Published: March 12, 2025
Chapter 145: There's Food
After a few people entered the room and sat down, Laura turned to Galen and said, "Sir, the quality of this oil really exceeded my expectations. In the future, I hope that the fruit oil produced by you will be handed over to me, if that's possible."
Galen smiled and replied, "Of course, this was agreed upon beforehand. Miss Laura need not worry; all the fruit oil we produce in the future will be given to you."
Laura nodded and said, "That's good to hear. Please, after you return, thank Mr. Zhao Hai for me."
Galen smiled slightly and said, "Miss Laura is really too polite. There's one more thing I wanted to discuss with you today, it's a business matter."
Laura was taken aback and looked at Galen, "Please go ahead, sir."
Galen smiled faintly and said, "My master received news that there has been a locust plague in the Ika Plain recently. This year, all the wheat there might be rendered completely useless. I wonder if it's true?" After saying this, he stared at Laura with flickering eyes.
Laura was stunned; she didn't expect that Zhao Hai knew this news as well. However, she nodded and said, "It's true. We also received the news. The locust plague in the Ika Plain this time is very severe; it's a type of insect that we've never seen before, with a strong reproductive ability. This year, the Ika Plain might indeed suffer a total crop failure."
Upon hearing Laura say this, Galen felt relieved. He had asked Laura to gauge her response, and seeing that she was open about the situation eased his mind. He then said, "So the price of grain in Casa City is going to rise?"
Laura smiled wryly and replied, "Indeed. To be honest, when I received this news, I thought about stockpiling some grain to stabilize the grain prices in Casa City. However, other businesses moved faster than us and started buying grain at high prices ahead of time. It seems that the grain prices in Casa City are about to rise immediately. I'm worried about this matter; if we raise prices too, we could make a large profit, but many people in Casa City would go hungry. However, if we don't raise prices, we will have no grain to sell."
Curiously, she looked at Galen and asked, "Why do you want to know this, sir? Could it be..." As she thought of this, Laura became excited, suddenly standing up with shining eyes, looking at Galen, "Could it be that Mr. Zhao Hai has grain?"
Kun Zheng also looked at Galen intently.
Galen smiled slightly and said, "Indeed, my master has grain." After saying this, he clapped his hands twice, and an undead being walked in holding two bags.
Galen picked up the two bags and opened them, revealing maize stalks and cornmeal inside. He then said to Laura, "Miss Laura, this is the grain we have, a type of grain that has never been seen on the mainland before. This is corn; it can be boiled with water to make a meal, while cornmeal can be made into cakes. Here are the methods written by my master." He then took out a piece of paper and handed it to Laura.
Laura and Kun Zheng stared blankly at the maize stalks and cornmeal in the bags, both puzzled about why Zhao Hai could always produce things they had never seen before.
However, Laura quickly came to her senses and took the paper from Galen, studying it carefully. The method for preparing maize stalks was quite simple, although it was slightly more difficult than bamboo rice. The method for cornmeal was even simpler, and Laura quickly understood how to use both items.
After putting the paper down, Laura turned to Galen and asked, "How much of this grain does your master have?"
Galen held up two fingers and said, "Close to two million pounds, but it hasn't been processed yet. There are a few hundred thousand pounds that have been processed."
Laura walked around in circles on the ground, muttering, "Heaven helps me, heaven helps me."
At this time, Kun Zheng was more composed than Laura. He turned to Galen and asked, "What is the price of this grain?" Hearing Kun Zheng ask this, Laura also stopped and looked at Galen, concerned that the price of this grain might be too high. If the price was high, it wouldn't relieve the grain crisis at all.