Chapter 86

"Shall we go at this speed?"

"Yes... I think this pace... is manageable..."

As they ran fiercely toward the mountain visible in the distance, across the dry land, Valleta and Rozuru exchanged words. The two were running at a speed slightly exceeding the average world record for the 100-meter dash, yet neither appeared to be particularly exerting themselves.

Valleta, who was not accustomed to running, was careful to maintain her pace and breathing, while Rozuru seemed to have plenty of room to spare.

"By the way, I once found an abandoned mine when I went to the mountains. There might be the kind of ore we saw in the photos around there."

"A mine...?"

While Rozuru spoke smoothly as usual, Valleta, mindful of her breathing, responded in a somewhat broken manner.

"Yes, I think it was dug a long time ago... Ah, you don't have to strain to answer. It's fine if you just let it go."

Nodding at Rozuru's words, Valleta focused on running straight ahead. Running in silence was not a problem, but maintaining this speed while talking significantly increased the difficulty. While she wasn't completely out of breath, running and talking like Rozuru until they reached the mountain was quite challenging for Valleta. She might be fine for the first few minutes, but her breathing would soon become disordered, and she would quickly exhaust her stamina.

"I think it's a mine that was abandoned after the ore vein was exhausted. There were piles of discarded rocks around it. I don't remember if the red ore from the photo was there, but it might be worth checking out."

While running cautiously to avoid disrupting her breathing, Valleta was delighted by the information Rozuru provided. Among the rocks discarded as waste from the already mined mine, there might be some iron ore. If they found a place where iron ore had been discarded in bulk, they could easily obtain it without the need for mining.

"When I found the mine, it was pouring rain. I went inside to take shelter, but it was a roost for a large colony of bats. The floor was covered with bat droppings, and if I went outside, I would get drenched. In the end, I stood in the mine, covered in droppings, until the rain stopped. It was quite a tough experience."

Valleta couldn't help but chuckle at Rozuru's nostalgic story. Running while listening to Rozuru's chatty reminiscences, they arrived at an open meadow at the foot of the mountain after about an hour, without taking a single break. This mountain was part of the mountain range in the northwest of Isteria, located north of Grisae Village.

In front of them, a dense mixed forest spread out, with trees and grass so thick that it was impossible to see what lay beyond from this spot.

"Phew. We finally made it... Are you okay?"

Rozuru asked with concern as Valleta, hands on her knees, panted heavily.

"Huff, huff... I'm... I'm fine... I just need... a little rest..."

Valleta, breathing heavily, was dripping sweat from her nose and chin. In contrast, Rozuru, though slightly out of breath and with a light sheen of sweat on his forehead, was not as disheveled as Valleta. The difference in basic stamina, which could not be compensated for by enhanced physical abilities, was clearly evident.

At Rozuru's suggestion to sit and rest, Valleta sat down and wiped her sweat with a cloth towel she had brought, taking a moment to recover. Meanwhile, Rozuru casually entered the forest and soon returned with a branch about the thickness of an adult's arm. The branch, cut with a hatchet, had a clean, elliptical cross-section, from which water was dripping.

"Here, Valleta. Tilt this branch, and water will come out. Drinking too much might cause diarrhea... but given our current condition, we should be fine."

"Thank you..."

Valleta took the branch from Rozuru, placed the cut end to her mouth, and tilted it. Water gushed out, and though it had a slightly astringent taste, it was safe to drink.

Valleta gulped down the water and then offered the branch to Rozuru.

"Phew... I feel much better. Would you like some, Rozuru?"

"Hmm... No, I'm fine. Besides, if I accept it, Kazura-sama might get angry."

"Eh? ...Ah... U..."

Realizing she was about to hand over the branch she had drunk from, Valleta blushed and looked down at Rozuru's words. Rozuru laughed and headed back into the forest.

After waiting for about five minutes, as Valleta, now fully recovered, stood up and brushed off leaves and sand from her clothes, Rozuru returned from the forest. His burlap bag was slightly bulging, indicating he had collected something.

"Rozuru, I'm fine now. Let's go look for the ore."

"Alright. Let's head to the riverbank first."

Nodding at Valleta's words, Rozuru pulled out his hatchet and led the way into the forest, occasionally cutting away vines that blocked their path. Valleta followed at a distance to avoid getting in his way.

"What did you collect just now? Your bag seems to have something in it."

"I collected some sandpaper branches. The sliding doors at home have been sticking, and my wife asked me to get some."

The "sandpaper branches" Rozuru mentioned are smooth wooden branches with a white, powdery surface. Applying this powder to the threshold of a door that has become difficult to slide due to long use can make it slide smoothly again. It is much more effective than wax and will be very useful when brought back. The branches can be stuck into the ground and will continue to release powder for some time, making them usable by the entire village.

"Ah, I'd like to use them too. The door to the shed has been sticking lately..."

"Sure, I'll give you a few when we get back to the village. I collected a lot and planned to share them with everyone."

While chatting, they walked through the forest for about 20 minutes. Using their enhanced physical abilities, they moved through the forest almost in a straight line, arriving at the riverbank. The riverbank, likely washed away by heavy rains during the rainy season or flash floods, was mostly exposed bedrock. Along the cliffs on either side of the riverbank, there were places where rocks of various sizes were piled up as if swept together.

"Wow, what a beautiful place!"

Valleta exclaimed in awe at the beautiful scenery before her.

The riverbank was mostly covered in stone, with a thick river flowing between the cliffs and the stone surface. The sound of the gently flowing water, the chirping of birds echoing from the forest, and the rustling of the trees created a refreshing atmosphere.

"Right? When I come hunting in the mountains, I camp here and spend the night. There are several perfectly sized potholes where you can take a bath, and sometimes you can catch fish in the potholes. It's one of my favorite spots."

Following Rozuru's finger, Valleta approached a hole about waist-deep that was connected to the river. The hole was about three meters wide, and the river water flowed gently into it. The water was very clear, and the bottom of the hole was visible. The rock surface inside the hole was very smooth, so it wouldn't hurt to enter.

Incidentally, a pothole is a hole in the rock formed by water flow over a long period of time.

"The water looks so clear and refreshing... Ah, it's quite cold."

Valleta squatted by the hole and gently touched the water. The cold, refreshing water from the melting snow on the mountain felt good on her heated skin from the walk. The water temperature was slightly lower than the river near Grisae Village, likely due to its proximity to the mountain peak.

"By the way, I often see the kind of stone you showed me in the photo around here. Look, over there."

Following Rozuru's words, Valleta looked in the direction he was pointing.

"Ah, really. There's a red stone."

Among the rocks piled up near the cliff, there were iron ores that appeared to be hematite, reddish in color. Valleta stood up and ran across the stone surface to the rocks. She squatted down, took out a book from her burlap bag, and opened the page with a bookmark. She compared the color of the ore in front of her with the color photo in the book. From the appearance and color, it seemed to be hematite.

"How about it? Is this the right stone?"

"Yes, this is definitely iron ore. There's quite a bit of it."

Among the large pile of rocks, there were not only hematite but also magnetite. A considerable amount could be seen at a glance, so if they carefully selected these rocks, they could obtain a significant amount of iron ore.

"Rozuru, is this river the same one that flows near the village?"

"Yes, it's the same river. It branches and merges with other rivers along the way."

At Rozuru's explanation, Valleta nodded happily. If this river connected to the one near the village, they could easily transport the ore they collected here to the village using rafts.

The wood needed for the rafts could be obtained from the surrounding mountains, and after floating down the river, the rafts could be dried and used as firewood in the village, minimizing waste. The only drawback was the effort required to reach this location, but in such a remote area, they wouldn't be disturbed by others. Moreover, they wouldn't need to engage in mining for a while, making it an ideal location.

For the charcoal needed for iron smelting, they could build a charcoal kiln either here or in the village. Since a lot of wood was available around the village, they wouldn't have to worry about fuel. The knowledge of charcoal making and the construction of the furnace for iron smelting were detailed in the specialized books and ethnic histories that Ichirou had brought. With the wisdom of their ancestors, they could proceed with the work without major mistakes.

"Shall we go to the abandoned mine as well?"

"Yes, I'd like to check it out while we're here. I want to know how much ore is there and where it is."

Valleta put the book back in her burlap bag, stood up, and looked around the riverbank. She noticed that the cliff face had a striped pattern of red and black.

"What's wrong?"

Rozuru tilted his head and asked, seeing Valleta stop and look at the cliff face. Valleta hurriedly opened her burlap bag again, took out the book, and flipped through it. Finding the color photo she was looking for, she looked back at the cliff face.

"...Striped... iron formation..."

Murmuring, she followed the striped pattern on the cliff face with her eyes, looking upstream. The striped pattern seemed to continue endlessly without interruption.

When Valleta looked at the opposite cliff, she saw the same striped pattern on the cliff face.

"Eh... So, all of this..."

The page in the book Valleta was holding showed a photo of a cliff face similar to the one at the riverbank. What she was seeing was a cross-section of a banded iron formation, a type of iron ore deposit. This place was a major iron ore deposit.

After that, Valleta and Rozuru resumed their climb and arrived at the abandoned mine Rozuru had found before. This mine was located upstream of the riverbank they had just visited. It was about 30 minutes upstream along the river and about 100 meters away from the river.

The entrance to the mine was overgrown with vegetation, and the inside was dark and eerie. The entrance was reinforced with wood, but it appeared to have been abandoned for a long time, and most of it had rotted away. It looked like a place where ghosts might appear.

"This is the mine. When I came here before, there was a lot of bat droppings right inside, so it's better not to go in."

"It's completely dark and I can't see anything..."

Valleta put her hand on the entrance of the mine and peered inside, but it was pitch black and she couldn't see anything. She had hoped to find some ore veins on the walls inside the mine, but it would be dangerous to push in and risk injury, so it was better not to enter today.

"The discarded rocks are still here. There's a lot of them."

Following Rozuru's gaze, Valleta saw a large pile of rocks. Soil carried by wind and rain had filled the gaps between the rocks, and grass and vines were growing out of them. It would take some effort, but if they removed the surface vegetation, they could extract the ore.

Valleta approached the pile of rocks and observed the visible rocks on the surface.

"Ah, there's limonite. There's a little bit of it."

Among the rocks, there were small amounts of iron ore that appeared to be limonite, a yellowish-brown color. Since it was mixed with the discarded rocks, there might be ore veins inside the mine.

Valleta returned to the entrance of the mine and put her hand on the wall to look inside. However, the wall near the entrance did not show any ore veins, just ordinary rock. She squatted down and used a nearby branch to sweep the ground. As she did, dark brown material, likely bat droppings, scattered with the movement of the branch.

"..."

"Let's make leather shoes when we get back to the village. The entrance is manageable, but it gets really bad with bat droppings further in. I'd rather not go in with these sandals."

Valleta, who had been staring at the ground she had swept, nodded and stood up. Since they didn't need to investigate the mine immediately, it would be better to do it another day.

From the gaps in the ground she had swept, a thin white substance was visible.