Chapter 6

Elphis frowned, "City Lord? He wants the recipe?"

Gray waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no, no, that's not what the city lord is talking about."

Elphis was relieved at this moment. It seemed that the city lord was not so shameless. As long as he didn't want to use the recipe to open a shop and steal business, everything could be negotiated.

The young boy put on his usual fake smile, "Uncle Gray, sit down and tell me, what does the city lord want to do?"

"It's like this. The city lord wants to discuss with us whether we can do barbecue spice business with other cities, but we don't have much of this stuff..."

"You refused?"

Gray scratched his head in embarrassment and smiled awkwardly: "Uh... I didn't dare to refuse. I told the people in the City Lord's Mansion that I would ask the merchants if there were enough spices to do business. I asked them to wait for my news."

Elphis lowered his eyes and thought, if the spices sold well in the outside world, trade would be able to enhance the status of this remote town. Without using threats or inducements to make them hand over the recipes and formulas to open their own shops to make money, the mayor of Raphael City actually had a sense of the overall situation.

If they do business with the outside world, the more they earn, the more taxes they pay, and the City Lord's Mansion will of course be very satisfied with them.

In fact, it’s a good idea to have good relations with the local bosses, and the situation of this tavern will be safer.

Elphis wanted to agree to this immediately, but unfortunately...

"Next time the City Lord's Mansion sends someone over, tell them that the raw materials were picked by the merchant in the forest by luck, and the quantity is not enough to support the trade. The merchant thinks his idea is excellent and plans to plant more raw materials. If we are lucky, we can sell a small amount at a high price in two or three years. In a few more years, the output will be large enough and we can sell a large amount at a low price. By then, Raphael City will surely be famous."

Elphis taught Gray the art of speaking, hoping that the city lord would take the opportunity to make a profit.

The young boy thought for a moment, then smiled and suggested to the boss, "Uncle Gray, with more people coming and going in the tavern, there will be more disputes. You'd better build a good relationship with the City Lord's Mansion so that you can be more confident when encountering difficulties. For example, when the City Lord comes to patronize, you can give them a free dish, build a quieter space for them, or give him a small bag of spice powder for their chefs to use."

As for free meals? Forget it. What if the people from the City Lord's Mansion come to order a large table of dishes every day? Wouldn't that be a huge loss?

Gray responded repeatedly, without any aura of a boss. His silly smile made him look too honest, which made Elphis quite worried. He prepared to tell Moon about his plan to curry favor with someone powerful.

That day, after returning from Raphael, Elphis lay in bed at night, thinking carefully about the large-scale cultivation of spices.

In fact, he was not very sure about this matter. Planting spice plants was different from growing vegetables. He could buy seeds for growing vegetables and the townspeople would teach him, but there was no one to teach him how to grow spices!

Elphis still decided to step into the planting industry - I hope my magical planting talent as a flower grower can come in handy!

Of course, he couldn't handle large-scale planting alone, so he had to hire a lot of helpers.

Suitable candidates flashed through his mind one by one. While thinking, the child, who had been busy all day, fell asleep unknowingly.

On the second day, Elphis went to the hunter Martin's house, preparing to find a guide for himself and go deeper into the forest to find more spice plants, and by the way, coax Uncle Martin to come and engage in animal husbandry with him.

Martin looked in surprise at the half-person-high backpack on Elphis's back and the small basket in his hands. Was he going to pick mushrooms and wild fruits?

"Little Al, it's not suitable to carry such a big backpack when hunting, put it down!"

The Martin family was still having breakfast. Elphis handed them a big steamed bun and sat beside them, ready to start brainwashing them, oh no, to recruit partners.

“This is delicious!”

"Oh my god, Al, this must be expensive!"

Martin and his family of three had never eaten the steamed buns made by Elphis. They were so soft that if the color was not wrong, they would have thought it was the white bread eaten by the nobles.

"There's a tavern in Rafi that sells this, as well as many other delicacies. Master Will has a long-term deal with them, and we sell all the ingredients that need to be sold in our town to them."

Martin's wife exclaimed: "Oh, this is so lucky."

"And I also sold a lot of the rabbits I raised and the things I picked from the forest. Uncle Martin, you don't know that the mayor of Raphael City is particularly optimistic about some of the plants in our forest that can be used for seasoning..."

Thinking that Master Will could testify to what Elphis said, the whole family believed it without a doubt. They were so stunned that they even forgot to eat breakfast.

Before long, Elphis persuaded Uncle Martin to accompany him to the forest to find plantable resources and capture some small animals that are easy to raise. Elphis really wanted to raise more free-range birds, which looked a lot like chickens. He had wanted to drink chicken soup for a long time, but unfortunately he only caught two females, which he had to keep for laying eggs and could not slaughter.

Then Martin put on a backpack, which was bigger than the one Elphis was carrying, and went shopping in the forest with the children.

"Uncle Martin, these mushrooms are not poisonous. They can be stored for a long time after being dried. They are delicious when stewed in soup."

"The flesh of this fruit is very sour, and the juice can be used for seasoning. It's also good to soak in water and drink. Smell the skin. Isn't it fragrant?"

"This leaf will have a stronger fragrance after it is dried."

“It’s a seed, but it’s great ground up and sprinkled on grilled meats.”

"Oh my god, is this a male roadrunner? Catch it!"

…

Neither of them went back for lunch at noon, but filled their stomachs with the steamed buns that Elphis had prepared long ago and the wild fruits they found on the way.

Martin was much more energetic than before because he had been listening to Al talking about how this leaf could be sold, that dried fruit shell could be sold, and what delicious food could be made from this prey after it was raised...

Martin joined Elphis's tree planting and breeding plan with great anticipation - mainly because it did not require any capital investment, so it was easy for Elphis to convince him.

After walking in the forest for too long carrying a bunch of things, both of them were exhausted and finally returned before the sun set.

The backpack was filled with several kinds of saplings they had dug up, the cloth bag of their clothes was filled with a handful of seeds, the small basket was piled with all kinds of wild goods, and they even held live game in their hands. It could be said that they returned with a full load.

While resting, they discussed the areas for planting and breeding, then Martin went to plant trees and prepare fences to enclose a large area for raising animals.

Alphis went to make dinner and prepared the meal for Uncle Martin's family, using a lot of the seasonings he mentioned today, so that it would taste delicious and give them more confidence in their new business.

On this day, the two of them, big and small, worked together very happily.

Afterwards, Martin and his family of three enthusiastically went to the forest to look for resources. Elphis was mainly responsible for feeding the birds and rabbits. Together with Master Will, he discussed the economic development plan of the town of Lisse with the mayor, so as to mobilize everyone to participate as soon as possible.

At the same time, Elphis also taught the town's tavern owner how to make several dishes and drinks. After the townspeople tasted them, they believed that the wild trees and grasses they were going to grow could be sold.

Uncle Lev, the tavern owner here, is much more talented in cooking than Gray, so Elphis didn't hesitate and taught him all the food he knew how to cook.

Taverns are places where people drink mainly and eat as a supplement, but if Elphis stays for a while, all taverns will turn into restaurants.

He also told the bakery owner Tony about the steaming cooking method. Since he would not open a shop in a small town in the future, he did not have to worry about losing his business.

After a few days, Elphis no longer had to cook three meals a day.

He has been very busy lately and no longer has as much free time and energy to cook as before. He now directly brings Grandpa Kevin to the store to eat, and he doesn't even have to pay. His cooking skills have brought a lot of business to the two stores. The bosses are very grateful to Little Al and are unwilling to take his money.

Soon, whenever the townspeople mentioned Elphis, they would exclaim that this little guy was so smart, and they became more convinced that Elphis was of noble blood.

The nobles are all smart, have outstanding temperament and appearance, love cleanliness, and like comfortable environment and delicious food. Look, Al has them all!

Even if they don't have the conditions, they will create them to live a good life. They pursue a noble life in their bones. They, the common people, are so lucky to be able to eat meat and drink soup with them!

Elphis, who happened to hear someone discussing this, said: "..."

How can simply earning some money be associated with aristocratic pursuits?

Forget it. Once the planting and breeding industries in their town are on track, everyone's topic will probably become serious topics like "I'm so tired after grinding spice powder all day" and "Why isn't this free-range bird eating? Is it sick?"

Because the planting and breeding industries cannot bring immediate returns, the townspeople still have not given up their usual work to make a living. They just take time to listen to what Elphis arranges and take care of both sides.

Strong men cut down trees at the edge of the forest, using them to make fences for livestock and to make room for the spice plants they were going to plant.

Some people followed Martin to carry natural resources back from the forest, and some people wove a lot of nets, trying to set traps to capture some animals alive and keep them as animals.

People work in groups, and the relationships are even closer than before.

In addition to coordinating personnel and following up on daily progress, Elphis was also trying to make the seeds of vegetation germinate quickly. He had planted flowers with his teacher and his wife in his previous life, so he had some understanding of how to germinate seeds.

The soaking method in clean water is useful. Dig a hole, spread a wet cloth on the bottom, sprinkle the seeds in, and cover the hole with a large stone slab. This method is also effective.

Elphis taught everyone the method, but worried that mixed planting would affect growth, he asked everyone to plant separately.

Those who live in the east plant thorn trees to collect their small, numbing fruits. Those who live in the south plant sweetleaf trees. Those who live in the west plant multi-seeded grasses.

The townspeople got the seeds and started to open up wasteland and sow seeds with great enthusiasm. They were not worried about the land problem. There was not much else in their town but a lot of vacant land. If these things sold well in the future, they could plant several mountains!

Elphis was busy with this and that every day. Every few days, he would go into the city with Uncle Will to check out Gray's tavern, oh no, it's probably called a restaurant now. Every time he went there, he would continue to teach Moon cooking.

No matter how high the fertility rate of rabbits is, it still takes some time for them to grow up, so Elphis hasn't provided him with food for a while.

But Gray was particularly grateful to him, and thought that Al would definitely become a big businessman in the future. He had to hold on to a strong figure so that he could live a stable life in the future. Therefore, every time Elphis went there, Gray would give him four levels of benefits.

One day, Elphis returned to town from the city. It was already late, so he didn't go anywhere else and went straight back to the church.

The door of the chapel was wide open, and Pastor Kevin was standing there as usual, waiting for believers to come and worship God and listen to his stories of light.

However, the planting and breeding industry has just started, and the people in the town of Lissay have been very busy recently. They wish they could split each person in half, and the hot topics recently are "What did we bring back from the forest today" and "The seedlings I planted today have grown a little taller." Everyone now likes to gather in the tavern to eat and chat, and then soon they are exhausted and go back to rest. They no longer have much free time to listen to Pastor Cavan's stories.

Kevin cleaned every corner of the chapel slowly. When Elphis saw his grandfather's lonely back, he felt a little guilty for a moment.

As an old man, he likes the hustle and bustle. What's more, the reason why Kevin came back here was to let the small places that the Holy See has not yet taken care of understand the greatness of light, be grateful for everything that exists, follow the footsteps of God and the Holy See, and care for the world.

Now the townspeople are busy making money and soon forget those half-believed stories. The chapel has also become deserted. The spread of faith, which has made some progress after so many years, was suddenly interrupted. Pastor Kevin can't help feeling frustrated and disappointed.

Elphis has been running out a lot recently and rarely stays in the church, making Pastor Calvin look more and more like a lonely old man.

"Grandpa, you should go to town more often. It's good for your health."

"Oh..." The old man sighed and didn't say whether he agreed or not.

Al was a little tired these days and didn't want to cook, so he took him to the tavern to eat. Kevin found that the townspeople were all passionate about making money, and he seemed out of place among the crowd.

"Greed is the evil that the dark race admires. The Lord God of Light will not like this small town anymore."

"Grandpa, this is not called greed, it's called hard work to get rich. When everyone makes money, they can buy clothes when it's cold, buy potions when they're sick, and live a happy and healthy life. This is great."

Kevin was choked and felt that what the child said made sense, but he still looked worried. "The God of Light saved the human race, and the Church maintained the stability of the world. They should not be forgotten."

There is nothing to worry about. Elphis thinks that his grandfather is too idle every day, so he keeps thinking about these things over and over again. If the old man was not old and might make a mistake or break a bone if he fell, he would have taken him to raise rabbits and plant trees.

The young boy narrowed his eyes and decided to force all the children in the town to come and learn to read tomorrow.

In the past, there were occasional people coming, but recently, the children are looking for novelty and running around with the adults, and have no interest in learning. This is not good. Lisse Town will be a place for big business in the future. What will happen if there are not many people who can read? More noisy children can also distract the grandfather's attention, which is the best of both worlds.

Elphis coaxed the stubborn old man: "You always say that we are in a remote place and cannot see miracles. When we have the money to travel far away, we can go to the royal city to see the magnificent cathedral and the magical magic you said. Then we will naturally believe what you said. It's just a few years late. The merciful God of Light will be willing to give us this time."

Pastor Kaven finally smiled. "Al, you are right. It doesn't matter if it's later. It's good for everyone to know the kindness of the Lord God of Light."

"Have you had your dinner yet?"

"Not yet. There's no rush. Al, your mind has always been away from the church these days. I'm worried that you've lost your faith. Come and recite the hymn. Be sure to be pious."

“…”

Elphis knelt on the mat helplessly. He could kneel to the heaven, the earth and his ancestors, but what was this god of light... The young boy stared at the bronze statue with deep hatred. Can piety bless me to get rich?

Suddenly, Elphis had an idea and took out the three gold coins that Gray had given him today from his pocket. He crossed his hands into fists and held them tightly in his palms.

They grow flowers and never have idle thoughts, only...