Chapter 309

Chapter 309 - The Command of History

Eugene made the first gold he'd ever obtained into a medal to hang around his neck, without any separate processing.

He wore it everywhere while managing the pioneer village and mining complex, and every subordinate and worker he encountered would snicker and laugh.

"That fun, is it?"

"You've always had an indifferent look no matter what spoils we took."

"So what? Looks good, right?"

He was a leader who charged calmly at any monster and constantly came up with ideas that made you wonder, 'How did he think of that?'

But seeing him this happy, his strikingly young appearance finally registered.

After some time passed and the production lines began running in earnest, the entire pioneer village buzzed like a single steam engine.

"Alright! That's it for today!"

Each day when the work foreman declared the end, everyone gathered to look at the day's gold nugget on the tray.

The gold mine didn't even have basic mining facility construction completed yet. It was also Theodore's first time operating three water wheels simultaneously at level 4.

"Stop operation! Stop operation!"

"This side seems to be spinning empty. We need to fit a bigger gear?"

Despite the operation efficiency being a mess, the output was moving.

"My Lord. The time has come."

On the fourth day of production.

Theodore arrived beaming. To Eugene, who was rubbing his hands in excitement, he handed over a rectangular frame.

"Finally stamping them out."

"You bet."

About 30 minutes later, liquefied gold flowed steadily from the rectangular frame. You couldn't eat it, but it might be the most mouth-watering soup in the world.

After it had solidified sufficiently, Theodore flipped the frame with large tongs, and a square gold ingot revealed its form.

"Pour it carefully so it doesn't splash?"

"Yes, sir!"

The nervous boy approached with a watering can. He was a human apprentice raised by the work foreman.

Eugene had taken in war orphans from the Roman civil war whose families had evaporated, leaving them with nowhere to go.

Most were entrusted to the Banas temple built in Haven. They would be given choices when they came of age.

Either continue on the path of a monk, become a tenant farmer under good conditions in Eugene's direct territory, or leave on the path they desired.

-They're all enthusiastically engaged in religious activities. More than a few children hope to become priests in the future.

Eugene didn't completely believe the temple's overly excited reports. It could be polished reporting, and for children with no other options in the face of warm beds and good food, there was little choice.

Still, becoming a monk of the Banas sect wasn't a bad condition.

-You can even get married? I heard priests marry God.

-The Goddess is generous. She rejoices in those who devote their whole lives to complete love as a singleton, and she also rejoices in those who build families and place the fruits of love in her arms.

Private property wasn't forbidden like other sects, but there were few restrictions on food and drink. Only corruption like getting dead drunk or mistreating animals for slaughter was taboo.

Among the children taken in, the most adventurous and ambitious ones volunteered for the gold rush. It guaranteed income incomparable to scraping by as a tenant farmer or odd-job laborer.

The boy with the watering can was one such aspiring craftsman.

Hissss.

Steam rose, and a brilliant golden glow emanated. A 1kg gold ingot was complete.

"I-I'm honored to serve, My Lord."

Was it from being too nervous? Instead of the title he'd been thoroughly trained in, the word he'd always used slipped out.

Eugene, waving his hand to indicate it was fine at the foreman who was glaring, took the gold ingot.

"My Lord. Please say something for everyone's morale."

As the monarch stared silently at the gold ingot, Theodore offered a word, and then a thunderous roar erupted.

FOOMM.

Nearby mountain birds all took flight at once, and the young apprentices fell flat on their backs. The dwarves' beards bristled like chestnuts startled by a cat.

It was a monstrous cry that surpassed even the roars of lions and elephants, reaching the realm of dinosaurs.

"Ahem."

Eugene, who had been in an uppercut posture, scratched his head. He had been so happy that he'd shown an embarrassing side in front of his subordinates.

"Wahahahaha!"

"It lifts our spirits to see our Lord so pleased."

"We'll work hard to earn money again tomorrow!"

But it seemed everyone was well aware of just how satisfied their lord was.

"It took 4 days to reach 1kg. Considering we're just at the starting stage, this is tremendous progress."

Theodore smiled and showed him the mining log.

"My Lord, are you perhaps familiar with the Montena Mine?"

"Of course. It was the representative mine of the ancient kingdom."

"In its peak production year, they averaged 9kg per day."

"That's incredible."

Vast amounts of gold had played a crucial role in the ancient kingdom becoming the second unified dynasty.

"That's past glory. Now the technology has been lost and the veins have dried up, drastically reducing profitability. Aren't Britainia's few remaining gold mines producing pitiful amounts?"

"The best running gold mine is in the central region. I heard production is just under 50g per day. Even with that, dozens of battles, large and small, have broken out."

This was also a goal Eugene had agonized over enormously right after the Britainian civil war ended.

-My Lord, why hesitate? Just give me 500 cavalry. I'll go right now, sweep everything clean, and plant the Meyer family's banner.

Rex and other belligerent warriors pestered him daily. Honestly, Eugene was also extremely tempted, but he had given up considering the political losses.

"Right now, we're pulling four times that amount with barely any mining infrastructure in place. Even the Morad family of Goldhill wouldn't dare compete with this."

"Another good point is the tax exemption. Production and distribution will take place on land I own."

Eugene truly felt his status as a feudal monarch not when he was called 'My Lord,' but when he didn't have to pay taxes.

Just considering the profits from this gold rush alone.

Land tax on the mine itself.

Mining tax on precious metal extraction.

Transit duties and tariffs from distribution.

Guild taxes on the pioneer guild.

All of this was free.

Theodore, who had been laughing and chatting with Eugene over beer, cleared his throat. Then he produced a small scroll from his robes.

"My Lord. This is the design I've been drawing ever since I saw the reserves on the last expedition. Would you care to take a look?"

"Small. A new cart for transporting ore?"

Unrolling the scroll, Eugene fell silent for a moment.

"You're joking."

"I'm serious."

Drawn on the scroll was a crown made of gold.

"My Lord is the ruler of southern Britainia. There are quite a few who call you the ruler of the island."

Theodore pointed to the water wheel crushing gold ore.

"Now, every four days, 1kg of gold ingot will be added to that authority. I may be just a miner, but I know history quite well."

To deal with aristocrats, you couldn't be ignorant of history. Reciting a family's glory without touching their sore points was useful for relationships.

"When such a powerful monarch accumulates this much wealth, history made them king."

"That's quite a sudden topic. I don't know if you'll believe me, but I've never once thought about it in that direction."

"No, are you serious?"

Theodore realized his blunder immediately after speaking, but seeing Eugene's nonchalant reaction, he cautiously continued.

"A monarch with this much wealth would have their ambitions ignited."

"I did think I could make even more exciting expenditures for the army. Filling glass with silver powder to throw at the undead, or establishing death insurance to enroll the entire army."

Theodore was at a loss for words. This was what the thoughts of someone who would become one of the wealthiest among the great lords amounted to.

*

Eugene was asked by the pioneers to name their village, and he happily agreed.

-My Lord. If you could name our baby...

Having received such requests often from warriors who had distinguished themselves, he had a broad repertoire when it came to naming.

"Steamville."

"It has an intuitive yet intense feel to it."

The dwarves seemed quite pleased.

They had all lived suffering from cold and lack of water in the mountain ranges. Thanks to this, they took pride and had deep affection for an environment where clear warm water flowed abundantly.

Thus, Eugene remained in the New World until late summer. He arranged trade between the Divide and Steamville, and as Banas's champion, he conducted worship for the natives.

Another thing he carefully managed was the cacao farm. As it grew in a tropical climate, it was a crop impossible to cultivate in the Old World.

"My Lord. You're saying this yields 4-5 times more than coffee?"

"Our supplier in the world is only us, so we name the price. I don't intend to gouge excessively, though."

Dwarves' wives examined the cacao pods with gleaming eyes.

The dwarves Eugene had brought from the mountain ranges weren't all miners. Nearly half had been farmers.

-Wh-what is this?

-It's chocolatl and chocolate. A food made from the cacao fruit. How is it? Edible?

-I never imagined bitterness could be so sweet.

-Even the King of Khazad-dor can't resist it!

-And this chocolate truly is...

-If you wish, I'd like to arrange cultivation of the cacao fruit.

-!!!

The Dwarven Mountain Range was renowned for its wealth, but not all clans were prosperous. Land close to water sources, with good soil and low monster risk, was limited.

As settlement prolonged, soil fertility declined and population grew. Naturally, quite a few lived in barren regions.

-Wouldn't you all like to become rich?

The cacao fruit Eugene presented looked like black gold to the dwarven farmers. If they hadn't cooperated, Steamville would have struggled to function as a large village.

"Cacao seedlings need shade. Once they've grown this much, we'll transplant them later."

"No problem. We're also folks who've lived digging and eating from the mountain ranges for generations."

"Don't forget that as jungle plants, they also emit toxins to kill competitors."

Thanks to natives favorable toward Eugene, he was able to learn cultivation know-how.

"Your role will be significant. The natives here use cacao fruit as currency. To trade smoothly with the recovered villages including the Divide, cultivation is essential."

"My Lord. Won't you forget about the rubber trees we're growing?"

Dwarves fiddling with strange lumps looked at the cacao farmers with jealousy.

Another tropical specialty was rubber extracted from the Para rubber tree.

"Of course! If cacao changes diet, you'll have an enormous impact on culture and technology overall."

"Hmph!"

This was an era where most reports and books were produced by hand copying. Simply considering its use as an eraser, it would prove tremendously valuable.

"If we send it as gifts to other sects, imagine how delighted the priests would be. For a nascent sect like ours, it will be an incredibly important treasure."

"We've also made carriage shock absorbers. We'll provide comfortable carriage rides for My Lord and the Princess."

Perhaps uplifted by the monarch's praise, they finally showed bright smiles.

Eugene surveyed the village bustling with vitality. Miners, farmers, fishermen, hunters, gatherers, loggers--all were sweating happily.

Of course, the core industry was mining, but with abundant clear water around, it didn't feel dirty.

"It's a bit disappointing. Warm water is nice, but sometimes I'd like to take a cold bath too."

"This one's gotten too comfortable, hasn't he?"

Senior dwarves descended on a rookie's complaint and sentenced him to the dislocated shoulder punishment.

"Aaaah!"

"You should feel blessed! Back in my day, we scooped muddy water from a tiny valley with buckets to bathe!"

"At least you had that. When there was no water nearby, we'd go weeks without washing, stinking to high heaven. You've never had to cut off your beards because of ticks, have you?"

Having punished him sufficiently, the seniors tossed the rookie aside.

Splash.

Afterwards, the women washed their husbands' clothes in the river. Dwarven children carried small backpack frames, gathering firewood.

Dwarven chieftains watched the scene with satisfaction. Eugene felt the same.

"The hammer-wielding fellows, and us miners who wandered Rome for work. We all owe the Count a debt."

"There's nothing more important than family."

Usually, they worked outside for over a year. When the period of endurance ended, they returned home for just over a week to spend time with family. Then they went back out into the world.

Most of the money they earned went to wives, children, or parents, and with what remained, they ate their meals. That was the life of dwarven mercenaries and miners.

But not anymore. After Eugene's visit, absentee fathers from the Dwarven Mountain Range had nearly vanished. They saw their families' faces commuting to and from work and ate the lunches their wives packed.

"When you visit next time, we'll greet you with gold ingots, silver ingots, and cacao piled high."

"Your spirit is good, but don't overdo it."

What adversity awaited them in the future was unknown. But for now, everyone was laughing and enjoying their lives as pioneers. As a monarch, there was no time he felt more fulfilled.

To such Eugene, Theodore once admonished:

"My Lord, I know you're casual about power. But please think about the future where you wear a crown. When gold, cacao, rubber, crocodile and jaguar skins, etc., are shipped in earnest to Haven, what will the reactions be? And after the second bridge is completed?"

Actually, even now, there were many vassals dissatisfied with Eugene remaining a count.

The Constantine family of the north.

The Kruger family of the center.

The Edward family of the west.

The Harvester family of the east.

No matter how you looked at it, being grouped equally with them was infuriating. The militant hardline vassals were even proposing to annex everything while the peasant rebellion was ongoing.

"Sometimes, a dynasty rises not from personal ambition but from the command of history. In my humble opinion, the one most suited to that stands before you."

"Your counsel is appreciated. I'll think about it seriously."

"If that happens, please entrust me with the crown's creation!"

"Was that your aim? Walker will be angry, you know."

"I surpass that fellow in goldsmithing techniques!"

Theodore protested, unwilling to lose to his hometown rival.

"I'll consider it. Let's meet again next year then."

"I'll pray every day that God grants you children."

Thus, the Wandering Castle descended upon the Dwarven Mountain Range from the New World.

-Will that be possible so quickly?

-If it were precious metals, maybe, but stone materials have been unsalable since Khazad-dor's completion. Demand is almost nonexistent, and selling externally costs too much in transport. We don't have a transportation system as organized as the ancient kingdom.

In the previous outsourcing contract, the dwarven king was delighted at the prospect of clearing out malignant inventory.

-From what I hear, about 800 craftsmen in Khazad-dor could be deployed immediately.

-If the royal mobilization order is issued, we can supplement up to four times that number.

-Won't there be strong resistance? Everyone has their own work to do.

-Not at all! It's not unpaid labor, is it? Opportunities to earn money by selling stone don't come easily--they'll flock to it.

As the dwarven king said, the sounds of chisels and hammers fell silent in the underground Khazad-dor mining site for a time. Instead, countless crowds swarmed the reopened external quarry.

Nearly four months had passed since outsourcing was commissioned in the spring. With thousands of craftsmen working on it, all the bridge stones would surely be complete.