Chapter 57: The Bustling Idar

Bagasse can be used to make paper!

This news nearly made Bruno ecstatic. In the neighboring Basel Kingdom to the south, sugarcane refining was extremely common, and the leftover bagasse after sugar extraction was essentially useless.

Bruno could purchase this bagasse at a low price from the Basel Kingdom and use it for papermaking!

What made him even more relieved was that large-scale sugarcane refining took place in the Basel Kingdom rather than in the Norman Empire, which helped him avoid many potential troubles.

After all, even if the nobles of the Basel Kingdom eventually realized that large amounts of bagasse were being transported through the Mann Fortress into the Norman Empire, they wouldn't be able to investigate the matter thoroughly.

That was because Bruno was a noble of the Norman Empire, not of the Basel Kingdom.

If he were selling goods or acquiring resources within the Norman Empire, he would have to tread carefully and avoid attracting attention, as the great nobles there were numerous and powerful. If any of them became envious of Idar's goods, it could lead to unnecessary trouble.

However, when dealing with the Basel Kingdom whether selling products or purchasing raw materials Bruno didn't have to worry at all.

The Basel Kingdom was, at least in name, a vassal state of the Norman Empire, sending envoys each year to present tribute to the imperial court.

Moreover, as a noble of the empire, Bruno naturally held a higher status than the nobles of the Basel Kingdom.

On top of that, with the Mann Fortress standing as a barrier between Idar and the Basel Kingdom, the nobles of Basel would never dare to raise arms against him.

For these reasons, aside from fulfilling existing agreements with Cario and maintaining Idar's traditional sales channels, Bruno had no intention of expanding into the Norman Empire's domestic market anytime soon.

First, the Norman Empire's political landscape was complicated, with intricate webs of influence. If he wasn't careful, he might end up offending powerful nobles.

Second, Idar's current production capacity wasn't even enough to satisfy the Basel Kingdom's market, so there was no need to wade into the dangerous waters of the empire just yet.

As a noble family that had ruled Idar for nearly a century, the Idar lineage had maintained decent relations with the generals stationed at Mann Fortress over the years.

Thus, opening up trade routes to the Basel Kingdom wouldn't be difficult for Bruno.

It was simply something that previous Idar Earls had never attempted…

To Bruno, this was quite baffling. As a border earl, his predecessors may not have ruled over the most fertile lands, but they enjoyed far more freedom than nobles closer to the empire's core.

They neither plundered, nor smuggled, nor engaged in commerce Bruno found it absurd, as if they were sitting on a treasure trove and doing nothing with it.

To quickly improve Idar's financial situation, Bruno immediately dispatched people to purchase bagasse from the Basel Kingdom while also instructing his servants to begin preparing the mash for distillation.

After all, both papermaking and alcohol distillation required fermentation and other preparatory processes before actual production could begin.

With this approach, by the time the road between Idar and Mann Fortress was fully constructed, these two products would already have enough stock to flood the Basel Kingdom's market.

Over the past few days, the wounded soldiers had been recovering well. Thanks to Bruno's strict emphasis on hygiene, not a single one had died from infection.

an impressive feat given the lack of alcohol for sterilization.

Under normal circumstances, at least half of these injured soldiers would have succumbed to infection.

This revelation amazed many people. They realized that simply keeping the wounded in a cleaner environment significantly reduced the risk of death.

"If that's the case... would keeping our own homes clean prevent sickness too? Would we need to see the doctor less often?"

With Bruno's deliberate promotion, the citizens of Idar were soon caught up in another wave of mass cleaning.

In no time, the entire city of Idar underwent a transformation.

While the buildings were still worn down and shabby, the streets were no longer as filthy as before.

Spring arrived, bringing new life to the land.

With the ownership of Grand Highland settled and the war between Soren and Idar concluded, everything in Idar was back on track.

The original eight production teams were fully committed to road construction. With the help of cement a brand-new material the process was progressing smoothly.

To the ignorant serfs, cement seemed like a divine creation, a miracle from the gods!

Since the method of making cement had to remain a tightly guarded secret, only Bruno's most trusted subordinates were involved in its production. To maintain security, the first cement workshop in Idar was built near the Cape Saltworks. This way, the existing saltworks guards could also oversee cement production.

Thus, the serfs only ever encountered pre-made cement.

Their only task was to spread it evenly over the leveled roadbed, and within a few days, the cement would harden completely.

Once solidified, the cement surface was as firm as natural stone steady underfoot and far superior to the dusty, uneven paths they were used to.

Most importantly, the new roads were unaffected by rain, meaning travelers would no longer be hindered by muddy, flooded paths.

In addition to the southern roads, construction finally began on Namur Fortress in the north.

A workforce of 300 serfs and over 300 captured prisoners totaling more than 600 people labored under the supervision of Idar's soldiers, working diligently.

Bruno also established a series of reward and punishment measures. While outstanding workers could still earn their freedom, the incentives for the northern workforce were set lower than those for the eight production teams in the south.

After all, these laborers were originally Soren's citizens, and Bruno needed more time to observe them.

Even so, their conditions were already far better than what they had experienced under Soren's rule.

Near the future Namur Fortress, another cement workshop was being constructed. Since the northern and southern work sites were too far apart, transporting cement between them would be inefficient. It was better to establish a second facility directly.

However, this created a headache for Arnel.

The heating arrays in the cement kilns frequently broke down after prolonged use, requiring maintenance. As a result, Arnel had to shuttle constantly between the two workshops, becoming little more than a tool to keep the process running.

This left him with barely any time for researching enchanted weapons or improving the magic arrays, forcing him to work late into the night. Eventually, he began demanding a raise from Bruno.

To Arnel's surprise, Bruno readily agreed, even doubling his monthly salary on the spot.