Chapter 3 - 003＿Creating Specialty Products
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003＿Creating Specialty Products
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Rodney came to inherit the Forvas Knight House upon the death of his father, Beck.
The finances of the Forvas House were bankrupt, in a truly terrible state. Rodney, thinking that he could not manage the territory like this, decided to start an industry that would become a specialty product.
He asked the only blacksmith in the village, just one shop, to make several tools. Furthermore, he also had a rather large pot made.
He bought a large number of pots that held about 10 liters, or 5 mes in this world, from the general store, and also bought red cloth.
It took a few days to have the tools made, but once preparations were complete, Rodney assembled the off-duty soldiers.
The soldiers of the Forvas House were divided into two squads that entered the Labyrinth to gather Life Light Stones for tribute, two squads that patrolled and guarded the territory and investigated incidents, and one squad that was off duty.
Rodney assembled the off-duty soldiers and entered the Eastern Forest. Even though they were off duty, the soldiers gathered without making sour faces. Rodney thought to cover the expenses from his father's condolence money and pay them an allowance.
"This looks good."
It was a tree called Galim, and most of the trees growing naturally in the Eastern Forest were this Galim.
"Isn't this Galim? What are you going to do with such a tree? Are you perhaps thinking of felling it and selling the lumber?"
Perhaps because he had guided them to an ordinary tree despite gathering the off-duty soldiers, Yulin's tone was a bit prickly.
"Well, just watch, please."
He took a drill from the bag the soldiers were carrying and drilled a hole in the tree. After making a hole about 1 centimeter in diameter, or 0.5 celoom in this world, to a depth of about 5 celooms, he inserted something like a metal straw into it.
This drill and straw were made by the village blacksmith. Rodney was satisfied that they turned out well despite being hastily made.
The straw was flat on the end that got inserted, and the tip protruding from the tree was sharp. He placed a pot under that sharp tip and waited for a while.
Then, drop by drop, sap fell from the tip of the straw into the pot.
"Lord Rodney. What do you intend to do with the sap you collected?"
"If I collect this sap and boil it down..."
"Boil it down?"
"It's a surprise for after it's done."
Yulin was taken aback. Rodney had the personality of being evasive since childhood, and she sighed that this was another such case.
"Yes. Everyone, attention!"
Ignoring Yulin's stern expression, Rodney raised his voice to get the soldiers' attention.
"Now, as I just did, I want you to drill a hole in the tree, insert this metal tube, and place a pot underneath. The hole depth is 5 celooms, so please drill until you reach the red mark on this drill."
Rodney said that if they drilled a hole, inserted the tube, placed a pot underneath to collect the sap, and further wrapped a red cloth around the tree as a marker, he would pay them 5 small silver coins as a day's allowance. The soldiers were delighted because they could earn pocket money with just that.
The currency system of this country, from smallest value, was small copper coins, large copper coins, small silver coins, large silver coins, small gold coins, and large gold coins, with 10 of each being equivalent to the next higher currency.
For a family of four to live in the royal capital, a large city, they needed 1 small gold coin and 5 large silver coins per month.
The Forvas House ruled the Dedel Territory centered around the frontier village of Garusu, so the cost of living was lower, and the soldiers' monthly salary was 1 small gold coin. Getting a daily allowance on top of that was a sweet deal for the soldiers.
The next day, he set up new pots together with different off-duty soldiers. The thing different from yesterday was probably the task of collecting the pots that had already been placed.
A fair amount of sap had accumulated in the pots placed yesterday. Rodney put lids on them to avoid spilling the sap, and took them back with the soldiers.
Rodney built a simple stove by stacking stones in the garden of the house, and boiled down the Galim sap in the large pot made by the blacksmith. The work of constantly stirring to prevent burning was quite tough, but the sweet smell gradually grew stronger. Attracted by the smell, his younger sister Emilia came out of the house.
"Big Brother, what are you doing?"
"When it's done, I'll let you eat some too, so wait until then."
"Food? I'm looking forward to it. You too, right, Yulin?"
"Will you let me eat some as well?"
"Of course. Yulin, I want you to eat it too and tell me your impressions."
Yulin didn't know what Rodney was making, but since there was a nice sweet smell coming from it, she became very excited.
After boiling it down for about two ke (4 hours), the water content had significantly evaporated, and the volume had decreased to about one-tenth. When he lifted the wooden spatula, the highly viscous liquid dripped lazily, and having been transparent originally, it had turned an amber color.
"Emilia. Could you cut some tekko and bring it over?"
"Cut some tekko? Okay."
Emilia ran into the house and immediately brought back the tekko.
The Garusu Village that Rodney ruled was a region not suitable for cultivating Nikashi (something like wheat from his past life memories), so the grains produced were Shishikamu (something like barley) and Zarai (something like rye). Since tekko (something like bread) was a baked solid of Zarai flour, it was hard and dry and not very tasty, but it was a staple found in every household.
He dipped the Zarai tekko into the boiled-down Galim sap and handed it to Emilia.
"Have a taste."
Emilia stared at the Zarai tekko topped with the amber sap, then, as if resolved, took a big bite. After chewing two or three times, Emilia's eyes flew wide open.
"It... it's delicious!"
Munch, munch, munch, Emilia ate with her mouth wide open, which was rare for her.
"Here, your portion, Yulin."
When Yulin also took a big bite of the Zarai tekko topped with Galim sap, her eyes widened.
"Wha-wha-wha-what is this!?"
(Heh heh heh. Girls liking sweet things is the same in this life as in my past life.)
That which was called maple syrup in his past life memories was very delicious in this world, where sweets were scarce. There was sugar in this world too, but only the wealthy and rich nobles could afford it.
Rodney named this liquid Galim Syrup and planned to sell it. Fortunately, the owner of the Eastern Forest was the lord, Rodney, and there were quite a lot of Galim trees growing naturally there.
"Delicious, right?"
"Yes, delicious!" they both said.
Emilia and Yulin's cheeks were constantly relaxed. That was how delicious the Galim Syrup was.
"I'm thinking of selling this. If I make it cheaper than sugar, I think it'll sell. What do you think?"
"This will sell, Big Brother!"
"That's right, this will sell, Rodney!"
Yulin forgot her position as an attendant and didn't notice she had called him by his name without honorifics, the way she used to.
"Seconds!" they both said.
"Hey now, you won't be able to eat dinner."
"We don't care!" they both said.
The two had seconds, twice. Yulin, who usually never softened her sharp gaze, had her cheeks constantly relaxed, showing her girlish side.
"Collecting the sap isn't that hard labor. Boiling it down into Galim Syrup isn't difficult work either, though it takes patience. So I'm thinking of having the village widows do it. What do you think?"
"That's a good idea! The widows have little income and are struggling."
In a world where war was common, there were quite a few widows in Garusu Village who had lost their husbands in war. Of course, there were also many who had become widows for other reasons.
Even such widows could make Galim Syrup. Rodney thought it was a job that required no special skills and could be done by anyone with motivation and patience.
The widows were gathered immediately, and Galim Syrup was served to them. The widows tasted the Galim Syrup and rejoiced at its sweetness.
As if timing it, Rodney spoke about his plan to produce and sell Galim Syrup. And when he said he wanted to ask the widows to do the production, the widows accepted, saying a workplace would be a great help.
Within a month, thanks to the widows' motivation, the production of Galim Syrup began to get on track. Many widows would collect sap in the forest, boil it down, and pack it into pots.
For forest management, he also asked for cooperation from the hunters and woodcutters.
When sap was collected, at first it would flow well, but eventually it would stop flowing. So, he had the hunters and woodcutters, who knew the forest inside out, identify the older trees, and had them collect sap from those Galim trees.
Old trees that no longer produced sap were felled and used as firewood for making Galim Syrup. After that, they planted new trees. In this way, they made it possible to continuously collect Galim sap.
Also, to prevent carnivorous beasts from attacking the widows in the forest, he had the hunters patrol thoroughly. In this way, the production scale of Galim Syrup in Garusu Village grew larger.
Before the busy Rodney, what was bound to come finally arrived. The debt collector sent by Baron Menisas. A middle-aged man named Tetos, over forty, with a plain appearance, but a grinning, creepy man.
"Forvas-dono. Congratulations on your succession."
(What congratulations? Is the death of someone's parent such a joyous occasion!?)
Just from those words, it was clear the debt collector looked down on the Forvas House. Moreover, although Tetos was not Baron Menisas, he addressed Rodney as "Forvas-dono." For someone who wasn't a noble to address a noble as "-dono" was extremely rude. Rodney felt anger at this, but since he was the one in debt, he swallowed his anger and put on a smile.
"Immediately, I would like you to pay the interest portion."
To the rude Tetos, who fluttered the promissory note, Rodney calmly confirmed the amount. To pay the interest on the debt, Rodney had dipped into the condolence money granted from the royal family for his father.
Since he had already used the condolence money to cover the expenses of making Galim Syrup, paying this interest left him completely broke.
"Indeed. If you would always pay in this manner, it would be a great help to us as well."
(How much trouble do you think my father went through to prepare the repayment money? It's frustrating, but pouring out my emotions here won't improve the situation. Patience, I must be patient.)
He clenched his fist, gritted his teeth, and furrowed his brows as he watched from the window the carriage carrying the debt collector leave the grounds.
"No money left. Damn it."
There was the painful reality.
"If the Galim Syrup doesn't sell, this house is truly finished."
Whether the Galim Syrup production he had been promoting would sell was unknown. Of course, he believed it would sell and did it, but if it didn't, it would be a matter for hanging oneself. Feeling the sense of crisis strongly, he renewed his resolve that he had to do it.
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