Volume 8: The Sword Points to the Far East Chapter 258: Silly Face
The reason why the lion tribe was able to build the Lion City and gather nearly half of the tribe members to live together is because the lion tribe’s territory environment is uniquely blessed.
With vast plains everywhere, a pleasant climate and fertile land, it seems that you can just sleep in most of the day and do some work in the rest of the time and keep yourself fat and strong.
The Dosi Mountains in Tea Bear are not so pleasant... There are hardly any flat ground, let alone fertility. To survive in this land, let alone being lazy, you probably can't survive if you don't work hard in the right direction, let alone form a city that can support at least a few thousand people without working.
Of course, everything has its pros and cons. The fertile golden plains gave birth to a group of lazy lions, while the three races living in the poor and rugged Doshi Mountains are all very hardworking.
“The microgreens they grow are so delicious!”
Yang Mao picked up two leaves with chopsticks to taste. When he put the leaves in his mouth, Yang Mao's eyes lit up: "The leaves are not thick, the taste is crisp and tender, and it is very tasty!"
"Let me try." Rosemary came over and tried a piece of it with her chopsticks. She was surprised when she squatted down, "Hey, how come this green vegetable doesn't taste bitter at all? It tastes sweet like Chinese cabbage?"
The tea bear cubs who were squatting not far away and staring at them puffed out their chests proudly when they heard what was said.
Primo smiled and said, "Don't be surprised. The Tea Bears are the best at planting besides the Minotaur." He pointed to the hillside where the village was located and said, "Look, the fields that the Tea Bears have cultivated on the hillside are not too steep. They look like terraced fields, don't they? They didn't learn this from Ayun. The Tea Bears already have this technique."
Wool & Rosemary walked a few steps towards the village and looked carefully. They found that the hillside where the stilt house was located had been cultivated into narrow strips of land and planted with soybeans.
"The mountains in the Doshi Mountains are dense and steep, so it's impossible to build terraces on a large scale like the Dwarf Kingdom. In addition, there is no decent flat land in the entire territory, so the Tea Bears' talent in planting is not as famous as the Minotaur." Primo said with admiration, "Even so, just look at the fact that the Tea Bears can plant so many tea trees and the tea they produce supplies more than 70% of the consumption of the entire Bloomfield continent. You can tell that they are not inferior to the Minotaur in this regard. The top-quality black teas 'Songyu' and 'Amethyst' are both specialties of the Tea Bears."
"Oh!" Yangmao nodded with a look of enlightenment.
"Is it a great skill to be able to grow tea? Tea isn't as delicious as soy milk or juice." Rosemary asked puzzledly.
Primo glanced at him, stood up, took out a silver coin, walked over to the group of tea bear cubs and whispered something. One of the tea bear cubs took the money, stood up and ran back to the village.
Not long after, the tea bear cub came back happily holding a jar and handed it to Primo.
Primo used some of the wood from the wool dinner fire to build a small fire, took out a clay pot and filled it with water, put it on the fire, and sprinkled some tea leaves on it to make tea.
After the tea was brewed, the tea leaves were filtered out with a net bag. Then a glass jar sealed with wax was taken out from the lizard's back. The wax seal was removed, the cap was unscrewed, and the white sticky liquid was scooped out with a spoon and put into the tea to brew together.
Well, in this sealed jar is the product that we are going to sell to Tea Bear this time: condensed milk.
Condensed milk is a dairy product made by distilling off most of the water after mixing milk and sugar in a ratio of 4:1 (usually 5:1, the more sugar the longer the shelf life). It has a longer shelf life than milk (it can be stored for half a year if sealed, and must be used up within three weeks after opening), but it has an obvious problem: it is too sweet, and even the snow wolves are not used to eating it at home. However, since there is a place for goat milk (to make soy milk) but no place for cow milk, the Hilly New District also produced a batch of it, which is mainly sold to forest elves and snow elves - the dark elves are not very fond of sweets either.
After boiling the condensed milk and tea for three minutes, Primo motioned for Rosemary to come over and taste it.
Rosemary knew that condensed milk was very sweet. After it was made, the werewolves didn't like to eat it, and neither did the cats (cats seemed to be lactose intolerant like humans). Only the dwarves could consume some of it. They came over reluctantly and scooped a little bit with a spoon with disgust.
"Huh?!" After taking a sip of milk tea, Rosemary's expression changed. She was surprised and asked, "How could this greasy taste not be greasy after adding tea?"
The lions were originally squatting nearby and watching. They were not very fond of sweets and were only willing to give soy milk some face (lions live in good conditions and are not very short of sugar). Seeing the snow leopard's big reaction, they also came over to try the taste.
"It's really good!" The lion warrior who doesn't like sweets praised, "The unpalatable tea has become delicious."
Hmm...big cats don't seem to like tea with a slightly astringent taste...
"Ayun used old tea to make milk tea before, and the taste was not as good as fresh tea. But there was nothing we could do. The new tea sold outside was too expensive, and Ayun couldn't bear to buy it." Primo took a sip of the milk tea with just the right sweetness from the cup happily. "The only one that has the conditions to ship tea out of the Far East is the Lamia Chamber of Commerce. Lamia is too cruel."
A lion warrior who was trying the milk tea suddenly thought of something and asked, "Is the Lamia Chamber of Commerce very profitable ?"
"Of course, all the goods flowing in and out of the Far East have to pass through their hands. If Lamia is still without money, then there will be no rich people in the world." Primo said casually.
The lion who asked the question seemed to be thinking about something, and the silent lion next to him had shining eyes.
Primo seemed to be completely unaware of the lions' behavior. He picked up the milk tea can and a few ceramic bowls and went to share them with the tea bear cubs.
All cats are very wary and have a rebellious mentality that is difficult for outsiders to understand. If you clearly ask them to do something, they will either rebel or slack off. In any case, they will never do it readily, so they must be guided... This is the experience Xiao Yun gained from training big cats. Primo took it and used it, and it came in very handy.
Well... in the past, the arrogant Primo would definitely look down on this kind of sticky behavior, and would definitely look down on Xiao Yun, who exudes utilitarianism from the inside out. If he coveted Lamia's profits and wanted to steal Lamia's business, why didn't he do it himself? What's the matter with trying every means to instigate others to end up in his place?
Now... I have to say, it feels really good to do things secretly~!
Here, the lions were putting their heads together and making their own calculations. At the other side, the tea bear cub who took the milk tea from Primo's hand opened his eyes wide after taking a sip.
On the grassland, the snow wolves and cats never lacked dairy products even when they were the poorest; the lions on the golden plains also raised many cattle and sheep, and they had eaten so much cow and sheep milk, cheese and the like that they vomited.
But the Doshi Mountains are not suitable for grazing at all. This poor place cannot afford any large-scale breeding. In other words, it is difficult for the indigenous people of the Doshi Mountains to have access to dairy products!
It stands to reason that the tea bears next to the golden plains should not be unable to drink milk, but... their neighbors are the salted fish lions. If these lions could have the idea of selling dairy products to the Doshi Mountains, they would not have to steal other people's fruits...
For those who have never had any experience with dairy products, suddenly drinking a mouthful of extremely rich, mellow, and sugary condensed milk tea is like the door to a new world slowly opening before their eyes...
Four or five tea bear cubs widened their dark round eyes and focused their attention on the can of milk tea that Primo brought.
"Traveling merchant Primo, what do you use to make tea?" the older child who was leading the group asked hurriedly.
"Ah, it's a product I brought from the Northern Continent, condensed milk made from milk and sugar." Primo said with a smile, "You tea bears like sweets, I think you might be willing to accept this product."
"Accept, accept!" The older child nodded hurriedly, swallowing his saliva and asking, "What's the price of condensed milk?"
"It's not expensive, the milk is not valuable, what's valuable is the sugar added in it." Primo smiled more kindly, "I'll talk to Elder Kuku when he comes."
"Okay!" The older boy nodded vigorously and turned to look at the others. "You guys wait here. I'll go find the elder."
Then, the naughty kid rushed out of the village at a speed that was totally inconsistent with his chubby body, like the wind...
So, don’t be fooled by the silly appearance of these tea bear cubs, they are actually very smart - there are obviously no adults in the village, but they just pretended to send people back to the village to report the news.
Primo was not surprised by this. It would be strange if the hardworking tea bear adults could stay in the village to rest in broad daylight... They are not the same creatures as lions!
When Yang Mao finished cooking dinner and invited a few naughty kids who were drooling at him to come over and eat together, on the other side of the mountain, a group of fatter men were carrying farm tools and backpacks, staggering towards the village entrance.
The heights of these adult tea bears were about the same as those of the snow wolves, but their waists were too thick, making their round heads look pointy at both ends. Their linen clothes could not cover their bellies at all, and their belly buttons were exposed.
It's incredible that someone who eats vegetarian and fruit as their staple food can get so fat.
What's even more ridiculous is that with such big bellies, these tea bears can still move swiftly along the mountain trails...
"The rainfall this year is good, so we can plant another batch of tea trees on the east mountain." The leading tea bear held the strap of the backpack in one hand and nibbled a fruit in the other. "By the way, the tea trees on Jiguan Mountain need to be pruned. Who will lead the team there later?"
"I'll go, Elder Kuku." Someone took the initiative to respond.
"Okay, you go. Then I'll deliver the new tea to Aalborg. Lamia's merchant ship should be here soon." Elder Kuku, whose face was covered in juice from chewing, wiped his face with the back of his hand and turned to look at the jumping cubs in the team. "Adong, you said that the merchant Primo wants to exchange condensed milk for our new tea?"
The energetic cub Adong quickly ran to Elder Kuku, moved his short legs to keep up with the adults, and raised his head and said, "He didn't say that, but that kind of 'milk tea' is made with condensed milk and new tea. He must want new tea."
Elder Kuku, who looked simple and honest, ate the fruit with a crunch, threw the core into the basket on his back, and clapped his hands: "If you want to exchange it, give it to him. Anyway, Lamia hasn't raised the price of new tea for many years."
The new tea produced by Tea Bear is sold to other races in the Orc Empire and Lamia who come to buy it. The climate in the Far East varies greatly, and many places can produce their own leafy vegetables. The demand for tea is not as strong as that of nomadic peoples, so although Tea Bear can save money by selling tea, it is not a rich man...
The average IQ of the Tea Bears is definitely higher than that of the Snow Wolf Clan (er...). The farthest place they have ever been to in their lives is just Elder Kuku from the Tea Bears' own mountain city of Aalborg. They are not unaware that Lamia has shipped their new tea to other continents and sold it at a high price, but Lamia is the only buyer and they have no other choice.
This situation is caused by the unique geographical environment of the Far East: the land part bordering the North Road is cut off by the York Mountains. It is a place more dangerous than the Cursed Land. Any small team of adventurers who rush in will most likely be wiped out.
If the land route is not possible, the only option is the sea route, but the Far East continental plate is too strange, like a lump that suddenly appeared on the head of the Bloomfield continent. Even if you start from the nearest North Continent, you need to take a detour through the open sea.
Ordinary inland sea ships simply cannot withstand the winds and waves of the open sea. The Kingdom of Kronin, which can build large cross-sea ships, is a member of the federation to which Lamia belongs. Let alone an individual, even if national capital is involved, it is difficult to snatch food from Lamia.
After going around the mountain ridge, they saw Primo, the merchant who came with the lion tribe. Elder Kuku's honest round face immediately showed a warm and simple smile, and he waved vigorously: "Long time no see, Primo!"
“Elder Kuku!” Primo was even more enthusiastic than him. He immediately dropped his plate and trotted over to greet him. “It’s been a long time since we last met. Elder Kuku is much fatter than last year!”
Calling him "Cha Xiong Pang" is definitely a very polite social term. Elder Kuku smiled so hard that his teeth were showing. "It's almost the same as last year. I heard from Adong that you brought some good stuff this year too?"
"Yes, in addition to the fruit candies we agreed on, I also brought some condensed milk that is suitable for cooking with tea..."
Primo enthusiastically invited all the tea bears into their temporary camp, and asked Wool and Rosemary to bring them bone and vegetable soup (the bones of wild animals caught on the road. Game meat is generally tough, dry and fishy. When cooking the bones into soup, be careful to skim off the foam, which makes it very flavorful) to quench the tea bears' thirst. He then immediately started to make milk tea and demonstrated the magical charm of condensed milk with his own hands.
The lion tribe loves the green vegetables and tofu cooked in bone soup, and the tea bears also respond well to it.
While Primo was brewing tea, an adult tea bear couldn't help but ask Wool: "This yellow cube is really delicious. It's full of juice when you take a bite. What is this thing?"
"It's fried tofu cake." Yangmao was very happy that others liked the food she cooked, and she quickly introduced the method of making tofu cake - the tightly pressed tofu was soaked in alkaline water and cut into small cubes, and the skin was fried in vegetable oil until golden brown, and then sealed and stored. Keep it away from moisture, and it can be kept for a long time.
If it is not fried but fermented until long hairs grow, and then the skin is charred with sawdust (it can also be fried), and mixed with seasonings and vegetables, it becomes stinky tofu.
While Wool was talking, the other adult tea bears used their butts to push away the rosemary that was in the way and surrounded Wool.
Rosemary, who was almost knocked down by the push: "..."
"What is tofu?" asked the adult tea bear who asked the question first with drooling mouth.
"Hey, you also planted so many soybeans, haven't you ever made tofu?" Mao Mao was completely unaware that the only beans he had eaten eight years ago were boiled beans, and he proudly introduced the method of making tofu...
When in the Lion Tribe's territory, Yangmao taught the wives of both families how to make tofu. After all, soybeans are the second most common crop in the world after wheat, and they are grown wherever there are fields.
There are also differences between delicious and unpalatable beans. For example, soybeans and red beans are still delicious after being cooked, while the hard skin of black beans is still choking after being cooked. However, if they are soaked and ground into tofu, there is no question of whether they are delicious or not - as long as they are ordered as tofu, the taste is first-class! (Well, of course, different ingredients will also have different tofu flavors)
Yangmao, who was very happy to be a "teacher", didn't notice these silly-looking tea bears. They understood the method of making tofu after listening to her introduction once... There was no need to teach the snow werewolves repeatedly like Xiao Yun did when she taught them. They could remember the process after listening to it once!
After Primo finished making the milk tea, these "silly-faced people" even asked Yangmao about the different ways to make tofu pudding and water tofu, how to make tofu skin that is more flavorful, how to prepare dried tofu and tofu fruit that can be kept for a long time...
Primo, who was watching the whole thing and had no time to stop it, said: "..."
Well... forget it. Anyway, Ayun asked him to bring Yangmao, whose cooking skills were decent among amateurs, out to improve the reputation of the Snow Wolf Clan...
But Primo still felt a little unwilling, because he could have used it to exchange for benefits! You stupid girl just gave it away!
Well, as the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. The originally carefree God of War, the Traveler, has unknowingly been infected with the utilitarianism.
Tea bears like tea and sugar even more. A pot of condensed milk tea with a mellow, sweet taste that still retains the flavor of tea quickly conquered the adult tea bears, including Elder Kuku.
Elder Kuku grabbed Primo's hand and almost blurted out that he would invite this group of people to stay in his village. Fortunately, at the critical moment he remembered that there was a lion following Primo, so he resisted the urge and stared at the lion warriors with his round eyes.
The other adult tea bears had the same idea and looked at the lion warriors one by one.
wool:"??"
Rosemary & Primo: "..."
The hatred for stealing fruit is irreconcilable, right?
Primo wanted to get close to the Tea Bears. The new tea sold to Lamia by these good-tempered fat guys (although they hold grudges) was the second largest source of income after the spice business. If he wanted to dig deeper into Lamia's corner, the Tea Bears' betrayal... uh, attitude was crucial.
So Primo smiled and said to Elder Kuku: "I can only come once a year, and the condensed milk I bring is only this much, which may not be enough for you to consume. In fact, condensed milk is made by boiling sugar and milk. The lion tribe has a lot of cattle, and the milk produced is not small. If you can buy condensed milk from the lion tribe nearby, it will definitely be much more convenient than waiting for me to come."
When in Lion City, Primo never mentioned the condensed milk business because lions don't like dairy products and it's impossible to drive these big cats by just talking when there's no profit to be made.
But if someone actively buys condensed milk from them, these big cats may have to take action for the sake of money...
The Snow Wolf Tribe is not without profit here. Blue Fruit's sugar beet planting base has been producing initial results after two years. It is much easier to deliver sugar than to deliver condensed milk which must be sealed in cans~!
Sugar can be put into bags, and it doesn’t matter how much it shakes as long as the bag isn’t broken. But this can’t happen with jars!
The proud and face-conscious lions have already acknowledged that the Snow Wolf Tribe is their friend. The relationship between the Tea Bear and the Lion Tribe has become closer, so there is no need to discuss whether or not to board the Snow Wolf Tribe's ship!
Elder Kuku and the adult tea bears looked stunned, and the few tea bear cubs who were eating and drinking for free showed expressions of deep hatred and deep resentment.
It's really hard to choose between the years of accumulated hatred for stolen fruit and the delicious condensed milk tea...
