King-Chapter 1101 - 163, Navy? Pirates_2

As for the claim that high-quality salt contains magic elements, Hudson had never taken it seriously. If it were truly effective, it wouldn’t be possible to put it on the market for sale.

Using the barely noticeable effects as a basis for product premiumization and marketing, to Hudson, was just a way to tax the gullible.

If one really wanted to increase the speed of training, it was better to buy "Ha’s Magic Potion." Although it was a diluted version with no taste or appearance to speak of, the effects were still quite good.

The only problem was that it was prohibitively expensive and production was pitifully low, requiring advance payment for reservations and without any guarantee of timely delivery.

Hudson was forced to limit shipments. In the Magic Potion Circle, Ha’s Potion was close to being labeled a "cancer."

The effectiveness was so good that it had almost driven his competitors out of business. According to some Potion Masters, the Auxiliary Cultivation Potion and Magical Beast Maturation Potion produced by Hudson were the same product.

The only difference was the side effects. The potions intended for human use essentially had no side effects, while those used for magical beasts were highly unstable, with a wide range of possible side effects.

What made it sell well was that although the side effects were unpredictable, the harm was minimal. Magical beasts had thick skin and flesh, so minor issues were negligible.

The same formula, the same mix, only with some additives missing, but the price was tens of times more expensive.

The reason for the price increase was, naturally, that Master Hudson personally intervened to separate the side effects and to purify the potion’s effectiveness.

In fact, whether it was limited or not didn’t make much difference. The high price had already deterred countless people, and only a few wealthy could afford it.

After trying it out, the Major Nobles within the Kingdom rarely purchased this type of product with absolutely no cost-effectiveness.

Now, only some exceedingly rich Nobles from the South Continent dared to place large orders for the purpose of nurturing the talented youths in their clans.

In order to make everyone believe in the high cost of the potion, Hudson rarely used it within his own clan, only occasionally rewarding meritorious servants.

Mainly, it was because the clan lacked talented youths. Each one’s talent was obvious at a glance, and even with a massive investment of resources, they didn’t have the makings of a Strongman.

Many of the clanspeople could only reach the level of Senior Knight before encountering a bottleneck in their advancement, the only option being to slowly grind away with time.

There was no hope of advancing further; basically, every step forward met another bottleneck, and there was no chance for rapid success. novelbuddy-cσ๓

With the fantasy of mass-producing masters shattered, there was no longer a necessity to heavily invest resources in training the average person.

Since they would be stuck by the training bottleneck anyway, it might even be quicker and more successful to reach that stage a few years later.

Hudson had not tapped into the narrow high-quality salt market, and what was really actively developed on his lands was the salt drying technology. Now, over ninety percent of the consumer market was primarily coarse salt.

The main customers were Noble Lords; after all, it was just for the Serfs to eat, so the taste didn’t matter to them at all.

As long as it was cheap and in large quantities, sufficient to replenish the salt for the Serfs, that was enough.

In fact, the Serfs were not the worst off. Being Noble Lords, the ones purchasing the salt would prevent the Salt Merchants from doing anything too egregious.

The poor freemen, however, bought the cheapest coarse salts, which were of the worst quality.

Initially, they were just by-products, often contaminated with impurities like dirt and sand to increase the weight of the salt.

Technology is bound to advance in the end. Leaving it to those below to figure out, Hudson couldn’t be bothered to care.

Anyway, the salt produced was of sufficient quality for the low-end market, so for now, it was time to make money.

Due to the joint limitations of production capacity and transportation, once Nobles reached a business cooperation, they seldom changed partners.

A Noble’s own reputation was the best guarantee for transactions. If the Nobles of the North hadn’t been so unsightly in their dealings, there wouldn’t have been an opportunity for Hudson to get involved.

It wasn’t a matter of right or wrong; the five major families in the north were all suffering from an extreme lack of security.

The political discrimination made them sense danger, forcing them to expand their military might for self-protection.

Everything else was illusory; only the military power in their hands was real. With enough power, there was no fear of the Kingdom settling old scores.

It was mainly because Caesar IV’s tactics were not mature enough, as he made his intentions toward the Nobles of the North all too clear. Had his methods been more subtle, it might have made them oblivious.

Having exposed his motives prematurely, the original plans were naturally shelved. Retaliation was one thing, but it couldn’t lead to a civil war!

Hudson was sure that the Royal Family had scandalous material on the five major families in the north, even the kind that if revealed, could threaten their lives.

Not acting rashly either because the situation had blown up and not being able to take down the five major families in a short time; or it was a deliberate ploy, using this sense of crisis to sap the strength of the five major families in the north.

In political struggles, one does not always have to physically overpower an opponent to win. Using political maneuvers to weaken an adversary’s strength, forcing the enemy into significant concessions, is also a victory.

"Proceed with your plans, but when choosing a location, pay attention to the requirements for salt drying like climate and terrain, and also consider defensive issues.

Try to do it right the first time to avoid having to relocate halfway through the process.

The production capacity can be increased a bit. Apart from the Nobles of the Northern Border and the Near East, the Orc Empire is also a vast market.

Production of poor-quality iron in our territory can also be gradually restored. If progress goes well, this will become another important source of revenue for us.

Th𝓮 most uptodate nov𝑒ls are publish𝒆d on freew(e)bnove(l).𝓬𝓸𝓶