Coastal Restricted Zone

Salt produced directly from seawater cannot be used, as it contains many impurities and harmful elements that would cause serious harm to the human body if consumed over a long period.

To transform this sea salt into edible salt, it must undergo further filtration and dilution.

Nalant instructed Kenbi and the others to hitch up the wagon and fetch fresh water; once the water arrived, he poured the sea salt into it.

Once the sea salt had completely dissolved into the fresh water, the filtration process could begin.

Due to limited materials, Nalant had to rely on the most primitive, makeshift methods.

He punched several holes into the bottom of a wooden basin, lined it with a tablecloth, and then layered it with sand and the charcoal produced from the salt-burning process. With the sand, charcoal, and cloth stacked in layers, the basin became a simple filter.

After completing the setup, the filtered saltwater was placed back into the iron pot to be boiled down once more.

When the water had finally evaporated completely, the sea salt left at the bottom of the pot was ready for use.

"Ah! My Lord, the salt has turned white!" Kenbi Cowdung, Quick, and the others stared in stunned silence at the transformed salt.

The sea salt in the pot now looked no different from what they usually ate; although it wasn't perfectly white, the original reddish hue was gone.

"Taste it!" This simple technique for refining crude salt had been taught in his ninth-grade chemistry class in his past life, but to Kenbi Cowdung and the others, it seemed more miraculous than divine magic.

Hearing the order, Quick and the others eagerly approached the pot and dipped their fingers in to taste the white salt.

"Whoa! It really is salt! It's exactly the same as what we buy from the Barony of Quinte!" Kenbi Cowdung jumped up from the ground immediately.

Smack!

"Keep your voice down! This salt-making technique is the Lord's exclusive secret! If anyone hears you, I'll have you hung in the Wheat Leaf Village square!" Although Quick was also struck with awe, he couldn't help but flick Kenbi Cowdung on the forehead after hearing his exclamation.

Kenbi took the flick and finally shrank his head back, quieting down.

Nalant just smiled without a word. This was only the first round of refinement; if he wanted to achieve the snow-white, flawless salt of his past life, he simply needed to repeat the process.

Of course, Nalant wouldn't mention that just yet. He fully agreed with Quick's sense of caution; salt production was different from fishing.

Even if the technique for Lure Fishing were to leak, powerful lords could still send troops to drive away the Merman and Sea Monsters to catch fish.

But when it came to salt production, even a count or a king would have to purchase it elsewhere if they lacked a salt-mine sprite.

Therefore, edible salt was a truly lucrative business—even more so than in his past life, because Nalant was the only one who could extract salt from seawater.

"Kenbi Cowdung!"

"I am here, My Lord!"

"Go to the village immediately and gather twenty serfs. They don't need to be strong or skilled at farming, and gender doesn't matter, but there is one requirement: they must have other family members living in the village."

"Yes, My Lord!" Kenbi Cowdung knew what the Lord intended and ran excitedly toward Misfortune Village.

"Quick, send someone to Wheat Leaf Village now. Tell Pete to send forty sturdy serfs over to build a simple fence around the coastline. From now on, this coast will be a restricted area of the Storm Territory!"

With Nalant's orders issued one after another, the Storm Territory finally took its first major action.

Nalant's idea was simple: designate the coastline as a restricted zone. No one except those he authorized would be allowed near it, ensuring the secret of the sea salt remained safe.

As for the people boiling the salt, requiring them to have family in the village was for the same reason; at the very least, with their families present, the serfs would be more controllable.

Furthermore, the people of Misfortune Village were mostly exiles with nowhere else to go but the Storm Territory, which added another layer of security to the salt secret.

Of course, this was only a stopgap measure. If possible, Nalant would even build a large-scale salt production base and station troops there to patrol, ensuring the production of sea salt remained foolproof.

Once the orders were given and the serfs were in place, Nalant taught them how to boil the salt one more time before returning to Misfortune Village.

"Kenbi Cowdung, the matter of the coastline is in your hands! Tell the villagers that from now on, no one is to approach the coast without my permission. Anyone who violates this will be hung in Wheat Leaf Village!"

"Of course, the villagers are also responsible for monitoring the area. If you catch anyone with malicious intent, I will reward you handsomely!" A sternness never before seen hung on Nalant's face, making Kenbi Cowdung tremble.

"Yes, My Lord!" Kenbi Cowdung replied cautiously.

In truth, even if Nalant hadn't said it, he was prepared to protect the coastline with his life.

Just moments ago, Nalant had appointed him as the Captain of Salt Boiling and Fishing. It was a title he'd never heard of before, but it had been bestowed by the Lord himself, as solemn as a noble knighting a vassal.

More importantly, this position required him to do nothing but maintain order and manage the salt boiling and fishing at the coast, for which he would receive a monthly salary of ten silver coins.

That was the same pay as the guards; anyone who tried to ruin his good fortune was trying to take Kenbi's life.

"Good! I will send someone later to register the names of those serfs. You will help distribute their wages as well!"

If you want the horse to run, you have to feed it grass. Although he had only just provided Whale meat to the serfs on credit the day before, Nalant could afford the thirty copper coins a day in wages. This was the only way to build cohesion among the serfs.

"Yes, My Lord!" After hearing this, Kenbi Cowdung felt the weight of his responsibilities growing, which also meant he was becoming more valued by the Lord.

"This is bad, My Lord! A Daughter of Misfortune has appeared in the village!" Just as Nalant finished giving his instructions, several villagers ran out of Wheat Leaf Village, reporting the news with faces full of terror.

"A Daughter of Misfortune?" Kenbi Cowdung and the other villagers were immediately struck with panic upon hearing this.