Chapter 62: The Miners of the Iron Mine (4)

News of the collapse accident.

Upon receiving the report about the incident, Lord Romero immediately summoned Roman when he heard that his eldest son was involved.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No, I'm not."

"What were you thinking, getting involved in such a dangerous situation? A cave-in is a natural disaster that even an Aura Knight cannot avoid. Fortunately, the outcome was good, and you are unharmed, but your reckless bravery almost cost me my son. This is not just because you are the eldest son of the ‘Dmitri family.’ If the other miners had made the same decision, I would not have allowed one life to be put at risk to save another."

Lord Romero revealed his worry and anger.

Having once been a miner himself, he knew how dangerous the situation Roman had faced was.

"Father, I merely did what I had to do."

"Roman!"

"Even if I could turn back time, my decision would not change. An accident occurred at the iron mine, and I happened to be on the scene, capable of resolving it. Do you, as the head of the Dmitri family, wish for the eldest son to ignore the difficulties of the vassals? I don’t believe that one can live in this world by only doing safe things. As someone who bears the name of Dmitri, I believe I made the right choice."

"……Sigh."

Lord Romero sighed.

Though his heart sank at his son's perilous decision, he felt a sense of pride seeing his mature son.

Before being the lord of Dmitri,

He was a father.

Lord Romero said,

"So, you plan to continue working at the iron mine?"

"Yes."

"What is your reason? I never told you to work there, and as your father, I don’t understand why you made this choice. If you said you wanted to work at the forge, I wouldn’t necessarily stop you."

The iron mine and the forge.

This revealed Lord Romero's thoughts.

While he treated the miners of the iron mine with respect, as a blacksmith by origin, he inevitably favored the forge.

Ultimately,

He hoped his son would show interest in the forge.

As the lord of Dmitri, he believed that knowing how to handle steel was more important than mining iron ore.

"Father, I believe I need to work at the iron mine to understand Dmitri. While Dmitri gained its reputation through the forge's smelting techniques, most of the vassals work at the iron mine for their livelihood. Therefore, it was natural for me to go to the iron mine rather than the forge."

"What did you gain from it?"

"I could directly observe the difficulties people face."

Difficulties.

This was an unexpected answer.

Lord Romero didn’t know that his son was trying to understand the miners' difficulties at the iron mine.

"Tell me more."

"The miners all respect you. You pay higher wages compared to other regions, and the rest periods and safety systems seem fine on the surface. However, mining is inherently dangerous, even with safety management. You never know when an earthquake might cause a tunnel to collapse, and while cave-ins like today’s are rare, they do happen from time to time."

"I am aware of this. But, as you said, it’s not something that can be prevented even with preparation."

Natural disaster.

There is a reason for this term.

Because it cannot be prevented by human effort, people call accidents in the iron mine natural disasters.

Lord Romero did his best.

But that was all.

Roman, however, believed that results were necessary.

"I have a way to solve the problem."

"What is it?"

While working at the iron mine,

Roman thought a lot.

After experiencing the accident firsthand, he reached a conclusion.

"Using magical artifacts. That is the only way to ensure the miners can work safely."

Magical artifacts.

Probably referring to artifacts.

Lord Romero thought his son lacked a sense of reality.

"Using magical artifacts for safety is a good intention, but do you know how much an artifact costs? It’s not something that can be solved with a few dozen gold. Protecting the entire mine with magical artifacts would require astronomical amounts of money, and we are not philanthropists who can throw money into the sky."

That is true.

Mining.

It is a means to make money.

Hiring workers with a clear purpose, it is impossible to spend more on safety than the profit earned.

This is a different issue from the lord’s benevolence.

If the belly is bigger than the navel, even a wealthy family like the Dmitris could eventually collapse.

Roman said,

"I understand. To prepare for cave-ins, we need to install artifacts that can form an air shield in emergencies. The cost could be hundreds or thousands of gold, and the performance of artifacts is not permanent. If they lose their magical efficacy and fail to function, we would have to spend astronomical amounts again to replace them."

"Yet you still say it’s necessary?"

"Yes. I will explain the reasons now."

Safety measures.

This was not idealism.

Roman was a very practical person and spoke because he believed it would be beneficial.

"While working at the iron mine, I heard a veteran miner say that Dmitri has the best reserves and quality of iron ore in the continent, but it cannot be fully utilized due to safety issues. If the safety of the miners was not considered, the sacrifice of people would have created sufficient wealth. However, you did not do that, and as a result, the production of iron ore has decreased due to the emphasis on safety."

A good lord.

But not an excellent one.

If Lord Romero had been more ambitious, he would have had to find a better method as a businessman.

"Installing artifacts is not just about preparing for safety. If the miners' safety is guaranteed, the production of the iron mine will naturally increase. And because safety issues have limited the number of workers and development, this will no longer be necessary once the artifacts are installed. This is an opportunity cost. Even if installing artifacts requires astronomical amounts of money, if it results in earning more money than before, it cannot be considered a loss."

That’s not all.

There is more.

Roman had a hope.

"Additionally, you should assign personnel dedicated to safety. Invest in them to check safety daily, and use part of the increased revenue for the miners' welfare. This is an investment to create a virtuous cycle. While you will spend a lot of money on this, it will undoubtedly bring great benefits to the Dmitri family."

The family's investment.

This was Roman's true purpose.

It was not just about the miners' safety; Roman had hidden his intentions under a good pretext.

Lord Romero could not know the truth.

It was too perfect.

After much deliberation, Lord Romero looked at his son with pride and said,

"Alright. How much do you need?"

30 minutes earlier.

Roman told Morkan,

"From now on, I will go to Father to secure a budget for safety measures and recommend you as the person responsible for managing the safety of the iron mine. You have worked at the iron mine for a long time and know it better than anyone. I believe you can do your job well."

Roman's plan.

It was perfect.

Just hearing about installing artifacts made Morkan's heart race.

However,

Knowing Roman's intention to gain practical benefits, he thought Roman would definitely ask for something in return.

"……Can I ask for a condition?"

"My demands are clear. As the safety officer, you will check the condition of the people daily and ask them about any incidents, no matter how minor. Engage in casual conversations and remember what you hear. Record any information you deem necessary. People will likely tell you a lot. If the budget is used for the miners' welfare, they will be willing to share everything. You can even offer part of the budget as compensation to those who provide valuable information. I want to use the Dmitri family's money to protect the miners' safety and, through you, obtain ‘information.’"

Information.

This was Roman's true purpose.

The iron mine is Dmitri itself.

Many people work at the iron mine, and thus information related to Dmitri naturally gathers there.

This is the beginning.

If Morkan trades information,

People will be eager to provide good information.

At first, they will share their own stories, then stories about their families or acquaintances, and eventually, any interesting stories they hear on the street.

This cannot be considered unethical.

As Roman told his father, it is just listening to people's stories in exchange for welfare benefits.

Indeed,

Roman wanted to create the information network of the Xiaowumen (下汚門) in this world, using his father's money and a very practical pretext.

In the martial world,

Two groups gained fame for handling information in a world of the strong preying on the weak.

The Kai Bang and the Xiaowumen.

They had a common point.

While the Kai Bang gathered information by listening to people's stories through beggars who exist everywhere, the Xiaowumen collected information through socially vulnerable groups like inn waiters.

This meant one thing.

Unlike the powerful who walk with their heads held high, ordinary people can see and hear a lot of different types of information.

Therefore,

Roman chose the miners of the iron mine.

They were the entirety of Dmitri, and through their connections, he could control the information of the northeastern region.

The labor force was the miners.

The financial resources were from his father's deep pockets.

And no one would be at a loss.

The miners would gain safety and money, and his father would create more wealth through increased production.

It was a win-win.

A plan that satisfied everyone, and thus neither his father nor Morkan rejected Roman's proposal.

However,

Roman was not satisfied.

'It’s still not enough.'

The information guild Roman envisioned was not limited to the northeastern region.

He wanted to gather information from the entire continent.

While the core would be the Dmitri iron mine, he hoped to extend the budget and manpower to form a force like the Xiaowumen.

Therefore,

Roman had additional thoughts.

'Morkan is not a professional in handling information. Ultimately, I need someone to organize the information he collects and, further, to connect with the Dmitri trade and gather information outside the northeastern region. This person must be quick in calculation and practical, a veteran who has experienced everything. Only such a person can realize the information guild I envision.'

There was exactly one person.

A suitable candidate.

Roman called someone.

It was none other than

"Did you call for me?"

A B-rank mercenary, Lucas, who had passed the recent mercenary recruitment.

Roman said,

"Did you call for me?"