Salt made by boiling seawater couldn't be used directly, because it contained many impurities and harmful elements. Consuming it over a long period would cause serious damage to the human body.
To turn this sea salt into table salt, it still needed to be filtered and diluted.
Nalant ordered Kenbi and the others to haul fresh water in a wagon. Once the water arrived, they poured the sea salt into it.
After the sea salt had dissolved back into the fresh water, they could begin filtering it.
With materials in short supply, Nalant could only use the most primitive method.
They punched several holes in the bottom of a wooden tub, then lined it with a tablecloth. Sand and the charcoal left over from boiling the salt served as filter materials. Layered with sand, charcoal, and cloth, the tub became a simple filter.
After all that work, they poured the filtered saltwater into the iron pot and boiled it again.
When all the water in the pot had finally evaporated, the salt left at the bottom was ready to use.
"Ah! My lord, the salt has turned white!" Kenbi Cowdung, Quick, and the others gaped at the sea salt, which had changed beyond recognition.
The salt in the pot now looked just like the kind they usually ate. It wasn't quite as white, but its original red color was gone.
"Try it again!" This simplest method of refining crude salt had been taught in the chemistry classes Nalant took in ninth grade in his previous life. To Kenbi Cowdung and the others, though, it seemed more miraculous than divine magic.
At his command, Quick and the others eagerly gathered around the pot and dipped a little white salt into their mouths.
"Whoa! It really is salt! It's exactly the same as what we buy from the Barony of Quinte!" Kenbi Cowdung immediately jumped to his feet.
Smack!
"Keep your voice down! This salt-making technique is my lord's exclusive secret! If anyone hears you, you'll be strung up in Wheat Leaf Village's square!" Though Quick was just as astonished, Kenbi Cowdung's shout made him flick the man on the forehead.
After taking the flick, Kenbi finally ducked his head and quieted down.
Nalant merely smiled without a word. This was only after a single round of refining. If he wanted salt as pure and white as the kind from his previous life, all he had to do was repeat the process.
Of course, Nalant wasn't going to say that just yet. He fully approved of Quick's caution. Salt-making was different from fishing.
Even if Lure Fishing didn't spread, powerful lords could still send soldiers to drive away the Merman Sea Monsters and then fish for themselves.
But when it came to salt, even an earl or a king would have to buy it from elsewhere if they didn't have a Salt Mine Sprite.
So salt was a truly profitable business—and even more lucrative than it had been in Nalant's previous life, because his was the only household extracting sea salt from seawater.
"Kenbi Cowdung!"
"My lord, I'm here!"
"Go to the village at once and gather twenty serfs. They don't need to be strong or good at farming, and it doesn't matter whether they're men or women. But they must have other family members at home."
"Yes, my lord!" Kenbi Cowdung knew what the lord wanted to do, and he immediately ran excitedly toward Misfortune Village.
"Quick, send someone to Wheat Leaf Village and ask Pete to bring over forty sturdy serfs. Have them put up simple fences around the coast. From now on, this coastline will be a restricted zone of Storm Territory!"
With Nalant's orders coming one after another, Storm Territory finally sprang into action on a large scale for the first time.
Nalant's plan was simple: declare the coastline a restricted zone. No one but those he assigned would be allowed near it. That was the only way to keep the sea salt a secret.
As for the people boiling the salt, Nalant required them to have relatives at home for the same reason. With their families nearby, the serfs would be easier to control.
Moreover, the people of Misfortune Village had mostly been exiled there. They had nowhere else to go besides Storm Territory, which added another lock to the secret of the sea salt.
Of course, this was only a stopgap measure. If possible, Nalant would even build a large salt-production base and station soldiers there to patrol it. That would make the production of sea salt completely secure.
Once the orders were given, the serfs took up their posts. Nalant went over the salt-boiling process with them once more, then returned to Misfortune Village!
"Kenbi Cowdung, I'm leaving the coast in your hands! Tell the villagers that from now on, no one may approach the coastline without my permission. Anyone who breaks this rule will be hanged in Wheat Leaf Village!"
"Of course, the villagers can help keep watch, too. If they catch anyone with ill intentions, I'll reward them handsomely!" Nalant wore an expression more imposing than ever before, and Kenbi Cowdung trembled under his gaze.
"Yes, my lord!" Kenbi Cowdung answered cautiously.
Even without Nalant telling him, he had been prepared to protect the coastline with his life.
Just moments ago, Nalant had appointed him captain of the salt-boiling and fishing teams. He'd never heard of such an official position before, but it had been given to him personally by the lord. That made it as solemn as a noble's appointment of a vassal.
More importantly, he wouldn't have to do much in this position. He only needed to maintain order and manage salt-boiling and fishing along the coast, and he would receive ten silver coins a month.
That was the same pay as the guards received. Anyone who tried to ruin this for him was as good as taking Kenbi's life.
"Mm. I'll send someone over later to register the names of those serfs. You'll also help collect and distribute their wages from now on!"
If you wanted a horse to run, you had to feed it. Nalant had only extended the serfs credit for whale meat two days ago, but he could still afford to pay them thirty Copper Coins a day. That would help them feel more united.
"Yes, my lord!" After hearing this, Kenbi Cowdung felt the weight on his shoulders growing heavier. At the same time, it meant that the lord valued him more and more.
"Something's wrong, my lord! A Daughter of Misfortune has appeared in the village!" Just as Nalant finished giving his instructions, several villagers suddenly ran out of Wheat Leaf Village, their faces filled with terror.
"A Daughter of Misfortune?" Kenbi Cowdung and the other villagers immediately grew fearful.