Other people also started opening their packages and took a bite. The more they ate, the more familiar the taste felt.
"This one says it's sausage, but it doesn't really taste like the sausages we usually have. Still, it's really delicious."
Maybe it was because they had stayed up all night, but everyone thought the sausage and instant noodles were especially tasty. The smell of sausage filled the whole courtyard.
General Yves nodded as he ate.
After the sausages, the last thing left was the braised eggs.
"Aren't these just eggs? How did they get packed like this?" one general asked.
"I've never liked eggs since I was a kid," another general quickly said, shaking his head.
Still, General Yves gave a share to everyone there. These generals would be the ones paying for the goods later anyway.
They had helped him conquer two countries. Other than him, they were the richest in the army now.
Everyone in the courtyard started tearing open the packages and began eating. They had become pretty good at it by now.
"The yolk is really golden. It doesn't look like the eggs we usually eat."
Someone looked at it closely.
"Hey, it actually tastes good. The egg has flavor."
Most of them were used to plain boiled eggs with no taste.
"Yeah, it's soft and full of flavor. Even the yolk tastes better than boiled eggs."
The general who said he didn't eat eggs now looked tempted.
"Old Jiang, you're not eating that, right? If not, give it to me," one of the generals said with a grin and reached for his egg.
Old Jiang quickly pulled it back. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm eating it."
He tore the packaging and took a big bite. Half the egg was gone.
As he chewed, his eyebrows relaxed. "Wow, this is really good. If the cook at home had made eggs like this, I wouldn't have avoided them all these years."
"That little thing is gone in two bites. It's not enough at all," another general said. "General, can you give us two more? It's not even enough to fill the gap between our teeth."
General Yves said, "You're only getting a taste for now. You'll get more later."
If he let them eat all they wanted now, there would be no bait to hook them later.
Sophia was completely exhausted after working all night, while General Yves's people didn't want to leave yet.
Sophia had sent so many supplies that the main storage couldn't hold everything. They had to use all the empty rooms to store the rest.
General Ulric had spent four or five days surveying the land and finally finished the map General Yves asked for.
Sophia's map only showed the general area. They needed to check the details in person. So General Ulric and his team went around and found many differences. They wrote down everything clearly so they could make better plans.
When General Ulric came back to Chen, covered in dust, he went to the camp to wash up.
As soon as they got back, they saw that the camp was filled with joy.
They asked what happened and heard that the Celestial One had sent more supplies, including the instant noodles everyone had been waiting for, and even some new items.
General Ulric was also curious. Food was important to everyone.
He quickly cleaned up, changed clothes, and got ready. Then he took the results of the last few days and went to report to General Yves.
At the residence, General Yves was checking a new bed made by the craftsmen.
The bed was made from purple sandalwood. The mattress fit perfectly.
He had to admit that people in the modern world really knew how to enjoy life. General Yves had the bed made and laid down on it. As soon as he lay down, he didn't want to get up.
Just then, a servant came to report, "Sir, General Ulric is here to see you."
General Yves sat up unwillingly. "Take him to the main hall and let him wait."
General Yves walked into the main hall and saw that General Ulric was already waiting for him.
He didn't know what Ulric was thinking about, but there was a smile on his face.
In fact, the moment Ulric entered the residence, he had already asked the servants about the situation. It was true—there was a batch of supplies in the residence right now.
Those instant noodles—the General had given an order that he would exchange them using those supplies.
But with the merit he earned from this mission, it shouldn't be a problem to ask the General for a reward, right?
As soon as General Yves entered, Ulric quickly wiped the smile from his face.
"General!" Ulric saluted him.
General Yves signaled for him to sit. "How was it? Did you take a look? Is it difficult to clear the land?"
Ulric reported truthfully, "The area within a sixty-mile radius is mostly flatland. There are one or two hills, but the height doesn't exceed a hundred meters. I believe the land can be developed."
Along with the officers on the trip, Ulric had brought a couple of officials who specialized in examining the land.
Those two officials came in with him. After Ulric gave an overview of the situation, the more detailed questions were answered by them.
Ulric added a few comments from time to time while standing on the side.
The report lasted for more than an hour before General Yves finally let them go.
After understanding the situation well enough, General Yves waved his hand. "Alright, I got it."
What to do next would depend on his further instructions.
The two officials quickly slipped out after reporting.
Ulric was about to step over the threshold when he paused and pulled his foot back.
"General, since we worked hard scouting the area, could we maybe get a reward?"
Ulric never feared General Yves much.
General Yves gave him a sideways glance. "You've also got your eyes on the supplies in my storage?"
Ulric smiled sheepishly.
General Yves thought for a moment, weighed the situation in his mind, then nodded.
"Everyone who went on this mission gets a box of instant noodles. Go to the steward and get them. You'll handle the distribution."
Ulric left with a big grin.
After finishing things up, General Yves also returned to his courtyard.
Back in the yard, the bed frame that had been taken apart was still there. The servants were waiting for his orders to deal with it.
General Yves remembered what Sophia had told him during their earlier communication—things from this era, even just a dish, could become an antique in her time.
This bed used to belong to a prince's residence in King Chen's nation.
And now that he'd slept on it, the value would only increase. It was definitely not something ordinary.
Thinking about that, he sent a message to Sophia.
Then, he arranged for the bed to be delivered to her.
After that, even though his expression remained calm and serious, he couldn't hide the excitement of trying out his new bed.
Meanwhile, over at Sophia's place, Ronin had just come back after being away for over a week on a business trip.
He brought back all the machinery Sophia had asked for.
Excavators, earth movers, water tank trucks, drilling machines—ten of each.
These were all huge machines, way too big to store inside the compound.
Sophia had no choice but to have them placed outside for the time being. She would deal with them later when the timing was right.
"Ronin, you've worked hard. I'll make sure you get a bonus for this!"
That was the kind of sentence every worker loved to hear. Ronin immediately grinned, showing his big white teeth.