I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 123 Mysterious Cave
……

……

The heavy snow continued to fall for three days before stopping.

The cold wind howled, and the world was a vast expanse of white.

People in the Northern Wilderness all know that it's not cold when it snows, but it gets colder after the snow stops.

Wisps of white smoke billowed from the chimneys of the town's residents' homes, adding a touch of warmth to the winter day.

Now every household is starting a fire, the fireplace is crackling, the kang (heated brick bed) is burning warmly, and the house is filled with the faint aroma of firewood.

The territory's operations did not come to a standstill because of the heavy snow.

Soldiers' slogans could be heard throughout the town early in the morning.

The soldiers, clad in heavy armor and carrying sacks of bricks on their backs, ran laboriously through the snow, their footsteps making a crunching sound.

"Keep up! Everyone behind, hurry up and keep up!"

Durant yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice sounding a little hoarse in the wind.

"Barron, didn't you eat breakfast? Speed ​​it up!"

The commands were filled with impatience.

Durant led his soldiers specifically to areas with thick snow.

So what if it's cold?
What's wrong with the heavy snow?
Do enemies always choose to launch surprise attacks when spring is in full bloom?

In this kind of weather, we should train even harder!

So Durant went even further, increasing the workload for the soldiers.

Before dawn today, he blew his whistle and dragged all the soldiers out of their beds.

The shouts woke Rhodes. He yawned and rubbed his sleepy eyes.

Pushing open the vent, a rush of cold air rushed in.

The maid, Lia, kept the fireplace in perfect condition, so even in the middle of the night, Rhodes's heated bed remained warm and the room was always cozy.

In the courtyard, Frost and Thunder were rolling around in the snow.

Seeing snow for the first time, they were as excited as children, flapping their wings incessantly and stirring up bursts of snowflakes.

Millie wasn't much better off.

It seemed to be her first time seeing snow, and she was so excited that she danced with joy.

She grabbed a handful of snow, shaped it into a ball, and then rolled around in the snow like frost and thunder, having a great time.

"Hey, don't eat it!"

Rod frowned and shouted.

Millie turned her back, then secretly grabbed a handful of snow and stuffed it into her mouth, chewing it with relish.

He shook his head helplessly.

I really don't know what's so delicious about snow.

Fortunately, the snow in this era wasn't polluted, so eating a little bit shouldn't be a problem, and Rhodes simply stopped caring.

Avril lay half-reclined on the kang (a heated brick bed), wrapped in a blanket, revealing her fair shoulders.

She sat up slightly and leaned against Rhodes, her voice carrying a hint of winter languor.

"Do we have to get up this early even on snowy days?"

"It's getting late, the sun has already risen."

Rod put his arm around Avril and said with a smile, "I still have a lot of things to take care of."

He paused, turned to look at her, and said seriously, "I need to hurry up and finish making all the frostbite ointment today."

Winter still significantly impacts various outdoor jobs in the territory, but Rhodes is unwilling to let the work stop.

He could only ask everyone to shorten their working hours and work during relatively warmer times.

It's inevitable that people working outside will get cold.

Rod can't wait until everyone is injured to prepare; the antifreeze must be prepared in advance.

Avril rested her head on Rhodes's chest and said helplessly, "Alright then..."

"However, there's no rush."

Rod pulled Avril close to him with a slight tightening of his arm.

……

……

The eastern salt mine of Heisongling.

In the snow, Vivian held a slender longsword and practiced her sword skills against the snowman.

She had plenty of free time at the salt mine and often asked the guards and Duolong for advice on swordsmanship.

Rhodes's guards received formal training and taught Vivian some basic sword techniques, while Doron taught her ruthless killing moves.

Vivian was having a lot of fun learning, and when she didn't understand something, she would ask her sister Avril to ask Durant.

Then Vivian continued practicing.

She studied very hard, but unfortunately Vivian lacked the strength.

He was unable to confront either Doron or his guards head-on.

Vivian practiced very diligently, her cheeks turning red from the cold.

Suddenly, her face froze, then turned red.

She quickly lowered her head and inserted the "embroidery needle" in her hand into the snowman's head.

"What, not going to practice anymore?"

Sitting by the fire, Doron asked curiously, "Isn't this just the beginning?"

"Wait a moment."

She covered her face and ran into her room as if fleeing, muttering, "The sun's already up... how could I do something like this..."

Avril and Vivian share memories, and their feelings are naturally also contained within those memories.

The intense feeling surged over her like a tidal wave, and she was completely overwhelmed.

Vivian gritted her teeth, trying to calm herself down, but her face was still burning hot.

She could only cover herself with a blanket and process this sudden "shock" alone.

After a long while, Vivian seemed to have just had a pleasant dream.

She had no interest in practicing swordsmanship and lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) staring blankly at the snow.

It wasn't until after lunch that she calmed down and regained her interest in practicing swordsmanship.

However, Vivian had only practiced for three rounds when she saw the miner overseer rushing over.

"Miss Vivian! Lord Doron!"

The foreman was panting heavily, his face filled with shock.
"We dug a hole in the mine!"

Vivian paused for a moment, then laughed and asked in return:

"Haven't you been digging all along? What's so special about that? Just keep digging!"

"This isn't a mine shaft where we mine!"

The miner's foreman hurriedly waved his hand, his voice trembling.
"It's a natural cave! Ausen discovered it after moving a large slab of rock!"

Duolong suddenly stood up.

"Oh?"

Vivian raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with Doron.
"Let's go take a look!"

Just to be on the safe side, Doron gathered the other soldiers, and they all followed the overseer into the mine. The entrance to the cave was deep and cold.

The group went inside by the light of the torches.

The further you go in, the more open the space becomes.

Unlike iron ore mines, salt mines are expanded more horizontally, only digging forward about fifty meters.

The cave the foreman described was very obvious; it was surrounded by rocks, not salt mines, making it stand out from the rest of the salt mine.

The cave was pitch black inside. Dornon shone his torch inside and could vaguely see a path leading downwards.

"This doesn't look like a natural cave either,"

Vivian pointed to the surrounding stone walls and said, "These are all marks left by some kind of tool, aren't they?"

Vivian thought for a moment and asked, "What about that stone slab that was moved?"

"At this!"

A miner pointed to two stone slabs next to him and explained nervously, "It's not my fault. I swung my pickaxe and it broke in two."

Vivian nodded slightly, but after a careful examination, she found nothing.

"Oh, by the way, Miss Vivian, I found this on the stone slab!"

The miner reached out and presented Vivian with a black gem the size of an egg.

Vivian was taken aback, then took it and gently stroked the surface of the sphere with her fingers.

This is... an extraordinary gem?
Vivian's eyes widened.

This was the first time she had ever seen such a large, extraordinary gem!

Vivian's heart raced, and a nameless unease welled up inside her.

She immediately silently communicated with her sister Avril, asking her to pass on the news of the discovery of the ruins to Rhodes.

"Let's go mine somewhere else first,"

Vivian suggested, "Let's wait for Baron Rhodes' reply before deciding what to do."

"it is good."

Duolong nodded in response.

Vivian handed the gem to Doron, "You can take this to Baron Rhodes..."

Before she could finish speaking, Vivian's body swayed violently, and darkness suddenly enveloped her.

In an instant, she felt she had lost control and fell straight down.

……

……

"Bear oil, pine resin..."

Rhodes muttered to himself as he put the necessary items into a pot and slowly simmered them at a low temperature to make medicinal oil.

Then, the clematis and sage were crushed, poured into distilled spirits, and soaked to make a medicinal liquid.

These two herbs have excellent antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, and the addition of alcohol helps to disinfect and quickly penetrate the affected area.

After everything is processed, the medicinal oil and liquid are mixed together and stirred evenly.

Black Pine Ridge has plenty of pine resin and bear oil is easy to obtain, so there's no worry about running out of ointment this winter.

Rhodes has made several formulations of antifreeze cream; which one is the best depends on practical results.

"My lord, everything you instructed has been done."

Lawrence rushed in, panting, and reported, "The snow on the main road has been cleared, and the snow piles have been thrown into the ditch outside town."

In previous years, no one cared about the snow accumulation; everyone hibernated indoors during the winter.

But that won't work now. The town needs to function normally, and there can't be any snow on the main roads.

So we started sweeping before the snow stopped, so that it was cleaned up as soon as the snow stopped.

"Continue clearing the snow from the roads outside."

Rod sealed the ointment and continued, "Before the ground is completely frozen, have someone dig a deep cellar to store ice."

The temperature inside the cellar is low, and if handled properly, ice can be stored there until summer.

It will be very practical, as it can be used to chill drinks and store food.

"Okay, I'll make arrangements right away."

Lawrence nodded and turned to make the arrangements, but was stopped by Rhodes.

"By the way, invite Durant over for lunch. I'll teach you some new and interesting dishes."

……

……

"Gulu gulu..."

The cold wind howled outside the wooden house.

Steam billowed from the iron pot on the fireplace, where beef bone broth was bubbling and boiling, with pickled vegetables, mushrooms, onions, and goji berries floating in the broth.

If you don't eat hot pot on a snowy day, all the snow will have been for nothing!
"Sir, what shall we eat?"

Lawrence stared at the empty pot, as if there weren't enough bones for one person to gnaw on.

"What's in the pot is the base sauce."

Before Rhodes could finish speaking, Martha and Lia brought up various dishes including venison, mutton, and mushrooms.

"This is what we want to eat."

Once Martha put down the plate, Rod picked up the two wooden sticks he had prepared, picked up a piece of venison, and dipped it in the boiling pot.

The moment the crimson color disappeared, Rod took out the venison, dipped it in the sauce bowl next to him, coated it with sauce, and then put it in his mouth.

Then he let out a long, satisfied sigh.

On a snowy day, eating hot pot warms both the body and the heart, it's incredibly comforting.

The sauce is very simple: minced garlic, salt, chopped onion, mushroom sauce, and chili flakes. It's nothing like what I had in my previous life.

However, the aroma brought by the natural freshness of the ingredients is very enjoyable.

Everyone else involuntarily swallowed.

However, the others were unable to make a move for the time being.

Because they simply don't know how to easily pick up the meat with two sticks (chopsticks) like Rod does.

Rod smiled and gestured for Martha to bring over the prepared forks and skewers.

"If you're not used to my way, just use these two things."

Rod knew these people didn't know how to use chopsticks, so he made preparations in advance.

The group exchanged glances, and Lawrence was the first to act, holding a skewer in each hand, skewering the meat, and putting it into the pot to cook.

Avril Lavigne and Kevin Durant seem a bit stubborn.

Perhaps it was because Rod's way of using chopsticks was so elegant and suited to aristocratic manners that the two of them insisted on using chopsticks to pick up meat.

With Rod's careful guidance, it took them quite a while before they finally took their first bite of meat.

Lawrence, sitting next to him, had already eaten most of his plate.

"It smells so good!"

Avril's face was full of satisfaction.
"These chopsticks are a bit difficult to use..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Avril's body went limp and she collapsed straight down.

(End of this chapter)