Translator: Cinder Translations
...
The blazing glow of molten iron shone upon the group, making their faces turn bright red.
"Unbelievable!" Marianna exclaimed, covering her lips in awe. "I never imagined iron smelting could be so... magnificent!"
She couldn't find a better word to describe the scene before her.
Throughout her long life, Marianna had witnessed many things and considered herself well-versed in the world.
But in her mind, the process of smelting iron went something like this: a blacksmith builds a furnace out of clay, maybe half a person's height, places iron ore inside, heats it, and after a set amount of time, opens the furnace to let the molten iron flow out. After it cools, it's hammered into small ingots.
Compared to the sight before her, it seemed like child's play.
Catherine's eyes were also wide open, and she muttered, "How much iron does such a smelter produce in a year?"
She had asked in amazement, but Paul, eager to boast, couldn't resist showing off.
"About two thousand tons."
"Two thousand... tons?" Both Catherine and Marianna widened their eyes in surprise.
"Ah, roughly!" Paul grinned inwardly, though his face remained nonchalant.
"Paul, are you exaggerating?" Catherine frowned, questioning him.
As a former general of the royal army, she had once paid close attention to the iron production within the royal territory since the army's weapons, armor, and tools relied on iron.
She had a rough estimate of the annual iron production in the royal domain.
Three thousand tons!
And now, Paul was telling her that just this one smelter could produce two thousand tons a year—two-thirds of the total annual iron production of the royal domain.
Moreover, from previous conversations, it was clear that Paul had more than one smelter under his rule.
This wasn't something to joke about.
"Haha, you'll be in Alden soon, and if you don't believe it, you can watch it every day," Paul said with a sly smile.
The surprise on Catherine's face was exactly what Paul had been hoping for.
"Then... what's the total production here? I mean, all the smelters combined!"
Marianna asked again, her voice clearly trembling.
"Let me think... Hmm, according to the last data from the statistics committee... it's about thirty thousand tons."
It was getting more ridiculous! This figure nearly made Marianna faint.
Nathan, noticing the stunned expression on his mother's face, was confused. He didn't pay much attention to such matters and had no concept of what thirty thousand tons of iron meant.
Taking advantage of Paul and Catherine walking ahead, he tugged at Marianna's sleeve and whispered, "What? Is thirty thousand tons a lot?"
"What do you mean 'a lot'?" Marianna replied in a hushed but firm voice. "Do you know how much iron Gebela produces annually?"
"How much?"
"After all these years, you still don't know! Though there's no exact figure, I estimate it's between three thousand and five thousand tons. Every time the empire buys weapons, it causes a price hike for iron."
Nathan stuck out his tongue. "Is the gap really that big?"
As someone who had always prioritized magic over social production, he hadn't realized the magnitude of such a difference.
For many, if something was lacking, they would just buy it from the market. If one was willing to spend money, countless merchants would rush to fulfill your needs, as though the goods were crops naturally growing from the earth, always present in the world.
Time passed minute by minute, and they toured the entire smelter in awe before heading back to Alden Town.
Catherine, riding her horse, felt a sense of contemplation. Perhaps Paul really was a pacifist at heart.
If other lords had access to thirty thousand tons of iron each year, what would they do with it? Perhaps they would equip their entire army with superior weapons and armor, then start a rebellion, not to mention the powerful firearms and cannons they could wield.
With that thought in mind, she couldn't help but ask, "What do you do with so much iron every year?"
Paul shrugged. Thirty thousand tons wasn't much—by the late 18th century, Britain's national iron output reached two hundred thousand tons, and the technology was similar to the smelter before them.
"There are many uses, like machinery and tool manufacturing. Iron-made products are much stronger and more durable than those made from wood. Plows, sickles, hoes, and other farming tools, as well as pots, stoves, and hammers for daily use—here, they're far cheaper than in other places. A sickle, for instance, is just a consumable item that farmers can buy with ease."
"Also, for building stronger bridges. If you visit the Northwest Bay, you'll notice many iron bridges now, and recent buildings are heavily utilizing iron. Iron beams and frameworks enhance the stability and height of structures."
"Then there's shipbuilding. Iron parts significantly improve a ship's strength and durability, which is crucial for merchant vessels that need to sail across oceans."
"We also export a large amount of iron products, such as to the Horns Bay."
At that moment, they passed by a section of railway track under construction, and Paul pointed toward the bustling construction site. "Wood can't bear the weight of heavy wagons. The railway tracks are made of steel. If the railway test succeeds—and technically, I'm confident—we can expect a huge increase in demand for steel as society begins to realize its value."
At this point, both Marianna and Catherine had an idea: if Paul were given time to build an army, perhaps even orcs would not be much of a challenge for him.
"What's that?" Nathan, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.
He was pointing toward the sky, his face full of amazement as if he had seen something extraordinary.
Marianna and Catherine followed his gaze and, the next second, their pupils widened.
A giant, colorful sphere... more accurately, a teardrop-shaped object with a wide top and pointed bottom, was slowly floating across the sky.
The workers laying the railway track nearby also noticed and stopped their work, pointing at the mysterious object in the sky and murmuring.
The object drew closer, sunlight shining through its surface, casting a kaleidoscope of light. The clouds around it seemed to part, as if making way for a star fallen from a dream.
Those with sharp eyes gradually realized that a delicate basket was hanging beneath it, and a figure could be seen swaying inside.
It was... man-made!
Everyone held their breath, overwhelmed by an indescribable sense of awe and curiosity. They couldn't tear their eyes away, as if the world had paused at that moment.
The mysterious flying object drifted leisurely across the blue sky, eventually flying out of sight.
At this moment, Paul spoke, "That's a hot air balloon. Looks like the experiment was a success."
(End of the Chapter)
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