Chapter 92: Chapter 91: Opening the Cocoons

The Purple Fruit Tribe, Jenny’s kitchen.

Ronin, along with Horn, began their attempt at boiling the cocoons.

Initially, Ronin wasn’t planning to reel silk. Instead, he opted for a process he called “cocoon opening.”

To open the cocoons, you need to add soda ash or baking soda to the pot while boiling them, but he had no way of getting those things on short notice.

So, he had to make some wood ash on the spot. This substance was also alkaline. Although it looked a bit black and would stick to the cocoons after being added to the pot, during the boiling process, the ash would react with the silk gum and other impurities. All of it could be washed away later without leaving a stain.

Since this was his first time boiling cocoons, Ronin only selected a dozen or so for the experiment.

He first removed the loose floss from the outside of the cocoons, then tossed them into a small pot, added fresh water and wood ash, and began boiling them over a high flame.

After boiling for more than half an hour, Ronin decided it was about time. He scooped out the yellowed cocoons and washed them clean with fresh water.

The moment they touched the clean water, the yellowed cocoons visibly turned white, drawing a gasp of amazement from Horn.

Then, to Horn’s utter disbelief, Ronin peeled open a cocoon, removed the dead pupa from inside, and stretched it by hand over a “floss ring” he had made beforehand from a bamboo strip.

Although he failed a few times, practice makes perfect, and Ronin quickly got the hang of it.

At first, a single thin sheet of silk didn’t look like much, but after Ronin had layered seven or eight of them, a piece of “cloth” appeared before their eyes.

“This step is called ’cocoon opening.’ By layering these dozen or so cocoons together like this, you can form a silk cap.”

Ronin explained, “Make a few more of these silk caps, then take them out, wash them twice, and dry them in the sun. After that, you can cut, stretch, and spread them out, layering them together to get a silk comforter.”

Horn cautiously took the silk cap from Ronin, his eyes filled with utter disbelief.

He had always thought boiling cocoons was just another way to cook the pupae. He never imagined that what was before him was a special kind of cloth.

Jenny, who was standing to the side, also watched this scene in astonishment.

At this moment, they finally began to understand why the Lord valued sericulture so much. It had such a wonderful use!

“My Lord, your profound knowledge leaves me in complete awe!”

Jenny bowed deeply to express her admiration. “Although I still don’t know what this ’silk comforter’ you mentioned is, I can already tell it must be incredibly valuable!”

“But of course,” Ronin said with a smile.

Even though this world had Fighting Qi and Magic, the basic necessities of life were still indispensable. There would always be a demand for fine things, especially items that signified noble status, which were even more valuable.

“Horn, since you’re interested in sericulture, you should practice this more. But be careful—you need to leave some cocoons for breeding. Don’t use them all for experiments.”

He advised, “Besides, this is only one way to use the cocoons. We can also reel the silk.”

“Reel the silk?” Horn was extremely curious, perking up his ears to listen.

“You can think of a cocoon as a ball wound from a single thread. Our job is to find the end of that thread, and then combine seven or eight of these silk filaments together to form a single strand of silk.”

Ronin gestured as he spoke, “Then, we can use these silk strands to weave cloth and make clothes.”

His description was still too abstract. Horn and Jenny felt like struggling students listening to a math lecture.

But that didn’t stop them from admiring and marveling at Ronin. It was just as Horn felt—’I don’t get it, but I know it’s amazing.’

Horn looked at the silk cap in his hand, thinking of all the pupae he had eaten and all the cocoons he had thrown away in the past. He was suddenly struck by the feeling of having squandered a heavenly treasure.

While the two were talking, Macken walked in from outside. “My Lord, Ridder and Tom have arrived.”

“Good.”

Ronin explained to Jenny and Horn, “Ridder is my Commander. I’m going to see him. Horn, if you’re interested, you can keep trying the cocoon opening process. We’ll look into how to reel silk later.”

With that, he left the kitchen.

Horn and Jenny didn’t realize Ronin’s true purpose for summoning Ridder. They just assumed it was to deal with Sleirein.

After pulling their gazes away, the two of them lowered their heads and began to carefully examine the silk cap in their hands.

“This is so light!”

Jenny stroked it. “If it can really be made into a comforter like Lord Ronin said, then it must be incredibly light too.”

“Besides comforters, it can be made into clothes. The Lord said that over a thousand cocoons can make one silk dress.”

Horn emphasized, “The Lord also said that he’ll recruit dyers in the future to create colorful silks. A dress made from it would be a rarity far surpassing ordinary noble gowns!”

He looked at his wife earnestly. “I will definitely make a dress like that for you and Erin!”

Jenny was very touched. “I believe you can do it!”

「In Ronin’s temporary room」

He met with Ridder and Tom, who had hurried over from the Cyan Bamboo Tribe.

“My Lord, Wilson arrived safely at the Cyan Bamboo Tribe yesterday and has already started the census today.”

Ridder reported on the situation there. “With Juliet and Sim’s assistance, the people of the Cyan Bamboo Tribe have been quite cooperative. According to Wilson, he should be able to finish the registration today.”

Ronin nodded. The Cyan Bamboo Tribe only had a little over three hundred people, and their homes were relatively concentrated, so it wasn’t a difficult task.

Back to the matter at hand.

“Jenny and Horn should be fine, but your presence here is necessary.”

Ronin said, “If things go as Jenny predicts, the people from the Grey Soil Tribe will probably arrive here later. Ridder, Tom, take your men and hide in the forests on both sides. Once they’re inside, cut off their escape route.”

The Purple Fruit Tribe was situated in a Ring Mountain with a single opening. Blocking that escape route was like inviting them into a pot and then slamming the lid—a perfect trap.

“Leave it to us!”

Ridder laughed. “The Civil Servant said the Wilderness Tribes in the Forest Land have been around for twenty years. I never thought you’d solve most of the problem so quickly. If the outside world heard about this, they’d probably be astonished by your abilities!”

“They were just unwilling to put in the effort.”

Ronin shook his head. If a noble was truly determined to eliminate the Wilderness Tribes, it could be done. They just lacked the motivation and, more importantly, didn’t want to bear the losses.

The reason he was able to conquer them so quickly was, on one hand, his blitzkrieg attack. The Cyan Bamboo Tribe had no time to react and form an effective resistance, while the Purple Fruit Tribe surrendered without a fight.

「As evening fell」

Jenny had already arranged for servants to prepare dinner. Horn was in the warehouse, following Ronin’s instructions to select the best cocoons to be set aside for breeding. This time, he set aside a larger number, preparing over a hundred of them.

Ridder and Tom’s men had left early to set up the ambush, while Macken remained by Ronin’s side, serving as his personal bodyguard.

“How did the census go today?”

Ronin was in the living room, sitting in a chair and examining several sheets of sheepskin that Erin had handed him. The information she had gathered was recorded on them.

Erin stuck out her tongue, a little embarrassed. “It’s not finished yet! Just give me one more morning, and I’ll definitely be done!”

Ronin smiled as he looked over the sheets.

There were almost no specialized artisans among the Wilderness Tribes. The names of a few people were marked with words like “Mason” or “Carpenter,” but their actual skill level was unclear.

However, as far as Ronin was concerned, anyone with some basic experience in these fields could be put to use.

“Your handwriting is quite good. Much neater than Wilson’s.”

“Really?”

The young girl Erin was so happy to hear this praise that she even gave a little hop.

Ronin didn’t understand why she was so excited, but he nodded anyway. “Of course. I never lie.”

He wasn’t lying. Erin’s script was indeed neater and more pleasant to read than Wilson’s.

’She probably didn’t finish today because she’s still new to the task.’

Ronin handed the sheepskin back to her. “Keep up the good work. But you have great Magic Talent, so don’t forget your Cultivation. To me, a powerful Mage is far more valuable than a Civil Servant!”

’Civil Servants can be trained in batches, but Mages can’t.’

’What he valued in Erin had always been her Magic Talent.’

“My Lord!”

As they were talking, a Guard ran in from outside. “There are horses approaching in the distance! The Commander sent me to inform you that it might be people from the Grey Soil Tribe.”

Ronin raised an eyebrow. “How many are there?”

“It looks like a dozen or so. They’re too far away, so it’s hard to get a clear look.”

“Alright. Go inform Jenny and Horn. It’s time to welcome our guests.”

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