Chapter 57: The Power Of Refined Salt
On the sixth day of the Southern Six Kings' stay in Camelot, things unfolded exactly as Noah had anticipated.
He met with none of the kings. After handling official duties, he spent the entire day with Artoria.
Then came the seventh day. While King Rience and King Leodegrance were still pondering Noah's intentions, they received his invitation.
As the leaders of the Southern Six Kings, they quickly confirmed with their subordinates that Noah had only invited the two of them this time.
Seeing this, both King Rience and King Leodegrance understood—Noah clearly intended to discuss serious matters today.
Leodegrance felt somewhat nervous, after all, he planned to bring up the marriage proposal and had no clear grasp of Noah's attitude.
King Rience, on the other hand, had adjusted his mindset and intended to assess the situation. But then he suddenly recalled something—yesterday, he had heard from his subordinates that his old rival, King Leodegrance, seemed to be preparing for something...
Although Leodegrance believed he had been discreet, King Rience had guessed a thing or two.
It seemed Leodegrance was planning to offer his beautiful daughter to Arthur.
The moment this thought crossed his mind, King Rience felt that he, too, ought to prepare something.
But the problem was—he had no beautiful daughter.
His sons were all exceptionally brave and mighty, but none of his daughters could compare to Guinevere.
This left King Rience troubled ever since accepting Noah's invitation.
Yet, there was little he could do.
In the end, he made a decision:
Since he had nothing impressive to offer, he might as well take a firm stance—if Arthur were to show favoritism because of Leodegrance's daughter, then he would stand his ground firmly and fight to the end with the Southern Territory under his control!
Although there was no deep-seated grudge between King Rience and King Leodegrance, they both controlled Britain's salt industry.
Salt revenue was undoubtedly the most crucial income for Southern Britain. If he conceded on this matter, he would have no way to justify it to his people upon returning!
He was different from Leodegrance.
Leodegrance was an outsider—his ancestors were not from Southern Britain; he had only settled there in his generation.
But King Rience's lineage traced back to the Southern Six Territories, so the region he governed was filled with numerous southern nobles!
These nobles only cared about money!
Though King Rience looked down on such individuals, he had no choice.
To counterbalance Leodegrance, he had to rely on the financial power of these nobles.
Unless he could uproot these nobles entirely and confiscate their assets, he could not touch a single one of these closely-knit aristocrats!
Sigh...
At this thought, King Rience let out a sigh.
He could do nothing about the nobles, nor could he influence Camelot's stance.
In that case—
This was the only way!
Unlike Leodegrance's anxiety, King Rience, resolved as if marching to his death, viewed many matters with clarity.
Before heading to Camelot Castle, he made some arrangements for his affairs.
Then, with unwavering determination, he went to keep the appointment.
Even if he were executed by the King today under some pretext due to his unyielding attitude, he wouldn't care.
At least this way his stance would be made clear, and the southern nobles would continue supporting his son's succession. The southern territories did not belong to them!
As for whether the King would attack the three southern territories...
Hah, at least while Vortigern was still around, even the formidable King Arthur probably wouldn't dare to do so.
...
King Leodegrance and King Rience arrived at the banquet, each harboring their own ulterior motives.
Compared to the banquet two days prior, today's gathering was far less extravagant and grand. However, the food on the table was noticeably more refined.
For Noah, the previous banquet was all about pomp and ceremony, while today's was the real deal—a meal where serious matters would be discussed.
"King Leodegrance, King Rience... I had intended to summon both of you yesterday, but I was occupied with other matters, so it had to be postponed until today."
Noah began with a smile, then cut straight to the point.
"Since that's the case, I'll skip the pleasantries. I simply want to ask you two, the lords who control Britain's salt industry—how important do you think the salt trade is to the southern part of Britain?"
Hm!?
King Leodegrance and King Rience, who had been preoccupied with their own schemes, immediately set aside their thoughts upon hearing Noah's question.
The reason was simple.
The salt industry was truly vital to the south.
Realizing that Noah seemed poised to take action against the southern salt trade, they quickly gathered their thoughts.
"Your Majesty... the salt industry is absolutely crucial to the south. A large portion of the southern territories rely on salt revenues to sustain themselves. From infrastructure to commerce, from military forces to warfare... all of these depend on the profits generated by the salt trade."
King Leodegrance organized his thoughts briefly before explaining the situation.
King Rience, who was closely aligned with the nobles, went even further, emphasizing the importance as much as possible.
"Your Majesty, as you are well aware, the Southern Six Territories are occasionally invaded by the Saxon Barbarians. We often require the assistance of the more battle-hardened troops from the Northern Six Territories, and such aid is, of course, not free... At the very least, we must provide for their forces."
"Moreover, the southern territories have numerous nobles to support, and with the Saxon Barbarians growing stronger year by year, we must continuously enhance our..."
King Rience's point was straightforward.
Without the revenue from the salt industry, they would be unable to fend off the Saxon Barbarians, support the nobles, or afford assistance from the Northern Six Territories in the future.
Without the salt trade, southern Britain would be lost.
Hearing their explanations, Noah smiled.
He clapped his hands, and a servant standing behind him brought over a plate of refined salt. Noah placed it in front of Kings Leodegrance and Rience, then took the lead by dipping his finger into the salt and tasting it.
Seeing Noah sample it first, Kings Leodegrance and Rience followed suit, each tasting a bit as well.
Mm!
A burst of pure, bitterless saltiness instantly erupted in their mouths.
The pure saltiness first astonished King Leodegrance and King Rience, then gradually twisted their expressions into fear.
King Leodegrance grew somewhat flustered.
King Rience, however, composed himself slightly before staring at the impeccably refined salt—so pure he hadn't recognized it at first—and directly questioned Noah.
"..."
Noticing their reactions, Noah's smile deepened.
"This is refined salt! Far superior to the sea salt from your southern lands!"