Chapter 10

I went to the dwarf blacksmith's workshop with my father and the squire Nicholas.

(It's been a year since I started my life in this different world. I'll finally get to see a different race. And it's the classic, the dwarf...)

I was so excited that you wouldn't believe I'm mentally forty-five years old.

I knew they existed, but seeing them in person would surely be a different kind of excitement. I'd like to see elves, beastmen, and dragonmen too, but Rasmoor Village is a human village, and even beastmen, who are relatively common in this area, don't live here.

The workshop is on the east side of North Hill, and black smoke rises from the chimney on the roof.

Nicholas went in first, like a herald, and my father and I followed.

Despite it being the end of May, a comfortable season, the workshop was enveloped in a stifling heat, and the rhythmic sound of a hammer could be heard from the back.

Nicholas returned with a wry smile and said,

"Beltram can't stop what he's doing. He says if you want to see, go ahead."

My father also smiled wryly and explained to me, "It's always like this."

(He's the lord, after all. Is it special treatment because the old man recruited him? Or is it just the nature of a craftsman? I hope he's not a difficult person...)

Nicholas left the workshop, either because he had other business or because he's not good with blacksmiths.

My father led me into the back of the workshop.

In the back, finished farming tools and pots were lined up, and further back, a small, sturdy blacksmith was working at a furnace that burned bright red.

(He's small but solid. He's probably around 145 centimeters tall. But his arms are thicker than my torso. If he had a beard, he'd be the perfect image of a dwarf...)

I carefully avoided getting too close and waited quietly for him to finish his work.

The blacksmith continued hammering for nearly twenty minutes, as if he had infinite stamina, and finally stopped to temper the metal.

What he was forging looked like a slender sword, and with a sizzle, he quickly finished the tempering.

Even though it wasn't polished, I could sense it was a fine piece of work.

"The lord's job seems pretty idle, Matt?"

The blacksmith turned around and shouted this.

My father laughed and said, "Not that idle."

It seemed the blacksmith was joking, but his bearded face, which was hard to read due to the large copper-like sound, made it hard for me to tell if it was a joke.

"Zack, this is the blacksmith Beltram. Say hello."

I bowed and said, "I'm Zack. I'm sorry for the intrusion."

Beltram's eyes widened for a moment, then he said, "I'm Beltram," and turned back to my father.

"What brings you here today? The vigilante group's weapons should still be fine, right?"

"Today is more like an introduction for my son, Zack. He wanted to see the place, so I brought him."

Beltram stared at me silently, as if to say, "What do you want to see?"

"Can Beltram only make things like what's here?"

I couldn't stand his gaze and asked without acting.

(I messed up. Since I came out two days ago, I've been a bit careless... Can't help it. I'll just ask what I want to know...)

However, he didn't mind my way of speaking and engaged with me.

"Do you want something? A sword is too early. A knife?"

"Can you work with copper?"

He was taken aback by this question and said, "Copper?"

"Can you make a copper pot or something?"

"It's not impossible... Matt, your son is different."

When I looked up, my father had noticed I was speaking candidly and had a stern expression.

(I'll get scolded later. Can't help it, it's my mistake...)

"Indeed, he's different, but he's interesting, our Zack," my father said, trying to smooth things over before starting a casual conversation with him.

I slowly looked around the workshop and became interested in the furnace and the coal next to it.

(It's not charcoal... It's coal. I want to see it up close, but if I get too close, I might get yelled at. Maybe I'll give up.)

While chatting, Beltram said, "If you want to see the furnace, I'll show you."

I nodded and followed Beltram to the furnace.

The heat was intense, but I endured and observed carefully.

(The materials are in ingot form. The bellows are hand-operated. The bricks look like firebricks. Since they're not used in houses, they might be specially made...)

I picked up some of the coal.

(The coal is indeed coal... Most of it has a shiny fracture. At a glance, there's some lignite mixed in, but mostly anthracite and bituminous coal. It's of very good quality...)

I had worked at a steel plant when I first started my job. A friendly engineer there had taught me a bit about coal.

(I wonder where the coal comes from? In this world, it's probably from an open-pit mine. If it's nearby, I could use it for my plans...)

There was also a casting setup, with pulleys and hooks on the ceiling, and sand and wooden frames at the edge of the workshop.

(This is more like a small ironworks than a workshop. With a few more workers, a lot could be done)

I didn't want to reveal too much, so I pretended to be bored and went back to my father.

When my father said, "We've been in the way," and started to leave, Beltram said, "Zack, you can come anytime," showing a white smile.

I replied, "Yes!" and followed my father.

(Did he like me? But if I come here, my secret will definitely be exposed. I should consult with the old man...)

Outside, Nicholas was waiting to guide us to the next workshop.

On the way, my father whispered, "Be careful with how you speak."

I nodded and whispered, "Sorry."

The next workshop was a woodworking shop, where logs were being processed and barrels were being made.

Two craftsmen were using a large saw to cut thick oak logs into lumber.

When they recognized my father, they stopped their work and greeted him.

"Lord, welcome."

The burly, elderly craftsman bowed, and my father pointed at me and said, "Show him around."

The elderly craftsman, Craig, introduced himself and said he worked with his son Kenneth.

Inside the workshop, there were wooden planks and square timbers, and new barrels lined up.

The barrels were larger than me, capable of holding several hundred liters, and were secured with iron hoops.

I made a mental note that this place could be useful and headed to the last workshop, the leatherworker's.

The leather workshop was filled with a strong smell, and two craftsmen were tanning hides.

When my father entered, the craftsmen stopped their work and hurriedly stood up.

(The blacksmith's response was different. Are the others normal, or is it because Beltram is a dwarf...)

Inside the workshop, there were parts of leather armor, such as shoulder guards and chest plates, and many pieces of leather fabric.

(I don't know anything about leather processing. I'll probably need to rely on them when I get armor made...)

After visiting all the workshops, the sun was high in the sky.

"We have a lunch box. Shall we have lunch by the Black Pond?"

With my father's words, we rode south to the Black Pond, a small lake in the south of South Hill.

The Black Pond is a triangular lake about 500 meters on one side, filled with clear water. It got its name because the black forest and mountains are reflected in the lake when viewed from South Hill.

We galloped a bit and arrived at the shore of the Black Pond in about ten minutes.

Reeds-like grass grew around the lake, and the trees were reflected in the mirror-like surface.

Finding a suitable fallen log, we sat down and started to unpack the lunch.

The lunch consisted of bread and grilled meat, and Nicholas collected branches from nearby trees and used a fire-starting magic device to start a fire.

The first magic I saw was a lighting magic device in the manor, and the second was this fire-starting magic device.

Magic devices are tools made with a simple magic circle and a magic crystal, which allows anyone to use simple magic like lighting and fire-starting.

(The first time I saw it, I was surprised. The lighting magic device was like a fluorescent light, and it could be turned on by infusing magic power, which even three-year-old me could do easily. It was almost like a touch-sensitive electronic device.)

After the fire was going, we boiled water in a small pot and made a soup with salt and meat. It took about twenty minutes, but it felt good to be outdoors.

After lunch, we followed the Black River, which flows west from the Black Pond, and then followed the Fin River, which joins the Black River from the north.

The Fin River is a small river, but it has a strong current, and there was a water mill in the north of West Hill.

The water mill was used for grinding, and the sound of a pestle could be heard.

While being jostled in my father's horse, I thought about what I needed to do next.

(First, hygiene management. Animal waste is mostly left as is, and human waste is terrible. Even near the well, no one seems to care. If pathogens get into the well... I'll start by building toilets.)

Around 2 PM, we returned to the manor, and I went straight to my father's study without taking a nap.

Regarding coal, the protagonist has some knowledge, but the author has almost none. If there are any mistakes, I would appreciate your guidance.