Chapter 319 - 283: The Prospects of the New Industry

Chapter 319: Chapter 283: The Prospects of the New Industry

"Are you alright?" Agatha stared blankly at Shire. She didn’t understand why he was reacting like this—it was just some dried Dragon Claw Leaves ground into a powder.

"I’m fine," Shire said, shaking his head and sniffling a few times. "It’s just got a bit of a kick."

But now he could feel his mind buzzing with excitement, and the hint of frustration he’d felt earlier was completely gone. ’Looks like I was just using it wrong before. This way is much better.’

Snuff—that was Shire’s new test for the powdered Dragon Claw Leaves. He was quite familiar with the method. In his past life, he had once met a client. The man spoke with a thick, authentic Beijing accent and pulled a small white bottle from an inner pocket. Then, right in front of everyone, he snorted a pinch of the contents. Fortunately, everyone knew about the CEO’s little hobby, so no one was too shocked. The reason Shire remembered it so clearly was that this client was a rare, straightforward man who had approved their proposal without any hassle after looking it over.

To this day, he could still remember the design painted on the man’s little bottle: a tiger descending a mountain next to a pine tree. The CEO had claimed it was an heirloom his ancestors had acquired from the imperial palace.

Snuff was very different from cigarettes. It was a powder inhaled through the nose, and he’d heard it came in many different recipes, often mixed with various medicinal herbs. It could refresh the mind, relieve stress, and even had a mild anesthetic effect that eased physical fatigue. The only thing was that its "kick" wasn’t as strong as a cigarette’s.

It seemed the Dragon Claw Leaves could only be made into snuff for sale. Although he couldn’t replicate them in the way he was familiar with, it could still become a huge source of income in the future.

"This... this Dragon Claw Tree," Shire said, gradually recovering. His eyes shining, he looked at Agatha and asked, "Is it grown anywhere else?"

"Dragon Claw Tree," Agatha said, looking up and thinking for a moment. "The Alchemy Books mention it, but the research must have been incomplete. Some books say the tree only grows in the Nightmare Forest, but others claim to have seen it in other parts of the continent."

"So, in other words, the Dragon Claw Tree isn’t very common."

"Yes, you could say that."

Shire nodded. "It doesn’t matter if it’s grown elsewhere on the continent. With our processing methods, they probably won’t be able to easily figure out what it is."

If the Dragon Claw Tree was uncommon, then its leaves wouldn’t be widely known. After being roasted and ground into a powder—and mixed with other herbal powders if necessary—he was confident that anyone trying to trace the source of the product would have a hard time figuring out what it really was.

"Looks like you’ve found another ’good thing’," Agatha said, tilting her head as she studied the goblin staring intently at the brown powder on the table.

"Mm, it is a very good thing," Shire said, looking up at Agatha with a sly grin. "If Red Bull can make me a fortune, then this stuff... this could let me meddle in the affairs of the major Kingdoms, maybe even influence their politics."

"Is it that powerful?" Agatha looked at the powder curiously. "Is it even more potent than an aphrodisiac? What kind of medicine is it?"

Shire’s mouth twitched. "No, it’s not an aphrodisiac. In fact, it’s not a medicine at all. This stuff could become a daily commodity."

"A daily commodity?"

"Right. People will use a little bit every day, a lot of people will come to like it, and everyone will want to buy it. It won’t be limited to the Great Nobles, either. Even wealthy commoners could afford it," Shire explained, laying out the prospects for the brown powder.

"If that’s the case, this stuff..." Agatha frowned. "It could put you in even greater danger."

Shire paused, immediately understanding what she meant. The Merlot Clan had been framed and destroyed by a coalition of powerful forces just for a single, wildly profitable Deepwater Port. Those forces had completely disregarded the unwritten rules that protected noble families. If he started selling this snuff all over the world, then even with the entire Feathered Serpent Kingdom at his back, he wouldn’t be able to guarantee his own safety.

"You’re right. That is a problem," he said, nodding seriously.

"But don’t overthink it," Agatha said with a wave of her hand. "You just need to make sure you’re powerful enough to protect yourself. After all, this stuff is still extremely valuable."

"Only an idiot passes up a chance to make money," Shire said with a laugh. He had no intention of giving up on the Feathered Serpent Kingdom, and he certainly wasn’t giving up on the Dragon Claw Tree snuff. Not knowing about it was one thing, but Broken Tooth had brought back something truly important. Compared to this, all the other intelligence his subordinates had gathered—about Dongtou oppressing goblins, about suspected human trading, about the Feathered Serpent God that could spit powerful Lightning Balls—was nothing. None of it compared to the wrinkled, yellow-edged leaves pulled from that leather pouch.

"I just wonder how many Dragon Claw Trees there are around the Feathered Serpent Kingdom. I hope there are a lot." He reached out and carefully folded the paper, making sure not to spill any of the brown powder inside. ’This is perfect. Once I’ve incorporated those other goblins, I’ll have something for them to do.’

He’d need a snuff factory and some small bottles to hold the product. The bottles shouldn’t be a problem—he could ask that Vampire Count. He just wondered if the Count’s glass-making process could produce bottles that were small enough.