Chapter 111: The Business Opportunity of Fine Salt

In the workshop, servants kept adding firewood under the cauldrons; the brine in the cauldrons boiled constantly until it evaporated, leaving behind salt crystals.

The Alchemist Ginter ordered the servants to use wooden spoons to dig out the crystals and place them into wicker baskets.

Eddard waved his hand, and a servant nearby brought out concentrated brine prepared in advance to rinse the crystals; once the alkaline substances were washed away, what remained in the baskets was snow-white fine salt.

Maester Luwin and Maester Farmer exchanged looks of surprise, while Maester Duosite whispered to Maester Norman.

When Eddard and the Alchemist Ginter brought the fine salt in a silver tray before Maester Luwin, Maester Duosite, Maester Norman, and Maester Farmer, these four knowledgeable and learned maesters all fell into deep self-doubt.

The Wildling Osha nearby served roasted lamb legs prepared in advance; the roasted lamb legs had been freshly made by the chef Gage and the Wildling Osha, dripping with grease and emitting an enticing aroma.

"Try the fine salt with the lamb legs!"

Maester Luwin, the Wildling Osha, the Alchemist Ginter, Maester Norman, Maester Craster, and Maester Farmer used the lamb meat to dip into the fine salt and began to taste it.

For the natives of Westeros accustomed to coarse salt, the fine salt was simply a delicacy in their mouths; the moment the fine salt touched their tongues, they felt as if their entire beings were melting.

"Too delicious!" The slovenly and fat Maester Farmer pursed his lips, "Even King Robert of the King's Landing court, Lord Hightower of the Hightower in Oldtown, or the wealthiest Duke Tywin, could not eat such exquisite fine salt."

Maester Luwin licked the fine salt off his fingers with his mouth, the aftertaste lingering endlessly.

"Lord Eddard, I believe that in the Seven Kingdoms, no one can resist the temptation of fine salt. The nobles and wealthy merchants of the Seven Kingdoms will certainly be willing to spend a fortune to purchase fine salt to satisfy their palates. As long as Winterfell processes the salt of the North into fine salt, Winterfell can soon shake off its debts."

The Wildling Osha tasted the fine salt, "Beyond the Wall, coarse salt is a scarce treasure. If Mance Rayder knew that Winterfell had fine salt, he would probably send more Wildlings to cross The Wall to steal it."

That evening, in the Great Hall of Winterfell, Eddard's children—Bran, Robb, Jon, Theon, Domeric, Sansa, and Arya, and little Rickon Stark—and Eddard's wife Catelyn tasted fine salt for the first time.

Lady Barbrey, who was a guest at Winterfell, Eddard's subordinate Helen Pyke, the guard Dawson, the marksman Fellan, and the financial advisor Klar were all eating fine salt for the first time. Everyone praised the fine salt endlessly.

The financial advisor Klar elegantly sprinkled a pinch of fine salt and pepper onto the pork knuckle in front of him, the emerald ring on his finger shimmering.

"Lord Eddard, the refining of fine salt is a great invention. As far as I know, Winterfell is at the forefront of the world in the refining process of fine salt; whether it be the Summer Islands, Braavos, or Volantis, none possess this craft. This fine salt tastes no worse than pepper or cinnamon!"

"Think about it, those sanctimonious High Septons, the Sealord of Braavos, the spice merchants of Pentos, the Archon of Tyrosh, and the patrons and governors of Lys would certainly be willing to spend a fortune for fine salt. I believe fine salt can help us bring in rolling wealth."

A smile appeared on Catelyn's face, "We owe so much money to the Braavos Iron Bank and White Harbor; it is wonderful that fine salt can help Winterfell make money."

Lady Barbrey said huffily, "No wonder Duke Eddard wanted to strictly prohibit private salt; it turns out Winterfell had already mastered the wealth code of fine salt! If Winterfell can eat fine salt, wouldn't my Barrowton only be able to weep at the sight of salt?"

"Lady Barbrey, do not say that." Eddard told Lady Barbrey, "Our Northern nobles can obtain private salt gifted by Winterfell for free; Stark promises that Northern nobles shall have salt for free forever!"

Only then did Lady Barbrey reveal a smile. Recently, Lady Barbrey had fallen deeply in love with Fellan, and the two were inseparable.

Now that Winterfell held the production and management rights for salt, Eddard would bestow fine salt upon the Northern nobles for free, and then sell the fine salt to the south and the Free Cities through White Harbor.

Winterfell was heavily in debt, owing the Iron Bank five hundred thousand Gold Dragons and the Manderly family of White Harbor one hundred thousand Gold Dragons. Now, Winterfell's honey candles, sausage processing, wooden toy processing, and the forge's armor and weapon processing could continuously create revenue for Winterfell, but the expenditures were equally staggering.

The architect Donnel was leading craftsmen and laborers to build sewers in the Winter Town. Glassmaster Ortega's glass workshop had already begun production, requiring large amounts of raw materials like quartz sand every day, and they needed to go to the nearby mountains, rivers, and lakes to collect quartz sand daily.

Eddard did not intend to sell this glass, but rather to build nine glass farms around Winterfell; each glass farm was several times larger than the glass garden of Winterfell, and now the glass farms were under construction according to Donnel's design.

The castles on The Wall were being repaired; currently, Winterfell had troops stationed at Green Guard, Nightfort, and Westbridge, repairing the castles and relying on them to build manors and military colonies south of The Wall, using the ice cellars of these castles to store food.

The glass farms could also continuously grow vegetables and grain for Winterfell during the long winter. The glass farms and the ice cellars on The Wall became the vegetable basket, granary, and "refrigerator" for the North to face the Long Night.

The shipbuilder Mogul under Helen Pyke was building longships at the shipyard on the upper White Knife, with over a hundred newly recruited shipbuilders under him, as well as some Ironborn shipbuilders.

Another Ironborn shipbuilder, Raphael, had already set off for the Stony Shore to select a site for a new shipyard. The longships manufactured at this shipyard would be used directly to defend the West Coast of the North, guarding the long coastline from Sea Dragon Point to Salt Spear, and even to the Bay of Ice and Bear Island.

The shipbuilder Malin was in White Harbor, building fishing boats and warships for Winterfell. The warships were uniformly of the specifications of the Sealord of Braavos's fleet, and the construction cost was high; once this fleet was formed, it would undoubtedly greatly enhance the combat power of the Northern navy.

These projects and items all cost money, and Winterfell was becoming poorer and poorer. Refining fine salt to sell for money could earn money for Winterfell and provide a shot in the arm for Eddard and his family.

The little direwolves Night and Sunshine were lying under the dining table eating bones; even these two little wolves tasted the flavor of fine salt. This pair of direwolves, like the unicorn cubs in the stables, had become star animals in Winterfell.

(End of chapter)