The evening sun cast its afterglow over the Red Tide Territory.Inside the smokehouse near the hot springs, several smoked fish hung from wooden racks, their golden skins slightly wrinkled, emitting a rich smoky aroma.Louis stood by, his gaze scrutinizing the fish that had been smoked for several hours.Then, he lightly pressed the surface with his finger; the dry, springy touch made him nod in satisfaction.“M-My Lord…” Sally stood beside him, speaking cautiously, her hands unconsciously twisting together.Her eyes held a hint of nervousness, fearing that her smoked fish wasn't good enough.Louis looked up at her words and praised, “The smoking is excellent; the texture and color of the fish are very good.”Sally visibly relaxed, a nervous smile appearing on her face: “It’s all… all according to the method you taught. Without… without your guidance, how could we have made it?”“It’s your skill,” Louis said, casually tearing off a piece of fish and throwing it into his mouth.Although the fish was dry and hard, as he chewed, the rich smoky aroma slowly spread in his mouth, and the taste was quite good.Silco, standing beside him with his arms crossed, let out a tired yawn, his dark circles almost reaching the floor.It wasn't that Louis deliberately exploited him; it was just that he and Louis were the only two literate people in the entire territory.So, he could only be reluctantly made to work 996 (9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week).To comfort him today, Louis brought him along to eat fish.“Hey, try some,” Louis said, casually handing him a smoked fish.A hint of interest flickered in Silco's tired eyes, and he took a bite: “The taste is better than I imagined.”“This is the result of Sally’s hard work,” Louis praised.Hearing her name, Sally instantly became flustered and quickly waved her hands: “No, no, no, being able to smoke these fish is all according to what you told me to do. I don’t know anything about this…”Louis listened quietly to Sally’s words, but his gaze fell on the smoked fish.The Red Tide Territory was located in the cold Northland, and food resources were limited.Although fishing was an important source of supplies, in winter and early spring each year, the rivers were almost frozen, and there was virtually no catch.To avoid famine, he had to find an effective preservation method to get food through the long winter.So, Louis thought of an innovative method—using geothermal heat to smoke fish.“Hot spring smoked fish? Can it really work?” When Silco first heard this plan, his eyes were full of disbelief.“Compared to simple air-drying, this method removes more moisture and extends the preservation time,” Louis explained.In any case, this method was always worth trying.So, he selected the meticulous and skilled Sally and had her lead the women in initial attempts.The first step was to process the fish.First, they would open the fish belly and remove the internal organs, but the fish skin had to be retained.The fish skin not only prevented the fish meat from falling apart during the smoking process but also locked in the flavor, making the smoked fish taste better.Next, they would cure it with coarse salt, for a duration ranging from several hours to a day, depending on the weather and humidity.This not only removed fishy odors and enhanced freshness but also removed some moisture, preparing it for subsequent smoking.The second step was to build the smoking racks.In the hot spring area, they wove a row of smoking racks from branches, bamboo strips, and vines.They also added simple windproof and insulation facilities on both sides of the racks to allow the hot spring steam to penetrate the fish meat to the maximum extent while preventing heat loss.The third step was the smoking process.Geothermal resources were not stable, so the smoking time was divided into 2 to 3 days, conducted in multiple rounds.Too high a heat would harden the fish meat, while too low would make it difficult to preserve, so each batch of smoked fish had to have its time and temperature carefully adjusted.All of this seemed cumbersome, but after Sally’s continuous attempts during this period, small-scale success had already been achieved.The fish hanging on the smoking racks were one of the Red Tide Territory's hopes for getting through the winter.Louis nodded slightly: “We can expand the scale now.”A hint of surprise flashed in Sally’s eyes; she and the women under her had worked hard for several days for this.In this world dominated by military might, the status of women had always been low.If they could undertake the important task of smoking fish, their status in the Red Tide Territory would also significantly improve.She pursed her lips and carefully asked, “Lord, are you saying you want us to be responsible for the smoked fish work?”“You’ve already done very well, haven’t you?” Louis glanced at her indifferently, his gaze sweeping over the smoking racks. “If the scale expands, experienced people will naturally be responsible for this matter.”Sally’s heart quickened, and she couldn't help but clutch her apron, feeling an unprecedented sense of security.“Thank you, My Lord!” She almost instinctively bowed, her voice trembling slightly.Louis smiled: “It is I who should thank you.”Just then, a Knight walked over and whispered to Louis, “Lambert has returned.”Louis’s eyes lit up; this was a double ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) blessing.He immediately quickened his pace towards the residential area, meeting the three individuals who had just entered the district.Lambert knelt on one knee and said in a low voice, “Mission accomplished.”Louis nodded slightly, a hint of relief in his eyes.The steady Lambert always gave people a sense of reassurance.“You’ve worked hard,” he said in a deep voice, then his gaze swept over the two other Elite Knights behind him.Although they were slightly more tired than Lambert, none of them complained about the hardships of the journey.“We’ll discuss the detailed report tomorrow,” Louis said with a gentle smile. “Rest well tonight. At tomorrow’s commendation ceremony, you will all receive your deserved rewards.”The three simultaneously bowed, their attitudes respectful: “Yes!”“Leave the seeds and then you may rest.”The three Knights unhesitatingly handed their bundles to the attendant and left, carrying the fatigue of their journey.Using battle qi for long-distance travel, even Elite Knights inevitably felt physically and mentally exhausted.Louis watched them leave until their figures disappeared, then turned and walked towards his office, with the attendant following closely behind, carrying large and small bags of seeds.Bags of seeds were neatly stacked on the desk, all results of this procurement.Louis waved his hand, signaling the attendant to withdraw.Once the door gently closed, he stepped towards the desk, finding the seeds he wanted based on the prompts from the intelligence system.He carefully picked up a single seed and examined it in his hand.The seed was reddish-brown with a smooth skin, and at first glance, it was indistinguishable from ordinary cranberry seeds.If he didn't have the intelligence system, he probably would have mistaken it for an ordinary seed.But it was definitely not ordinary.This was precisely the Frost Blood Red Berry, a special demonized fruit from the extremely cold regions of the Northland.After consumption, it could not only strengthen the physique but also had miraculous effects on the condensation of a Knight’s battle qi.This meant that once successfully cultivated, it could not only become a unique specialty of the Red Tide Territory.It could also become a strategic material that major nobles would compete for.Louis looked at the seeds, as if seeing mountains of gold and silver beckoning to him.

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