svetikya Chapter 139 Long Summer White Wax
Chapter 139 Long Summer White Wax
Chapter 139 Long Summer White Wax
As soon as he disappeared into the Kingswood, Joffrey's ambition to change the world vanished by more than half.
When I went hunting with Robert before, I never remembered there being so many trees here.
This place has been burned by wildfires.
If we really cultivate the land slowly, without sending tens of thousands of laborers to work for several years, we simply won't meet the standards for farming.
On the way to the farmland, a few splashes of wine red suddenly appeared among the green leaves, and the ground was still covered with dust that had not been cleaned up.
"The elm trees changed color first," the little devil said, looking up with interest. "Then came the birch and the poplar."
"The beech and oak are the latest. There's another tree in the Royal Forest that's evergreen all year round, do you know what it is?"
Although Imp didn't name names, you could tell who he was targeting just by the way he sidled up to the Hound with ill intent.
The literacy classes were first started among the officers of the King's Landing Commando.
Children from noble families like Baron are already well-mannered and don't need to participate.
The common people regarded this as a blessing.
Only Sandor Clegane, that good-for-nothing stubborn dog, would obediently attend classes under Joffrey's coercion.
Knowing a few words and learning some tactical knowledge could almost cost him half his life.
It feels harder than getting him to actually hit a little girl.
Of course, Joffrey would never issue such an uncivilized order.
The Hound never wanted to be outdone by the Imp, especially when the Imp took the initiative to provoke him.
He raised his hand and plucked a red, feathery compound leaf from a tree whose bark was charred but whose branches were still lush and verdant—a leaf that two Tyrion could not reach even if they were stacked together.
Then he stretched his arm out horizontally and waved it a few times above the little devil's head.
Before he ran away, he casually tucked it into the back of his collar.
"Gah gah gah gah—" The hound's hoarse laughter rang out, sounding as unpleasant as sawing stone.
The little devil angrily plucked the leaf and threw it on the ground, but he was helpless against this unreasonable personal attack.
"It's a cypress, Clegane," he cried.
"Of course I know." The hound stopped laughing, and the burned side of his face twitched smugly.
"Moreover, young master Tyrion is cultured and calls the tree we just saw a 'Chen tree'; but we rough folk call it a 'white wax tree'."
"Spear shafts were made from this material, and it was also widely used in wheels, arrow shafts, and shields; it was one of the most important types of warfare and strategy—"
Uh, a type of tree.
The little devil clicked his tongue.
"A big, vicious dog is scary enough."
"If we turn into cultured vicious dogs, we little guys will lose our only advantage."
His voice sounded kind, but the Hound had been burned before and wasn't willing to gamble on the Imp's supposed virtues.
After giving a simple "hmm," he strode off to find his drinking buddy, Baron.
The restless little devil sidled up to Joffrey again.
"Speaking of which, the Royal Guard is a bottomless pit. You keep allocating funds to it every day, and our little King's Landing can't afford to support it."
Joffrey was also thinking about what kind of industries he could develop here.
Farming and hunting don't earn much money; they can barely support the soldiers stationed there.
There's some truth to the idea of soldiers engaging in business; after all, they're all veterans from the feudal era, so getting involved in some capital matters can be considered progress.
But Joffrey was already the king, so he could have both.
We need to carefully consider what level we should go to.
"Why not grow hemp?" Joffrey said.
The little devil looked over.
Joffrey certainly knew what some people were thinking, but he shouldn't overthink it, even though it was the one he raised.
They have the same name, but they are not the same crop.
What he wanted was not the flowers and leaves, but its stem.
Just like Ed complained about the heat every day, the linen shirt he wore was made from it.
More importantly, it is also an excellent raw material for papermaking.
Papermaking involves mixing various raw materials together, with tree bark and wood left to soak as alternatives.
As for the correct proportions, that's something for the fire mage to figure out later.
As for the rules of spring plowing and winter planting, we in Westeros don't need to follow them at all.
You can plant it anytime in the summer, but you can't plant it anytime in the winter.
Because the northernmost part of this continent extends into the land of eternal winter, seemingly without end, it is most severely affected by the changing seasons.
The northernmost edge of the continent of Essos to the east only reaches the latitude of the Neck Marsh, and is therefore less affected by disturbances.
But Joffrey didn't know exactly how small this was.
He had never seen a winter in Westeros.
From the age of three, until this year's long summer.
Many people believe that every long summer is followed by an even longer winter.
"Can you grow anything in winter?" Joffrey asked.
The little devil shrugged and answered slowly.
"In the Reach and Dorne, we might be able to grow some rye and barley that are native to the North. The flax you mentioned would also work; it's cold-resistant."
"But the western border has certainly suffered a complete crop failure."
"What I remember most vividly is that year, the year of the wrong spring."
"It snowed heavily in Lannister Harbor, and I squatted inside Casterly Rock building a snowman."
A hint of happy nostalgia appeared on the little devil's face.
"My dad, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, came back from King's Landing with my sister, and I excitedly pointed out the snowman to them."
"Dad stormed back to his room, while my sister kicked the snowman's head far away."
"Later, I learned from Aunt Gina that my good Jaime had become the Kingsguard, a prestigious position, and had given up his right to the throne."
"I am grieving for my father, and I am also congratulating myself."
"Doesn't this mean Casterly Rock has fallen into my lap? Hahaha."
"Until now, James has not been able to send a second gift of such value."
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A sarcastic smile appeared on the little devil's ugly face.
"But Father would rather leave Casterly Rock to his brother's child, our Sir Lancel, than give it to me."
"As for now, I can't say for sure."
"But I'm quite happy in King's Landing. I don't care about that big, broken rock at all. Really."
"After that year, it was time for the tournament in Harrenhal."
"Our mysterious Laughing Tree Knight has defeated many adversaries, and Prince Rhaegar has crowned Lyanna Stark with the crown of the Queen of Love and Beauty."
"This should rightfully belong to his wife, Princess Ilya, the one who was killed by the Hound's wicked brother, Strong."
"But Cersei hates both of these women terribly, after all, she wanted to marry Prince Rhaegar."
"As a result, the two people she hated died, and the one she loved was also killed by our King Robert with a single blow."
"Alas, fate is cruel; the Seven Gods just love to play tricks on their followers."
After reminiscing for a long time, the little devil finally brought the topic back to the main point.
"Winter usually lasts for one or two years, and a winter that lasts for three consecutive years is already considered to be very severe."
"What's even more cruel is that it happened to be the year I was born."
"Everyone says that Lord Tywin is too arrogant, and that he not only gave birth to this little monster of mine, but also brought disaster to Westeros."
"Now."
"Because a war had just ended, King's Landing didn't have much food stored up."
"If it snows immediately and no food is delivered from outside, the entire city will starve to death within six months."
"By the way, you don't have any news, do you?"
Don't tell me winter is coming.
""
Winter won't come this year, but the patrolling soldiers have arrived first.
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