Chapter 183: Refining White Sugar!

"Heavens, it really is Lightning Silver Fish! My lord, I'm guilty—I almost smashed one with a stone!" Mi Gen was stunned and delighted, yet also terrified by his own actions.

"Don't exaggerate—Lightning Silver Fish won't be hurt or scared off by just one stone."

"They've entered the Silver Light Lake en masse, which means they've accepted this as their habitat."

"As long as we maintain the lake's environment unchanged, they'll return here every year!"

"Every year? My lord, does that mean you can, like the legends say, cultivate a hundred titled knights in just four or five years?"

Mi Gen finally relaxed, but his face now wore eager anticipation.

If our lord continues advancing toward the viscount title, we his subordinates will surely rise with him!

When we first followed our lord to the Land of Death, we thought our later years held no hope.

But now, our lord has become a viscount—and further promotion to earl is within reach!

"That depends on how hard you work! If you train diligently, a hundred titled knights won't be hard to produce!"

"And if you work even harder, earn me more merits, maybe I'll be promoted to earl too!" Gervas laughed.

Of course, a hundred titled knights in four or five years? Gervas knew it was impossible…

Not because the number was too high.

But because it was too low!

With his intelligence network, if he didn't produce three or five hundred titled knights in four or five years, he'd be betraying his golden finger.

"My lord, we'll work hard!"

…

Afterwards, the care of the Silver Light Lake was entrusted to Old John.

The Lightning Silver Fish have just begun spawning, a process that will last two or three days.

Only after two or three days, once spawning is complete, will they voluntarily approach shore, waiting to be eaten by other creatures.

But such a precious resource mustn't be left to wild beasts—how else would our subordinates become titled knights?

So, we'll need dedicated serfs stationed by the lake to collect and retrieve the Lightning Silver Fish.

Also, news of the Lightning Silver Fish must be confined to Gervas and a few trusted knights.

Externally, they must all be treated as ordinary silver river fish.

Otherwise, that earl who caused a kingdom-wide sensation is a warning example.

Honestly, had that man's silver fish habitat not been sabotaged…

He would have surely risen to the rank of marquis in his lifetime.

Even if he was only the weakest of marquises, he'd still be a marquis family.

For other nobles, such advancement usually takes generations—even dozens.

Of course, there's one extreme scenario: joining the "entrepreneurial" ranks.

But entrepreneurial opportunities are rare—only one or two every few hundred or even thousand years.

…

"My lord, all the brown sugar produced these past months is here!"

"Also, the bamboo charcoal you ordered is ready!"

"Then let's begin!"

Looking at the warehouse's crates of brown sugar, Gervas couldn't help but smile with delight.

To him, these sugars were already glittering gold coins.

Over these months, the Sugarcane Island had produced over three thousand kilograms of brown sugar.

Roughly a thousand kilograms per month.

Of course, this output wasn't high.

But the bottleneck wasn't the process—it was the supply of sugarcane.

Now that over half the sugarcane groves on the island have been cut down, brown sugar production has dropped to its lowest point.

Because at least one-third of the remaining sugarcane must be kept as seed stock for next year's larger planting.

Of the remaining two-thirds, harvesting and boiling must be selective, based on sales demand.

Now, to sell this brown sugar at a higher price, Gervas planned to refine it into white sugar.

White sugar is pure and translucent, grains like crystal diamonds—its appearance and taste are far more suitable for sale than brown sugar.

The cost of refining brown sugar into white sugar is extremely low: simply remove all its pigments.

Once stripped of color, brown sugar becomes the white sugar of his past life.

Traditional refining methods are two: yellow earth adsorption and activated charcoal adsorption.

Gervas chose the latter.

First, dissolve the brown sugar in clean water, then add large quantities of bamboo charcoal.

Stir and mix thoroughly, letting the charcoal adsorb all the pigments.

Then filter the charcoal-laden water repeatedly through gauze to remove all residue, and re-boil the sugar solution.

Once the water evaporates, white sugar appears.

"This… my lord, how did brown sugar turn into crystal? But these crystals are full of cracks and shards—don't they seem worthless?"

"I think brown sugar's still more valuable—nobles will fight to buy it!"

Mi Gen, seeing the white sugar, mistook it for crystal—cracked, shattered crystal.

Having tasted brown sugar, he naturally believed it was worth more than broken crystal.

He now lamented the waste of so much brown sugar.

Gervas smiled: "Mi Gen, this isn't crystal—it's 'gold,' gold even more valuable than brown sugar!"

"This… how did it become gold again?"

"Enough—taste it and you'll understand!"

Seeing his subordinates' bewildered expressions, Gervas dropped the riddle.

He scooped up a small amount of white sugar and handed it to them.

They took it, puzzled.

"Eat it."

Gulp!

"My lord, won't eating this crystal tear up my stomach?" Mi Gen hesitated.

"Will you eat it or not?" Gervas stared at him.

"If my lord says to eat it, then even if my stomach gets torn apart, I, Mi Gen, will eat it!"

Mi Gen realized Gervas wasn't joking. He closed his eyes and shoved the pinch of white sugar into his mouth.

The other knights, seeing this, followed without hesitation.

"Huh!"

"Ah!"

Soon, the knights realized something strange.

The "shattered crystal" melted in their mouths, flooding their bodies with an unprecedented sweetness.

This sweetness surpassed any fruit—apples, peaches, nothing compared.

Nor did they feel any pain from sharp shards cutting their tongues.

Instead, as saliva flowed, the "shattered crystal" dissolved, growing smaller and smaller.

"How does it feel?" Gervas asked, smiling.

"My… my lord, what is this? Why is it sweeter than brown sugar?" Mi Gen and the others were stunned and ashamed.

"This is called white sugar—a sugar more precious than brown sugar."

Brown sugar is delicious, but its flavor is strong.

It suits dishes like brown sugar egg custard or brown sugar buns.

White sugar, however, is pure sweetness—no other flavor.

So it's perfect for cakes, wine, or drinks.

White sugar adds only sweetness; all other aromas come from the ingredients themselves, untouched and unmasked.

"My lord, this… this really is gold! I thought it was broken crystal!"

Mi Gen no longer dared question—he finally understood what his lord meant by "gold."

This white sugar is sweeter and more miraculous than honey—how could nobles not fight over it?