"Mr. Yila, is the production of fertilizer something you can't tell us about?"
Satan Ye asked this, looking up at Yila.
"Yes."
"Indeed it is."
Yila and Hilena answered simultaneously.
"Hmm..."
Satan Ye pondered. Although her small head was very clear that fertilizer held significant meaning for the Demon King Territory, she looked at Yila and asked, "What do you want? Can I trade something for it?"
"..."
Yila did not answer.
"Gold coins? Even in the Silver Moon Tree Court, gold coins are useful, right?"
At Hilena's words, Yila couldn't help but smile. He said, "But you don't have many gold coins left, do you... Perhaps there's only silver coins left in Demon King City."
No, that's still too exaggerated... Even if they've fallen to that low, there are still gold coins. It's more accurate to say they have no mana crystals left.
The currency system in this world was very clichéd, with just copper coins, silver coins, gold coins, and the generally interchangeable mana crystals (crystal coins). However, it's not like the 100-to-1 ratio often seen in novels.
The conversion between gold coins and silver coins was 1 to 12, meaning one gold coin could be exchanged for twelve silver coins.
The conversion between silver coins and copper coins was 1 to 16, meaning one silver coin could be exchanged for sixteen copper coins.
This logic was quite simple, 192 copper coins could be exchanged for one gold coin. But due to different engraving and specifications from various countries, the value of gold coins varied. The value of silver and copper coins remained the same.
The exchange of gold coins to silver coins at 1 to 12 was the Empire's Thorn Gold Coin conversion. The more solid material of the Flower Crown Courtyard (Silver Moon Tree Court) gold coins had a 1 to 15 ratio.
The Papal White Gold Coin with other metals mixed in had a ratio of 1 White Gold Coin to 9 silver coins...
"Haha, even in this situation, there are still gold coins..."
Hilena lightly laughed.
"Hahaha, that's true..."
Yila responded with a smile.
It was quite clear that Hilena was ready to gloss over this topic actively, which was also what Yila intended... He wasn't unwilling to explain but couldn't accept the existing facts.
Even though he knew those were the facts.
But Satan Ye didn't understand the meaning of their conversation. She seriously thought about how to exchange for the formula and then asked seriously, "Mr. Yila... I've heard you like little girls?"
"..."
Yila: "???"
Hilena: "???"
"You can't just say things like that. I wouldn't say I like them."
Yila, a bit troubled, rubbed his nose. Looking at Satan Ye, who might not even understand what a little girl was, he said, "You heard this from Vera, right?"
"Yes."
As expected, after Yila unconsciously mentioned this term to Yose, Yose started using it. Then Vera found out, and soon the whole Empire understood it. After Isabella understood the meaning, she gave Yila a weird look for a long time.
Now, because of Vera, many creatures, including Hilena, probably understood it too.
"Do you know what a little girl means?"
Yila said, looking at Satan Ye's Lolita-style dress, suddenly realizing that whether from the original concept or its deconstructed meaning, Satan Ye quite fit the description.
"Yes, like a carrot, tasty, can be called Lila... Like me."
This explanation, though strange, seemed somewhat correct.
But did you always know this?! You're aware you're a little girl?!
Yila twitched his mouth, unsure how to respond for a moment... The name Lila, in the Empire, was akin to the common names "Xiaofang" and "Xiaohong" from past lives, immediately making one think of a little girl.
"Lord Demon King..."
Hilena awkwardly spoke, seemingly understanding the term wasn't meant that way, but it was obvious she didn't think Yila liked little girls. Compared to that, perhaps the Empire's nobles had a better beak for it.
"Should I give an order to select and gather little girls from across the territory for you?"
After saying this, with anticipation, Satan Ye looked at Yila, waiting for his answer. Yila couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Hahaha, please don't... Hahahahaha, that's too ridiculous~"
"Eh?"
Although Satan Ye didn't understand much, she realized she misunderstood. A bit embarrassed, she looked down at the ground, saying, "Sorry, Mr. Yila."
"..."
"Sigh, never mind..."
Yila said, reaching out to pat Satan Ye's head. Seemingly having decided on something, he said, "Let the idle creatures go collect dry grass, wood chips, we need the ash from burning them, then after the dung pit is built, collect the excrement."
This was strange, clearly talking about fertilizer earlier; now the topic suddenly jumped to ash and excrement.
Satan Ye didn't quite understand, but Hilena immediately thought of a possibility. Her eyes widened, with beautiful heart-shaped pupils, she said with hopeful excitement, "Lord Yila, could it be?"
It was too realistic. Just earlier calling him "Mr.," now calling him "Lord."
"You probably don't understand what fermentation or decomposing means. Comparing it to fermenting flour would only make you feel uneasy, so I'll directly explain the process and procedure."
Yila calmly said, looking at the little fairy listening attentively beside him with five bright eyes. He said, "Store the collected creature and livestock excrement in a place far away from the residential area."
Here, Yila emphasized "far away." This was something he had to be mindful of. Back in the Empire, they already had the concept of fertilizer, but their methods were crude. Only farmers exchanged knowledge, so it was still manageable.
But he was really afraid the creatures here would collect it and start composting it on the spot.
"Mix the ash from burning grass and wood into the pile of excrement, then add straw and other weeds to turn the pile, ensuring it's well-ventilated. The excrement pile will gradually dry out and eventually turn into granular fertilizer like what you purchase."
"As for the misunderstanding about mana's role mentioned by Veera from the ivory tower, its function is merely to aid in high-temperature composting to kill germs, eliminate parasite eggs, and weed seeds, and ensure ventilation."
"It can also mislead other countries trying to research."
"..."
"Thank you, Mr. Yila."
Satan Ye said gratefully, she, whose head only reached Yila's chest, took the initiative to hug him... She thought Yila liked to pat her head, so to express her gratitude, she decided to lean her head for him to pat.
"You should indeed thank me, but a King cannot let down all their guards like this and must maintain... No, forget it."
Yila did not know what Satan Ye was thinking; he simply responded.
"Thank you, Lord Yila."
Perhaps Satan Ye didn't understand the underlying meaning of Yila's compromise at that moment, but Hilena did... From now on, Yila was no longer the Empire's Governor but Satan Ye's teacher.
Simply the Demon King's teacher.