Magic, steel, heavy industry

Chapter 5 Magic Powder

The results of the first experiment greatly encouraged Vilan.

He ate a simple dinner prepared by Igris, then returned to his study, took out some paper, and began to write and draw. He was so engrossed in his work that he completely ignored Igris's somewhat immature cooking skills.

"Lord Vilan, you just said that you have an extraordinary magical talent. If I may be so bold, others say that it is a curse."

Llorente stood by the desk, watching Vilan draw some strange horizontal lines as he spoke.

Vilan looked up, his eyes filled with unprecedented excitement. "After witnessing the experiment just now, do you still think it's a curse? The magic cores produced by gray goblins possess unimaginable toughness, and this property can be applied to other elements. The experiment used mud, but what if we replaced the mud with iron?"

Llorente looked at Vilan's eager eyes and was suddenly struck by a thought.

His eyes are exactly the same as his father's and mother's...

He was a smart man and naturally understood what Vilan meant. Therefore, he immediately guessed Vilan's idea: "You want to use magic core powder to refine more durable iron? That's a good idea. Anvil Territory is where iron mines are located. There are at least six iron smelting workshops in the town. If we can improve the iron-making process, this will be a good way to make money."

"It's not just about earning gold coins; advancements in iron smelting technology are the beginning of all industry, and this will be the first step in improving the lives of our people."

Vilan smiled, but the quill in his hand never stopped for a second.

Llorente was still pondering Vilan's words.

Improving the lives of the people? This is a phrase rarely heard from noble lords. Could it be that Lord Vilan is actually considering those "unimportant" people?

Soon, with the sound of pen nib scratching, Vilan filled a blank page.

This is a table that records the experimental results of the magic core, as well as Vilan's next plan.

"I've tentatively named the extracts of these magical talents 'magic powder.' We've grasped some properties of red and gray magic powder, but it's still incomplete. There's also magic powder from green goblins, but we have absolutely no idea what its properties are. That's our next step. Also, Mr. Advisor, I need you to do three things for me."

Vilan took out another sheet of white paper and wrote as he spoke, "First, help me find all the iron smelting workshops and give them the magic powder. I need to know the result of mixing the magic powder and iron elements by tomorrow."

"Secondly, I need more goblin magic cores. Igris said these things are everywhere, but someone still needs to collect them. You can leave this to the guards."

"The third thing I want to know is where there are quarries and lime-producing workshops in Anvil Territory."

Vilan wrote these three things down on a piece of paper and created a quantifiable table with clear and concise items such as the executor, schedule, time, result, and completion status. This was a habit he developed during his internship at the construction site, and project managers use such tables to coordinate the overall situation.

Now that I've become a lord, I naturally want to make good use of these useful forms, which will not only facilitate reporting but also greatly improve work efficiency.

"Lord Vilan, I can understand the first two things, but why are you interested in quarries and limestone?" Llorent asked curiously.

Vilan didn't answer directly, but simply smiled and said, "You'll find out in a few days."

"Understood."

Llorente didn't ask any further questions, simply gave a polite bow, and then walked out.

Vilan then stretched and couldn't suppress a smile.

"Great! Who says this talent is bad? This talent is simply amazing! Iron is nothing! This stuff is definitely going to be used to make cement!"

At this moment, only Vilan was in the study, and he could finally relax a little and no longer have to maintain the etiquette of an aristocrat.

The reason he wanted to find quarries and lime workshops was precisely because he was eyeing the great invention that changed the world in his previous life: cement.

This is a virtually universal building material. Whether building skyscrapers or repairing roads, cement is incredibly useful. It is durable, inexpensive, and produced in large quantities.

As a civil engineering graduate student, Vilan had spent a lot of time working on construction sites in his previous life, and no one was more familiar with this material than him.

However, the manufacturing process of modern cement is too demanding and could not have been made in the medieval environment. But with the advent of magic powder, this technological gap can be completely eliminated. As long as it is hard enough and the structure is strong enough, it will be fine.

Just as Vilan was relaxing his mind, there was a knock on the study door. "Young Master Vilan, may I come in?"

It was the voice of the old butler, Hans. Vilan quickly sat down at his desk, continuing to maintain his aristocratic manners.

"Of course, come in."

Hans then walked in carrying a rough notebook. Although he looked somewhat hunched over, the radiance in his eyes was undeniable. After all, he had studied all his life and was finally given the chance to experience the joy of being a consul.

Anvil Territory has only one old mayor and no governor. Since the departure of the former Baron Brown, Anvil Territory has not had a new lord for five years, and its intelligence in all aspects has naturally fallen far behind.

Vilan then sent Hans with two guards out to count the population and check on the town's situation.

To everyone's surprise, Hans returned in just half a day. "You finished the statistics so quickly?" Wieland asked.

Hans paused for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile. "Young Master Vilan, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. The three hundred households in Anvil Territory may not survive the coming winter."

"What? How could this happen?" Vilan's eyes widened, and his expression immediately turned serious.

Hans shrugged. "As you instructed, I spent a considerable amount of time counting a quarter of the population. In the process, I discovered that these foolish people don't care at all who the new lord is; they only care whether the new lord will give them bread. It's simply unbelievable. Later, the mayor and the hunters told me that there was a severe food shortage this year, and many people have already starved to death."

Vilan's face immediately darkened. "Mr. Hans, the people are not stupid. Please continue."

"Yes, Master Vilan is right. After I pressed him, the mayor finally told me the reason. It turns out that this year's food problem is particularly severe. The ironware trade, on which the town depends for its livelihood, has been almost completely looted. Whether they are serfs or free people, they have no food left. And when the cold winter comes, all that awaits them is to starve or freeze to death."