Chapter 2083: Second Sea Route

The sheer volume of people had transformed this place into a sleepless city. Dragon City reaped the benefits of trade, and as a result, even during wartime, no curfew was enforced.

"We have more customers now, but their tastes are pickier. Running a restaurant in Dragon City these days is incredibly stressful, nothing like before!" The chubby man's face was a picture of exasperation. "Take the baked flatbreads from Jufu Restaurant, for example. For ten years, they had the exact same taste, never changing. People would line up to buy them as soon as they came out of the oven. But now, hehe, you have to come up with a new flavor every three months, or customers just won't come back."

He Lingchuan couldn't be bothered with him. This chubby man always complained to him, then and now. An uninformed person might think he was losing money year after year and on the verge of bankruptcy.

Merchants, He Lingchuan knew, always reported woes, never triumphs, and complained, never celebrated.

As soon as they settled into the private room, the first dish arrived. He Lingchuan hadn't even noticed when the chubby man placed the order.

Tender, white fish slices were neatly arranged, topped with finely minced green herbs. The presentation was excellent.

Sun Fuling picked up a slice, tasted it, and praised it highly:

"Fresh, tender, and the flavor is truly unique!"

It was truly impressive.

People living by lakes and the sea had long grown tired of raw food and were always looking for new ways to prepare it. No wonder the chubby man's restaurant was doing such brisk business. This flavor was indeed outstanding, and currently, it was one of a kind.

"Is this also raw fish sashimi?"

Raw fish sashimi is just sliced raw fish. He Lingchuan had tried many preparations: marinated, mixed, and dipped. But this looked...

...unlike any of them.

"This is our Herb Sashimi, the exclusive signature dish of our restaurant, a must-order for every table." The chubby man introduced it eagerly, "Dragon City specially introduced a new fish species called Golden Scale from several snow-fed lakes on the Chipal Plateau. Its flesh is sweet, tender, and fatty, making it particularly suitable for sashimi."

He Lingchuan murmured in assent.

Since opening up, Dragon City had been carefully introducing good things from the outside world. Aside from liberalizing the circulation of ordinary goods, the most important livestock reform was the introduction of new breeds.

Dragon City had introduced and improved new varieties of chickens, cattle, pigs, ducks, and even some crops, fish, and insects, all to enhance quality and yield.

People were no longer content with merely filling their stomachs; they wanted to eat well.

He Lingchuan sincerely hoped that the quality of life in the Glittering Gold Plains could also reach this level soon.

"But we are a fresh-flavor restaurant, and our method of preparing fresh raw fish is unique," the chubby man said earnestly. "You have to coat large pieces of fish with a special spice blend made from nine different herbs and spices, then let it rest for twelve hours before slicing it. You don't need any dipping sauce; it's delicious just like this. Of course, if you want to dip it, you can—"

He produced a small dish of creamy sauce. "Dip it in this."

He Lingchuan also picked up a slice of fish and tasted it. Indeed, the flavor lingered in his mouth, special and aromatic. "Your spice blend is excellent!"

"Of course, it's our exclusive secret recipe, developed over several years of research."

The chubby man's face became mysterious. "And here's a little detail I never tell anyone: the fish must be hung to cure, not allowed to touch the container. Otherwise, the juices that seep out will re-marinate it and spoil the taste."

He Lingchuan immediately understood. Wasn't that just dry-aging?

Two more appetizers arrived in quick succession, followed by a steaming lamb hotpot. Its aroma filled the entire room even before it reached the table.

It was a tender, sixteen-month-old lamb, complete with its skin.

Sun Fuling smiled. "No wonder your place is called 'Fresh Flavor Restaurant'."

With both fish and lamb.

The chubby man, understanding the hint, quickly announced the dish's name and exited.

Everyone in the restaurant knew that General Huyi was dining there today, so he would surely make a grand exit now, wouldn't he?

Sun Fuling then asked He Lingchuan, "How was your border patrol?"

"We caught over a hundred horse thieves and even had a skirmish with people from Jiao." He Lingchuan scooped up a piece of lamb with skin and blew on it to cool it. "Phew, city food is still the best. Leading troops on the steppe means boiled lamb every single day."

"Boiled" literally meant boiled in plain water. Even with good ingredients, it might be comfortable once or twice, satisfying seven or eight times, but after twenty times or so, it became sickening. "Even my burps smelled of boiled lamb."

"Jiao is stealing horses again?" This was a new problem that had emerged for Dragon City only in the past year.

With the resurgence of spiritual energy, the former Dragon Barrens had transformed into the Dragon Grasslands. The low scrub had been replaced by green grass, and there were lakes, rivers, and trees. Although the soil was not yet as fertile as that of the Mao River Plains, many areas had developed into vast meadows where alfalfa, wild wheat, sheep's fescue, cogongrass, turpentine weed, and whip grass grew wildly, all beloved fodder for livestock.

This was excellent pastureland, perfect for raising horses.

Dragon City's horse supply had always been a major problem. The barrens produced too few, and external sources were blocked, forcing them to buy from pastoral tribes to the west and south, such as Jiao. But now, Dragon City had its own excellent pastures, finally resolving its cavalry concerns.

As a result, now it was Jiao's pastoralists who were coming to steal horses.

Zhong Shengguang had negotiated with Jiao several times. Their attitude was good, claiming these were private acts by their herdsmen and that they would strictly restrain them.

However, good horses from the southern pastures were still being stolen repeatedly. Twice or thrice might be tolerated, but five or six times was unacceptable! So, taking advantage of the recent quiet within their borders, Zhong Shengguang simply dispatched He Lingchuan south, ostensibly for training, but actually for border patrol.

When He Lingchuan was demoted to the southern pastures years ago, he trained troops while raising horses, so he was very familiar with the south. As soon as he arrived, he quickly grasped the horse thieves' patterns of activity and their routes of advance and retreat. Then he had people set up traps and waited for them.

However, what came wasn't a rabbit, but a wild boar.

The horse-thieving gang was not large, but their backing was significant. They confessed that their patrons were Jiao nobles. However, these nobles stayed safely within their own country and would not appear personally. Even if this entire gang of thieves was wiped out, they could simply send others across the border to steal.

Sun Fuling listened, then mused, "If we pursued a higher-level approach, and Commander Zhong exerted strong pressure on Jiao, this matter could certainly be resolved. However, Dragon City is currently actively developing a second sea route, which would pass through Jiao territory. Commander Zhong probably doesn't want to bring up such a minor condition during the trade route negotiations."

He Lingchuan was slightly surprised. "We're looking for a second access to the sea? When did this happen? How come I don't know?"

He had only been south for a month; how could it feel like a year of isolation?

"You were all fighting recently, and news unrelated to the war wouldn't be sent to the front lines. Then you went south." Sun Fuling nodded. "Negotiations for the new trade route have been progressing for nearly half a year."

Dragon City had to negotiate with each country and region that this trade route would pass through. Most areas saw it as a mutually beneficial endeavor, but some, due to their unique geographical location, wanted to take the opportunity to extort concessions.

"Back to the horse thieves," Sun Fuling said, eager to hear more.