Chapter 136 - Episode 10: Gunpowder and Niter
Because we overdid it so much that it was impossible to tell how many Orcs were blown up by the gunpowder, the reward ended up being zero.
It's the same as with Prince Stephens' fortress. No, it's worse.
That said, we couldn't just go home, so we decided to help out.
We went down to the residential area once, and with Beatrix's help, I treated the wounded. Since the seriously injured had been recovered with scrolls, I recovered those with relatively minor injuries with magic. I had Beatrix wipe the bodies of the injured with water she produced with magic.
Bonnie was replenishing Holy Water in the quivers and filling them with arrows. Paul-san seemed to be stripping branches from the trees since they were already blown down, turning them into logs. He's probably going to use them as material for the new fence.
The damage was three dead and eight wounded who needed recuperation; if the Orcs hadn't fled halfway through, the casualties might have increased further. Although no reward was given, the result was probably good.
While I was mending the Green Marble with the hole as promised, reinforcements arrived. The northern camp of the Eastern Plains sent out nearly fifty people.
Before I knew it, the eastern sky was turning white.
Among the reinforcements were the three who formed the quartet, and it was a reunion after a long time. Everyone was wearing the Green Marble with the crest.
After all, Princess Gladys is the one dyeing them. They must be quite popular.
"Yo, Jeanne. It's been a while."
"It's been a long time. How have you been?"
"I heard you became a knight. Our madonna is quite active."
They were grinning.
Please don't say things like that.
When I glared at them from the corner of my eye, they joked even more, saying, "My apologies."
"By the way, I heard you repelled the Orcs."
"Yes. They ran away after Paul-san and the others blew them up with gunpowder."
When I told them the details, they laughed loudly.
"What do you think? If you had gunpowder when we fought the Fenrir, do you think it would have been easier?"
When I looked at Beatrix, she was tilting her head.
"Allies would be caught in it. You have to use it right in the middle of the enemy."
"Look at this," she said, showing her mud-stained clothes.
"Hmm. Is it difficult for camp defense?"
Even if we launched it with a catapult, the effect would be halved because the trees would get in the way in the forest. The fuse might go out from the impact of hitting something. To blow them up by setting it like Paul-san did, allies have to go close.
The quartet also crossed their arms and thought deeply.
After all, it was only recently that it was distributed little by little, mainly to the Jaegers. For now, it seems to be for civil engineering work.
In the end, we decided to ask the workshop when we returned to Nakanohara.
Since dawn had broken, we cleaned our clothes, took a bath, ate breakfast, and went to sleep.
We slept until just before noon, and at noon, I offered a funeral prayer for the war dead. Their graves were made in a sunny spot at the edge of the residential area, chosen so they could see the Flatlands they protected.
After that, we went to see the northern slope where we fought the previous night.
It was the first time for me to see the north side of the mountain range including the pass where we are now.
When I actually saw it, there was a mountain of the same height in front, so I couldn't see very far. I thought the view would be good since it's a pass, but it wasn't really.
"You can't see very well from here."
According to Lewis-san, because the entire northern part of the Flatlands is a mountainous area of similar height, you can't see the state of the hollow where the monsters are probably gathered unless you go further west.
"It's just right to partition the Northeastern Forest to the east and the hollow in northern Nakanohara. The mountains themselves aren't that high, but there are many small valleys, so we don't know how many monsters are settled there."
"If we go straight north through this mountainous area, can we reach the Royal Capital region?"
"You'd end up hitting the edge of the Sertoria Central Mountains. Even so, the mountains around here are lower compared to the edge of the Central Mountains."
Apparently, they have no idea how many remnants of the Demon Lord's army fled north from the Flatlands.
However, perhaps thanks to that, he said invasions like last night's probably won't happen often. He seems to predict that a force large enough to organize an army hasn't grown.
"But since we blew up so many trees, we can't hide and make a camp anymore."
The area that was blown up is in the middle of having a new fence made of logs, centered around Paul-san.
Since nothing is built on the left and right of the fort behind it, it would be over in one shot if they were flanked.
Beatrix, the one who did the blowing up, said it apologetically. It seems she's reflecting a little.
"Now, don't worry about it. We had to do it eventually. Thanks to that, the damage was less than expected."
He said it with a nice smile, so Beatrix also smiled and said, "Thank you."
When I asked Paul-san, he said we'd stay here for a day and help with the camp construction.
Even though the reinforcements from the Eastern Plains had returned, there were more people than usual, so they were going to build as much of the camp as possible.
As I watched, once they dug out the trees from the roots in the area that was blown up and turned them into logs, they carried them up. They didn't make an earthen rampart but left it as a slope. Eventually, they began to dismantle the front fence and carry it up.
I thought the Orcs would climb up easily and asked about it; apparently, they're going to cut all the trees in front of the camp to make it just a slope, and if the Orcs climb up, they'll roll logs from above.
"What will you do when the logs are gone?"
"To prevent that, we'll aim with arrows first. We can throw gunpowder too. If the opponents gather, we'll drop logs. If we still can't repel them, we'll have to make the fence sturdy and poke them with spears from above or splash Holy Water on them."
He said it would be best if they could project towers with ballistae from the left and right of the pass to snipe them.
Ideally, it should eventually be a stone fortress incorporating the entire terrain of the pass, but that would be a major construction project.
"Try connecting the entire ridge of the mountains surrounding the Flatlands with stone walls; this entire area will become impregnable. If we develop it and become self-sufficient in food, we can hold out for years."
He's saying something on quite a large scale, but...
"Paul. To protect a fortress of that scale, how many soldiers would be needed?"
"...Ten thousand, maybe. No, maybe even more."
Lewis-san also sighed. If an army of over ten thousand entered a land with food production for only a little over a thousand people, they'd just destroy themselves.
Apparently, he's dreaming.
The next day, when we went to the workshop, we were scolded by the old man, who said, "Gunpowder can't be mass-produced, so don't use it all at once."
Apparently, one of the materials can only be obtained through very small imports from the continent, and the price is quite high. Moreover, that expensive stuff supposedly makes up more than half of it, so it's a big deal.
"We gave it to the Jaegers for camp construction even though it hasn't even reached the Central Army yet. It's unacceptable to use a whole box at once to exterminate Orcs."
Still, he seemed to evaluate the fact that the damage was small and told us to keep it moderate.
"What's the expensive part?"
The mage, who is as unreserved as ever, asked without showing any sign of reflection.
When the old man signaled, Matilda brought it over.
"It's called niter. Apparently, it won't blow up without this."
White stone... something like soil is in a jar.
"Can it be mined?"
Since Matilda didn't seem to know anything, I asked the apprentice.
"I heard there are mines like that in the world, but there are almost no such mines near the island, including the continent... For now, we only have a tiny bit that was imported."
Apparently, they diverted the precious gunpowder for the Flatlands development.
This is a bit bad. Even Beatrix looked down and said, "I'm sorry."
"Though there's supposedly a way to make it from night soil."
"Night soil?"
I wondered what it was, and it turned out to be the 'bathroom' type.
Does that mean... the sewage treatment plant becomes a gunpowder manufacturing site?
"No, the town's treatment plant is specialized for compost, so I don't think it can be harvested."
"It's village cesspools and livestock sheds."
Lately, it seems to be secretly in fashion to break old village cesspools and bring the surrounding soil to Nakanohara. A cesspool is basically a communal toilet; you dig a hole in the floor of a shed and do your business there. You can put it in a jar and throw it away when it's full.
The apprentice apparently goes to the site, and if there's a suitable cesspool, he breaks the shed and brings the soil from around the hole. Since they get a new toilet and the soil is exchanged for an equal weight of compost, the village chiefs in the designated villages are leading the way in breaking them.
"I suspect that in the near future, every country will be desperate to get their hands on niter."
In short, don't use it much.
Unfortunately, it seems it won't be easy to drive away monsters by using lots of gunpowder for camp defense.
I told Paul-san it was impossible and mentioned the cesspool story.
"Hmm," he began to think.
He might know something.
"How about changing the way the sewage treatment plant works?"
"The way it works?"
"Yes. Right now they're only making compost, but if we change the method, we might be able to manage something. Speaking of fertilizer, there's an expert, isn't there?"
He must mean Flora. Spirits are neutral, so I don't want to involve her too much, but...
"Why don't you ask her yourself?"
While we were talking, Lyudmila returned from the field with Flora's pot in a basket.
It's hard to bring up, but I prefaced it by saying her neutrality might be compromised, explained the gunpowder, and asked her.
"Neutrality doesn't matter. Low-ranking spirits like us have little influence, so we're on the side of whoever we were with at the time."
She replied bluntly. Moreover, monsters... especially those like Orcs, are enemies. Apparently, many of her companions were killed by Orcs who wanted their roots.
However, she supposedly doesn't join in combat.
Well, that's true. It would be like me doing hand-to-hand combat.
"It's the same with Goblins, right? They're scouting and monster hunting together, aren't they?"
Come to think of it, that was true.
Flora has already finished her introduction to the Goblins.
When they actually met, the Elder was quite happy and they hugged each other's shoulders with tears in their eyes. They must have both gone through a lot of hardship.
In that case, Beatrix showed her a piece of niter about the size of a pinky tip that she had received for her education.
When Flora touched it with the tip of a root, she said she knew it.
"It's no good unless this is mixed into the fertilizer. But if the purity is this high, it's actually poison. I'm sure the roots would die."
"They seem to make it with night soil."
"Urine might be good too. Tiny creatures in the soil that you can't see eat the night soil and then excrete it."
I didn't know there were creatures that eat night soil.
It's a shock. Moreover, the fact that the night soil of creatures that eat night soil becomes the material for gunpowder is a wonder of the world.
According to Flora, in short, there are many tiny creatures in the soil that eat dead leaves—plant corpses, so to speak—as well as animal corpses and night soil, and those guys are cleaning up the world.
"There's such a thing as roles. I'm sure humans have roles too."
The conversation became difficult. To be honest, I don't really understand.
"It's okay. Even I don't know my own role. I'm sure roles were naturally created when this world was made. Even the tiny guys in the soil don't know they're making good soil. They're just living as hard as they can. You can't tell unless you look from a level above."
I see. In other words, only the Goddess knows. I can understand that.
In the end, according to Flora, the point is to increase the number of tiny creatures that turn night soil into niter. Since niter dissolves in water, she said that in a covered, dry place, you should cover night soil and animal corpses with humus like forest soil and occasionally pour mainly urine over it, and after several years, lots of niter will be produced.
"This story is a top-secret matter. Tomorrow, I'll have Mayor Adolf hear what Flora just said directly. Don't say a word to anyone else."
When Paul-san said that, Marcelo-san also nodded with a solemn expression.
The next day, I took the human-form Flora and met Adolf-san along with Marcelo-san, Angelica-san, Paul-san, Beatrix, and Lyudmila, and had him listen to the story of making niter.
I was told something similar to what Paul-san said and was strictly forbidden from speaking of it.
When Beatrix said there are regulations, he even told her to say she was forbidden by him.
Apparently, they're going to make niter mainly through the Jaeger unit workshop in secret. Paul-san and Angelica-san will also cooperate, but it seems it's a secret from the employees of the Water and Sewage Management Office.
"There are things it's better not to know. Thanks to you girls, we'll probably be able to make lots of niter. However, until the method Flora taught us spreads to other countries, never speak of this again. It's better if someone in another country becomes the first inventor. If scouts from another country find out, even if they're from Medioland, you'll undoubtedly be kidnapped. You'll be tortured, and no matter what you say, you'll just be killed in the end. The same goes for the Alraune. It's to protect you. Got it?"
He looked me straight in the eye.
"Also, since I can't speak of this again and there are no results yet, I can't give a reward from the country. However, we must thank Flora. So..."
He took twenty gold coins out of his wallet.
"It's my personal money. To be honest, I'd like to give ten times this much, but I have a life too. Please overlook it with this. In exchange, I'll have a play written in the Royal Capital about how Alraunes are allies of humans and have it performed on a large scale. Apparently, spirit-themed stories are popular in the capital lately, so it should work."
Saying that, he tried to give the gold coins to Flora. He wants to convey his current feelings of gratitude, though it might come secretly from the country later.
"Give the money to Jeanne. Having a play written is enough for me."
"I can't do that."
"But I don't use money."
"Let's go shopping together. Let's buy new clothes and a water bottle. I want to go see the play with the Alraune too."
"Okay. Then, I'll entrust it to you. Use it when you buy things for me."
She seemed convinced and hugged me.
By the way, the next day, just in case, I took Flora to see the sewage treatment plant, and it turned out that niter was contained in the walls near the bottom of the holes for making compost. Thanks to that, they can apparently make a considerable amount of gunpowder for the time being.
However, they still want to keep it a secret, so Adolf-san told us not to use it flashily.
The next day, when I went to the Marcelo Company with Beatrix to show off Flora in her new red dress and water bottle, I was told there was news.
"The results of the niter survey are out. It seems Marcelo heard about it..."
When I looked at Marcelo-san, he was smiling.
Which means...
"Apparently, there's some prospect, so they're going to start with small-scale experimental mining. However, since the highway leading to the plains will be delayed, they'll use private companies until the highway construction starts. So, the Marcelo Company will be undertaking the mining alone."
"Since it's for a limited time, will the Goblins do it?"
They're already undertaking monster hunting. The entire Flatlands area, including the nearby mountains, is off-limits to anyone but those involved.
"We decided to have about five Goblins dig it out and send it to the town hall warehouse with Teleport scrolls. They'll check it there. Also, we and the Goblins can commute using the Teleportation Circle installed at the company."
Marcelo-san makes the Teleport scrolls and magic circles. If he feels like it, he can make them last for two weeks with just the material costs. In other words, it can be transported to Nakanohara at a bargain price. Moreover, there are five bargain experts in digging. There's no way he'd lose to other contractors who try to raise their labor costs because it's a dangerous area.
I thought he must have gone with a strong negotiation, but apparently, there were no competitors to begin with. Since it's experimental mining, the scale is small, there's no highway, and it's not profitable at all, so no one else raised their hand.
"I've already applied to Mayor Adolf. The Goblins have shown results in the construction of the second water pipe. This time, five people will get the wages of two."
What used to be one person's worth per pair became two people's worth for five.
Paul-san let out a war cry. We also made a big fuss.
"There is one piece of bad news for the Class of 175."
He had a solemn face. I looked at Beatrix. What happened?
"We were supposed to build the company's shed on the land the Class of 175 bought, right? About that... we have to build an office for the mining... and based on the talk the other day, it doesn't seem like it'll work out..."
Did it fall through, and we have to build it ourselves? If that happens, we won't be able to have them till the land for free or dig the well. Above all, we won't have enough manpower if we can't commute from Nakanohara.
"We've decided to build one about twice as large as the original plan. Your land will be narrower by that much, but we look forward to working with you."
He bowed his head and smiled mischievously.
Good grief. You almost made me cry!