This means giving the opening speech for the banquet, welcoming the arrival of several nobles, and then offering a toast first to complete the etiquette.

After that, they could start eating.

However, except for Samuel Webb, the other nobles looked curiously at the unfamiliar tableware, not knowing how to use some of it, nor understanding the customs of eating the dishes, so they looked at each other in confusion.

Some of the dishes Samuel Webb had already tasted before, and he eagerly used the utensils to sample them.

Even in his haste, his manner of eating remained elegant.

Not understanding the etiquette of Spring and Autumn nobles at this moment, Ethan Clark walked around introducing the dishes to the nobles and demonstrating how to use the utensils.

With Ethan Clark's guidance, and seeing Samuel Webb eating happily, the others still waited until Ethan Clark returned to his seat before they began to eat.

At this banquet, although Ethan Clark was the host, the seat of honor was occupied by Samuel Webb.

The reason? Besides Samuel Webb's high status, he was also the son of Brian Clark.

This region was called “Lü”.

Even though Ethan Clark was the host, his status was lower than that of the other nobles, so naturally Samuel Webb should take the seat of honor.

“Delicious!” Charles Harris's belly bulged as he ate, and he exclaimed in admiration, “After this, who knows when I’ll taste such delicacies again.”

Charles Harris meant that he didn’t know when he would have the chance to eat such fine food again.

With someone having spoken first, the silence of “no talking while eating” was broken.

“Wu, I understand your intention.” Samuel Webb raised his wine cup and said, “Very good!”

Every time Ethan Clark conversed with them, he had to carefully interpret even the shortest sentences to roughly understand their meaning.

Samuel Webb generally affirmed this cooperation, and also praised Ethan Clark as someone who understood the bigger picture and knew to share new inventions with others.

Of course, most importantly, Ethan Clark knew to bring in the Webb to make money together.

Ethan Clark had gone to Lü City to bring in the Webb clan for the sake of cooperation.

But cooperation was not just about offering the iron pot technology and earning a share from selling iron pots after promoting new cooking methods.

To run a food business in a big city, one needed sufficient family strength.

Although the Webb were not the top nobles of Jin, their strength was considerable, at least enough to make other nobles wary and not dare to seize their business by force.

With the Webb as his backing, Ethan Clark could not only prevent his technology and business from being taken, but even if he came up with something new in the future and others found out, the foundation of this cooperation would make the Webb a major obstacle for other nobles.

Because Charles Harris was present, Ethan Clark needed to first test whether the Webb wanted to involve the Harris as well, before slowly explaining what kind of cooperation was needed.

Samuel Webb understood Ethan Clark's hint and said cheerfully, “Speak freely.”

Very good, next was Ethan Clark's time to shine!

Chapter 8: Advancing Step by Step Is the Best Strategy

There was no eloquent speech.

Ethan Clark even had to be careful with his wording, avoiding terms the nobles might not understand, which would require lengthy explanations.

But no matter how careful he was, there were still quite a few terms that didn’t exist yet, and when he used them, he would inevitably be questioned and have to explain them one by one.

Sometimes, explaining a new term required explaining even more terms, which made Ethan Clark feel quite exhausted.

The other nobles didn’t show much reaction.

Samuel Webb was the one responsible for negotiations and questions, and would often ask Ethan Clark about unfamiliar terms, nodding repeatedly after hearing the explanations.

“Wu, how strange.” Charles Harris said with a helpless smile, “So many slang words, how odd.”

This was an era where the dialect changed every ten miles and the language every hundred.

They found it odd that Ethan Clark used so many unfamiliar words, but without thinking deeply, they would, like Charles Harris, assume these were unique local terms.

They generally understood Ethan Clark's ideas.

Some of the technology used in the large iron pot would be given to the Webb, and then Ethan Clark would join the catering business with the Webb by investing the “patent” for the iron pot.

“Agreed.” Samuel Webb pretended to pause and think, then said, “We will learn from you.”

He had already seen with his own eyes that Ethan Clark could make many dishes. If they wanted to run a food business, ordinary fare wouldn’t make much money, so they needed to send cooks (called “butchers” at the time) to learn the dishes Ethan Clark could make.

Ethan Clark agreed immediately.

He took the opportunity to make some requests, such as asking if he could get Samuel Webb's help when selling pottery outside.

It was Samuel Webb, not the entire Webb.

Ethan Clark didn’t have the status to ask the whole Webb to vouch for him.

Samuel Webb asked, “Wu, you also make pottery?”

When the dishes were served earlier, they had seen many novel types of pottery, and had already been curious.

Ethan Clark once again used his usual vague and evasive way of speaking to gloss over the matter.

Charles Harris chuckled and said, “A scholar’s clan cannot be insulted.”

The turmoil in Jin caused by the destruction of the Carter had not yet fully subsided; the Carter, who held two of the eight ministerial positions, had perished.

Jin originally had twelve ministers, and after a bloody struggle among the nobles to fill the vacancies, Duke Jing of Jin reduced the number of ministers to just eight.

Shi Xie was one of the victors in that struggle, promoted to General of the Upper Army.