Now that the other party has managed to occupy the salt mine, their strength must be considerable. If you're not strong enough, it will be very difficult for you to monopolize it; others will definitely try to take it from you.
Salt is a very important commodity in this area now.
What to do? Ed was troubled.
Having no other option, Ed could only ask:
"Andrew, are you aware of the situation in the northern territories?"
"My lord, the population of the northern territories is more than a thousand times that of us. I went to a market there and there were so many people."
Stealing anything is out of the question; the opponent is definitely quite strong. The only option is to trade, but Ed isn't really willing to trade food for it.
But exchanging iron is also difficult. Transporting it over would be troublesome. Even if you manage to transport it over, what if others see you as weak and try to steal it?
Besides, the road is blocked now, so it seems that going north won't be an option for the foreseeable future!
Ed could only turn his gaze to the butler, Marcus, again: "Marcus, is there any other way to find salt?"
Marcus pondered for a moment and then said:
"My master, I've heard there's a sea further south in the territory, but I don't know how far it is or what the conditions are like along the way."
Ed felt a chill run down his spine after hearing the old butler's words. If even the old butler couldn't explain it clearly, it meant that no one had been to the south for a very long time.
Besides, it's winter now, so sending people to scout ahead won't work! It's definitely not a short distance, and everything will have to wait until next spring.
"Is there any other way?" Ed could only hope that the old butler had other ideas.
"My master, there is one more thing. There is a great river to the east of our territory. That great river flows eastward. On the other side of the river is the Silverfish Territory of the Silver Moon Kingdom, and to the southeast is the Golden Flower Kingdom, which has sea salt. There is a large market on the riverbank."
Ed was overjoyed and immediately asked, "How long will it take us to get there? And what would be a good way to exchange salt?"
"My master, if we drag our things over, it will take about six to seven days. If we ride alone, it will take four to five days."
After listening to the butler, Ed thought about it and realized that the journey was about 200 kilometers, which was not much farther than going north. He wondered why they hadn't gone southeast to exchange salt before.
"My master, there is a shortage of furs in the east. We can trade furs for salt, but we also need to prepare some food and iron," the steward continued.
Ed's eyes lit up when he heard that they were missing fur. Didn't they still have gloves and boots?
Isn't this perfect for winter? Ed just hoped the other person would like the 'Rabbit' brand gloves.
"Marcus, why didn't you go to the Golden Flower Kingdom to trade for salt before, but instead went to the northern territory to do so?"
"My master, we have long traded salt and iron from the north, and the tax revenue is not very high. The road to the southeast is very difficult to travel. I went there once a long time ago and encountered danger. Moreover, we got less salt for the same goods. I haven't been there since."
Yes, it's just that the route is long, expensive, and dangerous, so the salt exchange line was broken.
"Okay! Let's go there to exchange for salt. There's no other way now, so we'll just have to go there to exchange for it. Andrew's guards will be responsible for scouting ahead."
If you're carrying a lot of things, it definitely won't arrive in five or six days. It's always a good idea to go and scout ahead first.
"Yes, my lord." Andrew also knew the importance of salt.
"Marcus, is there anything else at the market to trade?"
Ed planned to ask if there were any good items to exchange for, so he could prepare in advance and not be left without the means to do so.
"My master, yes, there are some strange things in the market, and I don't know what they're for," Marcus said after thinking for a while.
But what Ed was thinking was...
"Hehe, you may not know him, but I definitely do."