The "White Flower" in the White Flower Association wasn’t a person’s name, but rather a special type of flower found on Rapids Island.

According to Wally Knight’s description, it was a flower with elegant white blossoms and soft, delicate petals, but it lacked any distinct fragrance.

This seemingly ordinary flower had a rather thick stem, and a rough, ugly, irregular tuber grew beneath it.

Ronin’s interest was immediately piqued.

"Is this flower only found in the White Flower Association’s territory?" he asked.

Wally shook his head. "Not exactly. We used to have them here at the port, but at one point the island was short on food. Some starving prisoners dug up a tuber and took a bite. They quickly grew dizzy, vomited, and eventually died. After that, we cleared all of those poisonous things away."

He paused for a moment, then added, "However, you might still find some in the Forest Land outside the port. But it’s already October, so the white flowers are mostly withered and dying. They’re not very pretty to look at."

Wally subconsciously assumed Ronin was interested in flowers. After all, many nobles enjoyed cultivating them, even the men.

Ronin nodded, dropping the subject of the white flower. Instead, he and the others began discussing what they needed to be mindful of for the next day’s battle.

First, they had to enter the White Flower Association’s territory. They needed to consider the possibility of the enemy setting traps in advance or using the terrain for an ambush, which could inflict heavy casualties.

Second, this operation had to eliminate the threat completely; they couldn’t let the core members of the White Flower Association escape.

So, if necessary, they would need to rely on Missy Knight’s Griffin for pursuit.

After some discussion, it was nearly noon.

At Wally Knight’s invitation, the group had lunch together.

In the afternoon, Ronin left the port with Tom and David and walked into the woods beyond.

Based on Wally Knight’s description, the three of them began searching for the small white flowers.

Perhaps because the port residents had been so thorough in clearing out the "poison," they walked a long way without finding any. Finally, David spotted a few wilting small white flowers by a pool of water in the woods.

"My lord, is this it?"

Ronin walked over. He had never seen this style of flower before, so he couldn’t be certain if what Wally had described was the same thing he remembered.

"Dig up the tuber underneath it so I can see."

Tom and David immediately started digging, and soon, the ugly, irregular tuber beneath was pulled out.

"What is this thing?"

David examined it curiously.

The tuber’s surface was pitted and uneven; it certainly wasn’t beautiful in the slightest.

"It really does look poisonous."

Tom also shared his opinion. "My lord, are you taking this back for Doctor Elron to make poison?"

"This is no poison!"

Ronin took the tuber from Tom’s hand. The more he examined it, the more he grew to cherish it.

"It might be ugly, but you could call it a gift from Mother Earth—a food that can sustain life!"

Now it was Tom and David’s turn to be confused.

"My lord, Wally Knight said that eating it causes vomiting, dizziness, and eventually death, but you’re saying it’s a food that can sustain life?"

"Yeah, can you really eat this thing?"

Ronin gave a mysterious smile and said with great certainty, "You can eat it. Of course you can!"

The thing in his hand was none other than a potato.

This vegetable was not only delicious but also rich in starch, vitamins, and minerals, making it an important source of energy. In the cold of winter, a bowl of fragrant shredded potatoes could always bring people endless warmth and satisfaction.

And most critically, potatoes had a short growth cycle and high yield, making them a major food crop.

Historically, the widespread cultivation of potatoes was said to have contributed to at least a quarter of the world’s population growth.

’Wubei Territory now has wheat and rice. If we can get potatoes planted quickly and solve our food problem for good, I’m sure the population of Wubei Territory will enter a period of sustained growth.’

"We can call the tuber of this white flower a ’potato.’ As for the person who ate it, I suspect he must have eaten a sprouted, green potato. On top of that, he was already starving and in very poor physical condition, which is why he ultimately died."

’Once someone died from eating it, other people wouldn’t just avoid trying it again, they’d spread the story that potatoes are poisonous. Over time, it became known as a deadly poison.’

He took a dagger from his Space Ring, skillfully peeled the potato in a few quick movements, and then cut it into slices.

After washing the slices in the nearby pool, Ronin summoned a Small Flame above his palm and demonstrated how to roast potatoes on the spot.

"If we use normally ripened potatoes and cook them at a high temperature, we don’t need to worry about being poisoned at all."

As he spoke, the potato slices in his hand quickly cooked through. Though the uneven heat left some spots a bit charred, a unique aroma still drifted from them.

Ronin took a slice and ate it. Despite the lack of seasoning, the taste was familiar, making him feel as if he had returned to Earth.

Tom and David had been too worried to try one, but after seeing Ronin eat a piece, they each boldly took a slice.

Their eyes suddenly lit up.

"It’s so flavorful!"

"I’ve never tasted anything like it!"

Their admiration for Ronin grew even stronger. "My lord, you know so much."

"I’ve just seen a lot of things."

Ronin divided the remaining potato slices between the two of them.

’I wonder about the White Flower Association. They don’t seem worried about a falling-out with Wally cutting off their food supply. Have they already figured out the right way to eat potatoes?’

"You two head back first. For now, don’t mention how to eat potatoes to anyone else."

Ronin said, "If anyone asks, just say I’m taking a walk in the woods by myself."

As he spoke, he called out with his mind. A moment later, Carlos descended into the Forest Land, but its form was indistinct beneath the effect of Curved Light and Shadow.

"Master, have you run into any trouble?" the Giant Dragon asked with some concern.

During this time, Carlos had been following Ronin. When it was hungry, it would go down to the sea to hunt. When it was tired, it would find an island or reef to rest on.

For the dragon, life was just as carefree and free as ever, but compared to being at sea, Carlos preferred living in Wubei Territory, where food was plentiful.

"No trouble at all."

Ronin smiled and leaped onto the Dragon’s back. In the time that had passed, Carlos’s Level progress had reached 30/12500.

’It’s a slight increase, but with a base number that large, it’s practically nothing.’

"Let’s go. Take me for a spin around the island. Stay hidden."

"You got it~"

Carlos beat its wings and took flight, reaching a high altitude in the blink of an eye. The entire outline of Rapids Island came into Ronin’s view.

Rapids Island was not small. Its terrain was undulating like a hilly region, and most of its area was covered by green trees. Although humans had lived on this island for a long time, the developed area was still very, very small.

"Let’s head over there first."

Ronin pointed to an area with a higher concentration of houses. He guessed that must be the territory of the White Flower Association that Wally had mentioned.

Carlos was extremely fast, arriving above the White Flower Association’s territory in just two or three minutes.

Ronin saw that a large area had been converted into farmland, where many people were busy at work. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

He had Carlos descend a little, and it was easy to see what the farmers were doing—digging up potatoes.

Clearly, the people of the White Flower Association knew how to eat potatoes.

"Huh?"

Ronin glanced to the east in surprise. He had actually spotted a second dock on Rapids Island.