Chapter 19

"Of course, well, it's not that easy to find a vein, is it?"

"Yes, I'm sorry."

"No, don't worry. We shouldn't rush the results, so just take it easy."

"Understood. I'll report back by evening."

"Okay."

The first two days of the survey in the Restio Mountains yielded no results.

On the third day, Yurii reported, "There were no significant discoveries this morning."

"Noein, the survey of the mountains isn't going well, is it?"

"It seems so. Well, we're exploring a vast, previously unknown mountain range. It's not surprising that we haven't found anything in just a few days."

It was lunchtime. Noein answered Matilda, who had asked while serving tea after the meal.

He intended to send survey teams multiple times to continue the investigation of the mountain range. The probability of finding something conveniently in the first few days was low.

Just as he was thinking this, Yurii's voice was heard earlier than the scheduled check-in, a little before evening.

"Noein, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yurii? You're earlier than usual. Did something happen?"

"Yes, I found something interesting. There was... well, a blue part on the rock face."

"Blue? Is it a crystal or is the rock itself blue?"

"Yes. It's several meters wide in the visible range and taller than me. It doesn't seem to be a precious metal or gem, but it looks like a vein of something."

"I see... Can you bring it back?"

"Yes, I'll chip off a piece and bring it back. We'll wrap up the survey and head back tomorrow morning."

"Okay. That's a good idea. Thanks."

After ending the 'Far Talk' with Yurii, Noein thought about the 'blue rock' Yurii had mentioned.

He had an idea of what it might be based on the description, but if it was what he thought...

"It's a big find. Hehe."

Noein, who had been working on logging with the golems in the forest, muttered and grinned as he resumed his work.

...

The next day at noon, Noein welcomed Yurii and the survey team, who had returned safely. Dant, the largest member of the team, was carrying the 'blue rock' in a backpack.

Amid the excitement of the townspeople who had gathered to see the unfamiliar rock, Noein immediately received the report. Others who were not part of the survey team also gathered with interest.

"This is the blue rock you reported. It was exposed on the mountain's rock face."

"I see. There's still a lot of it, right?"

"Yes. We chipped off this piece and dug a bit deeper, but the blue part continued. It didn't seem too difficult to dig with human effort."

"So, it wasn't too hard..."

"Right. Do you know what this is?"

"Probably. Let me check."

Noein struck the rock with a knife. It easily broke off into a fist-sized piece.

When he scraped the piece, blue powder fell off.

He then tapped the surface of the piece with the handle of the knife and brought it close to Yurii's face.

"Smell it?"

"O-oh..."

Yurii sniffed the piece as instructed, wrinkled his nose in discomfort, and frowned.

"What did it smell like?"

"Rotten eggs. Sulfur, maybe?"

"Haha, I thought so... Yes, it definitely smells like sulfur."

Noein confirmed the smell by sniffing the piece himself.

"Hey, did you know what it was? And why did you make me smell it if you were going to check it yourself?"

"Just a little joke. Laugh, laugh?"

Noein laughed cheerfully and placed the knife and the rock piece on the ground.

"Do you know what it is?"

"Yes, this is... hehe. Haha."

Noein, unable to contain his joy, burst into laughter.

Seeing this, Yurii looked slightly taken aback, and the others chuckled. Only Matilda, standing behind Noein, maintained her usual expressionless face.

"Hey, stop laughing and tell us."

"Hehe... Sorry, sorry. But I can't help it. This is a raw lapis lazuli. It's a great discovery."

Finally, Noein, still grinning, said this after his laughter subsided.

...

Lapis lazuli is a stone known for its deep blue color.

It doesn't have the brilliant shine of a diamond or the transparent luster of a ruby or sapphire, but it has been known as a gemstone since ancient times.

In the northern part of the Roadberg Kingdom, where mining is thriving due to the Restio Mountains, the discovery of lapis lazuli veins is rare. It is one of the rarer minerals.

"Wow. So it's that rare, huh?"

It doesn't look like a gemstone, Yurii muttered. The other members of the survey team and the curious townspeople also seemed unsure.

"Well, it's not flashy or shiny. When polished, it becomes a beautiful, deep blue gemstone... but its true value lies elsewhere."

"Elsewhere?"

Bart asked, and Noein nodded and continued.

"Yes, when processed into powder, it becomes a pigment used for painting and pottery. It's called 'Mother of the Sea Blue.'"

"I've heard of it."

Edgar, who had been listening to the report, suddenly spoke up.

"I believe it's an extremely rare and expensive pigment. The powder is more valuable than gold of the same weight, and even famous painters can't afford it easily."

"Right, you know a lot about it?"

"My grandmother was from a noble family and was fond of painting in her youth. I heard about it from her."

It turned out that Edgar's grandmother, who had come from a knight's family that governed his hometown area, had married into his grandfather's family when he was the village chief.

"Still, how did you know about raw lapis lazuli, Noein?"

When Yurii asked, Noein thought of his late mother.

His mother, who had risen from a poor girl to a noble's concubine through cunning, never showed affection to her son but often dragged the young Noein around to show off her luxurious possessions.

If he didn't react as she wanted, she would become angry and hit him, so he would nod along with "That's amazing, Mother." However, the raw lapis lazuli and decorative items she often showed him, as well as paintings using 'Mother of the Sea Blue' pigments, left a lasting impression on Noein as particularly rare items.

Additionally, he had learned how to distinguish raw lapis lazuli from other blue minerals from books while being confined in a separate house in the earl's residence.

"It's related to my background."

"Ah..."

Noein had only told Yurii and the other former mercenaries, and Edgar, the leader of the new settlers, about his detailed background. With other townspeople present, Yurii also avoided the topic when Noein hinted at it.

"Anyway, if we can mine this in large quantities, we won't have to worry about money for a while."

"Noein, how much would this piece be worth?"

Ladley, looking very interested, asked.

"Hmm. Yurii, how much does this weigh?"

"Probably around 50 kg?"

"I see, then... at retail, it would easily exceed 100,000 rebo, but as raw material, it would be less. Maybe a few tens of thousands of rebo, considering the discount?"

Hearing 'tens of thousands of rebo,' the former mercenaries and Edgar, who were good at calculations, were stunned. Even Matilda, who usually showed little emotion, widened her eyes.

The other townspeople, who didn't understand the value of 'tens of thousands,' were puzzled, but when Noein explained, "In other words, this rock alone is worth several gold coins," they understood the value of gold coins and were amazed.

One 10,000 rebo gold coin could support a peasant family in a rural area for a year. The idea that this piece of rock, dug from the mountain, could provide enough money to live for several years, and that there was still more in the Restio Mountains, was beyond their imagination.

"So, if we continue to mine this vein, we won't have to worry about the funds for developing the settlement for a while. We can build houses for all households, set up various facilities, and... hehe, hahaha."

When Noein started calculating and laughing again, Yurii and the others looked exasperated.