Chapter 252: Selling Looms or Opening Factories

The knight squad of Ubei Domain shall embark on their first campaign.

After informing Ridal of this matter, Luo Ning finalized the list of professional knights and mages who would accompany them.

This expedition would not target barbarian tribes nor careless marsh-town knight squads, but the Polant Bandits, who boasted at least one Golden Knight.

Thus, Luo Ning took Ridal, Macken, and Elron along.

Three high-rank specialists: Geoffrey, Rogner, and the newly promoted mage Jenny;

Two mid-rank knights: Crami and Bablin;

Four junior knights: still David, Tom, Grado, and Tomas—the most promising among them.

The remaining professional knights, led by Horn, divided dozens of militiamen into groups to guard several towns.

Ubei Domain lay at the very rear of Wushan Domain; unless a great war erupted, no enemy would dare attack here.

In the past, the greatest threat to the domain had been the beasts of the Beast Mountain Range.

But since Karllos had been wandering about lately, even the dimmest of beasts avoided this area.

Thus, domain defense boiled down to keeping the peasants from causing trouble and watching over the hundreds of slaves Anthony sent over every few days.

For Horn and the other professional knights, this was no great challenge.

The only thing that saddened Luo Ning was that he would likely miss this year’s autumn harvest—he wondered whether the crops, nurtured by technological innovation and fertilizer, would reward him with a surprising yield.

The hooves of the Cloudstrider clattered steadily as Luo Ning arrived at Zigu Village in Sanfang Town.

He had not taken Horn along primarily because sericulture required his leadership.

With June’s arrival, Ubei Domain’s temperature had risen and grown increasingly hot—perfect for silkworm cultivation.

Ten acres of mulberry fields, ten thousand mulberry trees, now stretched in lush greenery—all destined to become the food for this swarm of silkworms.

Following Luo Ning’s instructions, Zigu Village had cleared several rooms, and apprentice carpenters had crafted enough wooden basins for the silkworms during this period.

Bamboo baskets would have been ideal, but Qingzhu Village had no bamboo weavers, and Luo Ning had neither the time nor the inclination to study the craft in depth—so wooden basins would suffice, their effectiveness nearly identical.

“Lord, the cocoons have mostly hatched. These are the eggs laid by the moths after mating.”

Horn pointed to the silkworm eggs arranged on linen cloth within several wooden basins.

Beside him stood Liah and the farmers specially recruited to tend the silkworms.

Luo Ning nodded, bending low to examine the eggs closely.

They were no larger than sesame seeds, yet as they developed, they had shifted from black to translucent, revealing faint internal outlines—likely to hatch into larvae in two or three days.

“When they hatch, feed them only the tenderest leaves from the tops of the mulberry trees. Be sure to wipe off all moisture before cutting the leaves into fine fragments and scattering them evenly—do not pile them too thickly.”

Silkworm rearing typically took about a month and a half; Luo Ning would certainly not have time to return, so he must emphasize these details now.

“Also, pay attention to their molting state. When they raise their heads and refuse to eat or move, leave them undisturbed—do not feed them. Only after they’ve shed their skin should you offer whole leaves, using them to gently spread the silkworms across more basins.”

Luo Ning had already explained all this to Horn once before, but repeating it now before more people would help them remember.

Especially crucial: promptly remove dead silkworms to prevent contamination of the healthy ones.

This world lacked disinfectants or antiseptics, and Horn and his men were novices—best to keep things spaced apart.

Beyond the successful hatching of the silkworms, another piece of good news came from Master Daen, who had also relocated to Zigu Village.

Master Daen, incorporating Luo Ning’s previous suggestions and drawing inspiration from the waist-looms used by Liah and the tailors, had meticulously redesigned the treadle loom.

After months of continuous refinement, Ubei Domain’s first loom had finally achieved breakthrough progress.

Its mechanics and operation were now flawless; only the reed threading and heddle threading remained to be perfected—after which it could be handed over to Liah.

Though further issues would inevitably arise during use, requiring ongoing optimization, the leap from zero to one had been achieved—remarkable indeed!

Luo Ning lavished praise upon him, wishing him imminent elevation to Grand Artisan.

He also instructed Daen to use this loom as a template to adapt designs for weaving linen and wool.

After all, silk, linen, and wool were distinct materials; while loom structures shared commonalities, their details differed.

Linen fibers were coarser, demanding greater tension and sturdier mechanical components for processing and weaving;

Silk, by contrast, was delicate, requiring finer mechanisms and precise tension control.

Now that the silk loom existed, adapting it into a linen loom—given Daen’s skill—would surely be merely a matter of time.

Once the looms were produced, Luo Ning could consider selling them—or establishing a weaving factory to monetize the venture.

If he sold the looms, others would inevitably copy them; the market might quickly collapse.

Just as with the curved-plow, Luo Ning had once sold them outright to Wushan Castle.

After a few sales, demand dried up—other lords had acquired counterfeits through their own channels, paying less despite the cost.

Luo Ning might face the same fate if he sold looms.

But what if, while no other domain possessed looms, Ubei Domain alone held them?

What if he opened a weaving factory in Ubei, procuring linen and wool from other nobles of Wushan Domain, processing them swiftly, and selling the finished cloth at prices below market value?

Could this dramatically improve Ubei Domain’s finances?

Luo Ning pondered this question long after leaving Master Daen—until he met Zha’er, whom he entrusted with the matter.

“Lord, you’ve put me in a terrible bind!” Zha’er groaned, face drawn.

Since becoming Ubei Domain’s financial officer, he had been both elated and tormented.

Elated, for the lord trusted him implicitly, entrusting him with all finances;

Tormented, for the domain’s expenses were endless—sometimes a single expenditure drained hundreds of gold coins, and his hands trembled as he handed them over.

Worse still: the problem of gold storage.

Though the castle was guarded, though the coins were hidden in secret passages and concealed chambers, though no ordinary person could find them…

Still, every night he slept with dread, terrified he’d wake to find all the gold vanished—how could he ever face the lord?

“It’s fine if you don’t know,” Luo Ning said solemnly. “You can learn. Didn’t I raise your salary? Go find a merchant abroad to teach you business. If you lack funds, tell me—I’ll sponsor you.”

Then his tone turned stern.

“You’re young. If you retreat at the first difficulty, how will you ever advance?”

“Look at Wilson—how did he rise from clerk to chief administrator? He never complained to me about how hard things were!”

Zha’er bowed his head, nodding vigorously, silently muttering: The lord is right. The lord speaks wisely.

Luo Ning stepped forward, clapping Zha’er on the shoulder.

“Do well, Zha’er. Don’t betray my faith in you. I still believe in you.”

Tears welled in Zha’er’s eyes.

“Lord, rest assured—I will work harder than ever!”

Many matters large and small still awaited attention, but Luo Ning, having learned to delegate the small, now focused only on the grand direction.

It was to cultivate his subordinates’ abilities for the future—and to live better himself.

He had crossed over, after all. Must he still be a dog of labor every day?

Time flew. Before long, it neared the twelfth of June—the day the Wushan Domain nobles convened.

The day before, Luo Ning mounted Karllos and descended upon the rear slopes of Wushan Castle beneath the cloak of night.

(The End of This Chapter)