The workshop area officially began construction during the cold winter, and Simon suddenly found himself responsible for feeding over 900 additional mouths. With new recruits also joining the military camp, the number of people to feed quickly rose to around 3,000.

The continuous drain on silver reserves put immense pressure on Simon. Moreover, aside from commerce, he had no other means to amass wealth quickly.

Therefore, whether it was setting up his own trading company or leveraging the Goldwynd and Chandlier families to make money, time was of the essence.

After arranging matters related to the slaves, Simon went to the Goldwynd family to discuss trade with the reavers.

"Your Highness, our family dare not bear such a grave accusation!" Before Simon could finish speaking, Cedric fell to his knees with a thud. Walter, too, broke out in a cold sweat, trembling as if struck by a chill.

They had received news that both the Emperor and the Empress had sent silver to Simon. Rumours from Eldora also suggested that the Emperor and the Crown Prince’s faction seemed to be leaning toward supporting Simon.

A neglected prince and a supported prince were two entirely different matters. In the past, they might have dared to take advantage of Simon’s ignorance.

But now, with the forces backing Simon, they had to carefully weigh the pros and cons. If Simon accused the Wang family of colluding with foreign enemies, the entire family could face execution.

Even if the Goldwynd family was powerful and unafraid of Simon, and even if the Brambleford army was insignificant, the Emperor and the Crown Prince could still mobilise their forces. In that case, the Goldwynd family’s destruction would only be a matter of time.

Simon felt somewhat helpless. This was the first time he had seen fear in Cedric’s eyes. It seemed that the silver sent by Emperor Alaric and the Empress had arrived just in time, allowing him to borrow their authority.

He spoke. "Master Cedric, Walter, please rise. I am not here to accuse you of any crime. As you are well aware, this year, many of the Alkamite tribe’s livestock froze to death on the grasslands. Recently, reaver scouts have been frequently spying on the defences outside Dunmere. I’m sure you understand their intentions."

Cedric wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced a smile. "My Lord, I have indeed heard about this. Many livestock have frozen to death. The reavers rely on milk, beef, and mutton for their daily sustenance. With the livestock dead and no offspring, they will have no animals to herd come spring. By then, the reavers will face starvation."

"Captain Lancelot said the same thing. Therefore, the simplest way to solve this problem and prevent the reavers from besieging Dunmere is..." Simon trailed off.

"Your Highness, please continue." Cedric urged.

Simon didn’t directly state his plan, as he didn’t want to bear the blame for it either. Instead, he hinted at a solution, preparing to nudge Cedric into taking the initiative. He spoke. "With the livestock dead, merchants naturally won’t want them. However, the fat from these animals can be used to make soap. If you were to exchange grain for this fat, how would the reavers react? The reavers only care about the meat; the fat is worthless to them. If this cheap fat is brought back, it can be used to produce large quantities of soap. What do you think, Master Cedric?"

Walter and Cedric exchanged glances, their expressions strange.

"Very well, I’ve said my piece. I still hope Dumere remains safe." Simon said before leaving the Goldwynd estate.

Walter quickly stood up to see Simon out. Shortly after, he returned and said to Cedric. "Father, His Highness is right. If we exchange grain for fat now, it would be an incredibly profitable venture. Moreover, His Highness seems to be encouraging us to do so."

Cedric, still kneeling on the ground, slowly rose and sat down in a chair. "This prince is truly unpredictable. He doesn’t want to bear the accusation of colluding with foreign enemies, yet he wants to resolve the crisis in Dunmere. But our family can’t take this risk either."

"Then what should we do?" Walter asked.

Cedric chuckled. "There’s still a way. We don’t need to do this ourselves. Just spread the word among the merchants in Dunmere that our family is purchasing fat. Then, let the method of exchanging grain for fat with the Alkamite circulate. With that, we won’t lack for people willing to take the risk. At most, we’ll spend a bit more silver, but it’s better than bearing the accusation. I don’t want to end up like the Chandlier family, with a handle held over us by the prince."

Walter gave a thumbs-up. "Father, you’re truly brilliant."

---

Seven days later, the Goldwynd family delivered the first batch of animal fat to Brambleford, completing the final ingredient needed for soap production.

Although various sources indicated that the Goldwynd family hadn’t taken the bait, the large quantity of fat excited Simon. For this purpose, he had the Machinery Department forge five massive iron cauldrons and chose the workshop area as the site for soap production.

From now on, this would be the location for soap manufacturing.

"My Lord, this smells so oily. How is this soap supposed to be used?" Joan, who had insisted on coming to witness the soap-making process, asked.

Since the concept of soap was introduced, news of it had gradually spread throughout the prince’s castle and Brambleford City.

Unsurprisingly, women were the most interested in this new bathing product.

In front of Simon were five large stoves, burning coal, with two-meter-wide iron cauldrons on top. The animal fat inside was steaming.

Since it was winter, the fat hadn’t spoiled or gone rancid. The first step was to render the fat from the lard and grease, as the reavers wouldn’t have refined the oil for him.

Once the fat was rendered, the meat scraps and skins were skimmed off. They had now reached this stage.

"Don’t worry, the essential oils I asked you to prepare weren’t for nothing," Simon said with a grin.

Joan was momentarily stunned before she understood, blushing as she said. "I thought Your Highness was using them to make perfume."

This time, Simon didn’t avoid Walter and even had him personally oversee the process. Seeing Simon and Joan flirt, Walter couldn’t help but feel envious. "Your Highness, you’re truly fortunate."

Joan’s face turned bright red, while Simon shot Walter a glare. The young man couldn’t go three sentences without bringing up such topics. Simon said. "I brought you here to supervise the use of the animal fat. I run my business fairly and won’t take advantage of your family."

Since the Goldwynd family provided the fat, it was only appropriate to involve them. However, Simon wasn’t worried about the soap-making technology being stolen, as the key ingredient was the alkali.

This time, Simon brought the alkali directly, and Walter had no idea what it was for.

The unrefined fat was a transparent orange-yellow colour, similar to modern soybean oil. Once the first batch of pure fat was ready, Simon had the alkali poured in.

A chemical reaction immediately occurred in the cauldron, and soon the fat thickened, resembling pudding. He then had the essential oils stirred in.

When the soap mixture in the cauldron reached the right consistency, ten strong slaves lifted the cauldron and poured the mixture into prepared square moulds.

Once cooled, the soap mixture solidified into large, milky-white blocks that looked clean and emitted a faint fragrance. Slaves responsible for cutting used long knives to slice the soap into standard small squares along marked lines.