Pillar Industry

"Sherry! You think it's a pity now, but just wait until the brown sugar is finished. I guarantee you won't be saying that later!"

In this world, the concept of sugar did not yet exist, so naturally, Sherry had no idea what it was.

However, Nalant knew all too well. In his past life, there were creepy uncles who specifically used lollipops to lure little girls; he didn't believe for a second that a little girl like Sherry could resist the temptation of brown sugar.

Furthermore, once the brown sugar was produced, the way bread was eaten in this world would likely be revolutionized by him, a transmigrator.

Nalant had always been fond of the brown sugar steamed buns from his past life, and once he had the sugar, he could let Rose, the head chef, experiment with them.

Besides, with brown sugar now a reality, white sugar wouldn't be far behind.

And with white sugar, things like fruit jams would be within reach as well!

As he thought about it, even Nalant felt his own mouth beginning to water.

"My Lord, the liquid in the last large pot seems to have become thick and sticky. Would you like to take a look and see if it's ready?"

After about half an hour, Vivian, who had been supervising the guards as they boiled the brown sugar, suddenly spoke up.

"Oh? Let me see!" Hearing this, Nalant immediately rose from his reclining chair and strode over to the eighth large pot.

"Hmm, it's about right. Sherry, hurry and bring that wooden box over!" At this moment, the sugarcane juice in the eighth pot had become viscous, comparable to the cough syrup from his past life. Nalant immediately gave the order to Sherry.

Once Sherry had huffed and puffed her way over with the meter-square, drawer-like wooden box, Nalant had the guards ladle the syrup into it.

After the syrup was poured, he used a small spatula to smooth it out inside the box, and then it was just a matter of waiting for it to cool and solidify.

Time ticked by second by second, and Nalant, along with Vivian and Sherry, kept watch by the wooden box.

"My Lord, is it ready yet? Also, the color of this brown sugar seems to have turned yellow; it's not really brown at all!"

Sherry no longer felt the regret she had earlier. Smelling the indescribably alluring scent wafting from the wooden box, she was practically drooling.

Although it was called brown sugar, the sugar extracted from sugarcane wasn't truly a deep red, but rather a yellowish-red hue.

"It should be about ready!"

Nalant reached out and pressed on it, confirming that the brown sugar had finally solidified completely. He then took a spatula and cut the sugar in the wooden box into small, gold-bar-shaped pieces.

"Here, Vivian, Sherry, one piece for each of you!" He scooped up two pieces and placed them directly into the girls' hands.

"Thank you for your grace, My Lord!" Sherry and Vivian now had eyes only for the small pieces of brown sugar, thanking him immediately after taking them.

Once the two girls had received theirs, Nalant picked up a piece himself and, without hesitation, popped it into his mouth and took a bite.

"Oh, yeah! This is the taste! Haha, my brown sugar is a success!" Brown sugar boiled from raw sugarcane juice was incomparable to the corner-cutting industrial sugar of his past life.

As the sugar hit his tongue, Nalant was instantly transported back to the sensations of his childhood—mellow, fragrant, and sweet.

Seeing Nalant's look of pure enjoyment, Vivian and Sherry couldn't help but swallow their saliva as they held their own pieces.

"You two, hurry and have a taste!" The two of them wouldn't dare eat before Nalant had started, so he gave them the go-ahead.

"Yes, My Lord!" With permission granted, the two girls immediately mimicked Nalant and placed the brown sugar into their mouths.

"Wow!" The moment the sugar touched their tongues, Vivian and Sherry both shuddered, their eyes widening in shock as they stood frozen in place. "My... My Lord, this... this is too delicious!" Sherry's expression was the most exaggerated; her already large eyes were as wide as river snails, while Vivian kept pursing her lips, savoring the sweetness.

"Sherry, do you think brown sugar is better, or sugarcane?" Nalant wasn't surprised by their reaction and asked Sherry with a smile.

"Brown sugar! My Lord! Sherry likes eating brown sugar!" Sherry didn't hesitate for a moment.

"Haha, the best is yet to come. Sherry, go and call your mother over now!"

"Yes, My Lord!" Hearing that there was more deliciousness to come, Sherry didn't delay at all and scurried off toward the inner castle.

After Sherry left, Nalant turned his gaze toward Vivian.

"Vivian, help me draft an administrative order. Notify all the villagers in Storm Territory that in their spare time, they can go into the thickets within the territory to search for sugarcane!"

"Once they find sugarcane, have them cut it and bring it to the castle. For every three stalks, they will be rewarded with one copper coin!"

"Oh, and to make sure the villagers don't mistake it for something else, take a few stalks with you so they can compare!"

The sugarcane was nearly ripe, and the brown sugar production was a success; now was the time for a bountiful harvest.

Storm Territory had a small population and little arable land. As a transmigrator, Nalant knew that farming grain could only ensure survival, not lead to rapid wealth.

If he truly wanted to make the territory profitable and prosperous, he had to rely on trade and the export of goods to earn profits from other noble territories.

He believed that brown sugar would definitely become one of the pillar industries of the Tulip Territory.

"Yes, My Lord!"

After instructing Vivian, Rose, the exceptionally alluring head chef, came before Nalant.

Although Nalant had learned to fend for himself when he lived alone in his past life, he didn't know much about Western-style bread baking.

However, Nalant only needed to provide the concept, and Rose understood it quickly.

"My Lord, are you saying that when baking the bread, we should brush this brown sugar on it, just like honey?" Rose held a piece of brown sugar, her eyes filled with wonder as she looked at her Lord.

"Yes, Rose. And today, it's not just for my white bread; add this brown sugar to the black bread for the servants and guards as well!" Nalant nodded.

He had only recently had the chance to taste honey bread, produced by the bees Sherry had tamed.

In his past life, experts suggested eating less sweets because they could lead to obesity and increase the risk of various diseases.

But in this world, there was no need to worry about that at all; most people couldn't even get enough to eat, let alone worry about gaining weight.

Furthermore, sugar had another benefit: it could increase a person's sense of happiness after consumption. Therefore, Nalant prepared to occasionally provide such delicacies to his subordinates in the future.

"Yes, My Lord, I shall go and experiment at once. Praise your wisdom and generosity!" Upon hearing this, Rose immediately took a few pieces of brown sugar and headed into the castle.

She had already tasted the brown sugar, and as a cook, she was incredibly astonished that her lord could invent something even sweeter than honey.

She was now impatient to try the effect of using brown sugar to make bread, for after tasting such sweetness, many new inspirations for creating delicacies had flooded her mind.

While the interior of the castle was filled with a cheerful atmosphere, the entire Storm Territory was thrown into a stir following the order issued by Nalant.

The commoners had all seen sugarcane to some extent, though in the past, few had paid attention to these thin, short "little trees." At most, only some villagers in Misfortune Village knew that sugarcane was a tasty wild fruit.

However, things were different now; their lord had named these "little trees" sugarcane and had even offered a reward of one copper coin for every three stalks.

Searching for sugarcane did not require heavy physical labor like logging or farming, so even children could play a significant role.

In an instant, everyone in the territory who had any spare time began to weave through the forests and thickets.