In late February, the wind is getting warmer and the birds are heading north. The black wolf's king's banner moved again, heading north from Kanhe Village for forty miles to Taotu Town.

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

Shulot stopped in Taotu Town for two days. He summoned the leader of the local potters and inspected some locally produced painted pottery with great interest.

In the semi-open-air shed, there are piles of colorful pottery for daily use, including clay pots, pots, pots, jugs, bowls and cups. Most painted pottery is common red pottery with some gray pottery mixed in. These pottery are simple in shape and rough in style. They cannot be compared with the gorgeous painted pottery in Wangdu, but they are stronger and more durable.

"Well, how much is this pottery pot?"

The guards were heavily guarded and formed a circle around the shed. Xiulot picked up a red pottery pot with natural texture, and gently asked the chief potter in front of him.

"...Ah, Your Majesty, this pottery pot, I give it to you, no money!"

The chief potter was careful. He glanced at the armored warriors around him, then at the armored king, and stammered.

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

"enough?"

"Ah! Enough...enough. Sixty cocoa beans in a clay pot, or a turkey, that's too much...too much."

Keep the change, please.

Hearing the price, Xiulot nodded slightly. In the capital city in the middle of the lake, a sturdy pottery pot costs 100 cocoa beans, and a turkey costs 80 cocoa beans. Clay Town, as the place where pottery is produced, is obviously much cheaper.

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

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

"What do the mountain people use to trade?"

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

"good."

Xiuluo nodded. Taotu Town is located in the Western Mountain Pass, with a good geographical location, and has spontaneous trade with Tekos tribesmen. Relying on purely local trade cannot support so many potters. This kind of reciprocal border trade can be further increased in the future.

"Bertard, let's go."

Shulot glanced at the pottery piled high in the shed, and was about to turn around and leave.

The leader of the potters stood there dumbly, blinking his eyes, staring at the big bag of cocoa beans in his hand. Seeing that the generous king was about to leave, he suddenly called out, and even his stammer disappeared instantly.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! We have a rare white pottery here that cannot be bought anywhere else! You may be interested..."

"Huh? White pottery."

Under the vigilant protection of the guards, Shulot turned around and looked at the potter 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."

"Okay, okay."

The chief potter beamed with joy. He carefully removed the outside of the pottery pile, groped inside for a while, and took out a small pottery bowl, a jade-like pottery cup, and a smooth pottery pot. These three pieces of pottery are completely different in style from the surrounding pottery. Not only are the workmanship much more exquisite, but even the color is delicate and white.

"Your Majesty, these three pieces of exquisite pottery are rarely seen even in the capital, and they were carefully fired by me. The clay pot and cup are both a tube of gold sand, while the pottery bowl is a half tube. If you buy them all, Just two tubes of sand!"

"Huh?...Bring it here, let me take a closer look."

"okay."

Xiulot smiled and glanced at the chief potter, and took a few pieces of white pottery. These white pottery are quite beautiful, and there are fine and beautiful grid lines on the surface, which is obviously the handicraft of the master.

"White pottery, fine texture?"

Shulot was silent for a while, and an unusually familiar feeling came to his heart. After thinking for a while, his eyes suddenly lit up and he asked the potter leader.

"Did you use white clay when firing these pieces of white pottery?!"

"...ah!"

Hearing this, the chief potter's expression changed. He faltered in his answer.

"Ah, clay, that..."

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

"Yes, Your Highness."

Berthard nodded, took out three tubes of gold sand from his arms, and handed them to the chief potter. Then, the samurai commander said coldly, and stretched out his hand to hold the bronze sword at his waist.

"Answer Your Majesty's question, otherwise..."

"Yes Yes..."

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

"Yes, it's Your Majesty. From the bottom of the nearby hill, a kind of rock as delicate as white clouds can be dug out, and when ground, it becomes fine white clay..."

"Show it to me!"

Xiu Luote realized clearly and became more and more convinced. After a while, the chief potter came over with some white clay.

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

"Sure enough, it is dolomite, kaolin... excellent clay for ceramics! It is also a suitable rubber filler."

Shulot pondered for a moment, staring at the uneasy chief potter, and asked in a deep voice.

"May I have your name?"

"Ah! My...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 pottery tools and several bags of white clay. Together with the guard warriors, we will report to the Divine Revelation in the capital!"

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty!..."

"Bertard, let's go."

Shulot left the two warriors with a smile, and took Berthard away. Around Taotu Town, kaolin is actually produced. Then the trial production of porcelain is a little more eye-catching.

"Your Highness, where are you going now?"

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

"Yes, Your Highness."

Bertard summoned the local guide, gave a few instructions, and the guide led the crowd to set off.

Olive Lake is six or seven miles northwest of Taotu Town. After walking for a quarter of an hour, they saw a vast green lake with water birds playing. The lake has a variety of lush tropical trees and a small village of Prepeca.

The farmland outside the village is small, but there are many trees. Dozens of villagers were busy in the woods. When they saw the army of warriors approaching, they all fled to the village in horror.

Shulot ordered the guards to stop and asked Bertard and a few Prepecha warriors to appease the elders in the village.

Two quarters of an hour later, Bertard took the two samples and led the elder village chief to report back to the king in a calm manner.

"Your Highness, by the Olive Lake, there is indeed a tree that produces frankincense. This jar is the sesame oil collected by the villagers. The 'resin' that is abundant refers to the tears of the weeping tree, which is the rubber used by the kingdom."

The rubber tree is not uncommon in Mexico and is called "cauuchu, the tree that sheds tears". And rubber is also widely used: rubber **** are standard equipment on the Human Sacrifice Stadium, and rubber sheets are used as ancient raincoats.

According to the guidance of the king, the Shenqi Institute has mastered the vulcanization technique of using sulfur to dissolve raw rubber, produced the first batch of vulcanized rubber, and used it on wooden wheels. When the Imperial Guards went south, the wheels of the Sun Condor Cannon Cart were wrapped with vulcanized rubber to reduce the bumps and wear of the frame. However, even though Xiulot improved the rubber tapping method, the output of rubber is still too small.

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

Xiulot first took the sesame oil and sniffed it. This is the later generation of Mexican agarwood, mainly taken from the local olive tree, sometimes with berries, and widely used in religious ceremonies.

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

The king thought about it for a moment. This kind of sesame oil is a very good religious product, and it is also a good trade product. Nobles and priests will have demand. Then, he looked at the local rubber, which had already solidified into rubber sheets, and the color looked pretty good.

Xiu Luote stood where he was, and had a brief chat with the local village head. It is near Olive Lake, so it is called Olive Village. He did not enter the simple lakeside village, but led his bodyguards around the Olive Lake for half a day.

There are many fragrant trees by the lake, and there is a faint fragrance in the air. The king walked by the lake, feeling relaxed and joyful. He smiled and sang softly.

"Traveling around the lake in spring, watching the scenery in early spring, listening to the singing of birds, is a rare leisure!"

"The scenery by the lake is indeed excellent. But...Your Highness, this place is not safe."

Berthard was meticulous and followed closely behind the king. He smiled quietly and gently advised. This place is on the edge of the western mountainous area. For the safety of the king, hundreds of scouts scattered into the mountain, and six or seven hundred warriors stood guard along the lake.

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

Hearing the meaning of the warrior commander's admonition, Xiuluo nodded.

"After looking for a long time, the surrounding area of ​​Olive Lake is very suitable for planting olive incense trees and rubber trees. Well, the area around Taotu Town produces dolomite, agarwood and rubber, and it is worth vigorously developing!"

"Exactly, if it is fully developed, these special products are valuable trade goods in high demand in the world. It's just that this place has not yet been taken over by the missionary priests, and the household registration is not abundant. It will take some time for UU Kanshu www.uukanshu.com 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 lake. He really wanted to go boating on the lake and sleep soundly in the fragrant forest. But the king occupies a high position and is the most important thing in the world, so it is difficult to act recklessly.

"Bertard, let's go."

"Your Highness, where are you going?"

"Go back to Apa Army City. The messenger brought the news of the black wolf, and I have sent him from Kuramo City. This time, I have to reprimand him!"

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

"Follow your will, my king!"

By the Olive Lake, the king stops, and the west tour ends here. On the second day, three thousand imperial guards surrounded the king's flag and left Taotu Town, detoured to the north of the Apa Plain, and returned to the Apa Army City.

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . :