded your army on a large scale last year, the cost of maintaining the army shouldn't be difficult for you. The root cause of your difficulties is that you don't want to slow down the pace of the territory's construction, and at the same time, you probably still want to continue expanding your army. Am I right?"
"As expected of the Count, I can't hide anything from you. You've seen through my little scheme. After all, you know that the most suitable time for that matter is within the next five years. In order to better participate in your great cause, time is also very precious to me."
Victor's territory now has an army of 4,000 men, including more than 2,500 professional soldiers. The annual cost of maintaining the army alone is nearly 6,000 gold. Adding in the various officials, employees, fleets, caravans, and factories, the fixed annual investment in the Two Rivers Territory exceeds 8,000 gold. It should be noted that the Two Rivers Territory's income so far consists of the spoils of war captured last year and the heavy weapons sold to the Iron Birch Territory, totaling no more than 9,000 gold. This amount is just enough to cover the maintenance costs, and it is simply a drop in the bucket if the territory wants to continue to invest in development.
Ordinary pioneering nobles, like James, could simply focus on farming and avoid large-scale investment and military expansion to ensure a steady flow of income for their territories, and then gradually develop them later.
However, this won't work for Victor and the Two Rivers Territory. They could be involved in a domestic coup led by the Iron Birch Territory at any time within five years. The stronger Victor's power becomes, the more pie he can seize in the future. In order to gain the upper hand in this matter, Victor and the Two Rivers Territory really don't have much time left.
Victor often lamented, "Ordinary pioneering nobles only need to develop their territories step by step, but Viscount Victor has too many things to consider."