Chapter 187: Mist and Heavy Iron
Raven suspected that he had a bit of a crow's mouth.
Because the next morning, Raven had just had breakfast and was still calculating the funding plan for Annuo to build the college, when Poirot came to see him.
"Lord Baron, gray dwarf..." Poirot said this and coughed.
Lei Wen sighed helplessly: "What happened again?"
This group of live treasures would give Raven a "surprise" at every turn, and he couldn't help but turn his head to look out the window in the direction of the workshop.
The workshop is still there and was not blown up to the sky.
“It’s not the riverside workshop, it’s the Gray Mountain Mine!” Poirot suppressed his cough and said hoarsely.
Leaven turned his head and looked to the other side. Fortunately, it seemed that there was no explosion: "Is that a landslide?"
At this time, Poirot finally took a breath. , with a smile on his face: "It's not a problem, Lord Baron, a new mineral vein has been discovered in the Gray Mountain Mine! Magic Mineral Mine!"
"Oh, magic..." Raven paused, blinked and asked: "Magic mineral veins? Which kind?"
On the continent, there are many kinds of ores containing magical elements, and they are collectively called magic mineral veins. , each of which has a wide range of uses and high value. The star iron and iron core mentioned earlier are one of them.
“You’ll know for yourself if you go and see it for yourself!” Poirot said: “I can’t say for sure, but the scene looks... extremely beautiful!”
This really aroused people’s emotions. Raven's curiosity: "Okay, let's go together."
I just obtained more than 150,000 gold coins, which can be withdrawn soon, which greatly alleviates Raven's financial dilemma, but this does not mean that Raven is not short of money.
Don’t forget, in addition to the construction of his own territory, Raven also undertook the construction project of Annuo’s academy, which was a gold-swallowing behemoth that was not much different from Raven’s new castle!
I don’t know what this vein is and how much output it has.
The Gray Mountain Mine is not too far from Eagle Town. About an hour later, Raven took Poirot in a carriage to the Gray Mountain Town under the mine.
This is the first time that Raven has come to investigate in person after receiving the Gray Mountain Mine - Raven is a lord, not a mining expert, and his major in his previous life was not civil engineering.
Although productivity is not high in this era, a mine that has been operating for hundreds of years does not need guidance from outsiders.
The best example is Gray Mountain Town where Raven is located.
Huishan Town, also called Widow Town.
The overall scale is small, only more than 3,000 people. Most of them are stone houses. The building materials are local materials. They are all waste mines with extremely low iron content in the mine. Over the years, the iron in them has been Oxidation and corrosion turned into large areas of rusty red.
Looking from a distance, the entire town is a dark brown color, like a piece of coral on land, and the streets paved with broken iron slag are the flowing blood of this coral.
This is a small town that relies entirely on the Gray Mountain Mine. Except for the necessary leisure places like taverns, most industries revolve around the mining industry.
For example, the screening of ores.
Most young and strong people work in the mines. Apart from women, those who participate in this industry are also old and weak. The number of people who make a living from this is not lower than that of miners.
Ore screening can also be regarded as an experience type of work. After screening, the ore needs to be manually divided into three grades: high grade, medium grade and low grade.
High-grade iron content is about 65% to 70%; medium-grade iron content is about 40% to 65%; low-grade iron content is less than 40%.
The high-grade iron ore, when controlled by the Wharton family, which is Judra's family, would be transported directly to Ironforge Town, but now it will be transported to Eagle Town.
Medium-grade iron ore is usually sold and a certain profit can be earned.
As for low-grade iron ore, which is difficult to smelt and lacks commercial value, Huishan Town will handle it itself.
Due to the high impurity content, multiple steps are required to smelt barely usable pig iron. Therefore, the smelting furnace works almost day and night, leaving a layer of haze hanging over the entire Huishan Town all year round.
A typical resource-based town.
The person who received Lei Wen was Peng Bei, the administrative officer of Huishan Town, a middle-aged man in his forties.
Like this town and everyone living here, he is honest, calm, and down-to-earth, with gray and black marks on his skin that cannot be washed away.
"How about it? Are you still getting used to the new decree?" Raven asked.
Pengbei rubbed his hands: "To be honest, I'm not used to it."
Poirot glanced at him, obviously thinking that this person was a little shady.
Lei Wen did not pay attention, but continued: "Tell me more specifically."
Peng Bei walked in front, lowering his head: "It is a great thing that you are willing to pay us wages. No matter who is in the town, from young men to old men, they are grateful for your generosity."
"But You stipulate that you can only work ten hours a day, and you have to wear a cloth over your mouth when going to the mine. It is really..."
Speaking of this Here, Peng Bei smiled unskilledly: "After all, we still want to make more money."
Restricting working hours and paying wages to miners actually have the same purpose, to make them have money. At the same time, you also have time to spend money, instead of spending all your energy in the mines, so that the economy can flow and be active.
Leaven paused, looked at the smoke in the sky, and suddenly asked: "How old are you this year?"
Peng Bei replied: "Forty-seven, Lord Baron."
Leaven continued to ask: "How many men of your age are left?"
"This..." Peng Bei replied Bei was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said: "Six or seven out of ten people my age are dead."
"In our Gray Mountain Town, men who live over fifty are considered long-lived, so it is called the 'Widow Town'."
"Ore is the lungs of the earth. Our men mine ore and are influenced by the earth. The curse, therefore, our lungs will gradually wither, suffocate and weaken and die..."
pneumoconiosis.
It will cause pulmonary fibrosis in the sick person, who will first lose the ability to work and eventually suffocate to death.
A disease that is common in all types of mines. In fact, before Raven traveled through, if protective measures were not in place, many workers would still be infected.
What's more, in this era, what about the miners who squat in the mines all year round?
Lei Wen did not intend to correct Peng Bei's ideas. Without a complete scientific system, they would not understand even if he told them. He chose a more acceptable statement: "I have already said this. Just know that the mask I gave you is a sacred talisman, which can filter out the curse in the earth."
"After all, I am a magician!"
As he spoke, two syllables came out of Raven's mouth, and flames were already beating in his palms. If Raven said these words as a lord, Pengbei might not agree, but the magician was completely different.
Since the mysterious and powerful magician said that he can resist the curse, then... maybe it can really be done?
Peng Bei clenched his fists: "Lord Baron, don't worry, if anyone dares to take off the mask privately or throw it away secretly, I will kick his ass!"
While talking, Raven had already followed Pengbei outside the mine.
This mine is located halfway up the mountain. A piece of the mountain has been cut flat, and there are several dark mine pits on the cliff.
Now these mines are all blocked and guarded. The miners gathered in the open space. When they saw Raven's arrival, they immediately began to salute at a loss.
This is the first time many of them have seen the noble master come to this smoky place.
Lei Wen had no intention of giving a speech. Paying them wages and letting them know who paid them was much more useful than ten thousand speeches.
There are three mines in the Ash Mountain Mine. The place where the gray dwarves discovered the new mineral vein is in the No. 1 mine that has been excavated for the longest time. Under the leadership of Pembei and Poirot, Raven walked into the No. 1 mine and set an example by wearing it. Face mask.
After hundreds of years of mining, the depth of the mine has reached nearly 100 meters. It is extremely dark inside and the colder it gets as you go down. Even with Peng Bei leading the way, it still took nearly half an hour. Only then did they find the location of the gray dwarves.
Sohei's voice echoed in the mine: "Hey, now that we are prosperous, I think we can at least open our bellies and drink ale for three years, no, five years!"
Then came Buvier's excited voice: "No, I won't spend money on food and drink. I want to save a sum of money and open a store." My own jewelry store! I want the name of 'Grey Hammer' to be resounding throughout the continent!"
"If it's really that valuable, I can give you endless amounts of ale, Suohei. Raven turned the corner and wiped the ash off his head: "As for Buvier's jewelry store, I'll invest in it!"
"Lord Baron!"
"Lord Baron."
The two gray dwarves saluted one after another. Their skin color perfectly suited the environment in the mine. Even with the torches shining, except for the two pairs of dark Apart from the red eyes, I could barely make out the outline.
Raven did not intend to beat around the bush: "Where is the new mineral vein, why didn't I see it?"
"Come with us, Lord Baron." Sohei picked up the torch and walked ahead. .
"Hey, when it comes to prospecting, we have to be our dwarves!" Bowell explained as he walked: "We were originally invited to guide the construction of the mine, but we unexpectedly found a surprise! Look at this!"
As he spoke, Bowell snatched a piece of broken ore from the cave wall.
At first glance, this is no different from ordinary iron ore. It is dark red and looks like a brick, and it is much harder than a brick.
But if you look carefully, you will find that there are tiny iron beads embedded in it, but if you wipe it with your hands, they will disappear immediately.
Lei Wen said: "In addition to iron elements, there seems to be abundant water elements."
"Yes, Lord Baron." Suohe licked his lips: "When these miners from the Gray Mountain Mine dug here, they felt that there might be underground water nearby, causing the underground river to back up and destroy the mine, so they did not dare to continue digging, but they I don’t know what kind of treasures are buried here!”
“Here we are, Lord Baron!”
Squeezing through a slightly narrow cave, Raven actually breathed in the rich water vapor!
Even his eyebrows and hair were wet, and the torch in his hand was immediately extinguished.
But.
The mine did not fall into darkness. As far as the eye could see, it was a mist of mist. It didn't look like it was underground, but like it was stepping into the sky.
There is an aqua-blue luster in the clouds and mist, like blue lightning flowing through it, or like blue lights under the fog, like a dream.
The water element comes alive like never before!
“Mist vein?!” Raven blurted out.
"The Baron is really knowledgeable!" Buvier, who originally wanted to shake his book bag, immediately became more honest: "Yes, this is the Mist Mine vein that produces the second-level ore 'Mist Iron'. Our preliminary investigation shows that this vein extends for at least three kilometers underground, enough to be mined for hundreds of years.”
Misty iron, a second-level water-attributed ore, if cast into ingots, the price per pound will usually be between sixty-seven and eighty-five gold coins. Calculated, that is one hundred and forty per kilogram. Eight to one hundred and eighty-eight gold coins.
In addition, it also has a chance of being accompanied by a third-level water-attribute crystal "Matte Crystal". A fist-sized one can be sold for at least three to five thousand gold coins.
"In terms of production, what's the estimate?" Raven asked the question he was most concerned about.
Sohe said proudly: "If you leave it to us gray dwarves, there are a hundred good guys who will guarantee you a daily output of at least 6,000 pounds of raw ore! But after all, this thing requires technology. If you leave it to If your miners do it, even with our training, it will take at least 300 people to achieve the same efficiency."
This output is actually not a lot. The misty iron itself is extremely strong and can be mined. It is difficult and requires special professional skills.
If it is smelted later, about one pound of foggy iron can be extracted from about one hundred pounds of raw ore.
Converted, that’s about sixty pounds of foggy iron per day, or twenty-seven kilograms, which can produce a value of 4,300 gold coins every day!
Almost instantly, Raven made up his mind - use half of it for himself and sell the other half directly on the Deep Blue platform. He can earn a net income of about 60,000 gold coins every month!
In this way, Raven has a fairly stable source of gold coins, which also gives him the confidence to quickly build a new castle!
"Very good! Next, you leave a few gray dwarves to teach the miners in Gray Mountain Town how to mine, and then withdraw after the output stabilizes."
"As for your rewards..." Raven rubbed his chin and saw the expectant eyes of the gray dwarves: "I will give you two choices. One is that I will give each of you a reward of fifty gold coins now."
"Second, starting from today, you as a whole will invest in my iron smelting industry, and every time you cast one for me, If you wear armor, you can get five silver coins; for every weapon you forge, you can get two silver coins!"
This sentence immediately caused a confusion. Some gray dwarves jumped to ask for gold coins, and some asked for gold coins! They were clamoring for dividends, and all kinds of dirty words started flying around, and there were even signs of a fight.
"Baron, please wait a moment, we need to unify our opinions!" Suohe shouted.
Leaven shrugged, already used to this situation: "I'll wait for you outside, remember not to damage my foggy iron!"
After saying that, he turned around and got out.
Ten minutes later, Sohei and Bowell, who were covered in footprints, appeared in front of Raven. They looked at each other and Bowell said: "Lord Baron, we choose the second way!"< br>
Leiwen's eyes showed satisfaction: "Very good!"
Slaves may not need human rights, but they definitely need money.
Raven gave the second option, which is to tie the gray dwarves' interests with themselves. From now on, they are no longer just working for Raven, but also working for themselves. !
"Then what are we waiting for, Lord Baron, time is money!" Buvier geared up.
Lei Wen said: "Let's go, it just so happens that I have something to ask you about."
......
(End of this chapter)