Chapter 23 The Mine, Herbs, And Subjugation Rewards
"Let's discuss the method of sharing information separately. The reason I want to put out a subjugation request isn't just about the magic stone mine."
"What do you mean?"
"There are also herbs that can be gathered around the area."
"What?!"
The guild representatives looked at each other, and Alexander hastily checked the map to confirm the location of the magic stone mine.
"This is information that hasn't been confirmed by the Pharmacist's Guild."
"Same with the Alchemist's Guild."
Castor explained this.
"This magic stone mine was discovered very recently. Right now, we can only extract a small amount of fire-attribute and earth-attribute magic stones, but we don't know how powerful the vein is yet. There are many monsters around, so the investigation hasn't progressed much."
"Hmm."
"The miners get injured during excavation, and they use the herbs around the area to heal themselves. It's because they can't afford to take time off to go down the mountain for minor injuries, but as a result, many miners have knowledge of herbs."
"That's an interesting story. The Pharmacist's Guild might need to exchange information with the miners."
It seems that the guild representatives have come to understand the importance of sharing information and cooperation.
"This magic stone mine has just started excavation, and the amount extracted is small, so the miners' income isn't much. That's why the miners started gathering herbs that grow naturally around the area to supplement their income. Some miners even bring their families, including wives and children, into the mountain and have them gather herbs while they're excavating."
Sara reacted to this.
"Wait, do the miners only get paid for the ore they excavate?"
"Yes. The territory government buys all the ore and magic stones excavated from the mines within the territory. What about that?"
Castor didn't understand what Sara was doubting.
"Then wouldn't the miners gather at the mines with the most excavation?"
"Ah, that's what you mean," Castor said, nodding in understanding.
"In each mine, the number of miners who can excavate is clearly defined. The number of miners allowed to excavate in each mine is set, and any excavation without the lord's permission is illegal. The excavation rights are reviewed every year, but priority is given to the previous year's updates, so new entrants cannot join unless the number of miners with excavation rights decreases. That's why, when a new mine is discovered, miners from inside and outside the territory flock to acquire the excavation rights."
"I see."
"But, in reality, you can't know the exact amount of buried treasure unless you dig, so it's like a gamble."
"Is there no minimum compensation?"
"There is no minimum compensation in new mines, so to gather miners, a minimum wage is offered as compensation. There is compensation for this magic stone mine as well, but it's a very small amount."
"That means it's a ridiculously low amount, barely enough to live on, right?"
"That's correct, but if we set it too high, there might be people who only take the compensation and don't work..."
"I understand now."
'Speaking of which, in my past life, there were many people who only cared about their salary and did nothing... Those bosses, and those bosses...'
"Anyway, is it true that magic stone is so scarce that women and children have to risk their lives to gather herbs?"
"It seems that they've hit a hard rock layer, and the excavation is proving difficult, according to the reports we've received."
"Can't we come up with a way to make the excavation tools more efficient?"
"Basically, the excavation tools are the miners' personal property, and it's up to them to decide what tools to use. We don't provide them."
"So, that means people who can't even afford to buy tools can't become miners?"
"There are vendors who lend tools for a fee. New miners or those who have broken their tools can borrow from these vendors and buy new tools when they've saved up enough money."
"By the way, what if you break the borrowed tool?"
"Usually, you return the broken tool to the vendor and pay them the deposit you had set aside earlier. The deposit varies depending on the vendor and the tool's condition, but it's usually around a month's worth of usage fees."
'Solid bedrock, huh... I wonder if magic can solve it...'
"By the way, what kinds of herbs are there around the magic stone mine?"
Sara fell silent, deep in thought, when Alexander suddenly threw a question at Castor.
"The list is here. We've recorded the amounts we've collected so far, but we haven't been able to investigate how much of each herb grows naturally. We've prepared some of the collected herbs here as well."
Castor called out to one of the maids, and she began to line up small wooden boxes containing herbs on the table.
"This is... of such quality..."
Alexander and Theofrastus were amazed, holding each herb in their hands.
"These are the herbs we collected this morning. We wanted to confirm their freshness, so we had the Knights' Order rush-deliver them by horse."
"It's surprising that so many herbs grow naturally within our territory. Some of them are even imported from other countries, so it's not an exaggeration to call it a major discovery. We should send a request to the Alchemist Guild to collect and process them as soon as possible."
Alexander's excitement was palpable, his breathing growing rough. Theofrastus was no exception.
"The variety is impressive, but the magical energy each contains is remarkable. They're top-class materials for alchemy!"
"No, no, it's a waste to use these herbs for alchemy!"
"What are you saying? They have the magical energy to make magic recovery potions and elixirs!"
"Isn't the health of our people more important than that?!"
'Here we go again... In a way, it's nice to have friends like this, I suppose...'
"Let's stop there. We haven't even established a stable method for collecting them yet. Let's discuss that later. Mr. Jean, do you understand why we want to send a subjugation request to the Adventurer Guild?"
"Yes, I understand what Lady Sara said."
"I think we should send the request as soon as possible, but we should also discuss the budget with the Alchemist Guild and the Pharmacist Guild."
"Is that so, that our guild also has to bear the subjugation reward?"
Alexander asked Sara, and Sara replied with a bright smile.
"Of course! It's a reward for ensuring the safety of the place where valuable herbs grow naturally."
"Yes, but..."
"We also don't mind sparing the funds to safely excavate magic stones. However, it's only natural that the guild that bears more of the reward gets to sell more herbs, don't you think?"
"If we don't bear the burden..."
"We're in a position to 'request' favors, so we won't be punished for not bearing the burden. However, to cover the costs for the subjugation reward, we'll buy up all the herbs in the territory, add a suitable handling fee, and put them up for auction. Depending on the situation, we might even sell them to other territories."
Sara flashed a noble-like smile, just like the one she learned from Rebecca's lessons, but what she was saying was quite ruthless. Moreover, it was a cunning move that subtly stirred up conflict between guilds.
The guild representatives couldn't help but nod in agreement, their faces twisted in distaste.
And so, Sara successfully pushed the majority of the subjugation reward onto the Pharmacists' Guild and the Alchemists' Guild.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)