After reviewing the development on the surface of the estate, Elara didn't rush underground. Instead, she brought Damon and Mathias into the main kitchen of the estate. She rolled up her sleeves, asked for a few bags of rice and millet, adjusted the stone mill setup, and then called in a few contracted refugees who used to be cooks.
She showed Damon and the cooks the basic process of grinding flour and making food like steamed buns, dumplings, noodles, and fried dough. Since tofu was already her main trade product with the Lianyi House, she had no plans to produce the same tofu dishes. To keep the cooperation peaceful and friendly, she would avoid that conflict.
However, common foods like buns and noodles were fair game to make. She also planned to teach people to make tofu snacks not provided to Lianyi House, like dried tofu, fried tofu, and fermented tofu. These could later be sold differently in various parts of the city.
After demonstrating the basic method for these new foods, Elara had steamers set up to wait for the fresh buns. At the same time, she discussed with them the filling choices for buns and dumplings.
Meat was expensive and most people couldn't afford it, but that wasn't a problem. Elara was already used to different kinds of fillings and didn't limit them to meat. She listed fillings like cabbage, mushrooms, chives, and corn, and told the cooks to remember them.
She encouraged them to come up with their own ideas too. Any good result would be rewarded as extra contribution.
The cooks got excited. They worked hard to memorize her instructions while thinking up more tasty ingredients that could be used as fillings.
To help them remember everything, Damon had already called over an old servant when the demonstrations began. The servant recorded all the steps and food names on several bamboo slips.
Once everything was shown, and the servant had written down nearly everything, Elara let the cooks guard the steamers and practice on their own using the leftover flour. She washed her hands and walked with Damon and Mathias to the most important underground section of the estate.
As soon as they stepped into the basement, they heard loud, synchronized shouts echoing through the space.
Elara stepped onto the floor and saw that the large central area in front had already been filled with three square formations of young men.
Each formation had about fifty to sixty people. They were arranged in a square shape and doing different types of training.
Seeing her watching them, Damon stepped closer and spoke softly beside her ear.
"These are the same people who do the grinding and labor upstairs. They take turns coming here daily for training. Right now, the goal is to prepare them as guards for the estate and trade caravans. Once they build strength and stamina, we'll slowly shift to full military training."
"I've already picked a few with good fitness and steady personalities. I plan to train them secretly as personal guards. They'll be placed into each formation to monitor movements and rumors. Anyone who spreads nonsense will be punished without mercy."
Elara nodded. Watching this uneven but growing team at work made her feel more at ease than she had in a long time since arriving in this world.
This was the strength she needed. In a chaotic era like this, nothing mattered more than having strong military power in her own hands.
"Recruit more strong young people. This group is too small."
"Yes."
"Don't mistreat them. Give them enough food every day, and let them rest as needed. But training must be strict. No one is allowed to slack off or cheat. Punish anyone who does."
"Yes. I understand. You can rest assured."
After watching the training a bit more, Elara exhaled lightly and continued deeper into the cave.
Compared to last time, when the cave was empty, several walled sections had now been built inside. They had been divided into rooms of various sizes.
Damon led Elara to a hidden room in the very back. He took out a key and handed it to her with both hands.
"The gold and silver you sent earlier are all stored here. The key was made by the best locksmith in Plumera's capital, found in secret. It's the only one. Also, the financial records from the past few days are written on these bamboo slips. Please review them."
The room was small, only about two square meters. Stacked against the wall were the chests of gold and silver Elara had sent from Lianyi House.
She didn't open the boxes or check them one by one. After glancing over them, she walked to another tightly locked section filled with accounting slips and asked someone to bring her the master account record to read.
In the past few days, they had taken in many refugees, rebuilt various estate buildings, and bought needed supplies. Nearly half of the silver she had sent was already used.
Still, the spending was a little less than she had expected. But the estate was still in a state of spending without any income. If this continued, the remaining gold and silver wouldn't last long. The two shops in Plumera's capital must start running soon.
After reviewing the records, Elara put the bamboo slips back.
Damon looked surprised that she had finished so quickly.
Elara casually patted his shoulder and smiled. "You've done well. I trust you. Have someone report to me with the accounts once a month. You handle everything else. If you need anything, just tell me."
"Also, starting next month, you'll go to Lianyi House in person at the beginning of each month to collect our share of profits." Yesterday, before leaving Lianyi House, the manager had told her that the dishes they cooperated on were now all on sale. Feedback was very good and they were popular with the wealthy. Profits next month should be decent. She needed to send someone on time to collect them.
"The token is this purple jade and a few pieces of internal information about the estate that you know. Keep them safe." As she spoke, Elara called over Uno and handed the jade to Damon.
Yesterday, when talking to the manager, she had considered splitting the profits, sending some to the estate and some to the princess's residence.
But the risks were too high. That courtyard was filled with shady figures, and one powerful hidden expert still hadn't been identified. She didn't want to take that chance. For now, all income would go to the estate. Both the shops and the estate's future development would use this place to store and manage money.
Damon looked at the purple jade she handed over and stood silently for a long time behind his thick beard. Then he carefully took it with both hands. His voice was strong and serious, like he was making a vow.
"Miss, I will live up to your expectations."
Elara smiled again and patted his shoulder, then waved away the others following them. Only Mathias and Damon stayed with her as they entered another room filled with bamboo slips listing current estate productions. She flipped through a few, then sat down in the middle on a bamboo chair.
She looked up at Mathias, who had been quietly following her the whole time.
"You've been with me these past few days. You know the location of the two shops in Plumera's capital and the current state of the estate and what it can produce. I want to ask you, how do we sell the food and the simple handmade goods made here?"
Mathias didn't look surprised. After a short pause, he answered calmly, as if already prepared.
"When you chose the shops, you had already separated their purposes. The one on the busiest street in Plumera's capital will serve the wealthy and the powerful. These people don't just want the best quality. If something is new, rare, and flashy enough to match or boost their status, they'll gladly pay for it."
Elara nodded slightly without saying a word. "So you're saying?"