Chapter 35: Winter Affairs

For Bruno, the long winter days were dull and monotonous.

He didn't need to worry about the training of new recruits, the construction of the Hanging Garden was being overseen by others, the sugar refinery was operating smoothly, and the salt production at Cape Salt Flats was steadily increasing.

Everything was progressing steadily in a positive direction.

As a result, Bruno's days had become uneventful.

Every morning, he would sleep until he naturally woke up, then casually eat something before spending time writing and sketching on parchment.

He felt that he needed to document the knowledge from his past life; otherwise, as time passed, he feared he might forget some of the advanced techniques and craftsmanship.

Bruno also felt that he had been doing too many serious things lately, which didn't quite align with the "spendthrift noble" persona of his predecessor. So, he decided to grant the castle's head chef an honorary knighthood.

That being said, this newly appointed knight did indeed have remarkable cooking talent. He quickly grasped the art of stir-frying, and after just a few attempts, his dishes were already far superior to Bruno's.

Originally, Bruno had wanted to accomplish more during the winter such as establishing a papermaking workshop, building more fishing boats to venture into the sea, or improving the roads throughout Idar.

However, all these plans were held back by a lack of funds.

The expenditures for the Hanging Garden and the standing army had exceeded the budget. The construction of the Hanging Garden alone was consuming nearly a thousand gold coins per month. If it weren't for the steady income from sea salt and white sugar, an average earl would have long gone bankrupt.

Initially, the budget for the Hanging Garden was about 500 gold coins per month, but in order to expedite its completion, Bruno had recruited even more serfs, expanding the number of work crews to fourteen.

The expenses for the standing army were also substantial—money, provisions, and manpower all had to be carefully calculated and managed.

Compared to these enormous costs, the funds allocated for Shabi's waste collection efforts seemed insignificant.

With so many new expenditures, Bruno temporarily lacked the extra gold to experiment with other ventures, forcing him to settle down for a while.

Since the people sent to procure sugar beets had returned with a full load and secured a stable supply, the sugar refinery's production had also stabilized. Currently, it could produce about 200 pounds of white sugar per month.

For a workshop, this output was somewhat low, but Bruno had no plans to expand production for the time being.

The primary consumers of white sugar were the nobility.

Its high price was due to a severe imbalance between supply and demand.

If a large quantity of white sugar suddenly flooded the market, not only would its price drop, but people would start questioning its origins.

The process of extracting sugar from beets was not overly complicated at least producing raw sugar would not be difficult for others to figure out.

If the valuable properties of sugar beets were discovered, the cost of purchasing them would skyrocket, something Bruno was keen to avoid.

After all, at present, sugar beets were not widely cultivated in Idar, and expanding their farming would take time.

Bruno had no intention of letting others control his raw material supply.

As for the Cape Salt Flats, all the salt pools were now in operation, and their areas were gradually expanding.

Sea salt production was heavily influenced by seasonal changes, and winter yields were typically lower than summer ones.

Nevertheless, even in winter, Idar's salt production had already tripled compared to before.

However, Bruno's usual routine was abruptly interrupted by unexpected news

A large magic crystal mine had been discovered in the Armis Mountain range!

When Old Ford brought him this news, Bruno had been leisurely basking in the sun at the castle.

The moment he heard it, he nearly jumped out of his chair.

A magic crystal mine!

In any world, anyone who could say "I own a mine" was never an ordinary person.

Owning a mine often meant wealth, power, influence, and immense development potential.

Bruno had been in this world long enough to gain a deep understanding of it, and he had already heard about magic crystal mines before.

Anything related to magic was extraordinarily valuable in this world.

Magic crystals were no exception.

Magic crystals were a special type of mineral essential to most mages.

They had many uses, but the most common and direct application was as a source of stored mana essentially acting as a "mana potion" for mages.

Of course, this didn't mean magic crystals directly provided mana for spellcasting. Instead, they functioned as containers that stored pure magical energy, allowing mages to cast spells with significantly reduced mental strain.

Brimming with anticipation, Bruno immediately ordered Old Ford to lead the way as he personally set out for the Armis Mountains.

The magic crystal mine was located halfway up the mountain, deep within a dense forest. It had been discovered by a serf from a work crew while chopping wood.

Upon arrival, the first thing Bruno did was declare that the serf who found the mine would be granted freedom and elevated to the status of a commoner. Moreover, he rewarded the lucky man with a house in Idar City.

The house originally belonged to a former delinquent who had donated it to atone for his past misdeeds.

When the serf heard Bruno's declaration, he felt his whole body tremble, his heart pounding furiously.

He was… free?

The serf was utterly dumbfounded. He knew Lord Bruno was a merciful man, but he had only expected a reward of some white bread or a few copper coins never could he have imagined…

That he would be granted freedom?

"Although you are now a commoner, you are still part of the work crew and must continue working on the Hanging Garden until its completion…"

"I understand!" the serf quickly replied.

"However, since you are now a free man, your labor will be compensated. Like the other free workers, you will receive a monthly wage of 40 copper coins."

"T-Thank you, my lord…" the serf stammered in gratitude, his voice trembling with emotion.