Ch.15Mountain Range

“It seems it’s time we need iron.”

“Indeed. I have several spots in mind in the northern mountains. Shall I send people there?”

The third summer of the Amurtat Era.

Finally, the time has come when Amurtat needs large quantities of iron.

To build taller buildings and more sophisticated facilities.

If we weren’t lucky, we might have had to send an expedition to the edge of the continent to obtain iron ore or sand iron, but fortunately, there was a massive mountain range to the north of Amurtat. A mountain range of that size would surely yield iron ore and various other metals.

“Before that, send troops to eliminate any monsters. We don’t know what might be lurking there.”

“Understood.”

“We need to send scouts… Check if the elves of Blumen Elfium can do the reconnaissance for us. If they accept, offer them food in return.”

“Understood. If the elves agree to scout for us, we couldn’t ask for more.”

Elves were more accustomed to harsh environments than humans, allowing them to discover things humans might miss.

“Oh, and tell them to take magnets with them, since they need to find iron ore or sand iron.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll have them take some from the storehouse.”

Needless to say, most metals are attracted to magnets. While some metals aren’t magnetic, those aren’t usable with current technology anyway, so we needn’t worry about them.

Of course, when it comes to gems, that’s a different story…

“Ah… I wish we could obtain another fragment of the Earth Core soon.”

“Speaking of which, absorbing fragments of the Earth Core expands its protection range, correct?”

“Yes, though there are limits.”

The limits of an Earth Core are typically determined innately, but on average, an Earth Core can have a protection range of about 4-12 areas. This number excludes the land where the Earth Core itself is located.

This was innate and couldn’t be changed, and having a larger protection range wasn’t necessarily better.

As the protection range expanded, the Earth Core’s power weakened, and by the time it reached the maximum of about 12 areas, the protection was virtually nonexistent. That’s why I was very pleased with this starting position. Even if I had the smallest range of 4 protected areas, they would perfectly match the western forest, northern mountains, southern swamp, and eastern coast.

Moreover, with just 4 protected areas, the Earth Core’s protective power would be robust, capable of withstanding most external invasions.

Of course, those operating covertly from within would need to be dealt with separately.

“Still, that’s a distant concern. It’s not like Earth Cores are available on the market.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

Earth Cores are fundamentally non-material.

To contact an Earth Core is to connect with the very life of the land itself. Ordinary people cannot touch or even perceive it, and if they did, they would be instantly crushed by the memories of the earth spanning trillions of years, their souls sucked in and destroyed.

That’s why rulers are those with the extremely rare genetic makeup allowing them to see, touch, and handle Earth Cores. Since it makes no sense that someone who can see Earth Cores can’t see other things, they can also effortlessly perceive amorphous monsters that normally require special abilities or training to detect.

However, there is a way for Earth Cores to materialize.

When an Earth Core operator dies, the shock causes feedback that stops the Core’s operation. If the deceased operator’s body is cremated and buried, the Earth Core and the remains combine to form a peculiar rainbow-colored formation.

This is called a “Fragment of the Earth Core.” Typically, this fragment is ground into fine powder, dissolved in alchemical solution, and injected into an operator’s body, automatically expanding the Earth Core’s range.

Obviously, obtaining an Earth Core fragment requires the death of a ruler, and the specific process of cremating the remains, burying the ashes, and waiting a certain period means it’s not something that can be mass-produced. Moreover, when an operator dies, finding another person to operate the Earth Core is preferable, so there’s usually no reason to create fragments.

But the fact that the method and name are known suggests that the death of rulers and the decline of cities aren’t uncommon occurrences.

Looking at my own experience, I nearly died from a head injury. Since rulers are ordinary humans unless they specifically train in martial arts, the methods for killing them are no different from killing ordinary people.

*

“You want us to scout?”

“Yes. Lord Tiberius has his eye on the northern mountains. If you elves can scout for us, you’ll be compensated generously.”

“I’ll speak with the elders about it.”

“Thank you. Please make it as soon as possible.”

Since the trading post was built, regular exchanges between Blumen Elfium and Amurtat had continued.

Neither Blumen nor Amurtat were particularly large, so the trade volume was small, but it was significant as one of the few formal channels of exchange between humans and elves in this world.

After Titania said she would consult with Blumen’s elders, Franz nodded and sent her off.

Her backpack was filled with preserved meat they had just traded, which would allow the elves of Blumen Elfium to enjoy meat stew for several days.

“Trading is difficult indeed…”

Franz nodded as he examined the trade ledger.

The ledger recorded all transactions for the day. Due to the long distances they traveled, the elves brought items with high value relative to their size, such as amber and other gems collected from the mountains, handmade ornaments, and medicinal herbs. In return, humans provided what the elves desperately needed: medicine, food, and firewood.

While both sides benefited, it could be said that Amurtat held the upper hand in the relationship.

Most of what the elves traded were luxury items they could do without, while humans traded medicine and food—things the elves needed to survive.

Although there had been no talk of ending the trade, Franz believed that someday the elves would fall victim to human political machinations.

*

“So they asked us to scout for them?”

“Yes, honorable elders…”

“Hmm….”

Titania relayed Tiberius’s message to the elders.

The elders had to consider carefully, as it seemed suspicious that the much more numerous humans would seek the help of elves, suggesting there might be something concerning about the task.

Moreover, Elfium’s population was now extremely small.

It was never large to begin with, but after an avalanche swept away half their people, every individual was a precious resource. Currently, they were employing even children’s small hands to craft ornaments for the coming winter.

In such circumstances, sending dozens of young people away for at least several months meant not only a shortage of workers but also a lack of defensive forces in case of emergency.

“Step outside for a moment. We need to discuss this.”

“Yes… of course.”

After Titania left, the twenty elders began their discussion.

“I think we should decline this request. It’s not a nearby location, and the northern area from Amurtat would take at least two weeks to reach, not to mention the scouting mission itself. With travel time and miscellaneous tasks, they wouldn’t return until early autumn.”

“I agree.”

“With our recent shortage of hunters… if even wild boars were to attack, we might suffer casualties.”

The elders’ opinions were generally negative.

The labor shortage was one concern, and there was also the potential danger of scouting the northern mountains. If the scouts were wiped out, Elfium would truly have no young people left.

“Shouldn’t we just send them?”

“What?”

At that moment, one of the oldest elders spoke up.

“Look at this.”

“That’s… meat stew, isn’t it?”

He showed them a bowl of meat stew, then quickly drank it down.

“What are you doing…?”

“Where do you think this meat came from?”

“Well… from the humans’ city, of course.”

“Exactly. Before we began trading with them, we were satisfied with one meal a day. But now? We have medicine for the injured and food for the hungry. All because we started trading with the humans.”

“But they’re not giving it away for free. We’re paying with the ornaments we make.”

“And who determines the value of those payments?”

“…..”

The elders fell silent at this.

“It’s the humans who maintain the trading post and provide us with enough food to survive. They have power incomparable to ours. You said we paid for it? Think coldly. These ornaments and clothes we wear… do you think humans couldn’t make them if they wanted to?”

“That’s….”

“There are many kinds of favors, and just because something isn’t free doesn’t mean we’re equal to the humans.”

The strong could crush the weak at any time.

That was the definition of strength.

Therefore, the weak must either become strong themselves or secure their survival by any means necessary, even if it meant crawling on the ground.

“Send the scouts. It will be our lifeline.”

And what Blumen Elfium chose would be demonstrated by the thirty scouts led by Titania.