Damn! He was being underestimated. Edward Carter felt a chill in his heart. For thousands of years, no matter how things changed, even if you threw them onto Mars, the temperament of officials remained the same—arrogant, self-righteous, thinking themselves clever. Are these traits inherited too? Captain's actions instantly made Edward Carter lose all interest in doing anything. Fine, I am but a drifting speck beneath the sky—why bother meddling in so many affairs?

Thinking this, he took the backpack off 旺财's back, pulled out the salt pouch, set aside some for himself, and placed the rest in the hands of the trembling woman. He slung the backpack over his shoulders and led 旺财 outside.

David Bolton, still covered in mud and wrestling on the ground, saw that Edward Carter was about to leave. He scrambled over, clutching tightly to Edward Carter's legs. "Young master, you can't go! Please have pity on us fighters!" Tears and snot streaming down his face: "Captain, I swear on my head, Young Master Carter can definitely extract edible salt from brine!" he shouted hoarsely at Captain.

Looking at David Bolton at his feet, Edward Carter could no longer contain his anger. He kicked David Bolton aside and strode up to Captain. "Apologize to Uncle Bolton, or even if you chop off my head, you'll never learn how to extract the salt!" With that, he stared at him coldly.

Captain, however, calmed down and said slowly, "Last night at the third watch, two soldiers galloped back to the city and knocked on the gates at midnight. This was the first time such a thing happened in Longyou. Only after hoisting them up to the city wall in baskets did we learn that someone could extract edible salt from brine. I reported this to the General of the Left Martial Guard that very night. The general was overjoyed when he heard. If this method works, not only will the army never lack salt again, but the Qiang rebellion can be quelled with a wave of the hand. We could even sell salt to Tuyuhun—their conflict with Tibet is all over salt. This way, we can make them our Great Tang's shield. So I left the city overnight, brought all the equipment you needed, and rushed here on horseback, only to find a child boasting loudly. How could I not be angry? David Bolton falsely reported military information, a crime punishable by death. I beat him now only so the general will see I have punished him and might spare his life. And you still argue with me."

The coldness in Edward Carter's eyes lessened a bit. This guy, though annoying, wasn't bad at heart—he knew how to protect his subordinates. Coming from a military family, he certainly had his ways. But his aristocratic, condescending face made Edward Carter extremely uncomfortable. You can't expect to get benefits without paying a price.

"David Bolton has done me a favor. You humiliated and beat him—no matter the reason, it can't calm my anger. I'll make a bet with you: if I can't extract the salt, Edward Carter will offer up his head. If I succeed, you have to let David Bolton give you a beating, and you can't fight back. How about it?"

Captain was stunned for a moment, then immediately said resolutely, "As you wish. If you can't extract the salt, I will personally cut off your head to fulfill your oath."

Edward Carter chuckled, ignoring Captain's sour face, and turned to David Bolton to check on him. Seeing he was mostly fine, he felt relieved. David Bolton, looking like a panda, was still grinning at him—his face was a mess.

"Where are the things I asked for?"

"They'll be here in half an hour."

"Why is it that Longyou doesn't lack salt, and salt mines aren't hard to find, but you've never tried to extract edible salt from them?"

"Brine salt is poisonous."

"Even snake venom can be neutralized—are you saying there's no way to detoxify brine salt?"

"We can't have soldiers detoxify themselves every time they eat salt, can we?"

Hearing such a ridiculous answer, Edward Carter nearly fell over. He looked at the imposing Captain in front of him as if he were an idiot. He decided not to discuss anything remotely scientific with him—doing so would only hurt himself.

The wagon arrived, loaded with supplies: sieves for salt-making, iron hammers, iron rods, burlap, charcoal, wooden buckets, iron pots, and even five hand-cranked stone mills. After a careful check, nothing was missing.

Turning to Captain, he smiled and said, "Extracting salt is a piece of cake. After seeing your intelligence, I believe you'll have many more things to ask of me in the future. I'm a stingy person—if you ever need my help again, David Bolton gets to beat you up once for each favor. No exceptions."

Captain stopped his furious subordinates and clasped his fists. "I'm starting to believe you can make edible salt. As long as my brothers never lack salt again, what does it matter if Brooks takes a beating? I hope you win."

Less than five li down the river, there was a salt mine. Captain Brooks had brought three hundred men, all strapping fellows. The road was rough, so the wagons couldn't pass. Each man carried a share of the supplies on his back. Edward Carter and the two women, along with 旺财, walked in the middle. In less than an hour, they reached the salt mining site.

At Captain Brooks's command, a two-mu area was quickly leveled. Once the camp was set up and the equipment arranged, Captain Brooks looked at Edward Carter.

"Captain sir, you're incredibly strong—why not break off some salt from the mine yourself?" It would be a shame not to use such muscle.

Captain Brooks suppressed his anger, picked up the iron hammer, and with two heavy blows, a large chunk of salt broke off.