Chapter 653: Chapter 45: Cannon Fodder Bootlicker in the Beast World Farming Novel

After speaking, the Beastmen behind Jiang Lai weighed the crossbows in their hands.

The Eagle Clan leader shivered.

"You mean it, teach us to dry salt, grow grain, and ensure that my people can eat as much grain as they want!"

"Rest assured, go ask around in the forest about our New Tribe’s reputation."

"Hah, how many Beastmen in the forest aren’t under your control?"

Too domineering!

Really too outrageous!

The Eagle Clan didn’t even have time to resist and declare war before they were subdued.

When Jiang Lai arrived, he had already prepared all the tools needed for salt drying, including a set of equipment for renovating the site.

Those who came with him were all skilled workers, who had become quite proficient in woodworking under the training of Ayuan and Ah Hai.

Almost without needing any further arrangement or command, everyone was already performing their respective duties.

The synchronization and orderly steps directly stunned the Eagle Clan.

"That... that box so heavy, is it all iron?"

Three entire carts, more than a dozen boxes, were opened to reveal a neatly arranged complete set of carpentry tools.

The once proud Eagle Clan leader now turned into a curious child, asking questions relentlessly without worrying about his image.

Looking at those oddly shaped but beautifully crafted iron instruments, he was almost drooling.

Everyone was mingling on the same continent, so why did he feel as if he was out of touch with the world? He didn’t recognize a single thing in this New Tribe.

In just two days, by the evening of the second day, a salt drying field had been constructed.

The reason why Jiang Lai chose this tribe was because there was a large natural salt drying area, where the expansive mudflats could receive enough sunlight every day.

This allows the seawater, filled into the crystallization pools, to dry quickly and precipitate coarse salt. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Once the salt drying site was set up, Jiang Lai began training the first batch of salt workers.

The first step in salt drying was actually quite simple; workers needed to carry two water-carrying baskets and evenly spread the seawater over the sand, little by little.

After being exposed to the sun, it precipitates concentrated brine, which is then directed into the salt troughs to finally obtain high-concentration salt crystals.

These salt crystals were the bitter grains frequently seen by the Beast Clan living by the sea clinging to rocks and plants.

These salts are very bitter, filled with impurities, and contain some substances harmful to the human body.

Too much consumption would harm the body and could even endanger life.

Thus, Jiang Lai set up a huge iron pot at the salt plant, then instructed his tribesmen to make an iron barrel about three meters high, open at both top and bottom.

Inside, he layered stones, fine sand, charcoal, and burlap as filters, then melted the sun-dried salt crystals again, pouring them into the iron barrel, with the dense brine filtering through layer upon layer and seeping from the barrel’s bottom.

The filtered brine had most of the impurities removed, and didn’t taste as bitter, but it wasn’t enough; the final brine had to be poured into the iron pot, heated at the base repeatedly until it boiled dry, leaving a thick layer of salt powder at the pot’s bottom.

This salt powder was nearly the equivalent of modern table salt, with negligible taste difference and hardly any health hazards.

This type of salt was the perfect choice for daily use.

When the first batch of salt was produced, the entire salt plant erupted in cheers.

After this time together, the Eagle Clan and the people of the New Tribe were able to coexist peacefully.

After all, ever since the New Tribe arrived, their quality of life has vastly improved, and they no longer had to eat those bland sea fish every day, with the variety of meals tempting them to pack up and join the New Tribe.

Besides meals, the New Tribe also brought many never-before-seen items, from building dry toilets to providing looms, to teaching them how to make crafts using fallen feathers, as well as everyday essentials like brooms and dusters.

In a short time together, everyone believed that the New Tribe was a divine place blessed by the Beast Spirit.

The salt-making process went smoothly. With enough sunlight and ample space, the local Eagle Clan were natural salt-drying experts, their feet unscathed by the alkaline soil.

Jiang Lai simply incorporated these Eagles into the tribe’s methods.

They worked, earned Iron Coins, and could purchase things within the tribe.

The Eagle Clan had a fondness for fruits, colorful berries, and fruit wines.

Coincidentally, Jiang Lai had no shortage of these items.

Both sides benefited, and the first batch of salt used received unanimous praise.

The purified sea salt tasted fresher and milder than rock salt, and given the abundant quantity, prices also decreased significantly.

As the reputation spread, more and more Beastmen came to the salt plant specifically to exchange for salt.

Currency didn’t exist in the Beast World, and bartering was still the trade method; since salt was a scarce commodity, coupled with the better taste of Jiang Lai’s purified salt, more and more tribes were willing to trade gold or silver for sea salt.

In a short time, Jiang Lai amassed a significant amount of gold.

These were of little immediate use to Jiang Lai, but with the Beast World developing rapidly, the value of gold would soon rise, and then she would have considerable influence with the ample gold reserves in her hands.

The fame of the New Tribe’s salt plant reached the ears of the Snake Clan’s First Tribe leader on the other side of the coast before long.

"Now nobody comes to trade for our salt anymore. Those people from the New Tribe are too much, taking away all our business."

The Snake Clan leader sat high above, human-bodied with a snake tail, the large, thick tail coiled layer upon layer on the animal pelt like the roots of an old tree, intertwining with python patterns brightly and eerily, the massive snake body making the human body above it seem incredibly small.

Beside the snake tail, Mu Mianmian listened to the informant’s report with a serious expression.

"Did you not say that you were the only one in the world who knew this method?"

The Snake Clan leader looked at Mu Mianmian, the green slitted pupils glimmering faintly, with every word a long tongue would lick her face.

Mu Mianmian’s back tensed as she suppressed her disgust and calmly stated,

"Their salt can’t be better than ours."

"Their salt, I had my subordinates buy it, and I’ve tasted it too.

What a pity, I think theirs is tastier than ours."

Mu Mianmian’s face fell.

"Impossible."

"Where does your confidence come from?"

"I know the New Tribe’s leader; she cannot make salt better than mine!"

Saying this, Mu Mianmian urgently stood up.

"I want to see, I want to go to their tribe and see!"

"No need to go to their tribe, their salt plant is by the sea; if you want to go, we’ll go together."