Chapter 20 We Can'T Lose In Commerce And Industry Either
Castor, the bureaucrat in charge of commerce and industry, who was listening to Elma's story from the side, also appealed with a strong sense of determination.
"A few years ago, we discovered a magic stone mine, and we've been extracting high-quality magic stones from it. The amount we've extracted is still small, but wouldn't it be good to consider expanding it?"
Robert nodded while maintaining a stern expression.
"That's true, we've been extracting fire-attribute and earth-attribute magic stones from the mine. However, the total amount is still small, and the surrounding area is a dangerous region where monsters appear. In terms of profit, it's a bit uncertain, isn't it?"
"Excuse me, Uncle, but I'm not knowledgeable about this... What exactly are magic stones?"
"Ah, Sara, you're not knowledgeable about this, and it's making me embarrassed..."
Then Rebecca took over from Robert.
"Well, Ms. Sara hasn't started her magic lessons yet, so it can't be helped. Magic stones are, as their name suggests, stones that contain magic. There are 7 types of attributes in magic: fire, water, wind, earth, light, darkness, and void. magic stones possess one of these attributes. If you have a magic stone, you can use the magic of that attribute, even if you're not suited for it."
"Does that mean even people without magical power, like commoners, can use it?"
"Yes, that's right. For example, a weak fire-attribute magic stone is used as a fire starter in commoner households."
"That's convenient, isn't it?"
In this world, there are people with magical power and those without. Many people with magical power are nobles, but some commoners are born with magical power. The presence or absence of magical power is strongly influenced by heredity, and nobles often marry within their own kind. Even among commoners, those with strong magical power may be adopted into noble families and marry into them. On the other hand, if a noble is born without magical power or has weak magical power, they may feel constrained. However, if magic stones exist, it seems like the problem can be solved.
"But, if you use up the magical power of a magic stone, it becomes just a regular stone. That's why commoners use a single magic stone very carefully."
"I see, so it's a consumable item. By the way, are magic stones expensive?"
"It depends on the amount of magic power and the quality of the magic power involved."
"What do you mean by the quality of magic power?"
"If the quality is high, you can use more advanced attribute magic. For example, if a commoner uses a fire-attribute magic stone, they can only create a small fireball, but if it's a high-grade one, they can even use high-level magic like Inferno."
'That's like having a massive bomb This magic stone is terrifying!'
"But, having high-quality magic power often means having less magic power overall. There are hardly any magic stones that can handle large amounts of magic power needed for high-level magic. Even if they exist, they're usually offered to the royal family and treated like national treasures."
Sara thought for a moment. If magic stones are scary, then people who can use magic are scary too. Someone with high magic power is like a walking destructive weapon.
"Miss Rebecca, how many people can use powerful high-level magic?"
"Hmm... I think most court mages can use high-level magic, but when it comes to the highest-level magic, only the head mage or the king himself can use it."
"That means they can carry a powerful weapon with them at all times, right?"
"The highest-level magic requires a lot of time to chant. I heard it takes around 2 days to cast Inferno. And during that time, you need to focus completely and can't even eat or go to the bathroom."
'Wait, that's kinda... rough.'
Sara misunderstood, but in reality, during the chanting of highest-level magic, the body's metabolism slows down extremely, so people don't really need to go to the bathroom. It's not like they're holding it in until the last minute, so it's not that troublesome.
"So, highest-level magic is only used when absolutely necessary, right?"
"That's correct. And highest-level magic requires an enormous amount of magic power, so even the king would run out of magic power. There's a royal tradition where the prince uses highest-level magic to show the people his magic power during the coronation ceremony, but after that, the current king couldn't even get out of bed for 3 days due to magic exhaustion."
The conversation had gone off on a tangent, so Robert intervened.
"Well, that's how it is. The magic stone is valuable, but the area around the magic stone mine is also home to many monsters, making it a pretty dangerous place. And since the amount we can extract is limited, it's questionable whether it's worth asking the Adventurer's Guild for help..."
"According to the investigation results from the Mage's Guild, the buried amount is expected to be significant."
"Ugh, it's just not going well right now. We can't invest any funds until we overcome the current difficulties..."
What Robert said is true. In the current state of Grandchester, it's indeed difficult to secure funds to expand the mine.
"But, Uncle, if we have the means, I'd like to get involved in this field."
"That's certain."
Castor's face is beaming with excitement.
"If possible, could we please respond as soon as possible? The thing is, there are high-quality medicinal herbs that can be harvested around the mine, and poor women and children often risk their lives to pick them."
'Wait, did you just say medicinal herbs?'
"Just a minute, please. So, the area around the magic stone mine is not only a source of magic stone but also a crucial place for harvesting medicinal herbs, right? And we can make high-quality medicine from them, right?"
"Yes, that's correct, just like Miss Sara said."
"Did you know about the medicinal herbs, Uncle?"
"No, I didn't know about the medicinal herbs. After all, herb-picking is just a small side job for the villagers, so it's not something the lord manages."
"What are you saying?!"
Sara scolds Robert.
"It's a place where people risk their lives, and yet the villagers are doing it just to make a living And what's more, the medicine made from those herbs is supposed to protect the villagers' lives and health If we don't protect this, what are we protecting? We should do a monster hunt right away. It'll help with both the harvesting of medicinal herbs and magic stone, killing 2 birds with one stone!"
"Ugh, got it. Let's first ask the Adventurer's Guild for help. Depending on the results, we'll decide whether to deploy the Grandchester Knights or not."
Sara's intensity made Robert take a step back, and he decided to try it out for now. Rebecca and the bureaucrats were also similarly surprised, but among them, Castor's eyes were moist with emotion as he gazed at Sara.
In the Grandchester territory, wheat was prioritized too much, so the various commercial and industrial problems that Castor was in charge of tended to be put on the backburner. However, Sara placed importance on Castor's report and directly countered Robert, who was the governor. For Castor, it was the moment when Sara became a goddess-like existence.
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