Chapter 409: The King's Western Tour: Taotu Town and Olive Lake, Precious Specialties

In late February, the wind gradually warmed up, and the birds flew north. The black wolf's flag moved again, traveling 40 miles north from Kanhe Village to Taotu Town.

In the local language, this is "Tepalcatepec", which means a place rich in pottery. Taotu Town has a population of more than a thousand. It was originally the territory of a southern hereditary noble, but now it is directly under the jurisdiction of the kingdom. And in the northwest of Taotu Town is the rippling Olive Lake. The Kan River and the Tao River originate from here at the same time, and then flow east and west respectively.

Xiuluot stayed in Taotu Town for two days. He summoned the local pottery leader and looked at some of the locally produced colored pottery with interest.

In the semi-open shed, there are piles of various colored pottery for daily use, including pottery pots, pottery basins, pottery pots, pottery bowls and pottery cups. Most of the colored pottery is common red pottery, and some gray pottery is also mixed in. These pottery are simple in shape and rough in style. They cannot be compared with the gorgeous colored pottery in the capital, but they are sturdy and durable.

"Well, how much is this pottery pot?"

The guards were on high alert and formed a circle outside the shed. Xiuluot picked up a red pottery pot with natural patterns and asked the potter leader in front of him gently.

"Ah, Your Majesty, this pottery pot is for you. It's free!"

The potter leader was cautious. He glanced at the armored warriors around him, and then at the armored king, and said stutteringly.

Hearing this, Xiuluot smiled. He looked at Bertard, and the warrior chief took out a bag of cocoa beans and handed it to the potter leader.

"Is it enough?"

"Ah! Enough. 60 cocoa beans for a pottery pot, or a turkey, which is too much."

"No need to change."

Hearing the price, Xiuluot nodded slightly. In the lake capital, a solid pottery pot costs 100 cocoa beans, and a turkey costs 80 cocoa beans, which are important properties for ordinary civilians. As the place where pottery is produced, the price of Taotu Town is obviously much cheaper.

"There are so many pottery piled up here, who are you going to sell them to?"

"Your Majesty, our pottery is cheap and easy to use. The mountains in the west want it, the mountains in the south want it, and the villages in the east want it. When there is no war, some merchants come here."

"What do the people in the mountains use to trade?"

"Mostly dried meat, leather, feathers, sometimes grain, and some inferior black obsidian."

"Not bad."

Xuluote nodded. Taotu Town is located at the western mountain pass, with a good geographical location. It has spontaneous trade with the Tekos tribesmen. It is impossible to support so many potters by relying solely on local trade. This kind of mutually beneficial border trade can be further increased in the future.

"Bertard, let's go."

Xuluote glanced at the pottery piled high in the shed and prepared to turn around and leave.

The potter's leader stood there woodenly, blinked his eyes, and stared at the big bag of cocoa beans in his hand. Seeing that the generous king was about to leave, he suddenly shouted, and even his stuttering disappeared instantly.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! We have a rare white pottery here, which can't be bought anywhere else! You might be interested."

"Hmm? White pottery."

Under the vigilant protection of the guards, Xiu Luote turned around and looked at the pottery leader with interest.

"Take it out and let me see it. The price is not a problem. If it is really rare, I can buy two pieces."

"Okay, okay."

The pottery leader smiled happily. He carefully moved the outer edge of the pottery pile, fumbled inside for a while, and took out a small pottery bowl, a jade-like pottery cup, and a smooth pottery pot. These three pottery pieces are completely different from the pottery styles on the periphery. Not only are they much more exquisitely made, but their colors are also delicate and snow-white.

"Your Majesty, these three exquisite pottery pieces are rarely seen even in the capital. I carefully fired them. The pottery pot and pottery cup are all one tube of gold sand, while the pottery bowl is half a tube. If you buy them all, you only need two tubes of gold sand!"

"Hmm? Bring them here, let me take a closer look."

"Okay."

Xuluot smiled and glanced at the potter leader, and took over a few pieces of white pottery. These white pottery are quite beautiful, with fine and beautiful checkered patterns on the surface, which are obviously the work of a master.

"White pottery, fine texture?"

Xuluot pondered in silence, and an unusually familiar feeling came to his heart. After a moment of thinking, his eyes suddenly lit up and asked the potter leader.

"When firing these white pottery pieces, did you use white clay?!"

"Ah!"

Hearing this, the potter leader's expression changed. He answered hesitantly.

"Ah, this, clay, that."

"Give him three tubes of gold sand, and I want all three pieces of white pottery."

"As you wish, Your Highness."

Bertard nodded, took out three reed tubes of gold sand from his arms, and handed them to the chief potter. Then, the chief warrior said coldly, reaching out to press the bronze sword at his waist.

"Answer your majesty's question, otherwise."

"Yes, yes"

The chief potter took the gold sand and put it away carefully. He looked at the king's armored warrior with a sad face, and answered with his head down.

"Yes, yes, Your Majesty. At the bottom of the nearby hill, you can dig a kind of rock as fine as white clouds, which is ground into fine white clay."

"Show it to me!"

Xuluot became more and more convinced. After a while, the chief potter brought some white clay.

The king took a quick look and found that it was as white as clouds, as fine as powder, and of excellent quality. A happy smile appeared on his face.

"It is indeed white cloud clay, kaolin. Excellent clay for ceramics! It is also a suitable rubber filler."

Shulot pondered for a moment, looked at the uneasy leader of the potters, and asked in a deep voice.

"May I have your name?"

"Ah! My name is Elo."

Unknowingly, Elo, the leader of the potters, stuttered again.

"Very good! Potter Elo, you have been recruited by the kingdom!"

Shulot smiled kindly, but Elo shuddered.

"Bring the pottery tools and several bags of clay. Along with the imperial guards, go to the Divine Enlightenment Office in the capital to report!"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

"Bertard, let's go."

Hulot smiled, leaving the two warriors behind, and left with Bertard. Kaolin clay is actually produced around Taotu Town. Then the trial production of porcelain is a little more interesting.

"Your Highness, where are you going now?"

"Go to the Olive Lake in the northwest. I heard that there are strange fragrant trees standing there, rich in resin and frankincense."

"As you command, Your Highness."

Bertard called the local guide, gave a few instructions, and the guide took everyone off.

Olive Lake is six or seven miles northwest of Taotu Town. After walking for two quarters of an hour, everyone saw a vast green lake with water birds playing on the lake. There are various lush tropical trees around the lake, as well as a small village of Prepecha.

The farmland outside the village is very small, but there are many trees. Dozens of villagers were busy in the woods. When they saw the large group of warriors approaching, they all fled into the village in fear.

Hulot ordered the guards to stop and let Bertard and several Prepecha warriors go to appease the elders of the village.

Two-quarters of an hour later, Bertard took two samples and led the elderly village chief to quietly report back to the king.

"Your Highness, there are indeed frankincense trees beside the Olive Lake. This jar is from the frankincense oil collected by the villagers. The abundant 'resin' refers to the tears of the weeping tree, which is the rubber used in the kingdom."

The rubber tree is not uncommon in Mexico and is known as the "cauuchu, the weeping tree." Rubber is also widely used: rubber balls are standard equipment in human sacrifice courts, and rubber cloth is used as an ancient raincoat.

Following the king's guidance, Shenqisu had mastered the vulcanization technique of fumigating raw rubber with sulfur, produced the first batch of vulcanized rubber, and used it on wooden wheels. When the Guards Corps went south, the wheels of the Sun Condor gun carriage were wrapped with vulcanized rubber to reduce the bumps and wear of the frame. However, even if Xiulote improved the method of tapping rubber, the current output of rubber is still too small.

"Oh? It turns out to be wild agarwood and rubber trees."

Shulot first took the sesame oil and sniffed it. This is a later Mexican agarwood, mainly taken from local olive trees, sometimes with berries added, and widely used in religious ceremonies.

"It smells quite different from the agarwood from China. Well, it's gentle and delicate, sweet and soft, more like rosewood."

The king thought for a moment. This kind of sesame oil is a good religious product and an excellent trade product. Nobles and priests will be in demand. Then, he looked at the local rubber, which had solidified into rubber sheets and looked pretty good in color.

Xiulote stood there and briefly chatted with the local village chief. It is near Olive Lake, so it is called Olive Village. He did not station himself in a simple lakeside village, but led his bodyguard and walked around Olive Lake for half a day.

There are many fragrant trees beside the lake, and there is a faint fragrance in the air. The king was walking by the lake, feeling relaxed and happy. He smiled broadly and sang softly.

“Going to the lake in spring, seeing the scenery in early spring and listening to the chirping of birds, is a rare leisure experience!”

"The scenery by the lake is indeed excellent. However, Your Highness, it is not safe here."

Bertard was meticulous and followed closely behind the king. He smiled calmly and warned tactfully. This place is on the edge of the western mountainous area. For the safety of the king, there are hundreds of scouts scattered into the mountains and six to seven hundred warriors on guard along the lake.

"Well. It's time to go back."

Hearing the warrior commander's admonition, Shulot nodded.

"After looking at it for a long time, I found that the area around Olive Lake is very suitable for planting olive trees and rubber trees. Well, the area around Taotu Town produces dolomitic soil, agarwood and rubber, which is worthy of vigorous development!"

"Exactly, if fully exploited, these specialties are in-demand trade commodities in the world. However, this place has not yet been taken over by missionary priests, and the number of households is not sufficient. It will take some time to prosper."

"Well, then record it and save it for the future."

Shulot stood by the lake and took one last look at the rippling blue water. He wanted to go boating on the lake and sleep soundly in the fragrant forest. But when the king occupies a high position and is the most important person in the world, it is difficult for him to act arbitrarily.

"Bertard, let's go."

"Your Highness, where are you going?"

"Return to Apa Military City. The messenger brought news about Black Wolf, and I have asked him to come from Kuramo City. This time, I have to give him a good scolding!"

Hearing this, Bertard tilted his head slightly, looked at the faint smile on the corner of the king's mouth, and understood in his heart.

"I obey your will, my king!"

By the Olive Lake, the king stopped, and his western tour ended here. On the second day, three thousand imperial guards surrounded the king's banner and left Taotu Town, detoured to the north of the Apa Plain, and returned to the Apa Military City.