Chapter 91. The Mine (4)

Had I ever thought of myself as lucky in my life?

I think I did a little when I was young.

To be honest, whether it was studying or sports, there wasn't anything I was particularly bad at.

I think there was a time when I thought of myself as a lucky person blessed with talent and was secretly quite proud of it.

It's a somewhat embarrassing past now, but at the time, perhaps due to the praise from those around me, I thought it was true.

Who could have predicted that my sky-high self-esteem would crumble with a single accident?

Anyway, after that, I don't think I ever considered myself lucky.

Needless to say, that was especially true after I fell into this game.

I don't know how many times I've been screwed over right from the start.

It was a good thing that I managed to leverage or break through most crises in my favor through thorough planning, detailed strategies, prediction, and preparation.

“This is a real bonanza.”

However, I would admit it this time.

I was purely lucky.

As soon as I received William's report, I rushed to the mine.

I confirmed it with my own two eyes.

The sight of the minerals I had only seen in the game's concept art, embedded endlessly throughout the walls, glowing faintly in the torchlight even in the dark space.

“That’s iron ore, that shiny one over there is black iron, and that one… if my eyes don't deceive me, it appears to be silver steel ore.”

The accompanying miner said, habitually rubbing his deeply wrinkled cheek.

He was one of the support personnel sent by Count Maenenwood, a supervisor with over 30 years of mining experience.

He seemed like a trustworthy person, so I officially extended his contract a while ago.

He was also skilled enough to identify minerals at a glance with just the light of a torch.

Of course, to know for sure if it was really a silver steel mine as he said, we would have to dig it out ourselves.

“William, you have the ones we brought for testing, right?”

“Yes, my Lord Viscount.”

We installed a portion of the prepared explosive charges on one of the walls where the minerals were glittering and detonated it.

Chijijiji… Kwang!

A weak explosion.

Dust rose in a cloud.

After the cloud of dust settled, I confirmed that the mine wall had collapsed.

“Th-this is?!”

The miner’s jaw dropped.

“These are dwarven-made demolition charges for mining. They cleanly shatter the bedrock within a set range without damaging the ore.”

William, who had operated the demolition charge, said proudly.

It was indeed a sight worthy of admiration.

The cave wall didn't just collapse.

It had shattered into pieces, ranging from the size of a fist to as large as a pumpkin, and flowed down.

Once we loaded and moved the poured-out soil, rocks, and ore all at once, a cleanly emptied space was revealed.

It was as if a large spoon had scooped out ice cream deeply; it was more like a predetermined section had been carved out.

“H-how is this possible? There was definitely an explosion.”

“Dwarven-made is a byword for reliability.”

“Even so, how on earth…?”

It was only natural that the wide-eyed miner would grab William and shower him with questions.

But wasn't that not dwarven-made anymore?

Technically, it was a copy, and claiming it was the original seemed like a trademark violation.

“You connect the fuse here, and this is the switch. You must use this after retreating to a safe distance….”

After watching William teach the miner the operating method and precautions, I went outside.

The stuffy air of the mine escaped, and fresh outside air filled my lungs with a refreshing sensation.

In the distance, I could see carts loaded with ore and rock piles moving towards the city, escorted by soldiers.

Two days later.

The blacksmiths reported that the refining of the ore mined for testing was complete.

“The quality of the iron ore and black iron is very good.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. The refining process for silver steel is a bit tricky, so it will take some time to get the finished product. This one is also promising.”

The results were top-notch.

I had William begin full-scale mining operations.

***

It's a famous anecdote that the invention of Alfred Nobel, renowned for the peace prize, was dynamite, an explosive that killed countless people.

However, while that contrast is particularly emphasized, it is also an undeniable fact that the invention of dynamite greatly contributed to the industrial development of mankind.

Dynamite, an insensitive explosive, enabled stable explosive mining, which led to the remarkable development of human mining.

In the fantasy world of ‘Warlord Conquest’, the dwarven-made demolition charges for mining take its place.

“It is a masterpiece created by the dwarves, who have handled gunpowder for hundreds of years, by mixing it with their unique runic magic.”

That was William's one-line review of the demolition charges for mining.

Was it because magic was imbued in it?

The demolition charges also had points of superiority over dynamite.

It was the ability to make only the space of the desired depth, width, and height collapse precisely with an explosion.

It was even possible to determine the direction of the explosion.

“Explosive mining in the Empire or the City-State Alliance is truly primitive. You have to drill holes with a chisel and hammer, risk your life stuffing unstable explosives into them, and then detonate them. And it doesn't even explode as intended! That's why no one uses it, isn't it?”

Well, I didn't know the details to that extent.

By the way, this fellow William.

I wonder if he had some resentful memory from a mine in the past.

To be honest, I was more curious about William than his mining knowledge.

How he came to be well-versed in gunpowder technology, mining, and runic magic.

In any case, the mining industry using demolition charges began in earnest.

Chiii… Kwang!

By installing demolition charges where minerals were abundant, we mined quickly.

“O sturdy earth that supports history….”

“Move it this way! Let’s set up the pillars quickly. The mage is working hard, you know!”

While mages from the School of Earth used spells to block the collapse of the instantly created cavity, we installed supports with props to prevent it from collapsing.

Clatter. Clatter.

The piles of earth, stone, and ore that poured out from the explosion were loaded onto carts and moved to the surface along the installed rails.

Clang! Clang!

The ore that came to the surface underwent separation and refining processes, then was loaded onto carts and transported to the city, where it was reborn as high-quality metal in the blacksmith district.

“My Lord Viscount, the production system has been established to some extent.”

Bart reported in just a fortnight.

The production line had been established in just over two weeks.

Considering that there wasn't much manpower due to the farming season, it was a speed that defied common sense.

It was possible because we used explosives and magic for the most labor-intensive parts.

According to the expert William, a miner who knew how to handle demolition charges could finish a job that would take two or three days in a matter of tens of minutes.

The ‘copy’ of the dwarven-made demolition charges was being steadily mass-produced every day under his supervision.

Anyway, once the system was in place, the forges began to spew smoke in earnest.

Not just one or two forges, but the entire blacksmith district designated around the guild.

Clang! Clang! Vrooom…!

Chiiiiii!!

Various iron tools were released into the market.

There were also weapons and armor made of steel.

For reference, silver steel and black iron were excluded.

Those two are strategic materials, so supplying the army comes first.

Just because we are prospering now doesn't mean we should forget that Wolfskrig is a border territory.

An attack from foreign powers, like the recent invasion of the beastmen, could happen at any time.

Well, to be honest, I thought that releasing just the steel was sufficient.

In reality, the ripple effect was enormous.

“My Lord Viscount, the number of merchants visiting the city has increased tremendously!”

It started with small merchants.

Merchants who came to this remote frontier city to explore opportunities returned with high-quality steel.

Before long, small merchant guilds that smelled money began to reach out one by one.

There's a reason why the market was stirring up like this.

In fact, the price of steel in the southern part of the Empire had been quite high.

This was because there weren't many proper steel production sites in the south.

Gunterburk had served as a mining city until a few decades ago, but now that the veins were depleted, it only functioned as a trade hub.

“My Lord Viscount, the Sandstorm Merchant Guild has come to visit. They say they have met you once?”

As cheap, high-quality steel began to be released in earnest, even the large merchant guilds with whom I had exchanged names at the festival in the Imperial Capital right after the civil war started to visit.

While trading with them, I added a few benefits and came to an agreement to keep the prices of weaponry low.

Looking back, there was a time when my financial situation took a sharp downturn because of the price of steel when arming the mercenary band.

At the very least, I would not let the mercenaries in my city suffer the same hardship.

“My Lord Viscount, I was a little touched. To be honest, I was wondering why we were suddenly mining, but to think you had such deep thoughts……”

“Brol, I’ve told you time and again. Accept it. It’s none other than Viscount Ash. He must have foreseen this distant future.”

“……”

By the way, it's quite scary how humans are creatures of adaptation.

Looking at myself, I've become nonchalant about that man Olif's mindless flattery.

“As expected of a great man……”

By the way, when did this woman get here?

Isn't it time for worship?

“Me? I wanted to see the great man. The service ended thirty minutes ago.”

“……”

“What, were you two in that kind of relationship? Even I, the intelligence… no, the Captain of the Guard, didn't know?!”

“…Everyone, get out of my office.”

I sent everyone out, leaving only Bart who was in the middle of his report.

Anyway, the matter of weaponry was not something I was doing solely out of a philanthropist's spirit.

In the first place, since the raw material costs were lower, the prices were naturally lower than in other cities.

Moreover, good quality, cheap weapons have the effect of attracting many mercenaries.

More mercenaries meant more troops that could be mobilized in an emergency.

It also meant that the talent pool for recruiting into the Viscount’s army would widen.

“Where were we? Immigrants?”

“Yes, the number of immigrants has been on the rise for a few weeks. A good number of them have experience in mining or blacksmithing, and the rest are just laborers.”

“Have the administration arrange farming or mining work for them. Contact old man Poodle and see if there's any work in construction as well.”

“Yes, my Lord Viscount.”

As money began to circulate in the city, the number of immigrants naturally increased.

As a result of the labor shortage being filled, production in both the mines and the forges began to increase.

At this rate, we would be able to secure enough black iron and silver steel, which were prioritized for army supply, to arm the entire Viscount’s army within half a year.

It was about time to execute the next step.

***

If you were to pick the person who had the most dramatic career change in the Ash Mercenary Band, everyone would point to one person.

It was none other than old man Poodle.

He was a former mercenary captain who lost many of his subordinates in the Battle of Wolfskrig and was incorporated into the mercenary band, and then moved to a facility management and maintenance position just before the civil war broke out and the mercenary band left the city.

By the time the mercenary band was reorganized into the Viscount's army, he had gone a step further and showed his talent in the interior design business.

As a result, the current old man Poodle is practically my direct, all-purpose construction supervisor.

Although he belongs to the Viscount's army, the work he is in charge of has a faint connection to military operations.

His main duties were negotiating with the carpentry and stonemasonry guilds, executing construction projects in the city, managing laborers, managing equipment, supervising sites, and doing actual manual labor.

“My Lord Viscount, you've come?”

I went to see old man Poodle.

He was in the middle of constructing the interior of the lord's castle.

His wife, he said, was focusing on childcare and housework after giving birth a while ago.

I don't know much about it, but I've heard that this is the hardest time for raising a child.

“Heh heh, but life is good. No matter how hard the work is, just thinking about my foxy wife and rabbit-like daughter at home gives me strength, you know?”

“That's good to hear. You look much better.”

“Does the Viscount have no thoughts of marriage?”

“Well.”

“There are rumors that a spring breeze is blowing in the lord's castle these days. Bishop Alina and….”

“That's enough. Who is spreading such nonsense rumors?”

“…I apologize. It seems I was mistaken.”

[Deploying [Lord’s Unyielding Mind].]

Let's calm down.

For a moment, I lost my composure.

I hurriedly changed the subject back to the main topic.

The reason I came here today was for the next stage of Wolfskrig's development.

“Can you build canals and water wheels?”

The next step after developing the mine is developing water resources.

It is the first step towards industrialization.