Chapter 95

Time passed. It had been a month since General Pujol and Nilda Gazir's engagement was officially decided. With only a month left in the late active period, the sky began to show signs of the rainy season, one day.

Queen Aura, as usual, was in her office, reviewing reports from her subordinates and sighing deeply.

"Tch, things aren't going well. Even if the reports are as expected, bad news never feels good."

Sitting in a chair made of wood and vines, the queen, holding the report in her hand, sighed. The thin-faced secretary standing behind her interjected.

"Is it the report from 'Potosi Silver Mine' that just arrived?"

"Yes. We finally have an estimate of this season's mining output. It's as bad as I expected."

The queen nodded slightly in response to the secretary's words, then threw the dragon skin paper on the desk with a somewhat rough gesture, showing her inner frustration.

"Excuse me. ...Ah, as I thought, it's no good. If we could restart the mining of those veins, the output would improve dramatically, but it's not going well."

"Indeed. Our country is blessed with water, but it is also cursed by it."

Queen Aura said this and sighed deeply again.

The Kingdom of Carp, located in the southwestern part of the southern continent, is a country blessed with water resources. Thanks to the abundant water brought by the long rainy season, the well-developed forests and rich soil store the water firmly in the ground.

However, the saying "too much of a good thing is bad" applies to water as a resource. The Kingdom of Carp, blessed with an abundance of water, is also a country plagued by floods.

In the Kingdom of Carp, when opening a new village, the item of "securing a water source" in the location conditions is said to be almost ignored.

While it is an exaggeration to say it is completely ignored, compared to a desert country like the Shalow and Jilbert dual kingdom, it is difficult to argue against the claim that it is "ignored" due to its low priority.

This is because, without the need for experts who can detect water veins, one can dig a drinkable well almost anywhere by digging the ground diligently.

If the nomads living in the desert of the dual kingdom heard this, they would probably shed tears of anger and envy. However, the fact that water can be found with a high probability wherever one digs is, in the case of mines, by no means a positive factor.

Mines are meant to dig the earth and extract minerals. For a mine, hitting water is nothing but a disaster.

Secretary Fabio quickly grasped the contents of the dragon skin paper and, with his usual expressionless face, reported.

"The mines that hit water have no prospects of recovery, correct? I remember that the number of workers who can use 'Water Manipulation' was increased this year."

As Fabio said, the report contained unfavorable news about the Kingdom of Carp's largest silver mine, 'Potosi Silver Mine.'

There are several mines in 'Potosi Silver Mine' where mining was stopped halfway, but, surprisingly, none of them stopped because the silver veins were exhausted. They were all abandoned due to hitting an unmanageable amount of groundwater, which left them with no choice but to give up.

It goes without saying, but no matter how many mineral resources lie there, if there is no way to extract them, it is the same as if they do not exist.

Thus, in 'Potosi Silver Mine,' as they dug deeper for silver, water would gush out, and even though the silver veins were not exhausted, they had to give up on those mines and start digging from a different location, repeating this process many times.

For the owner of the silver mine, it is incredibly frustrating to know that there is silver but cannot dig any further. Queen Aura had tried various measures, such as increasing the number of 'Water Manipulation' magic users, but so far, it was like pouring water on a burnt stone, with no significant results.

Moreover, this land was about to enter the full 'Rainy Season.' Challenging floods during the 'Rainy Season' is like challenging the nest of ancient dragons naked. After the 'Rainy Season' passes and the 'Severe Heat Period' is endured, the next move cannot be made until the next 'Active Period.'

The queen, as if to vent her dejected feelings, took a deep breath and said to her right-hand man and trusted secretary.

"Even with such a large silver mine, if we continue like this, it's like letting more than half of the good parts rot. We need to find a way to make the abandoned mines usable despite the groundwater."

"I agree with your opinion, but what measures do you have in mind? It should be difficult to send more people who can use 'Water Manipulation' or 'Earth Manipulation' to the mines."

Prompted by the secretary, the queen smiled slightly and nodded.

"Yes. Actually, my husband's knowledge includes something called a 'pump.' If it can be reproduced, it might allow for more efficient drainage without relying on magic."

"Hmm..."

The queen's words made the trusted secretary raise an eyebrow and slightly break his usual expressionless face.

Queen Aura learned about the existence of the 'pump' quite early on when Zenjiro came to this world.

The first time she saw it was a shampoo bottle Zenjiro brought. Intrigued by the device that could dispense the liquid inside by pressing the top, Aura, however, did not think of applying it to anything at that time because the shampoo bottle was small.

Aura became seriously interested in 'pumps' when she watched a certain TV program recorded by Zenjiro.

In that program, a hand pump was installed in a well to replace the bucket previously used, and she was impressed by its effectiveness.

The principle of a hand pump is surprisingly simple. When the handle is moved up and down, the piston inside also moves up and down. When the piston rises, the valve above it closes, and the valve fixed at the bottom of the pump opens. Conversely, when the piston descends, the valve above it opens, and the valve at the bottom closes.

By repeating this up-and-down motion of the piston inside the pump, water is drawn up from below.

While explaining the exact mechanism would involve some complex topics like vacuums and water pressure, the principle of a pump is so simple that even someone without special knowledge could understand it intuitively if shown a transparent pump in action.

In fact, with just the program's images and Zenjiro's crude diagrams and explanations, Queen Aura was able to grasp the basic mechanism.

The queen told the secretary,

"The mechanism is simple, but the problem is the precision and strength of the parts. Whether our country's craftsmen can create something practical, and if they can, whether it is more cost-effective than adding more magic users or magic tools, are things we need to consider carefully."

From what Aura observed, pumps are mainly made of iron. Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Carp's iron-making technology is not very advanced.

In a world where craftsmanship and experience are heavily relied upon, mass-producing uniform products is not a strong point. The competition from materials like dragon teeth, bones, and skin, which are superior to metal in many ways, may also be affecting the level of blacksmithing.

The blacksmiths in the palace's courtyard, known as the 'Craftsmen's Garden,' are among the best in the Kingdom of Carp and are bound by contract to complete the king's orders. Since there are no urgent, absolutely necessary tasks at the moment, it would be fine to formally request the creation of a 'hand pump.'

The queen, having made her decision, exhaled and declared,

"Currently, the blacksmiths in the 'Garden' are only working on repairing and producing consumables for weapons, armor, and palace iron products. It will be expensive, but we will buy next year's consumables from the capital's blacksmith guild. In the freed-up time, we will have the craftsmen in the 'Garden' start prototyping the 'hand pump.'"

"Is it alright not to use the glassmakers? They are originally blacksmiths, so they could be a valuable addition if reassigned?"

In response to the secretary's confirmation, the queen immediately shook her head.

"No. Between the 'hand pump' and 'marbles,' the latter is far more important."

"Understood. By the way, how is the progress on the glass? Has there been any development since then?"

As if suddenly remembering, the secretary asked, and the queen sighed and nodded.

"There hasn't been a dramatic breakthrough. However, thanks to the 'Heat-Resistant Reinforcement' magic tool from Princess Bonne, the pace of prototyping has significantly increased, and the furnace temperature can be raised much higher, so improvements are progressing at a good pace. The craftsmen believe that a significant breakthrough can be expected by changing the sand used as the main material."

According to the craftsmen's reports, even when the same process is used to make glass, the quality varies depending on the sand used.

Therefore, it is a common thought that there must be sand somewhere in this world that is more suitable as a raw material for glass.

In response to the queen's words, the secretary placed his hand on his chin and thought.

"Hmm. Fortunately, our Kingdom of Carp is vast. There are many potential sites for sand collection, but it would be wise to set priorities. Your Majesty, which would you prioritize, 'ease of transportation' or 'protection of rights'?"

What Secretary Fabio was asking was simple. When choosing a site for sand collection, should they prioritize the royal territory near the capital or the royal territory that is an exclave?

While the current experimental level is manageable, transporting large amounts of sand in the future will be a significant burden. The closer the raw material extraction site is to the production site, the better.

Without hesitation, the queen answered the secretary's point.

"First, we will check all the royal territories. Other territories will be considered afterward. Marbles are not just a matter of financial rights; they can become a source of power for the royal family. We want to monopolize them as much as possible."

"Understood."

In response to the queen's words, the thin-faced secretary gave a mechanical bow without any deviation.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

While Queen Aura was in her office, working on documents to decide the future of the Kingdom of Carp with Secretary Fabio, Zenjiro was in another room of the same palace, hosting a long lunch with guests.

The host was Zenjiro, and the guests were Lucinda Gazir, Primo Gijen, Prince Francesco, and Princess Bonne.

From Zenjiro's perspective, Lucinda and Primo were seated on the right side of the table, and Prince Francesco and Princess Bonne on the left, chatting and continuing their lunch.

"Being invited to a meal hosted by Lord Zenjiro is already quite frequent, but I never tire of it. The cuisine from Lord Zenjiro's homeland is very intriguing."

Primo Gijen said this in a loud voice that, despite his age, showed no hint of malice or hidden intentions.

As Primo said, the lunch featured dishes that Zenjiro had suggested. Specifically, fried meat using raw breadcrumbs.

While Zenjiro thought this menu was a bit heavy for lunch, he had been persuaded by the enthusiasm of Primo Gijen, a nobleman with a passion for both art and gourmet cuisine.

While bread was already a staple in the Kingdom of Carp, primarily in the form of something similar to naan, neither Western-style breadcrumbs nor Japanese-style raw breadcrumbs existed.

Since oil was abundant in their culture, the method of frying in oil already existed, but the concept of breadcrumbs was introduced by Zenjiro.

While Zenjiro usually asked the harem to recreate dishes from his knowledge, he would only present those that received high praise from the majority of the locals, such as Queen Aura and the harem maids, in the palace.

While it might not have the potential to become a new source of income for the royal family like distilled alcohol, it was certainly a useful card to attract the interest of new enthusiasts and food lovers like Primo Gijen.

After the main course, with only dessert fruits and drinks left, the lunch entered its main phase in a certain sense.

"By the way, is the wedding preparation going smoothly? Forgetting to report is the worst mistake, so don't hold back."

After a theatrical cough, Zenjiro abruptly brought up the main topic.

It was immediately clear from the attendees that the primary purpose of this lunch was to discuss the wedding of General Pujol and Nilda Gazir.

To be more precise, what was originally planned as a simple discussion was transformed into a lunch at the suggestion of Primo Gijen.

In any case, the progress of the wedding needed to be confirmed here, and a report needed to be given to Queen Aura later.

In response to Zenjiro's words, the first to speak, as expected, was Primo Gijen.

"Then, the most important report. As a result of the discussion, we have decided to request four 'decorative oil lamps' from Prince Francesco."

Decorative oil lamps. They are oil dishes used for lighting, but with elaborate decorations, they also serve as room decor.

Most are made of metal or stone, and while they are often not very practical (especially in terms of maintenance like soot cleaning), they are suitable for decorating the wedding venue of a great noble.

Relieved by the more straightforward conclusion than expected, Zenjiro let out a sigh of relief.

"I see, decorative oil lamps. That would indeed be appropriate as decoration for the venue."

Zenjiro looked at the blond prince who had accepted the request, as if to confirm.

The blond prince, Prince Francesco, narrowed his green eyes in delight and said,

"Yes, I will certainly create something that meets your expectations."

He seemed unable to sit still, moving his shoulders up and down repeatedly.

Furthermore, Prince Francesco, without being asked, enthusiastically continued to talk about the decorative oil lamps he planned to make.

"I am thinking of creating a set of four decorative oil lamps. They will be used on tables, so they will be about the size of a forearm. If I can get good stones, I would like to make them with stone carvings, but if that is difficult, metalwork is also an option. In any case, the design is planned to be based on 'Sprite Maidens.'"

"'Sprite Maidens'?"

Hearing this unfamiliar proper noun for the first time, Zenjiro tilted his head.

It was Princess Bonne, sitting next to Prince Francesco, who explained to Zenjiro, not the prince himself.

"It's understandable that you don't know, Lord Zenjiro. The 'Sprite Maidens' are a legend from the central part of the southern continent."

In this world, where the existence of magic is proven by magic language, no one doubts the existence of sprites. Even the 'Church' in the northern continent, which venerates dragons, acknowledges this.

However, naturally, the perception of the invisible 'sprites' varies by country and region.

In the western part of the southern continent, where the Kingdom of Carp is located, sprites are seen as a vague, great will that governs nature and a bearer of the unseen world.

On the other hand, in the central part of the southern continent, where the dual kingdom is located, the dominant view is that sprites have individual differences, varying abilities, and distinct personalities.

The nomads of the desert, the original inhabitants of the dual kingdom, call phenomena like spontaneous combustion without a fire source or ill-timed gusts of wind 'sprite pranks.'

In the traditions of these desert nomads, there is a legend that particularly powerful and curious sprites can temporarily incarnate and live in the human world.

"Among them, the most famous are the 'Sprite Maidens' of earth, water, fire, and wind, the ancestors of the four ducal families of the current dual kingdom, the chieftains of the four desert tribes."

"'Sprite Maidens.' Do they really exist?"

Curious, Zenjiro leaned forward to ask, but Princess Bonne hesitated with a troubled smile.

"Well, that is, the..."

In response, Prince Francesco spoke up.

"At least, I have never seen one. I have never heard of any credible sightings either."

Seeing Prince Francesco's wry smile and shrug, Zenjiro understood.

"I