Chapter 88. The Mine (1)

Two months have passed since I began to rule Wolfskrig.

The city’s situation is gradually improving.

It has been a month since the rice transplanting was finished.

The rice plants began to grow rapidly.

This was thanks to the most urgent task, the purification of the farmlands, being completed at the right time.

Besides that, other urgent fires like the beastmen extermination and sewer maintenance were also put out in time.

Thanks to that, I, the lord, have found some leisure in my work.

In the afternoons after finishing my work, I would sometimes do personal training or take a short nap.

One of my recent hobbies is making calls.

To be precise, should I say long-distance communication using a crystal sphere?

The recipients are nobles and high-ranking officials whom I already knew or greeted in the Imperial Capital.

To be honest, it’s less of a hobby and more of a minimum effort to build recognition in high society.

Exchanging pompous stories for ten minutes with nobles armed with their characteristic vague expressions is more of an ordeal than I imagined.

So much so that I would much rather be swinging a sword in the training grounds or devising strategies.

Of course, there are exceptions.

One of them is Viscount Pewin.

[Incredible! So you found a mine in the forest where you defeated the beastmen?]

I couldn't help but chuckle at the pure exclamation coming through the crystal sphere.

Just like how he dotes on his granddaughter, he's a cunning yet surprisingly simple old man.

“Yes, upon investigation, it seems Wolfskrig was a producer of high-quality steel three hundred years ago.”

[That’s correct. I don't know the details myself, but I understand the quality was ranked among the top five in the entire Empire.]

In fact, this communication crystal sphere was also a gift from Viscount Pewin.

There was no way I would buy such an object, which was heavily overpriced by the Magic Tower.

If anything, I would have rather invited one of the heroes specializing in magic tools and started production.

Anyway, Viscount Pewin, saying that since I've become a noble, I should also do things like this, sent a box containing a stand to operate the communication crystal sphere and even a spare replacement crystal.

One of these costs ten gold coins.

A boxful would easily be at least two hundred gold coins.

If he had given it to me in person, I would have refused at all costs, but he just left it with a messenger and went on his way.

Along with a letter saying that since it's an improved version from after the civil war, there would be no risk of being eavesdropped on even if there were Indika spies.

[Mining cities are often in remote places. Wolfskrig was not. It was rather a center of transportation.]

“Wasn't it a gateway fortress?”

[That's right. If they had cultivated rice, it probably would have become a full-fledged major city like Maenenwood or Gunterburk, not a fortress city like it is now.]

“Was there no rice back then?”

[It was about a hundred and fifty years ago that the Empire imported rice seeds from Indika. Before that, southern cities also grew barley and wheat.]

This was a setting I didn't know.

I asked while adding a line to the setting book in my head.

“Has there been any trouble regarding the Ratmen?”

[Ratmen?]

“Yes.”

[Ah! Come to think of it, you were the one who uncovered the tragedy of Duntown Fortress.]

After a moment's thought, the Viscount said.

[Well. I did hear from the Archduke to be careful, but since then, nothing particular has happened to me or my surrounding fiefs.]

“Then that's a relief.”

[Instead, the Orcs of the wastelands are causing trouble. I'll have to deal with them myself at some point.]

“Orcs, you say? Wouldn't that be too dangerous?”

[It is dangerous. But if you put it that way, what isn't dangerous? Beastmen or the undead are dangerous enough.]

He's not wrong.

Still, that black-skinned demi-human race ranks high on my list of dangers.

For reference, beastmen are in the low tier, and the Vampire Duchy is in the mid-tier.

Ratmen are in the top tier.

“Still, please be careful.”

[Haha, I will.]

An individual Orc is as strong as a Horned One under a full moon.

Tearing apart one or two people with their bare hands is nothing.

They are even trickier enemies when they form a group, as they know no fear.

Of course, I didn't pry any further.

He would know as well.

“Anyway, I’m glad you seem healthy.”

[Thank you. By the way, how are things going with Alina?]

“Well, I think in my current situation….”

[Hahaha! Just kidding, just kidding! I was just saying.]

“……?”

[A man as brilliant and cold-headed as you rarely shows a flustered look, right? But whenever we talk about Alina, you get flustered enough for even me to notice.]

“……”

[Ah, it's time for my meeting. I'll contact you again later. Please take good care of my granddaughter. Goodbye.]

The communication was cut off.

I stared at the crystal sphere for a moment.

Has this old man gone mad?

I'll let it slide since he gave me the crystal sphere.

Anyway, regarding my relationship with Alina, there is a change scheduled to happen.

An application to join the Viscount's army's administrative department came in a while ago.

‘Your Lordship, please take a look at this.’

‘What is it, Bart?’

‘It’s an application to join the Viscount’s army, but it seems to be in an ancient language or a cipher. Since Your Lordship is well-versed in spells, I thought you might know…’

It was too elaborate to be a doodle, and too much like an ancient script to be letters.

The administrative department gave up on deciphering it and sent it up to me, but if Bart, who is fluent in six languages, doesn't know, how would I?

I glanced at it, and when I saw it was beyond me, I was about to throw it away when Olif, who happened to be passing by, took a peek and casually threw out a comment.

‘It’s Priestess Alina’s application.’

‘Huh? Wait, what did you say?’

‘My apologies. It seems I saw something I shouldn’t have. Well, there were talks of a political marriage between you until recently…’

‘No, that's not it. This was written by Alina?’

‘Was it not? It says Alina Pewin in the applicant’s name box…….’

It was the first time I knew.

That Alina had terrible handwriting.

On a level comparable to Olif's.

‘Master. Come to think of it, didn’t that priestess read the white-haired knight’s writing quite well before? The writing that looked like it was scribbled with a sword.’

“……”

That’s right.

The terrible handwriters understood each other.

Anyway, I plan to create a suitable position for Alina.

I had been thinking of bringing her under my command someday ever since I rescued her from Tribus' lair.

After putting the communication crystal sphere away in a corner of my desk, I stood up from my seat.

I stretched and opened the window.

The office in the lord's castle needs to be aired out periodically.

Unlike the barracks building remodeled by old man Poodle and his wife, the lord's castle still retains the mustiness of three hundred years ago.

‘Of course, old man Poodle said he would work on the lord’s castle after the barracks.’

I refused.

It was because there were other buildings that had higher priority.

The guard barracks attached to the city walls, the church which is the focal point for the citizens, the mercenary guild, and so on.

All of them are important facilities with many users.

With the lord's castle, it’s fine if just I am a little uncomfortable.

‘By the way, master, what is the real name of the carpenter you call old man Poodle?’

“…I don't know.”

‘……?’

Come to think of it, I really don't know.

I think I heard it a few times at some point, but it has been imprinted in my memory as old man Poodle.

Just like how our Tambourine is Tambourine.

‘Your personality, master…’

“A request to open a bakery came in, but I'm rejecting it.”

‘…is as vast as the sea. Really. Right, Tick-Tocky?’

‘Tick-tock!’

Anyway, if this musty lord's castle has a strong point, it is the excellent view.

The lord's castle is the only six-story stone building in Wolfskrig.

If you open the window in the office on the top floor, the entire city comes into view.

I looked down at the streets.

The weather is cloudy.

It's not raining at the moment, but there are puddles of water in various places on the streets.

It's still the rainy season.

Of course, since the maintenance of the sewage system is finished, there's no big worry even if it rains.

Although it was noon, the squares and streets were quiet.

This is because more than half of the city's early settlers are farmers.

It's the busy farming season, so they must all be weeding.

Perhaps when time passes and the fief stabilizes, they will naturally form villages by moving out of the city and beyond the walls.

By then, more new residents would have come into the city.

Of course, developing the fief to that point is my responsibility.

And a task for the next step in the fief's development has been given.

A task that I cannot solve alone.

***

As I've said repeatedly, half of ‘Warlord Conquest’ is internal affairs, that is, fief management.

In fact, the framework of fief management is quite similar.

Budget, food, security, loyalty, housing, entertainment, integrity, and so on.

You just need to maintain the various stats directly related to the state of the fief appropriately, and actively raise some of them to promote development.

Of course, how to maintain and raise those stats varies greatly from fief to fief.

One of the best methods is to develop a key industry.

Quite a few fiefs have a specialty product, or a key industry.

About half of the fiefs don't, but in that case, it would be better to gather mercenaries and start a fief war to plunder a neighboring fief.

Anyway, in the case of Wolfskrig, there are two major specialized industries.

Trade.

And metallurgy.

Naturally, the former is impossible for now.

At the very least, I would have to either push back the Vampire Duchy and reclaim all the imperial territory, or open trade routes with the dwarves to the east or the Theocracy to the west.

Of course, to do that, I have to overcome the obstacles of the Orcs in the wastelands or the root colony of the beastmen in the dark forest.

“Orcs, you say? With all due respect, it is difficult to fight an Orc tribe with our current strength. I know Your Lordship enjoys war, but I implore you to reconsider.”

“The dark forest? You’re… not serious, are you? You know that a beastman demon lives in the dark forest, right? It’s a place where the entire punitive force was annihilated every time the Imperial army attempted a subjugation……”

“Call me whenever you want to fight, Viscount. I will go with you. But everyone except me might die. You too.”

I asked just to be sure, but their reactions are all scary.

By the way, that old man Olif.

What does he mean, I enjoy war?

Where else is there a man who loves peace as much as I do?

Anyway, trade is out of the question with our current strength.

However, the second one.

Metallurgy is possible.

The abandoned mine discovered in the forest a while ago is a mine that produced high-quality iron and copper three hundred years ago.

A mine that, depending on the roll of the RNG for each playthrough, can even produce the higher-tier metal Black Iron, and if you're really lucky, even Silver Steel.

Of course, as is always the case with this damn game, it's not a mine with only advantages.

Because beneath the lode, there are ruins of the Lumer Legion.

The ruins of that ancient civilization that we broke through in Berenburg, led by the mad witch of fire.

And they possess a force that, if awakened, could easily wipe out a place like the current Wolfskrig.

But it's fine.

Unlike Berenburg, this one is a completely dormant ruin until the late game.

“…Surely it hasn't woken up already, has it?”

Wait.

Is this a flag?

I shouldn't have said that.

Anyway, redeveloping the abandoned mine is my fief's next task.

There are a couple of obstacles here too.

First is the necromantic contamination.

This is almost solved.

The priests sent by Archbishop Walter have finished purifying the farmlands and pastures, and are now purifying the land scheduled for cultivation and the area around the mine.

The real problem is the second one.

Manpower.

Right now, during the busy farming season, most of the manpower is concentrated in agriculture.

This is because rice farming is inherently labor-intensive.

So much so that there's a story that the etymology of the Chinese character for rice, (mi), is a decomposition of (eighty-eight), meaning it's a crop that requires eighty-eight tasks to harvest.

When the mine starts to operate in earnest, we will have to recruit miners from outside, but that will also take time, and we can't bring them in indefinitely.

Of course, I have prepared something in anticipation of this situation.

However, I need help.

I feel a presence outside the door.

Old man Brol slightly opened the door and peeked his head in.

“Your Lordship, it’s Artillery Commander William.”

“Come in.”

The broad-shouldered former priest came in, scratching his head.

I offered him a seat and brought out some tea.

“You called for me?”

“Yes.”

As I clearly felt in the battle with the beastmen a while ago, William is a gunpowder expert of the highest caliber.

His skill in modifying about eighty shells into incendiary shells overnight would be hard to match even by the most renowned gunpowder experts of the Imperial army.

It seems I'll have to borrow his hands once more.

“Do you happen to know how to handle Dwarven-made gunpowder weapons, explosives, or similar tools?”

“……Yes?”