Chapter 75

"…Ah, I'm sorry. I just wanted to say it, that's all."

Standing still, looking at the marbles peeking out of the bag, Ichiryou apologized with a bead of sweat on his forehead.

"Kazura, this black obsidian called a 'bargain sale'…"

"Really, I'm sorry. Please forget about the 'bargain sale' part. This is a black obsidian called a 'marble,' also known as glass."

The word 'bargain sale' seemed to be completely misunderstood, and Zirconia appeared to have mistaken the marbles in the bag for something called a 'bargain sale.' This was entirely Ichiryou's fault.

"Glass… it has various colors mixed in the transparent part. Is it possible to make such things in the land of the gods… It seems similar to the plastic I saw before."

"You can take a look at them if you want. So, how much do you think they could sell for? Would that be enough to secure some immediate funds?"

Encouraged by Ichiryou, Zirconia and Nelson took the marbles and examined them closely.

If colored obsidian was very expensive, then the glass marbles would also have considerable value.

"That's right… I can't say exactly how much they would be worth here, but I think they could sell for a considerable amount. However, these are so rare that it would be difficult to claim they were mined from a mine… With their colors mixed in the transparent part and their perfect spherical shape, they might attract a lot of attention."

"That's true… It would be good for securing immediate funds, but it seems likely that people will start investigating later."

"Hmm, that's right. Then, would colored glass be better than marbles?"

Nodding in agreement, Ichiryou turned to Zirconia, who had been staring at the marbles.

"Is there such a thing as colored glass?"

"Yes, there is. It's called crystal glass, but unlike the marbles, it's a transparent glass with various colors. I think it's similar to the obsidian that occasionally circulates in this country."

The crystal glass Ichiryou was referring to is colored glass used in glass art. Since it can be easily obtained from stores that handle Japanese burner work products, Ichiryou planned to procure some.

"I'll bring some back when I return to the land of the gods. Do you have any color preferences?"

When Ichiryou said this, Nelson put the marbles back in the bag and turned to Ichiryou.

"Thank you. Then, please bring yellow-green or light blue ones that have circulated in the market before. Also, I think it would be better if they were irregular and rough rather than perfectly spherical."

"Understood. I'll bring a few and try to sell them. Use the money to supplement the funds needed for the domain's projects. Also, use the money to facilitate public works so that the citizens can benefit."

It's unclear how much money can be obtained from the crystal glass Ichiryou plans to bring, but from Nelson's explanation, it seems a considerable amount can be obtained. If it's claimed that they were mined in bulk, it shouldn't be suspicious even if there is a significant amount.

"Securing immediate funds is fine, but the problem is ensuring a steady source of funds after the domain's food situation stabilizes. When I heard from Nelson before, he explained that the domain has a chronic shortage of funds, and there is no prospect of improvement."

"No, if the granary area fully recovers and the harvest increases, we can secure some funds. However, thousands of people from other domains immigrate to the domain every year, so the assumption is that free food aid from other domains will continue. The support from the Fries domain in the south is not a problem, but the support from the Gregorn domain in the west is concerning…"

"Oh, right, I remember that… They are gathering personnel in anticipation of a resumption of the war."

When Ichiryou first visited Isteria with Barretta and others, Rozuru explained the population increase in the Ister domain. With the expectation of a resumption of the war, the population was increasing by thousands every year. To keep up with the food production, they would need to expand farmland urgently. According to what Nelson and Zirconia had said before, the support from the Gregorn domain in the west had rapidly decreased, accelerating the food shortage in the Ister domain. Therefore, it was necessary to increase food production.

"Then, let's expand the farmland beyond the current granary area. I'll teach you how to make a hand pump, which can be used to draw water from high places. This should allow us to expand the farmland."

"Hand pump… I haven't heard of this tool before. Can't we use the water wheels we already have? Although there are issues with the precision of the parts, we have already entered mass production, so it would be easier to gather a sufficient number of them."

(Ah, I thought he would be interested right away. Is he being considerate?)

Ichiryou was a bit disappointed that Zirconia didn't immediately show interest in the new tool. If Ichiryou were in Zirconia's position, he would have jumped at the chance to use advanced tools. Perhaps Zirconia was feeling overwhelmed by the continuous provision of tools and knowledge over the past few days, and Ichiryou tilted his head in confusion.

"…If a water wheel can do the job, that's fine, but water wheels are limited in where they can be installed due to their size and operation. In contrast, hand pumps are small and can be installed almost anywhere, and they can draw water from heights over 5 meters, even higher than the city's outer walls. However, unlike water wheels, they require human effort to operate, and the amount of water they can draw is much less."

As Ichiryou explained, recalling the information he had found on the internet when he returned to Japan, the other three people, except Nelson, exclaimed, "Oh!"

The water wheels installed in the river have a wheel diameter of about 4 meters and can lift water to a considerable height, even after accounting for the part submerged in water.

However, the hand pump Ichiryou described can lift water to a much higher place. It can easily send water to a small hill, and by combining multiple hand pumps with intermediate storage points, it can lift water to even higher places. Traditionally, if a reservoir was built at a high place, it would have to be carefully constructed to prevent water from seeping into the ground. However, using lime, which can be obtained in this world, to make a mortar reservoir should prevent water from seeping through. If a large-scale project is not necessary, a simple wooden box can be used as a storage tank.

"That's a wonderful tool. I will arrange the necessary personnel and tools with the highest priority."

"Yes. I will have many requests, but please bear with me. I'll bring a sample hand pump and instructions from the land of the gods later, so we can start production after that."

"…Lord Kazura, I have one question."

As Ichiryou smiled back at Zirconia, who was smiling happily after understanding the explanation, Nelson, who had been thinking with a serious expression, spoke up.

"Can this hand pump be installed in narrow places like mine shafts?"

"Depending on the size, I think it can. It's not that big… It has a long tube on the bottom, which is placed in the water to draw it up."

Ichiryou demonstrated the size of the hand pump with his hands, saying, "It's probably this big."

"Hmm… Lord Kazura, with this hand pump, we might be able to significantly increase the productivity of the mines. When it's completed, I would like to use a few in the mines."

"Mines? What for?"

In contrast to Ichiryou, who was completely puzzled, the others looked surprised.

"Draining groundwater. In the northwest mountainous area, we are excavating tunnels horizontally in addition to open-pit mining, but groundwater often gushes out during the excavation process. For small amounts of water, we use buckets to remove it, but if there is too much groundwater, we have to abandon the ore in that area. However, if we can use hand pumps…"

"I see, so all the ore that was submerged and couldn't be mined can now be extracted."

Nelson's explanation made Ichiryou nod in admiration. Despite just learning about the hand pump, Nelson immediately thought of its application beyond agriculture, which was impressive for a domain lord.

"Also, by storing a large amount of water and then releasing it to wash away a potential open-pit mining area, we might be able to expose ore deposits near the surface that we couldn't find before."

(…This guy is really sharp.)

While nodding to Nelson's explanation, Ichiryou was inwardly impressed by his quick thinking and creativity. Ichiryou had not worked much with Nelson before and only thought of him as someone always busy with paperwork. However, as the lord of Isteria, which has a population of 300,000, Nelson's ability to think broadly from a single piece of information was evident.

"Furthermore, if we can store a large amount of water, we can also flood abandoned tunnels to cause a collapse. After the collapse, we might still be able to extract some ore, and we might even discover new veins. The extracted ore can be washed and sorted using the stored water, significantly increasing the amount of ore extracted."

"That's a good idea. Please go ahead with it."

Despite feeling a cold sweat on his back, Ichiryou smiled and agreed, and Nelson also smiled and thanked him.

"Lord Kazura, when we worked together in the granary area before, you mentioned an idea that could improve the citizens' diet and make money at the same time. Could you explain it in more detail now?"

As Nelson's talk came to a pause, Zirconia brought up the topic.

"Improving the diet? …Ah! Right, I should explain it now."

Ichiryou had forgotten about the idea he had mentioned to Zirconia before, probably due to daily fatigue. If Zirconia hadn't brought it up, he might have forgotten about it for a long time.

"Zirconia, have you heard of a building called an ice house?"

"Ice house? …No, I haven't. Nelson, have you heard of it?"

"No, I haven't either… What is it?"

Ichiryou nodded at the puzzled expressions of the two and decided to give a brief explanation. He didn't have detailed information about ice houses, so he could only explain based on his limited knowledge.

"Well, in simple terms, it's an ice storage facility. It's used to store large amounts of ice cut from lakes or ponds during winter and use it in summer."

"…Store winter ice until summer?"

Zirconia looked skeptical, as if to say, "It will melt, won't it?"

"You might think it will all melt by summer, but with the right method, it's possible to store ice for a long time without it melting. I'll explain how to build an ice house later."

"Does that mean you can store meat and fish in the ice house to keep them cool and preserve them?"

Nodding at Nelson's interested question, Ichiryou continued.

"Basically, that's the idea. My idea is to sell the ice stored during winter in the summer. If we also produce and sell small ice houses, the demand for ice will never end."

"A small ice house… If it's that size, it can be placed in ordinary citizens' homes. Since ice can be cut from ponds during winter at almost no cost… I see, I see."

Nelson nodded in admiration, seemingly understanding what a refrigerator was.

"So, the problem is that we need a pond to cut the ice. I thought about using the reservoirs in the granary area to make ice, but will the ice be thick enough to cut?"

When Ichiryou turned to Zirconia, she put her hand to her mouth and thought for a moment.

"…It might be a bit difficult to cut enough ice. However, on the mountains, it gets very cold in winter, so if we build a new reservoir and fill it with water, we might be able to get thick ice by mid-winter. I'll look for a suitable place to build a reservoir."

"Thank you… But, I'll also help you look for a place. I'll go back to the land of the gods and research ice houses again."

Ichiryou briefly considered leaving the task of finding a suitable location for the reservoir to Zirconia, but he realized that not all locations would be suitable. He needed to go back to Japan and consult with experts to get a better understanding of what kind of location would be best for building a reservoir. It's important to use the knowledge and expertise of those who have done it before.

"…Research again?"

"Anyway, let's leave the ice house discussion there for now. What else… Ah, we need to talk about the precision of the water wheels. We should go see the workshop."

As Ichiryou reached for the pile of documents on the desk, Zirconia glanced at his face and then helped him pull out the documents, starting to explain the workshops in Isteria to him.