Ch.98Coal Galore

Coal.

Currently, it’s the primary contributor to keeping Amurtat’s industrial complex running smoothly.

This material, which possesses heat output incomparably higher than ordinary firewood, is both the cause and result of miners literally working their backs off in hard labor.

Crack! Crackle!

“Today’s quota is complete. You may go home now.”

“Yes, sir.”

And extracting this coal was the responsibility of the tenacious miners, whose numbers had now exceeded 100,000.

Entering deep, dark mines, relying on dim lanterns while covered in black dust, their working conditions were unbearably harsh. Even delicate skin would crack like dry earth after just a month of grueling work in the coal mines.

Moreover, since Amurtat’s coal mines were located near the coast, no matter how much water they pumped out, without wearing tall boots that gripped tightly around the ankles, moisture would inevitably seep in. By the end of a shift, workers would be horrified to find water rising just below their knees.

Additionally, to meet quotas, they had to work through meal times, forcing most miners to tear into cold jerky and bread in the damp, dark, dust-filled mines.

“Here’s this month’s pay. Use it well.”

“Finally!”

“Thank you!”

Despite all these terrible conditions, many people still wanted to become miners.

The reason was simple: the pay was excellent.

If other jobs’ wages were considered 100, a miner’s wage could be described as 200 or even 300. It was virtually the only high-paying job available to ordinary people without specialized education.

Adventurers were freelancers who couldn’t even guarantee minimum wage, with death or disability being practically everyday occurrences. Professional trades like blacksmithing barely paid minimum wage while requiring apprentices to be treated like dogs while learning their craft, making it impossible to secure comparable earnings without completely dedicating one’s body and mind.

Paradoxically, the government was well aware of these harsh conditions and made efforts to save miners’ lives by providing specially treated iron supports to prevent rusting, caged sensitive birds to detect toxic gases early, and full-body protective gear.

With such precautions in place, despite the backward technology of the medieval era, sudden deaths or mine collapses had become rare. Over the years, the mortality rate among miners had remained relatively low, encouraging Amurtat’s government to aggressively expand lignite mining operations.

There were several reasons for this: to provide suitable work for the continuous influx of immigrants and refugees, and to supply coal to Woodbury, which needed fuel while minimizing forest destruction.

However, no one could deny that the primary purpose of the newly excavated mine shafts was to provide heat sources for the Brickyard.

*

Rumble! Rumble!

“Move carefully! If you get crushed, you won’t just be disabled—you’ll be dead!”

Clank! Clank! Clank!

Steel gears that looked like they had claimed the lives of many blacksmiths. Cranes and massive stones suspended by thin chains, floating through the air…

This site, where heavy things carried other heavy things, was located in the northeast of the northern mountain range—the construction site of the Brickyard.

To fire quality bricks, one inevitably needed high temperatures and advanced insulation technology to prevent that heat from escaping.

It wasn’t simply a matter of mass and size; insulation technology literally meant “technology to block heat.” Being merely large and heavy would only result in slow heating.

So how could one contain temperatures ranging from 1,200 to 1,300 degrees in this world while preventing accidents from overheating?

The answer was magic.

“Then… I’ll leave it to you.”

“Hmm… let’s see what you can do.”

In place of the currently unavailable apprentices from Amurtat’s magic tower, junior magicians recruited from other countries (excluding Fahrenheit) stepped forward nervously.

Before them lay neatly connected glass panels, which upon closer inspection were actually two panels layered together.

“Drain.”

The magicians cast the absorption spell on the glass window, and… seemingly nothing happened.

Of course, this was to be expected. There was nothing between the layered glass panels.

So what exactly had they removed?

Air.

Since the laws of physics applied equally in this world, creating vacuum insulation solved the insulation problem.

If it’s difficult to understand, think of the principle behind a thermos flask.

Of course, since glass itself would melt under direct heat, other insulating materials would need to be placed in front, but this dramatically reduced the size needed for the massive kilns that would fire tens of thousands of bricks.

“Whew. Using magic is quite tiring…”

“Oh my! Then you must rest! What are you waiting for, lads? Bring something to sit on and something to drink!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I can just sit on the ground…”

“Nonsense! We can’t have esteemed magicians sitting on dirt.”

Naturally, those who could perform such magic were treated with the utmost respect on site.

Since the Brickyard couldn’t exist without them, the local supervisors granted the magicians’ wishes as much as possible, addressing them with honorifics and building up their status.

The junior magicians only verbally declined such treatment while actually enjoying it, as many of them had lived under the shadow of high-ranking magicians at their towers and craved being treated as important figures.

Whoooooot-!!!

“Huh? What’s that sound?”

“What else? It means it’s time to get back to work.”

“Eh.”

Their break was over, and it was time to work again.

*

There’s a saying:

“Money can’t buy happiness.”

One interesting point is that it’s always those without money who cling to this saying.

It’s truly remarkable dedication, considering that repeating it doesn’t make them any happier.

While happiness may be relative, money is absolute. One can be happy despite being poor, but abundance naturally brings forth happiness.

The reason for bringing this up is that despite the considerable budget allocated to the Brickyard, the aide was wearing a very happy expression upon discovering that the treasury had unexpectedly ample funds remaining.

“Hahahahaha. To think so much money remains. The previous estimate clearly stated it would cost three times what we’ve spent so far.”

However, his happy expression didn’t necessarily contain happiness.

Especially considering that those outrageously inflated figures were the very reason he had confronted Tiberius in such an irreverently bold manner.

Considering that his sovereign, Tiberius von Adler, would rank at “minimum” SSR-grade among the world’s rulers, one could easily imagine the number of prospective aides vying to attach themselves to him.

Like it or not, the fact that he had grown a population of 10,000 to 1.7 million in 15 years was indisputable. His ingenious strategies had created an alliance that brought down Fahrenheit, which had seemed poised to dominate the north forever. Despite accepting hundreds of thousands of refugees, the only consequence was a temporary spike in crime rates, which had already begun to subside—all evidence of his supreme capability as a ruler.

Of course, this assumed he truly was “Tiberius,” but such trivial barriers meant little between two who had shared deep conversations.

When even inhuman beings wielded sovereign authority, what did it matter if an otherworldly being ruled as monarch?

Even if he were a monstrous being of different form, his appearance was irrelevant as long as he cared for his people.

Indeed.

The aide, believing that an otherworldly monster wielding sovereign power was preferable to someone like Francesca doing so, proceeded on his way.

Pulling a cart loaded with documents requiring his sovereign’s approval.