Volume 8: The Sword Points to the Far East Chapter 243 The Lion Tribe’s Morality
The Golden Plains is close to the sea, with an altitude that is neither high nor low. It is located in the subtropical monsoon climate zone, with four distinct seasons and rain and heat occurring at the same time. Given the physical condition of the Orcs (it is not so easy to freeze to death when it snows), it is a good place where one can easily survive without much effort.
In terms of natural conditions and living environment, the grassland becomes a forbidden zone for life as soon as winter comes...
However, the golden plains owned by the Lion Tribe did not develop into a prosperous port city like the human kingdom. The reason was similar to that of the neighboring peninsula that originally belonged to the Snake Tribe - the population was not large enough (about 200,000), and the number of agriculture and handicraftsmen and the economic benefits generated could not support a seaport that had to rely on throughput to make a profit.
Merchants traveled thousands of miles to deliver goods in the hope of selling them to the locals, and colonists came across the sea in the hope of finding cheap land and cheap labor to run plantations. In the final analysis, they all wanted to make money from the locals... But your land is so small and your population is so small. You are so arrogant that the outsiders can't beat you. You are also so lazy that you can't even hire you to work. Who would be so stupid to come here in droves?
The lack of urgent pressure to survive and the lack of large amounts of capital circulation are the main reasons why the lion tribe is relatively harmonious as a whole... The gap between the rich and the poor is not widening, the top cannot live a luxurious life and the bottom cannot starve to death, internal and external conflicts in society are difficult to breed, and the entire tribe is filled with the smell of salted fish.
The above is Xiao Yun’s analysis of the Lion Clan’s territory.
Primo thought it made perfect sense.
Because it is so obvious, anyone who has been to Lion City will be impressed - once you enter the city, in every block, wherever there is open space that can get sun, there will be lions of varying sizes lying there.
Not to mention the idle people wandering around everywhere, all the shops on both sides of the street are closed before the sun sets.
Some shops even have spider webs hanging in the corners of their doors...
This should be the time when people finish get off work, relax after a hard day's work, and the whole city becomes lively and cheerful, but this place is filled with a salty smell from top to bottom, inside and out...
Not to mention Yangmao, even Rosemary, who was recognized as one of the lazy kings of the Fire Tribe, was shocked by the lazy and permissive atmosphere of this city.
When the six-legged lizard crossed two blocks and passed the street garden between the blocks, it finally saw people who were "doing something":
A group of handsome lion men with short blond hair (the average appearance of the lions is quite high) rushed into the grass, crawled into the bushes, or climbed onto the bungalows. Two or three of them worked together to search out the long-haired big cats and dragged them away roughly...
Some even cursed as they dragged: "Where did you lose the cub? What, you don't know? You haven't been anywhere all day?"
"If you don't go harvest soybeans tomorrow, you'll die!"
"Listen, this is my last warning. If you don't fix the hole in the roof tomorrow and run out to bask in the sun, don't even think about going home!!"
Wool & Rosemary on the Back of the Six-legged Lizard: "..."
Primo was very calm and explained to the two people nonchalantly: "Male lions hardly work. It is the females who work to support the family. Those with short hair are females."
Unlike the snow wolves, whose male and female are extremely difficult to distinguish, the lions are still very easy to distinguish. Although female lions do not possess the "feminine beauty" that conforms to human aesthetics, they are smaller in size (compared to males) and have thinner physiques, making them highly recognizable. It is not possible for a young girl to break into the men's bathroom without being noticed.
As Yangmao's worldview was refreshed, the six-legged lizard came to a large house with a yard.
The gate was open. In order to allow the lions to enter and exit freely, their houses and yards were built quite large and the doors were quite wide. A six-legged lizard that was three meters wide and more than one meter high and carrying goods could go straight in.
Sitting on a lizard, Primo entered the yard, lifted the hem of his robe and jumped to the ground, shouting into the half-open door of the big house: "Xiu! Are you home?"
There was no movement in the house. Primo waited for a while, told Wool and Rosemary not to run around, and went into the house and took a look around.
He came out not long after, and sat casually on a stone pier in the yard: "Wait a moment, they probably went to take someone to repair it."
Wool & Rosemary: "..."
Thinking of what they had just seen, the two did not question at all that Primo had used the wrong word.
"Huh? Them?" Rosemary noticed something was wrong.
Primo nodded: "The lion tribe is a polygamous clan. It is difficult to support a family with only one wife."
Wool & Rosemary: "......!!"
Primo looked at Rosemary and said calmly, "Don't be too envious. The female lions gather together to form a family and then select qualified males to join the family as their common husbands. If the males make the females dissatisfied, they will drive him away and choose another husband."
"The shabby houses we saw when we entered the city were all inhabited by the male lions who were not chosen." Primo chuckled, "It is much more difficult to please several partners than just one."
Rosemary's newly-awakened envy immediately disappeared completely. It seems that being a salted fish and eating gigolo is not an easy thing...
No matter how much you want to make a living by relying on your own abilities, two fists can't beat four hands, right?
Primo was not happy with Rosemary, who was only interested in eating for free. He asked Yangmao to sit next to him, put his arm around the girl's shoulders and said seriously, "Look at my instructions later. Don't think too much. Just do what Ayun tells you to do."
"Yes, I know. Don't worry." Yang Mao straightened his back and nodded seriously. "I remember everything Ayun said."
After waiting for a while, several people walked in from the open gate.
The leader was a handsome man with short blond hair...er, a female lion, holding a little lion in each hand. He looked up and saw a six-legged lizard in his yard. He turned his eyes and found Primo, and laughed: "Hey, Primo, are you here again this year?"
"Hey, Xiu." Primo stood up with a smile, "Of course, I am an honest businessman."
Xiu stuffed the two little lions in her hand to the female who followed her in and said, "Teach these two brats a lesson." She then shouted to the third female who came in with a sullen, long-haired male in her arms, "Lock him in the room first."
"Okay." The second and third wives were very obedient and did as they were told.
The eldest wife Xiu brought Primo and the two little followers into the living room, grabbed some fruits and threw them to Yangmao, who looked younger than her. She ignored Rosemary and sat down in front of Primo. "The barbecue sauce you brought last year ran out very quickly. Did you bring it this year? Did the price not increase?"
"How could that be? Although I am a human, I am not the kind of profiteer who makes money with dirty tricks." Primo laughed heartily, his fake mustache trembling. "This time I not only brought barbecue sauce, but also brought better things..."
As he spoke, Primo took out a small paper bag from his waist bag. After opening it, he found a small pile of finely ground earthy red powder. He said with a smile, "This is a good thing I made on the grasslands of the Northern Continent. It is thirteen-spice chili powder made from a variety of spices." He casually took a green papaya from the fruit in front of Yangmao, cut off a piece with a knife, dipped a little powder on it and handed it to him, "Try it. Just a little bit of anything will make a big difference in the taste."
The head of the family, Mrs. Xiu, had no doubt that Primo was playing the role of a businessman, so she took the food and threw it into her mouth.
On Earth, Thirteen Spices ultimately failed to defeat Lao Gan Ma in a head-on confrontation and was defeated miserably.
Regardless of whether the thirteen spices on earth are good or bad, the idea of refining spices with multiple flavors and making them into easy-to-use powdered seasonings is definitely correct - except for professional chefs, who would always have several bottles and jars of seasonings at home?
After watching Master Wang Gang’s teaching video, many people are now looking for a certain seasoning…
Moreover, Xiao Yun had lived in the countryside when he was a child, and he knew very well how much people in areas with scarce resources lacked taste stimulation in their mouths - Li Kui's phrase "pale as a bird" was the best annotation.
Therefore, he doesn’t care about the “high-end taste” of the mixed seasoning powder at all, he just simply and roughly pursues spicy and fresh flavor!
Star anise, Sichuan pepper, fennel, cumin, cinnamon and a little MSG are ground into fine powder, and then a large amount of dried chili peppers with even the seeds ground into powder are added. Various taste stimuli are mixed together to form "Thirteen Spice Chili Powder". If you can't defeat the taste buds of the intelligent creatures in this world, Xiao Yun would rather write his name backwards~!
When the bland, green, slightly bitter papaya dipped in a little thirteen-spice chili powder touched his tongue, Xiu's eyes lit up.
Most of the fruits in this world have only been domesticated simply. The races in most areas do not have the conditions to cultivate fruits as patiently and meticulously as the forest elves. Except for a few berries, the taste of most fruits is actually very ordinary.
For example, if modern people were to eat watermelons from the Tang Dynasty, which had more white flesh than red flesh, few of them would be able to eat them happily.
So Yang Mao didn't touch the fruits served by the host because they didn't look delicious at all.
But even such bland and unpalatable green papaya is seasoned with thirteen-spice chili powder, and it tastes like a different species to the locals!
To see how important taste stimulation is to intelligent creatures living in areas with scarce resources, one only needs to look at the popularity of those crudely brewed liquors in ancient times!
"How much is this?" Xiu swallowed the green papaya and stopped looking at Primo. He stared straight at the small pile of earthy red powder in the small paper bag, almost eagerly wanting to reach out his little hand.
Primo smiled slyly, and did not rush to talk about the price. Instead, he continued to brag: "This thirteen-spice chili powder can be eaten in many ways. Add some scallions and hot oil to it and it will be the most delicious chili sauce. It can be dipped in anything and everything is delicious. Adding a little bit to anything can greatly enhance the taste--"
With a bang, Xiu slapped the heavy wooden table, causing it to shake. He said impatiently, "Name the price!"
"Ten silver coins per pound." Primo answered immediately.
Rosemary & Wool looked at Primo blankly.
How dare this guy say that he is not a profiteer - the price the tribe gives you is clearly three silver coins per pound!
The most expensive MSG is added in the least amount, and the relatively large amounts of cinnamon, fennel, cumin, pepper and chili powder are all produced by the tribe itself, with the cost being about one silver coin per pound.
Because the sauce market for the forest elves, dark elves, and snow elves was saturated, and the Dwarf Kingdom was busy fighting, Xiao Yun shipped a portion of it to Isaac's Knight Territory at the price of four silver coins per pound, and the remaining several thousand pounds were charged to Primo at three silver coins per pound.
Primo came to the Orc Empire with "spy funds" allocated by the tribe, but he was willing to take the opportunity to make some money to cultivate his sentiments, so Xiao Yun had no reason to stop him.
This price made the head of the family hesitate. He frowned and began to calculate the family finances.
Primo took out a package wrapped in oil paper from his backpack and placed it on the table. "Here is one pound. Thirteen-spice chili powder is light in weight, and there are so many in one pound. If you save a little, it can last a month."
Xiu gritted his teeth and slammed the table again: "Give me ten pounds!"
Primo chuckled and waved his hand to his little follower Rosemary, who then quietly went out and took out a bag from the large package on the back of the six-legged lizard...
A bag of spices costs one gold coin, which is an extremely high price. Even in Lion City, only "rich families" like Xiu can afford it.
After paying the money and locking the ten pounds of thirteen-spice chili powder in the cabinet, Xiu sat back with a relieved look on his face and poured a glass of water for Primo.
Primo has only been treated to tea since he entered the house... The lion tribe really doesn't care about politeness.
"If I buy the thirteen-spice chili powder, I won't be able to afford barbecue sauce. It's too expensive." Xiu said with regret.
Primo smiled and started to provide after-sales service: "It's not cheap, but it's worth it. Besides, with Thirteen Spices, making your own barbecue sauce is not a problem. Aren't there oysters with ugly shells on the beach here? Pry the oyster meat out of the shell, clean it, and boil it vigorously until only brown thick juice is left at the bottom of the pot. Filter out the residue and you will have an extremely delicious seasoning."
"Pour thirteen-spice chili powder into hot oil and add oyster sauce to make the most delicious barbecue sauce."
Oysters are not uncommon in coastal areas with warm climates. However, the lions think it is too troublesome and do not fish for them very often. When Xiu heard Primo's words, he was stunned and said in disbelief: "You mean the thing that grows in the mud? Delicious?"
"Yes, I heard this by chance on the grasslands of the Northern Continent." Primo boasted without blinking, "It's not as warm over there as here in the Eastern Continent, and there are no oysters on the seashore. I envy the areas with warm seawater. I heard those grassland people always regret that there is no oyster sauce to use."
The coastline of the grassland belongs to the low-temperature sea area, so you can't rely on the sea to make oyster sauce.
The recipe of oyster sauce was not written in the travel notes of "Gourmet Hunter" because I didn't want to cause discord with the sea people - many subtropical and tropical coastlines are also habitats of the sea people, and with the presence of spices in this world with low productivity (refer to the series of disputes caused by the Age of Exploration on Earth surrounding the Spice Islands), if it caused a trend of snatching warm waters, the sea people would have to turn against the Snow Wolf Tribe.
But Xiao Yun needs these orcs in the Far East to pay attention to their coastline... Although the number of orcs in the Far East cannot form an inland area large enough to support a large seaport, it is too unpleasant to ignore the coastline and allow the ships of the Lamia Chamber of Commerce to dock and go to the neighboring Bradrick continent to do business~!
Especially the Lion Clan that owns the southernmost coastline in the Far East. If they try to trick these lions into staying by the sea, and when the Lamia Chamber of Commerce's fleet comes and goes freely, will these big cats be tempted to collect the toll?
As long as he can trick his opponent, Xiao Yun is not afraid to take any non-war means!
Xiu was skeptical: "Is this true? There are no oysters on the grasslands of the Northern Continent. How do they know this?"
"Because there are snow wolves in the grassland tribe!" Primo laughed and turned the topic to the real core part. "I have been to so many places, and the snow wolf tribe is the best at finding delicious food that I have ever seen. Didn't your lion tribe try to grow peppers and raise rabbits in the past two years because you like to eat cold rabbits? They have so many delicious foods there, and knowing that oysters can be used to make extremely delicious seasonings is nothing."
Seeing that Xiu seemed to be a little tempted, Primo pretended to come back to his senses suddenly and said angrily: "Oh, look at my mouth, I tell everything when I am proud." He looked at Yangmao guiltily, "Good Yangmao, I didn't mean to tell the secret practices of your snow wolf people, don't tell your tribesmen about it."
Wool: “Uh…”
Coordinating the acting skills was a bit beyond her ability, so she simply brought out the Snow Wolf Tribe's signature reaction: a look of confusion.
"Are you a snow werewolf?" Xiu immediately looked at Yangmao with sharp eyes.
"Hehe, I have a pretty good relationship with the Snow Wolf Tribe. Their young men have secretly followed me out to see the world. For the sake of our friendship, Xiu, please don't tell anyone." Primo said with a flattering look on his face.
"Of course not." Xiu assured immediately, his eyes still fixed on the wool, "Is what Primo said true? Can those oysters growing in the mud really be boiled into delicious seasoning?"
"Uh... yes." Yang Mao said embarrassedly, "I heard from Ayun that it seems to be a method passed down from St. Bridge. When I landed here, I couldn't help but be curious and fished some on the beach, and boiled a small jar of oyster sauce."
Primo faithfully played the role of a sly and cunning businessman. He put his arm around Yangmao's shoulders and said flatteringly, "Good Yangmao, why don't you show us your cooking skills and let the host taste how delicious the oyster stew is."
"Okay." Wool said innocently, "Xiu, can I use your kitchen?"
"Of course, of course!" Xiu stood up in a hurry, changed his cold image, and walked out with Yang Mao in a warm and affectionate manner...
In the Fire and Flame Tribe, Yangmao's cooking skills are considered to be at the level of a dark chef, because this naughty little girl wants to try frying, deep-frying and roasting everything; outside the Fire and Flame Tribe, if she can control the habit of abusing "ingredients", then she will be qualified to enter the palace of the small country and cook for the king.
As a local "big family" , with three capable female heads of household, Xiu's family is relatively well-off. The storage room behind the kitchen is filled with all kinds of seasonal ingredients. Yangmao, who is never picky about ingredients (……), picked out a few and began to show his skills.
First take out the bag of wheat flour, sift out the remaining bran with gauze, mix the dough and let it rest.
While the dough is resting, the host is asked to pick some green onions, chop them up and mix them.
Cut the dough into small even pieces, roll it into skins quickly, and wrap it into long dumplings with thin skins and large fillings (not for appearance, but for speed), arrange them on a gauze-lined partition and steam them in a pot (Xiu doesn't have a steamer at home).
Take out half of the steamed square dumplings and fry them with water and oil until the skin turns golden brown...
When the dumplings were steaming, the aroma attracted the other two lionesses in Xiu's house, who leaned over the kitchen door and looked inside.
When frying the dumplings, the aroma is even stronger. The male lion who was locked in the room to reflect on himself and the two little lions who had just been severely spanked appeared neatly...
After making the steamed and fried square dumplings, Yang Mao used two small bowls to make two different dipping sauces:
The oil dish used to dip the steamed dumplings is made from hot oil, scallions, and a few drops of oyster sauce.
The dip used for fried dumplings is a dry sauce without oil.
When eating, you must eat an equal amount of vegetables, which is a hard rule of the Fire Department, so you can't just eat dumplings. Yang Mao took out the vegetables from the host's storage room, and boiled a large pot of greens and radishes, both familiar and unfamiliar, in plain water. The dipping sauce was thirteen-spice chili powder mixed with vegetable water, green onion segments, and a little oyster sauce.
The three kinds of food with extremely large portions were placed on the table. The lion family, who didn't care about the etiquette of hospitality, didn't invite the guests to the table at all. The family rushed to the table and ate by themselves...
Wool, who had been busy for a while, and Rosemary, who was also hungry: "..."
Primo was very calm. He pulled a chair and sat next to them. He took out the pancakes he had baked that morning from his backpack and handed them to the two of them: "Let's eat this. It's not fashionable for guests to eat for free in the Lion Tribe."
Yangmao silently took the pancake and ate it dryly - the orcs in the Far East are so rude, they don’t even know how to respect the cook!
In twenty minutes, Yangmao finished all the food, including the portion for the guests. The head of the family, Xiu, wiped his mouth and grabbed Yangmao's hand: "Do the Snow Wolf tribe intermarry?"
She didn't ask about the gender, which means that the wife of the house thought it didn't matter whether the wool was male or female.
The lion, who was lying on the side after having a full stomach, looked over with horror, his golden hair standing up.
Wool & Rosemary: "..."
"——I don't think so." Primo, who was already quite accustomed to the lion tribe's style, frowned.
The lion, who was so nervous that his stomach ached, then collapsed back, holding his chest and looking ecstatic.
Xiu felt sorry, but he didn't force it. He said, "I thought the thirteen-spice chili powder was already very delicious, but I didn't expect it to be even more delicious with oyster oil. We, the Lion Clan, use your Snow Wolf Clan's technology to make oyster sauce. Do you Snow Wolf people mind? If you mind, what do you Snow Wolf Clan require?"
Yangmao didn't expect the other party to ask this and looked at Primo in surprise.
Primo was also a little surprised.
To be honest, he didn't have much hope in the...morality of the lion clan. These guys were full of the smell of salted fish, and every strand of their hair exuded a sense of dishonesty.
I never expected that they actually have such a thing as moral integrity~!
But think about it, even the bear tribe has theater troupes that copy plays like "Cinderella", "The Daughter of the Mermaid", "Sheriff Holmes", etc., but the lion tribe has none at all... It seems that although the lion tribe is insignificant, they are also big cats with ideals and aspirations, and they would not bother to do things like stealing other people's "things".
