Chapter 276 - 274: Inspecting the Sericulture

Chapter 276: Chapter 274: Inspecting the Sericulture

After setting the future priorities for the territory, Duane took a day to relax.

The next day, Haien led him to Broken Wave Bay to inspect the sericulture situation.

As he passed the Medical Sanctuary, Duane saw some of his people coming and going. Upon asking, he learned they were there for medical treatment.

According to Julian’s report from the previous night, the people had fully embraced the concept of the Medical Sanctuary and didn’t see its staff as proselytizing Priests at all.

Of course, High Priest Sada and his people hadn’t been completely idle.

Over this period, they had also managed to recruit a group of followers for this branch sanctuary.

But unlike devout believers, these followers required payment or other benefits to participate.

For example, if a follower brought someone in for treatment, that follower would receive a cut after the patient paid with grain or Copper Coins.

Julian had asked the previous night whether they should put a stop to this, but Duane wasn’t bothered by it.

Making a profit was nothing to be ashamed of.

"Lord, farmer Barry’s house is just ahead."

Haien pointed to a dwelling ahead and explained, "Barry’s ancestors have lived on Black Forest Island for at least three or four generations."

"As a result, he owns a plot of land. When we conducted the census last year, we didn’t touch his assets because he’s one of the Free People."

Duane nodded in approval. "Protecting private property is the right thing to do. You’ve done well."

As they spoke, the two arrived outside Barry’s home.

Duane glanced inside the compound. It contained a few single-story, half-timbered houses with neat, thickly thatched roofs.

In front of the houses, a low fence made of thorny branches enclosed a small yard. Inside, vegetables were growing, and there were penned-up chickens and ducks, as well as a pile of firewood.

On Black Forest Island, having such a living situation was considered to be Middle Class.

Haien shouted, "Barry, the Lord is here!"

Panicked footsteps sounded from inside, and a moment later, a family of six came rushing out.

Haien chided him, "I told you yesterday the Lord was coming today. What kind of preparations are these?"

"Apologies, apologies!"

A thin, dark-skinned man stepped forward, his face a mask of nervousness and apprehension. "Greetings, Lord!"

His voice trembled, perhaps from nervousness. "My apologies, I was just tidying up the house with my family. I didn’t hear you arrive."

Most people on Black Forest Island knew their Lord was fond of cleanliness, sometimes bathing several times a day.

So, upon hearing the Lord was coming, Barry had immediately set his parents and wife to cleaning the house inside and out. The normally free-ranging poultry had been penned up, and there wasn’t a single animal dropping on the ground.

’So that’s why,’ Duane realized. ’No wonder the place looks unnaturally clean.’

He dismounted with a smile. "There’s no need to be nervous. I’ve come today mainly to ask you about sericulture."

"Yes!"

Barry agreed readily and bowed in welcome. "Lord, please, come in."

As he spoke, he gestured to his son and father, who quickly understood and hurried to bring a table and chairs out of the house.

Barry explained, "Lord, the smell inside isn’t very pleasant, so we must ask you to sit out here."

Duane heard the bleating of sheep from inside. ’No wonder the smell isn’t great,’ he thought.

"Are you familiar with the house designs in Dawn Town?" Duane asked casually as he sat down.

Standing nearby, Barry nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, I even made time to go see them. The houses you designed are truly beautiful. Many of us dream of having one."

"Why haven’t you rebuilt yours?"

Duane asked, "The wood, stone, and clay needed for the public to build houses are all provided for free."

Barry scratched his head. "The masons and bricklayers are too busy. They’re either in Dawn Town or working on the castle. If we try to do it ourselves, it’s too slow. We’ll just have to wait."

He pulled his eldest son forward. "I’m planning to send him to Dawn Town to apprentice for a while. That way, he’ll have a trade."

Duane looked at Barry’s son. He appeared to be eighteen or nineteen, with an ordinary face and a short stature.

’There’s no formal schooling here,’ Duane thought. ’Learning a craft is an excellent path.’

"The territory needs all kinds of skilled people—masons, Blacksmiths, Tailors, sailors, carpenters, and more. Mastering one of the Skills is never a bad thing."

Duane smiled encouragingly. "Learn well!"

"Yes, Lord!" the young man answered loudly, his face flushing red with excitement.

For him, speaking to the Lord and receiving his encouragement was a momentous occasion.

Just then, Barry’s wife emerged from the house with two earthenware bowls. Inside each was a small amount of curled, dark green leaves. She poured boiling water over them, and a faint aroma wafted into the air.

"Is this tea?"

Duane asked in surprise. The tea looked a little unusual.

Barry explained, a bit bashfully, "I couldn’t get any of the tea leaves from the mountain, so I tried gathering some tender mulberry shoots and making a bit of tea with them."

Duane’s interest was piqued. "Mulberry leaf tea. I’ve heard of it."

He lifted the earthenware bowl and sniffed it. The water was a bit hot, but with his level of power, such a temperature was trivial.

He took a small sip. It was fragrant and slightly bitter, with a distinct, sweet aftertaste. However, there was a slight flaw.

"The heat was a bit too high during processing. It’s slightly scorched. You need to control the temperature better."

"Yes, yes. Thank you for your guidance."

Duane nodded. "When you’ve made the next batch, you can sell some to me. Just find Ralph."

Mulberry leaf tea is known to detoxify the liver, improve eyesight, and help prevent high blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.

Barry grew excited at hearing the Lord wanted his mulberry leaf tea.

He had only brought it out because he had nothing else to serve his guests. He never expected the tea he’d made on a whim would receive such recognition.

"Lord, rest assured! As soon as the next batch of tender shoots grows, I’ll prepare them properly and have them sent to you!"

Duane went on to ask about daily life and public safety, learning that everything was stable and steadily improving.

For one thing, with the Broken Wave Gang and the Holy Hand Association gone, and their once-arrogant thugs suppressed, public order was now decent.

After covering these topics, Duane finally moved on to the main subject: the state of sericulture.

Black Forest Island had a mild and humid climate, so mulberry trees could grow nearly year-round. Growth slowed in the winter, but the trees never went dormant.

This meant there was a year-round supply of mulberry leaves.

However, the best months for raising silkworms were from March to May and from September to November.

This was because the mulberry leaves were most tender during these two periods.

However, according to Barry, raising the spring silkworms was difficult. The period from March to May was the rainy season, and the high temperature and humidity made the silkworms prone to disease and death.

Therefore, he usually only raised autumn silkworms. Even then, occasional outbreaks of disease still caused him significant losses.

Barry currently had an acre of Sang Field. The silkworms he raised each year could produce over a hundred meters of medium-weight silk, which could be made into eight or nine long, adult-sized garments.

To be honest, Duane felt a pang of disappointment when he heard the final number of garments.

He had been thinking of supplying silk to the Time Closet, but it seemed that wouldn’t be possible now.

’It’s far too little,’ he thought.

Duane followed Barry to the Sang Field for an inspection.

The mulberry trees had already sprouted tender buds and looked lush and green, seemingly in excellent health.

But the trees were huge, more like peach trees, and completely different from the kind of mulberry trees Duane had envisioned.

"You don’t prune the mulberry trees?" Duane asked.

"Prune?"

Barry was taken aback. "Why would I prune them?"

Duane instantly understood. ’No wonder an acre of Sang Field can only support so few silkworms. First, it doesn’t produce enough leaves, and second, the quality of the leaves is poor.’

"Pruning mulberry branches, aside from removing diseased and weak ones, improves airflow and sunlight exposure. It also stimulates new growth and increases the yield of tender leaves."

He explained, "For sericulture, it’s best to keep the mulberry trees between 1.5 and 2 meters tall. That makes them easier to harvest and manage. These trees of yours..."

Duane trailed off, shaking his head slightly.

He had originally planned to acquire Barry’s Sangtian and cultivate Starlight Mulberry Trees there.

But now he had changed his mind. He would need to clear a new acre of Sang Field specifically for cultivating the Starlight Mulberry Trees.

Barry scratched his head in confusion, not quite grasping the concept.

Just then, Duane turned. "Barry, I have a task for you. If you do it well, you’ll earn more than you do now from raising silkworms."

"Name it!" Barry’s spirits immediately lifted. "As long as it’s something I can do, I’ll give it my all!"

Duane said, "I will have Haien select an acre of land for a new Sangtian. I need you to handle the initial preparations, which include clearing debris, deep-plowing and sunning the soil, digging irrigation trenches and forming raised beds, and applying fertilizer."

"Lord, about what you said..." Barry looked embarrassed. "I don’t quite understand all of that."

Duane had forgotten about that. But, struck by an idea, he picked up a branch and sketched the layout of the Sangtian he envisioned on the ground.

As he explained using the diagram, Barry quickly understood.

Duane tossed the branch aside. "Your task for now is to work with Haien to select a good plot of land, then deep-plow the soil and let it bake in the sun. As for what comes next, I’ll give you a demonstration after I return from Thorn Valley."

’Although leveling up the Basic Planting Skill is a real pain, and I’ll have to bend my back to do the manual labor,’ he thought, ’I have to do it to gain new abilities.’