Ch.24Coastal Exploration

As steel production began, the most important task that came to mind was securing fuel for producing steel.

Currently, we were making do by turning trees from the Western Forest into charcoal, but consuming such a versatile resource as wood in such a one-dimensional and massive way simply didn’t make economic sense no matter how I looked at it.

“The only substitute for charcoal is coal…”

Coal was a widely used fuel in this world too.

To generate temperatures high enough to melt iron, either coal or charcoal was essential. Compared to charcoal, which consumed wood resources, coal had the advantage of being usable immediately after mining. But just as the trees suitable for making charcoal were limited, coal also varied depending on where it was mined.

What I needed was anthracite coal, which contained over 90% carbon, making it suitable as fuel.

Therefore, I once again spent a considerable sum to hire prospectors to find anthracite mines, but unfortunately, no anthracite was found in the northern mountains.

In truth, I hadn’t expected much since we already had iron ore with two good traits, but it always felt unpleasant when hopes of saving costs were dashed.

“What will you do now, Your Majesty? They say there’s no coal in the mountains…”

“What can I do? Send the prospectors to the eastern coast.”

“The eastern coast, sir?”

“Yes. The west is forest, the south is swamp. By process of elimination, only the eastern coast remains, doesn’t it?”

The western region was off-limits for coal mining to protect the forests, and the southern swamplands made development impossible even if veins existed there. The city of Amurtat itself was ruled out because any mining accident would inevitably result in massive casualties.

So only the eastern coast remained.

“I suppose you’re right. I’ll dispatch the prospectors to the eastern coast then.”

“Good. I’ll leave it to you.”

After delegating this task to my aide, I considered the scenario where no coal veins would be found.

Even assuming the forest could sustain us for ten years, considering this world’s terrible long-distance transportation capabilities, the places that could transport the “large-scale” fuel that the Steelyard needed “regularly” and “safely” were extremely limited.

“The Western Forest is quite vast, but beyond it, there are no other forests. There are wide plains, but… I need fuel immediately…”

Though the forest was extensive, it wasn’t large enough to be called a great forest. Even the ten-year estimate was calculated based on proper management by foresters who applied fertilizer and planted seedlings. Without such management, the trees in the Western Forest would be depleted in just 2-3 years.

In that case, we would inevitably have to import from other countries, and unfortunately, Amurtat happened to have the powerful nation of Fahrenheit right next door.

Not that Fahrenheit was necessarily greedy, but if we became dependent on someone else for resources essential to our national infrastructure, sooner or later Amurtat would inevitably become subordinate to Fahrenheit.

Even if problems arose with the fuel supplied by Fahrenheit, they could easily escape responsibility by claiming it was the fault of whoever produced the fuel.

One might ask why we couldn’t import from other city-states, but they neither had the capacity to supply fuel on such a scale nor were they geographically close enough to even be considered.

How could other city-states with populations of around 100,000 export enough fuel to produce steel for the entire continent?

*

“The forest has been shrinking lately. I wonder why?”

An elf who had stopped by the trading post asked a merchant.

She had brought handcrafted ornaments, and the merchant was assessing their value while offering wine produced in Amurtat in exchange.

“Why the forest is shrinking?”

“Yes.”

“Well… that’s obvious.”

The merchant said as he set down the last bottle of wine.

She quickly packed thirty bottles of wine into her bag, and the merchant carefully stored her ornaments in his bag to prevent damage.

“They’ve recently succeeded in steel production, so the blacksmiths are hammering away like mad. I don’t know much about these things, but… I heard at the tavern that at this rate, the forest will be gone within ten years.”

“Ten years…”

The elf lingered on the words “ten years.”

For those who enjoyed eternal life, a decade was literally the blink of an eye.

“Well, don’t worry too much. Even if the forest is destroyed, the farmlands and pastures will be fine. Your Elfium will safely make it through winter.”

The merchant replied indifferently and quietly left.

After he departed, the elf also left the trading post to return to Elfium, heading south across the rugged mountains.

She stopped.

At that moment, her eyes turned back toward the north.

“That must be the place… the Steelyard? Where the Illius make iron and steel…”

Looking at Amurtat’s distant Steelyard, where black and white smoke poured out ceaselessly, the elf narrowed her eyes and looked down.

From her high vantage point, she could see numerous humans methodically cutting down trees, and in areas where logging had been completed, foresters were applying fertilizer and planting seedlings.

“I see… they’re minimizing the damage at least. Clever.”

The elf acknowledged human wisdom. It was only natural, as she herself enjoyed the wine made by the Illius.

“Well… they’ll manage somehow.”

But that was all.

She was an elf, and they were humans.

Even if the entire forest disappeared, it would be by human decision. It wasn’t the elves’ place to meddle.

It was true that elves lived in forests and protected them, but that was only because their homes were in the forest, not because they worshipped the forest.

As long as humans didn’t encroach on the southern forest where Blumen Elfium was located, elves wouldn’t interfere with human territory.

*

A scruffy-looking adventurer entered a weapons shop in Amurtat.

Looking around as if searching for something specific, he carefully examined the swords on display and eventually picked one up, seemingly having found what he wanted.

“So this is an Amurtat steel sword…”

“You’ve got a good eye there, adventurer. This is a fresh piece, just made yesterday. How about buying one? I’ll give you a good price.”

The merchant, who had been briefly away, spoke from behind him. The adventurer pointed at the sword and asked about the price.

“How much is it? I actually saw one in Elisia, but it was too expensive…”

The common sense that expensive specialty goods from other regions could be purchased more cheaply at their source applied in this world too.

As Amurtat’s steel weapons began to be exported, adventurers and mercenaries always seeking better weapons, or suspiciously wealthy individuals looking for something special, started visiting Amurtat. The weapon shop owners serving them were crying tears of joy.

“Just thirty silver coins, sir.”

“Oh! It really is cheaper at the source! In Elisia, they asked for two gold coins!”

“I’m a merchant too, but that kind of markup is just robbery, plain and simple. Our city’s steel may be good, but who would buy a 3kg sword at such an outrageous price?”

The merchants of Amurtat were living by the adage that a smooth tongue brings a fat purse.

In truth, they also thought it was excessive to charge two or three gold coins—several times the fair price of thirty to fifty silver coins for a well-made sword.

“That sword you’re wearing looks quite worn. If you trade it in, I’ll give you this one for just twenty silver coins as a special offer.”

“Th-then I’ll take it. It’s a bit sad to part with a sword I’ve used for five years, but…”

The adventurer handed over twenty silver coins along with his worn-out longsword, and the merchant gave him a freshly made Amurtat steel sword with a bright smile.

Afterward, the adventurer, pleased at having purchased the sword for much less than expected, began wandering the streets buying various odds and ends. By evening, he stopped at an inn, ordered expensive dishes, and went to sleep with a happy expression.

Today, he had spent over sixty silver coins including the sword, and the inn was filled with others showing similar spending patterns.

And in Amurtat’s castle, looking down haughtily at these inns, Lord Tiberius was receiving a report from his aide about the prospectors’ findings. Judging by his bright expression, it seemed that as he had predicted, coal veins had been found on the eastern coast.