Chapter 263: Soap

After celebrating with the soldiers, evening gradually fell.

After leaving the military camp, Phield made his usual patrol around Windrise Town.

When he returned to the castle, he suddenly slapped his thigh and asked the maid beside him, "The pig pancreas and lard weren’t thrown away, right?"

"No, my lord." The maid Nina immediately replied, "We have always followed your orders. Resources in the territory are scarce, so every bit is fully utilized. The lard has been stored away, and the pig offal is used to feed the giant wolves and spiders. The offal from last night’s slaughter hasn’t been sent to the ranch yet."

"Good."

Hearing that the lard was still there, Phield let out a sigh of relief.

"My lord, things like lard are... well, unhealthy and unworthy of your status. It’s enough to feed them to the commoners and slaves. There is still plenty of radish seed oil and olive oil in the castle. It can last for quite a while."

Nina carefully chose her words. What she really wanted to say was "something lowly."

After all, nobles in this era generally would not touch even the slightest bit of black pork.

Nina spared no effort in maintaining noble dignity. She absolutely would not allow her lord to lose face in front of other nobles.

"I’m not planning to eat it. It has other important uses."

Phield waved his hand dismissively. He did not think lard was bad at all. At the very least, stir-fried dishes cooked with it smelled amazing.

Of course, lard and pig pancreas had another extremely useful purpose: making soap.

Nina looked confused. "If it’s not for eating, what else could lard be used for? Lubrication?"

"That’s one use too. Anyway, notify the kitchens and the ranches. From now on, carefully store all animal fats you collect." After giving the order, Phield asked, "You usually clean clothes using soapberries, right?"

"Yes, my lord. But that stuff is very scarce now. There’s only a little left in the castle. Nobody even sells it in Windrise Town’s market anymore. Many housewives keep praying for merchant caravans to bring some."

Whenever Phield traveled outside, the slaves or soldiers accompanying the army would bring back daily necessities for the people of Nightfall Domain. This was no secret.

As long as it didn’t interfere with military movement and the goods passed inspection, Phield would not be overly strict about it.

"Then it seems soap will help them greatly."

"Soap?" Nina awkwardly repeated the unfamiliar word.

"That’s right. Something used for washing clothes and bathing. Better than soapberries. It can deeply clean dirt and even leave behind fragrance." Phield snapped his fingers happily. "Since it’s so scarce, this is the perfect opportunity."

He had been so busy increasing his strength that he had nearly forgotten this treasure.

"Something that miraculous really exists?" Nina covered her mouth in shock. "Then the housewives here will absolutely adore you."

"Uh... there’s no need for them to adore me that much. I couldn’t handle it."

Phield wiped away cold sweat.

"Perfect timing too. Mick has almost finished his statistics work. It’s time to send him to the industrial district for some experience. He’ll oversee this soap project."

Mick was among the earliest people to follow him into Nightfall Domain, so his loyalty was highly reliable.

Early the next morning, Phield brought Mick and ten newly recruited workers to a newly developed section of the industrial district.

Unlike the logging camp or brickworks, wolf banners hung throughout the area, and four soldiers rotated shifts guarding the site.

"This technology must remain secret. Absolutely secret."

Soap was easy to make, which also meant it was easy to reverse engineer and leak.

Phield swept his gaze across everyone’s faces and lowered his voice. "I’m paying you well, so don’t disappoint me. From now on, none of you are allowed to get drunk or gamble. Mick, you’ll temporarily act as supervisor here and oversee everything."

"Yes, my lord."

Everyone was sweating nervously, standing there like frightened quails.

When selecting workers, Phield had deliberately chosen honest people with good personal habits.

"Other than keeping the secret, you don’t need to worry about anything else. Come over. I’ll teach you how to make it."

"Pour water into the wood ash until it’s fully submerged."

Making soap required only two things: oil and alkali.

Limestone would have made things much easier. Unfortunately, despite being one of the most common materials in existence, Phield had searched for it ever since arriving in Nightfall Domain and still hadn’t found any. His cement plans had completely stalled because of it.

Limestone was one of the most widespread mineral resources in the world. Failing to find any was truly terrible luck.

"After stirring it thoroughly, filter it."

Pouring the ash water into a bucket lined with linen cloth, Phield explained, "This is low concentration lye water, but it’s still far from suitable for soap making. It needs to be heated so the water can evaporate."

"Then pour the heated fat and lye water into this large vat and stir them together. Once it cools and solidifies, cut it apart, and it’s finished."

After explaining everything, Phield asked, "Simple enough, right?"

Everyone nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, my lord. But ordinary people would never think to connect those two things together," Mick replied.

Truthfully, Phield had learned this from reading novels in his previous life.

Back then, he used to wonder why every transmigrator in those stories immediately thought about making soap.

Now he understood. It was because it was simple. Ash from burned wheat stalks and pig offal were both practically worthless, yet together they could create an incredibly profitable product.

"Exactly. That’s why it must stay secret."

Phield snapped his fingers cheerfully. "Don’t be afraid of failure. It’s normal to fail during the first attempts. Once you successfully make a finished product, report to me. I’ll reward you with coins."

"It is our honor to serve you, my lord."

Everyone immediately bowed respectfully.

After that, all Phield needed to do was wait patiently.

Leaving the industrial district behind, Phield headed toward the slave barracks.

Because of the previous slave rebellion, watchtowers had now been erected around the barracks, making the place resemble a prison. Slave fights had almost completely disappeared.

"Sister, I..." Clara timidly raised her head and glanced at her older sister standing with hands on her hips. "I’m going to tend Lord Phield’s garden."

"Heh. No wonder you suddenly got such a good job. You actually went behind my back and traded yourself to a noble!"

"I..."

Clara looked like she was about to cry. Over the past few days, she had worked hard, and one of the castle maids promised her that if she properly maintained the garden, she would receive delicious white bread. She had even planned to share it with her sister.

She never expected her sister to find out about the job.

Jane gritted her teeth furiously. "Do you even realize this could get you killed? What did he do to you? Take off your clothes. I need to check."

"Ah?" Clara froze in shock and instinctively covered her tattered clothes. "He really didn’t do anything. Lord Phield is a good person."

Clara couldn’t understand why her sister would react so strongly just because she had reported the rebellion to the lord.

"What do you understand, you idiot?! That’s all an illusion, idiot, idiot!"

Jane suddenly tackled her younger sister to the ground and viciously punched her in the face.

"Our parents were killed by nobles. I never dared tell you before. You idiot, how could you expose people to a noble?!"