Chapter 204
Chapter 204
I gazed at the garden outside the window before turning to greet Haram, the vice president of the Acrab Artisan Association, who had burst through the door of the office.
“Count! You finally came!”
As a carpenter craftsman, he was rough and high-strung, but he was meticulous and detailed, which was why I had chosen him as the vice president of the association. Contrary to his usually calm appearance, he approached me excitedly the moment he saw me.
When he saw Kaichen sitting on the sofa and reading a book, he flinched, then hurriedly shrugged his shoulders and lowered his head.
“Have you been doing well in Heulin?” he said.
“Yes, I’m still alive and kickin,” I replied. Looking at Haram, who rested his chin on his hands, I immediately got to the point. “What’s the amazing discovery?”
“Ah!”
Haram held back his excitement as much as he could and took out an old scroll from his pocket and spread it on the desk.
“This is the map of the mine that’s been developed until now.”
I observed the parchment. “That’s quite speedy. The roads are paved well,” I said.
“Yes, there are many rare ores that have not been found before, so the blacksmiths are thrilled and are hammering away every day. Since the number of products are increasing, the size of the upper class is also growing.”
“Oh, that’s good. Now I don’t have to worry about the money in Acrab.”
Money was vital. Whoever said you couldn’t buy happiness without money was mistaken. I needed money to survive not only in my previous life, but also in this world. You might think that you could just live in a picturesque forest and farm, but not many people know the hard work and perseverance that comes with that kind of life.
There is a stark difference between surviving until old age and living a happy and comfortable life.
‘I have to help Sheliak too.’
With the revitalization of the upper class, the Vega territory became lively and there were no difficulties in managing it, but it was impossible to rely on Acrab forever. Sheliak seemed to have been thinking about that too, but she didn’t have anything that stood out. With only the Menkar Mountains, she could only think of a small business.
‘The land there is mostly plains… but a river flows to the right at a reasonable distance from the Menkar Mountains.’
What naturally came to mind was the traditional village called Baesanimsu.
In my previous life, I wasn’t as knowledgeable as I was now, but I still remembered a few particularly memorable lessons. With the word ‘Baesanimsu’* strangely stuck in my head, the name naturally revealed that Vega was a good place for farming.
*‘Bae san im su’ directly translated is ‘back mountain, front river’.
Earning money was nice. I also wanted to help Sheliak. This could be a profitable business if planned properly. I archived the thought for the future and focused back to Haram.
“Um, so? I don’t think the speed of mining development would be considered a great discovery,” I said.
“But, of course. Do you know the mine over here?”
“I do. It’s the only gold mine in Acrab.”
Located far across the east, the mine was a distance away where many demons and monsters frequently appeared, but it was Acrab’s emergency fund and was a valuable asset because it could mine the most expensive gold.
When I entered the deepest part of the last mine through the blocked roads I discovered it was Kaichen’s barrier magic that accelerated the development of the mine. Without Kaichen’s help, the mine would have been dormant for ten years. Thanks to this, it was possible to manage the estate without using the safe key given by him.
“Two weeks ago, there was an accident where a wall collapsed while working in the gold mine,” Haram said.
I looked up at him in alarm. “Who got hurt?” I asked.
“We were trapped for three days, but it was all right. Everyone was good at work and used to accidents. It’ll be fine after proper treatment.”
“…Haram, that’s just getting hurt.”
“That’s not the important part.”
This was why craftsmen were freaks. And the people of Acrab all thought this way. I continued to listen to what he had to say.
“Anyway, during the rescue, Captain Las stepped up and noticed something strange when he cleaned up the fallen debris.”
“Something strange?”
“He said it felt like the walls were empty.”
As I tilted my head at the incomprehensible words, Kaichen, who was sitting on the sofa reading a book, showed rare interest. He closed the book he was reading, came closer, looked at the map, and asked Haram.
“Was it pierced through?”
“How did you know?!” Haram replied in awe.
I looked back and forth between the two. While Haram had his eyes open wide, enough to wrinkle his forehead, Kaichen slowly pointed to the location of the gold mine and spoke,
“This.”
“Master, please… elaborate. Give a longer explanation,”
I urged him. Kaichen’s eyebrows twitched and he snapped his fingers at the old map. With a pop, golden mana shone, and the map became so huge in the air in comparison to the one on the desk. Haram sucked in a deep breath.
“Acrab is located in the eastern part of the Kalhai Empire. It’s considered the eastern end of the continent,” Kaichen explained.
I nodded. “Um, yes. That’s right,” I replied.
“The mine is formed such that it’s encasing Acrab.”
“Yes.”
“The mine located at the far end is the gold mine I just mentioned.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“What lies beyond that?”