Chapter 74

Three days later, at night.

In the study of the Nelson estate, Ichi stood in front of a map of the granary area, explaining the progress of the work to Nelson and the others. The map, spread out before them, had sticky notes placed in various spots, each marked with comments in the local language, such as "Waterwheel (good quality)" or "Waterwheel (defective)."

Ichi, who could not yet read or write much of the local script, had just a moment ago asked Zirconia to write the notes for him.

In the room were Nelson, Zirconia, Isaac, and Haber. As usual, Zirconia sat next to Ichi, while Nelson sat across from him, listening intently to his explanation. Isaac and Haber stood by the side of the table, peering down at the map.

Liese was not present; she was currently taking a bath.

On the first day of the trip, Liese had received instructions from Ichi on how to determine the placement of the waterwheels and the points to consider during assembly. From the next day onward, she had taken the lead, directing her attendants and guards to handle the work assignments. Thanks to her efforts, the installation of the waterwheels was completed twice as fast, and they were able to finish setting up the main water channels leading to the northern and western granary areas by today.

However, it seemed that the unfamiliar work and the long hours were taking their toll. By the end of the day, Liese appeared quite exhausted from the heat and fatigue. She tried not to worry Ichi, maintaining a cheerful demeanor in front of him, but the signs of fatigue were still visible in her expressions.

Seeing her earnest efforts for the domain, Ichi felt a pang in his heart.

Incidentally, the occasional signs of fatigue and her attempts to appear energetic were all calculated actions by Liese. She was indeed working hard, and she was more tired than usual, but she had carefully considered how much and when to show these signs to achieve the most effective results. Given Liese's exceptional ability to manage expressions and atmospheres, and the fact that her expressions were not entirely fabricated, it was impossible for Ichi to see through her true intentions.

"Thanks to Liese, we were able to complete the installation of the waterwheels much faster. The remaining channels are in the east and south, but I believe the situation there is not as serious, right?"

"Compared to the north and west, it is much better, but there has been some damage from the drought. The crops haven't withered yet, so we still have some time, but considering future growth, it would be better to install the waterwheels as soon as possible."

Nelson picked up a report on the current state of the granary area from the edge of the table and pointed out the areas where the crops were at risk of withering on the map. Ichi placed sticky notes on these spots to mark them as priority areas for future waterwheel installations.

"Then, starting tomorrow, we'll install the remaining waterwheels in those areas. Would it be alright if Liese continues to help us?"

"Of course. Zir, is that alright?"

"Yes, I'll take care of all the other arrangements, so please let Liese help you. I'm happy to see my daughter being of service."

Zirconia nodded in response to Nelson's question and smiled proudly.

"Since Liese started helping, not only has the installation of the waterwheels progressed faster, but the efficiency of the fertilizer distribution has also improved significantly. I had heard about her popularity among the citizens, but it's truly remarkable."

Since Liese started working with them, the fertilizer distribution in the granary area has progressed at an unprecedented speed. Ichi was astonished when he heard reports from Isaac and the others, who were supervising the work. It seemed that Liese's deep connections with the citizens and her consistently kind demeanor were the reasons for this phenomenon.

"I was also surprised. I didn't realize Liese was so popular among the people."

"Yes, I must admit, I was also surprised. I may have underestimated my daughter. If she had this much potential, I should have involved her in the administration earlier."

If Liese continues to help Ichi with the work, all the tasks will likely be completed much faster than initially planned. In a few months, the water management project in the city is also scheduled to begin. Once the construction plans from the Japanese construction company are ready, a large number of people will be mobilized to carry out the work. If Liese joins in supervising the project, the construction will surely proceed at an astonishing pace.

"Then, starting tomorrow, Liese and I will continue with the installation of the waterwheels. Isaac and Haber, please continue with the fertilizer distribution."

"Understood. We'll take care of it."

Over the past few days, Isaac and Haber's tasks have been supervising the fertilizer distribution, reporting the progress after the work is done, and compiling materials on the hygiene status of the domain for Ichi. They occasionally help with Nelson and Zirconia's administrative work, but compared to their previous jobs, they seem to be in better health and more energetic. The Lipovit D they took a few days ago is probably also helping.

"How are you feeling, Zirconia? Are you getting enough rest?"

"Yes, thank you for your concern. I've been making sure to get enough rest at night, so I'm fine now."

Zirconia smiled at Ichi's concern. The dark circles under her eyes were gone, and she seemed to be in better spirits. Being able to delegate all the granary-related tasks to Liese has allowed her to focus on the backlog of work, which has been a significant help. When Ichi occasionally encounters Zirconia in the hallways while making tea, she doesn't seem to be staying up late every night. If Zirconia's workload becomes too much and her health deteriorates, Ichi had planned to give her Lipovit D, but it doesn't seem necessary now.

Ichi doesn't call a maid to bring him water when he makes tea for himself. He enjoys walking around the estate, so he asks the guard in front of his room and goes to the kitchen to make the water himself. It feels similar to when he used to walk through the dark office to the vending machine to buy coffee during late-night overtime at his previous company.

"That's good to hear. But please don't overwork yourself. If you need help, please let me know. I'll try to assist if it's something I can manage."

When Ichi offered this with a smile, Zirconia showed a slightly surprised expression but quickly smiled and thanked him. Over the past few days, seeing Zirconia work tirelessly for the domain without complaining, Ichi's impression of her had greatly improved. He felt a sense of camaraderie, as if they were colleagues working in the same office. This sense of solidarity is one of the few benefits of working in a high-pressure environment.

"Alright, now that we've settled the granary issue, I'd like to hear about the domain's financial situation. We've been asking for a lot of people and resources in a short time, but how is the financial situation holding up?"

At the mention of finances, Nelson's expression turned slightly grim.

"We're managing by cutting costs, but the situation is becoming quite severe. We've had to reallocate the budget from previously planned projects to the current work. If this continues, we'll have to halt some projects to free up funds."

"I see... Will the situation improve once the food supply in the domain stabilizes?"

"It depends on the extent of the improvement, but it will be difficult. It takes too long for the crops to mature, and it will take even longer to recover from the damage caused by the famine. The original budget was already tight, with funds allocated to the most critical areas, so without some form of financial strategy, significant improvements will be hard to achieve."

Ichi had already asked Liese about the crop harvest times, so he understood Nelson's point. Unless the crops in the Ister granary area grow abnormally like in Gricia Village, the current method of fertilization won't cause abnormal growth. The beans and winter sweet potatoes that Liese mentioned won't be ready for harvest until just before winter, and the main crops like rye and spelt used for bread and porridge can't even be planted until the fall. If the harvest times are similar to those in Japan, the crops won't be ready until next spring at the earliest. Even if the winter sweet potatoes and beans can help with the immediate food shortage, waiting for the main crops to be harvested will take too long.

"Hmm, I see... Do you have any ideas?"

"Perhaps we could request an increase in the support funds from the capital, or cut down the surrounding forests to produce a large amount of timber. There are also silver, copper, tin, and lead mines in the northwest mountainous area, so we could allocate a significant portion of the budget to mining operations. However, unless we discover new large-scale veins, the productivity won't increase much."

Each option might have some effect, but it would take time to see results. Producing timber seems like something that could be done quickly, but promoting deforestation while focusing on water management seems questionable.

"Doesn't the northwest mountainous area produce gold?"

Ichi asked out of curiosity, not because he had any specific plans for gold. Gold is a rare metal on Earth and is likely to be valuable in this world as well.

"There are no gold mines in the Ister domain. In our country, gold is only produced in the capital."

"Hmm, I see. Hmm, what should we do..."

Ichi folded his arms and looked down, deep in thought.

What he was struggling with was whether there was a clever way to secure funds in the short term. Once the granary area recovers and the food supply in the domain stabilizes, they could produce oil from beans or export surplus food to generate some income. However, the citizens of the domain are already exhausted, and launching new projects to address the immediate shortage might be too much for the domain to handle.

"(If we were near the sea, we could produce salt. Since the Ister domain is inland, the only thing we can produce quickly is mortar... But mortar hardens and can't be sold as is, and we can't reveal the production method to other domains or countries...)"

Salt is likely to be expensive in this world, and if the Ister domain were near the sea, Ichi could use Japanese salt production methods to produce it in large quantities. However, the Ister domain is inland, and it would be difficult to produce salt in other domains. Even if they could, it would be too much for the Ister domain to handle right now.

Another option would be to purchase large amounts of lime, which is only used as a pesticide in this world and has little value, and use it to produce mortar. However, to make a profit, they would need to establish a specialized mortar manufacturing industry. Essentially, they would need to get the Ister craftsmen to become plasterers. Given the current financial situation and the tight budget, it would be challenging to launch such a new industry, especially one unrelated to the food shortage.

"Well, this might be the quickest solution."

Nelson and the others, who had been watching Ichi in tense silence, showed a uniform look of tension as he raised his head and spoke. Ichi, aware of the focused attention, felt a bit uncomfortable but reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cloth bag.

"Nelson, how much do you think this is worth?"

As he said this, Ichi opened the bag and took out a few gems. These were power stones he had bought from a stone shop in Japan, each costing 250 yen. The items he took out were a 2-centimeter diameter, perfectly round lapis lazuli and turquoise, and a red quartz he had previously sold in Ister. The red quartz he brought this time was a stronger pink color, with less transparency but more intensity. The lapis lazuli and turquoise were also opaque but had deep, rich colors.

Nelson's eyes widened as he looked at the gems, and he let out a low hum. Zirconia and the others also seemed to hold their breath.

"I'm not an expert in gemstones, but I believe these could fetch a high price. I've never seen such perfectly round, flawless gems with such beautiful luster. I would estimate each one to be worth over 10,000 Al."

"Really?"

Ichi was taken aback by the shocking amount Nelson mentioned. The red quartz he had sold to a shop in Ister had fetched 2,500 Al, which he thought was a high price, but it seems he was completely taken advantage of.

"Well, I'm not sure of the exact value either. They might be worth more, or they might be worth less than the amount I mentioned. But they are certainly valuable. Would you like to take a closer look?"

"Yes, please."

Nelson took the gems in his hand, examined them closely, and ran his fingers over them, seemingly checking for any flaws.

"Generally, which is more valuable, gems with deep colors or those with high transparency?"

"Generally, transparent gems are more popular. Especially, when beautifully transparent obsidian appears on the market, its value is immense. Its beauty is such that no one can resist it."

"Obsidian? You mean the black rock used for arrowheads?"

Obsidian is a natural glass formed when volcanic rock cools. When broken, it forms extremely sharp edges, and it has been used for arrowheads, knives, and even swords in some regions.

"Yes, that's it. Most of it is pitch black, but very rarely, semi-transparent black obsidian or beautifully transparent green or blue obsidian is mined and sold. The green and blue varieties are especially valuable, and only wealthy nobles and royalty can afford them."

"Wow, that's really expensive. This obsidian you mentioned..."

Ichi nodded in amazement at Nelson's explanation and reached into his pocket again.

"If that's the case, how much do you think these are worth?"

Ichi said this and placed another cloth bag in front of Nelson, opening it.

"An obsidian clearance sale."

The atmosphere in the room froze as about ten marbles appeared from the bag.