Chapter 136

“There are two items that can be lent to explorers who wish to challenge the “Labyrinth” in Eureka. One is the [Miner’s Monocle], which can see through and identify valuable ores buried in the bedrock of ore deposits. The other is the [Magic Pickaxe], which can be used by amateurs with no mining experience to easily dig into the bedrock.

This makes it possible for even inexperienced people to ‘mine’ ore from the deposits in Eureka’s Labyrinth. In addition to the usual metal ores such as copper and iron, precious metal ores can also be mined, making them a good source of extra income for explorers.

However, the [Magic Pickaxe] that we lend you can only be used about once every 30 minutes, so it will be difficult to use it only for mining. You can bring in a regular ice ax separately, though, so it might be possible for a real miner.”

“…? Please wait, Your Majesty, Yuri. I’m sure that the mines we ceded to the Yuri Empire produced copper and silver, but hardly any iron, right?”

“Oh, I should have told you that first, I’m sorry. In conclusion, I’ll tell you first… it’s better to think that there’s almost no metal that doesn’t produce from that mine right now.”

“Is it…? Almost nothing, is it…?”

Cadain asked in a quizzical voice.

I could hear the incredulity in his voice.

“Sofia, if you have it now, can you get it for me?”

“Yes, Master.”

In response to Yuri’s words, Sophia took out two ores from the <Maid Bag>.

The other day, when Sophia and Kanayama-Hiko conducted test mining at Eureka’s mine, she mined the ore from the deposit using her [Magic Pickaxe].

“This is what Sofia dug a few days ago in the labyrinth of Eureka. I wonder if Duke Theodore can tell what kind of ore it is?”

“… One side is iron ore. The other one is… Is it ‘gold ore’? It’s completely different from anything I know.”

“That’s a good guess. The reason it looks different is that the gold content is too high.”

Ordinary gold ore is said to be of good quality if it contains a few ten-thousandths of a percent by weight, and it is not unusual to find gold ore containing as little as a hundred-thousandth of a percent.

In other words, it is not unusual for a ton of gold ore to contain less than ten grams.

On the other hand, the gold ore from the mines in Eureka contains about 50 grams of gold per kilogram. Although the name ‘gold ore’ is the same, the appearance of the ore is completely different, and it is better to think of it as a different kind of ore.

“Is it even possible for Your Majesty Yuri… to change the mine?”

“If you ask me that, I would say no.

I have no intention of hiding it, so I’ll answer honestly. ―――If I were to explain it simply, I would say that I welcomed the “God of Mines” from ‘a world other than this one’ and asked him to rule the area where Eureka’s mines are located. Consider that the mineral resources in the mines have increased due to the benefits brought by this god.”

When Yuri tried to explain it as clearly as possible. Cadain froze with his mouth wide open in astonishment.

The look of surprise on his face was similar to the one Sophia had shown the other day.

I wondered if parents and their children, who are related by blood, would be surprised in the same way.

“Hmmm… God of Mines, huh? I’d love to meet him.”

Altorius said with a cheerful smile next to Cadine’s stiffness.

As the head of a religious nation, he seems to be more interested in the god set up there than in the transformation of the mine itself.

“I’ll introduce you soon if you like.”

“I’d be delighted.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Back to the topic at hand… Eureka’s mines produce a wide variety of metal ores. Some of the special ores will be forced to be purchased by the government because they might cause problems if they are put on the market. For other ores, the government will only charge a certain percentage of the amount mined as a ‘mining fee’ and will not impose any further restrictions.

So, for example, it’s possible if explorers from the Holy Land of Nimun use the【Transfer Gate】to dive into the “Labyrinth” of Eureka and bring the mined ore back to their own country, keep that in mind, okay?”

“I’m very grateful for that. There is always a shortage of iron and silver in the Holy Land…”

“It’s a good idea to send out a notice to the explorers in your country to bring back the iron and silver that you mine.

But as for the silver, in Eureka’s labyrinth, it is often produced in the form of ‘magic silver’, so be careful about that.”

“What about…? Produced ‘magic silver’?”

Hearing the conversation between Yuri and Altorius, Cadain again shouted in surprise.

If the silver produced from the mines is processed into ‘magic silver’, then so be it. If you are told that you can get it in the state of ‘magic silver’ from the beginning, you may have that kind of expression.

“Duke Theodore, I’m sure you know how to make ‘magic silver’, don’t you?”

“Yes. My daughter developed it, so of course, I know how to.”

“I have placed the entire “Labyrinth” of tunnels under a special environment by deploying several wards in Eureka’s mines.

As a result, some of the silver ore produced in mines can be mined as ‘magic silver’ ore from the very beginning… If I tell you that, then Duke Theodore may be able to guess what I have done. Don’t you think?”

At Yuri’s words, Cadain’s eyes widened again in surprise.

If you know how to make magic silver, this would be a very simple question in itself.

“Is that even possible with warding…?”

“My children are very good at what they do.”

Smiling, Yuri replied.

It’s not a difficult task in the hands of the <Red Plum> girls.

“Ah, yes. In addition to metal ores, coal is also produced. You can bring it back to the country as is, but if you want, you can process it into coke in the Yuri Empire and then sell it.”

To process coal into coke, a process called ‘dry distillation’ is required. This process can be replaced by alchemy, which produces a higher quality coke.

Rupiah from <Rindou>, who has the <Alchemist> class, can process a large amount of coal into coke in a short time, so it doesn’t take much effort. It would also be a good idea to give them the coal form from the start, with only a small fee for their time and effort.

“What is coke?”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“… Excuse me, I’d appreciate it if you’d forget what I just said.”

When Yuri thought about it, it was only natural that Yuri was the one who unconsciously thought that coke was already being used in this world.

In a panic, Yuri retracted her statement.

It’s not a bad idea to sell it… But it’s probably too far ahead of its time.

“It also produces ‘magic stones’ and ‘jewels’, so if you need these as well, it would be good to inform the explorers to bring them back to the country.”

As if to divert the conversation, Yuri told them so.

The two lords, Altorius and Cadain, both muttered “Hoh” with interest.

“If you welcome God into the mine… will you even be able to harvest such things?”

“Oh no, not really. As for the demon stones and gems, they are only dropped by the demons I place in the labyrinth of tunnels, they are not produced by the ore deposits.

Well, the probability of getting it from a defeated demon itself is not high, so I don’t think the supply will be too large. Please be aware that there will be a certain amount of fluctuation from the current market price, so please be aware of that beforehand.”

“Hmm… Would it be wise to redeem the jewelry in the treasury while we’re at it?”

“If it’s an item that can be disposed of, it might be wise to do so.”

The jewels dropped by high-level undead demons, especially those located in the deeper levels, are of excellent quality.

It will probably be a while before they are available on the general market, though. At any rate, the decision to redeem the valuable jewels now is not a mistake.