Allen—the future Count of Princia. His fief in the future would be Princia, which was said to be quite close to Sardinson.
Wei Wei looked at the map and quickly found Princia near the border of Slot County. It was close.
That brought a new concern to her mind.
"I remember you said you planned to cooperate with Allen, right? Doesn't Princia already have a dock? Wouldn't it be a problem to build another one in Slot?"
If two docks were too close to each other, it would impact each other's commercial traffic.
Felix had already considered this.
He pointed to the map of Slot County and explained, "Although Princia has a seaport, it's never really been developed. Currently, it's just a small pier where ships can dock, but it lacks the supporting infrastructure. It's more of a supply stop and not a place foreign fleets are keen to dock."
His finger moved from Princia leftward—westward on the map—and stopped at a point.
"This is the largest royal seaport of the Pradi Empire, close to the capital. The surrounding regions are among the richest noble territories in the empire. This is the final destination for most foreign merchants. A land journey from Princia to that port takes at least ten days, but by sea, it's no more than two."
Princia might be considered prosperous on its own, but compared to the capital and its neighboring elite regions, it was insignificant. Foreign merchants came to make big profits and naturally preferred to bring goods to the most lucrative markets.
"So Princia's harbor is mainly for their own transport needs, and most trade is done by domestic merchants," he continued. "It's mostly grain merchants collecting grain, so except during the harvest season, the pier is usually quite deserted."
"If Sardinson gets its dock, it'll significantly shorten trade time with Princia. With our current products, we'll attract foreign merchants to Sardinson. Then some fleets will naturally stop by Princia for business or rest. That can only be a good thing for them—after all, we're very close."
Traveling from Sardinson to Princia by land took two to three days, while by water, it could be less than half a day. Slot was even closer. Given the coastal terrain around Slot, the dock that could be built wouldn't be a large-scale port—medium or small-sized at most. If traffic to Sardinson increased and the dock reached capacity, diverting to Princia would be inevitable.
Besides, Felix and Allen had already confirmed their cooperation. Felix had every intention of bringing his friend along on the path to prosperity. If Princia also developed, attracting foreign fleets would no longer be a problem.
That's why Felix was fully convinced that building a dock in Slot wouldn't hinder Princia it would boost its growth.
His logic was flawless, and Wei Wei couldn't help but nod in agreement. Then her eyes lit up as she thought of another benefit. "If the dock is completed, we won't have to sit in a carriage for days to get to the capital anymore!"
On their last trip, the route wasn't even a straight line. Europe's terrain might be mostly plains, but there were also plenty of hills and impassable mountains, so roads often had to wind around them—making the journey longer and slower.
Sea travel, on the other hand, was a different story. As long as there weren't storms or natural disasters, it was smooth sailing. Ships that hugged the coast were relatively safe, and with favorable winds, could be even faster.
"Yes, by ship it'd take only three to five days to reach the royal harbor," Felix confirmed.
Wei Wei frowned. "Then why didn't we take a ship from Princia to the capital before? Why go through all that trouble?"
Felix coughed awkwardly and reminded her, "Princia shuts down shipping in winter. And there are rules about who can board ships—women aren't allowed."
Wei Wei immediately felt her chest tighten.
Right, that was the reason she hadn't forced the system to send her to Huaxia.
She had known this rule already, but hearing such a superstitious, outdated belief again still dampened her mood. "Even just traveling along the coast is no good? It's not like we're going out to sea. Do you believe women bring bad luck on ships?"
Seeing that she was upset, Felix walked around the table, pulled her into his arms, and gently comforted her. "Of course not. Once we have our ships, you can sail however and whenever you want."
He couldn't control what others believed about women on ships, but his ships? He could let anyone on board.
As for those old sailors' superstitions about women bringing misfortune at sea—he never believed in that nonsense. If disaster were truly brought about by women, would Wei Wei even be standing here? If she hadn't boarded a ship across the sea, with the distance between their worlds, he could've spent a lifetime and never met her.
The sea was unpredictable; anything could happen regardless of who was aboard. Disaster struck regardless of gender.
Comforted by his words, Wei Wei's mood finally improved.
Still, it didn't feel appropriate to keep talking about docks—after all, it was a plan still up in the air. So they turned the conversation back to the matter of Slot's ownership.
One recipe for beet sugar in exchange for a piece of land—it was indeed a good deal.
Without delay, Felix pulled out paper and pen and began writing a letter to the king. Wei Wei helped him polish the wording. Together, they completed the formal request to exchange the sugar recipe for Slot.
Wei Wei quipped, "Now that we'll send it by water, the letter will arrive quickly."
She was still a little bitter about the whole "no-women-on-ships" issue.
Still, water transport really was faster, and this matter was best handled quickly. So Felix, of course, followed her suggestion.
After the letter was sent, they had to wait for a reply.
Meanwhile, spring plowing had begun in Sardinson.
This year, all of Sardinson's farmers were using new agricultural tools. The biggest upgrade was the plow. Previously, they had only light plows and heavy plows. Light plows were cheaper but couldn't till deeply, meaning the soil's fertility wasn't used efficiently and the crops often grew poorly.
Heavy plows could turn over clay and forest soils and allowed deep plowing, which was better for crop growth. But they were expensive and needed multiple oxen to pull—sometimes even the light plow required at least two animals.
For an average farmer, owning even one ox meant wealth. So often, several households had to band together and take turns plowing, which frequently led to disputes and delays in spring sowing.
But this year, the curved-beam plow had been introduced—a design from the tool blueprints Wei Wei had given Felix the previous year. Though they hadn't used it then, Felix had spent the past year organizing carpenters and blacksmiths to make them in bulk.
The curved-beam plow required only one ox or even one horse to pull, making it far more accessible. Its depth could be adjusted freely, and the plowshare came in diamond and V shapes that could be swapped out for different uses.
Most of the plow's structure was wooden—only the plowshare needed to be iron—so the cost was drastically reduced. Not every household could afford one, but most could manage.
The plows prepared by the craftsmen not only met the local demand but also allowed for some to be sold externally.
As soon as the plow launched, it sparked a huge craze. Poorer families traded grain to rent one, while wealthier farmers bought the frame from a carpenter and the share from a blacksmith—then assembled them at home.
Foreign merchants were interested too but didn't buy any. After all, the design was easy to understand—why not copy it back home instead? But if they had land to till themselves, they would buy one for immediate use—waiting for custom orders would delay spring planting.
The surplus plows were intended for sale to neighboring nobles. Felix had just recently made deals with them—sending each a few plows as a goodwill gesture.
Besides the plow, a new type of horse collar was also a game-changer. Though oxen were common draft animals, horses were used too. But old horse collars went around the neck, often causing horses to choke. They also couldn't exert force efficiently. The new design fit over the shoulders—solving both issues.
This year's spring plowing didn't need multiple oxen per plow, and with horses also in use, the speed was several times faster than before. When the land was all tilled, the farmers looked out at the fields and realized—this time last year, one-third of the land hadn't even been touched. Now? They were done early and delighted—feeling the investment was well worth it.
At the same time, the underground storehouse built last year at Sardinson Castle was opened.
Basket after basket of sweet potatoes, potatoes, and other temperature-sensitive seeds were brought out and sent to the villa's cellar for temporary storage.
For the next while, Wei Wei and Felix lived at the villa. She directed the carefully selected slaves to plant the March crops: corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and spring wheat.
Most of these were unfamiliar to the slaves, but since they lived in the castle, they'd seen the countess cultivate exotic plants from the Far East in the garden—these seeds must be from there.
Most crops were fine, but when they saw her planting wheat, they couldn't help but speak up. It wasn't the right season.
"Honored madam, if you plant now, the wheat won't head."
This wasn't a wild guess—it was ancestral knowledge. People had tried spring planting, hoping warmth would improve yield, but spring-sown wheat only kept branching without producing grain—leaving them with nothing.
So no one tried again.
Wei Wei smiled at their concern. "Yes, winter wheat isn't suitable for spring planting—but this isn't winter wheat. It only grows in spring and is harvested in autumn. If you wait till late fall to sow it, the frost will kill it."
Wait—there was such a thing?
Felix finally noticed the overlooked seeds and asked, "Can this type of wheat grow in colder regions?"
Their current wheat required overwintering. In lands farther north, it would freeze. Spring planting didn't work either, so they didn't grow wheat at all.
But if Wei Wei's wheat could be sown in spring and survive the summer…
She nodded. "Yes, this is a variety from my homeland—far to the north. It can't survive winter, but the spring and summer climate there suits it perfectly. Its yield is also much higher than your current wheat."
She didn't say how much higher with others around. But Felix, thinking of how high-yielding the corn, potatoes, and sweet potatoes were, could already guess the number wasn't small.
Later, after sending the slaves away, he couldn't help but ask about the wheat's actual yield.
Wei Wei leaned in and whispered, "Properly managed, at least 500 jin per mu. With skill, you can get 700 or 800 jin. Under perfect conditions, even 1000 jin isn't impossible."
Felix knew what a mu was—it was one-sixth of an acre.
He did a quick mental conversion and gasped.
He thought the other crops had been the biggest surprise—turns out there was a hidden bonus!
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Wei Wei looked innocent. "You never asked. And back when we were harvesting, you weren't even interested in the wheat."
He hadn't been—because he'd assumed it was just regular wheat. Like the slaves, he believed spring wheat wouldn't grow. Besides, he'd been so busy with the autumn harvest and the booming yields that Wei Wei's lack of mention meant he forgot entirely.
He asked, a little suspiciously, "Aside from this, are there any more high-yield crops you've kept from me?"
Wei Wei thought about it. "Same varieties—mine always yield more. Oh, and while not all are grains, some of the fruits, vegetables, and spices might not suit Sardinson's climate, but grown in the right place? They're all high-yield too."
"…That's quite a revelation. Are you saying all of them?"
"Of course. These are all optimized seeds—rare even in my homeland. Why else would I bring them?"
Felix thought of those exotic, struggling plants still planted in the castle: "You still have seeds? Those probably won't last here."
"Plenty," she said. "Those are just test batches. I knew Sardinson wasn't suitable, so I didn't use everything. Besides, the test garden's not that big."
She'd brought a hundred varieties. The back garden could only hold so much. For heat-loving ones that weren't suited to Sardinson, she'd only planted a few for trial—saving the rest. Seed longevity might decline, but better than losing them all.
And thank goodness she had—otherwise, when they realized that Melk Town, in Sardinson's south, was warm enough for heat-loving crops, she would've cried.
So once planting was done at the villa, they had to head to Melk. She hadn't visited before, but Melk belonged to Felix. He had already reclaimed some rented lands there—just for her.
Previously, Felix wasn't that interested in non-grain crops, not even pricey spices. Sardinson wasn't big enough to grow everything, and to him, grain was the foundation of any territory.
Still, he didn't mind Wei Wei cultivating other plants. Vegetables diversified the diet, spices were consumables—good to grow a few.
But if those were also high-yield…
Then why not cooperate with nobles in more suitable territories? Provide seeds, take a cut of the harvest, or exchange for cash—it was all a win.
Which meant they'd need to protect Melk's land—fencing it off to prevent theft, for starters.
"How about we start a proper farm there? Hire people. It'll be easier to scale later," Wei Wei suggested. "Also, we could do the same at Uke Town—it has large grasslands. Perfect for a ranch."
That made her think of the piglets she and Chef Bob had neutered. Only two died—most healed quickly, grew tamer, and ate more. They were already outpacing the other piglets.
"Let's just raise pigs in Uke then. When the meat sauce factory expands, we'll need lots of meat. We can't rely on buying it forever—it's cheaper to raise our own."
Uke Town was already focused on animal husbandry. Land for farming was scarce. A pig farm would boost its economy.
Currently, pork was too gamey for noble tables—only edible with loads of expensive spices. So their meat sauce mainly used lamb. But if they could raise pigs without that stink? They could switch to the cheaper option.
Thinking about piglets made Felix's eye twitch. After the first batch survived, Wei Wei set her sights on every pig in the estate. She ordered the slaughterhouse to practice, then had almost all the piglets on the estate neutered—only the strongest were left as breeders.
That included pigs owned by serfs. Only free citizens' pigs might escape—for now.
The order hadn't been enacted yet because most sows hadn't given birth, but once it began, everyone would probably look at Wei Wei with the same complicated gaze his knights had.
Still, if she made sense, Felix would go with it. So they started selecting locations in Melk for the farm and in Uke for the pig ranch—giving the now-freed-up farmers more jobs.
And while they were away at Melk, the reply from the capital arrived.
Just as Felix expected, the king was very interested in the offer. Sugar was a luxurious commodity. Owning the method of making it was like owning a gold mine. Even better, the raw materials for this sugar could be grown within the Pradi Empire—and even in royal lands.
Felix was asking for a piece of land nobody else wanted. The king, ever astute, immediately understood Felix's real aim: Slot was perfect for building a port. And Sardinson's products attracted not only merchants and nobles—His Majesty himself liked them.
He used Sardinson's perfumes and floral waters to mask body odor and bad breath. Pasta with meat sauce was now a staple at his table. And woolen garments? He'd worn them all winter.
And it looked like even more goodies would emerge from Sardinson in the future. With a water route, shipping them would be much faster. No more waiting.
So, driven by sugar and self-interest, the king swiftly agreed—granting Felix ownership of Slot.
This wasn't just a reply—the royal messenger brought the deed with him. From now on, Felix wasn't just Count Williams—he was also Count of Slot.
But at the end of the letter, the king mentioned something they'd forgotten.
He handed it to Wei Wei. "His Majesty is asking when we're sending the cosmetics we promised."
Wei Wei froze and groaned, "I forgot…"
Yes, she had promised the noble ladies of the capital she'd begin production as soon as she returned—but there'd just been so much to do.
It had slipped her mind.