Proofread by Thomas F
Damon Hardt
"Careful, dear," I said as I moved to help my daughter get off the carriage, but stopped seeing her cheeks reddening.
She is a big girl now!
In a few months, she will be an adult when she receives her class.
She stepped off the carriage and looked around the mine with her eyes wide. She had been in Panar for a few months. We had brought her here when we went to Inam, but this is her first time coming into the mine.
It is a reward for the good work she has done.
"It's amazing," she said with her eyes wide as she looked around the mine. "You haven't seen the real thing yet," I replied and led her deeper.
There they are mining drelthar, bringing out block after block of them.
Within twelve hours, they are out of the mine, into the processing center, where they are processed according to each grade. In the past few months, we have accumulated a large amount of stock, but it won't be in the city for long.
Lord Silver has finally permitted us to sell the stone, and we have already signed a couple of agreements.
In three days, the drelthar will start leaving toward their destinations, with the first three being Namdar, Inam, and Deerpond.
To be honest, I am glad. Lord Silver had taken his time granting permission, which gave me time to build the processing facilities.
If we had sold early, after we had discovered it, some of the processing would have gone to Greltheaven or Gailhorn.
Or we might have even needed to sell the unprocessed stone. That would have robbed the city of extra revenue and employment, which we very much need.
"Governor Hardt," greeted Belidan. He is the man from the city responsible for the Drelthar mining operation.
"How is it going, Director Belidan?" I asked.
"A little slower than expected, but I still believe by the end of the week. All the new tools will be in their places; next month, we will have at least a 20% increase in the extraction," he replied, and I smiled.
There is a massive load of Drelthar, and we want to mine it without overmining it.
We want this to last for decades, and it will. According to our calculations, we could increase production a few more times and remain within the sustainability range.
"A little delay is fine as long as we do it safely," I replied.
The tools used to mine the Drelthar are complex. They needed to set up properly before we could start using them. Last month, there were a few accidents because of the rush; I want to avoid that this month.
"I will remember it," he stated.
A few minutes later, I left him in his place and walked inside.
"This is a really amazing resource. If the sales numbers go in the direction that the accounting department had projected, it is going to help the city a lot fiscally," said Lia as she looked around blocks and blocks of drelthar being stored around us.
"It isn't just money, dear, that will be useful, but also the prestige and fame that will help the city," I replied.
These qualities are just as important as money, and in some cases even more so.
These will attract investment and the talent the city needs.
"It's such a regret that Lord Silver isn't willing to waive the tax we have to pay to the dominion," she said, before sighing, while I also sighed.
We had an exception before because of our negative finances, but not anymore.
The moment finances go positive, which they will in the next month. We will need to pay the taxes to the dominion. I asked for the extension for the exception, but it was declined.
Soon, we reach the area where there is tight security. The further we go, the tighter it becomes.
It isn't just the people. There are also special ballistae and other weapons around; their concentration made my hair stand on end.
These weapons are special, because they use few enchantments, and those that they use are powerful enough to resist the external effect.
"So much security. Are those monsters really that powerful?" she asked.
"You have read the reports," I replied. She had access to most of the reports about the mine and the monsters.
When returning to Inam, I went to Greltheaven and requested Lord Silver. To give Lia an official role that is symbiotic to my position.
It is like that of a Lord and his heir, but my position is not hereditary. Still, he made some workarounds to grant Lia the same privileges.
Silver is very careful about such things, and I don't think he would have such favor if not for Lia's mother.
Scala has a good relationship with Carla Salt and Caena Aris. She asked them as a favor to convince Silver. I also use all the goodwill I had built up by asking for it.
All so that my daughter could gain a powerful class.
Having a powerful class could give us a leg up. I know it too well. Being someone from a powerful Mercantile House and having worked hard since I was a child has given me a powerful Merchant Class.
It had helped me tremendously in my career and rise through the ranks.
Still, it couldn't be compared to the ruling classes; they are the truly powerful ones. I thought my merchant class was powerful, but it pales compared to the Governor Class it had changed into.
I want that for my daughter as well.
Lady is impossible, nor are we aiming for it. We want a semi-ruling class or really powerful merchant class. It would help her a lot in life.
It will also be easier to advance into Lady in the future.
I want that for my daughter, and for that, I need to become a real lord. Silver had hinted that it's not impossible, and I believe in him.
I do not like him personally, and I don't think that is going to change, but I believe in his capability and potential.
It is why I took this position and stayed loyal despite the imperials and other powerful forces asking me to betray him; some even threatened consequences.
Soon, we reached the large metal gate. It is as thick as my hand, and it takes the guards several seconds to open it.
"Governor," greeted the dwarf from the other side. He looked middle-aged, with deep brown hair and a style beard that I couldn't help but feel envious of.
He is a true, pure-blooded Valbolder dwarf, given that he is over five feet tall.
"Penmaster Ironstone," I replied as I stepped inside. Technically, he is the director of the first pen, but he liked to be called penmaster.
"The monsters, I hope, are doing well?" I asked. "As good as one would expect them," he replied, and both of us laughed.
The shardmaws are too chaotic; they couldn't be domesticated like other monsters. It might be possible, but it might take several generations, or it might not be.
I walked with him, with dwarves moving around. There are a few humans and orcs; those are his people.
The people he brought from Valboldar are purely made up of dwarves. One of the conditions of the job is to take our people and train them.
We needed to walk for a few minutes before we reached the pen.
Immediately, a loud gasp rang out of Lia's mouth as she looked at the monsters in front of us, although only through the large stone window.
This is a large pen, with over a hundred monsters; the smallest ones are recently hatched, while the biggest ones are Grade IV. There had been a few Grade V's, but they were killed.
These monsters are kept in a large pen divided into different sections.
These large sections are massive, giving the relative freedom to move around. Though they are not free, they are in a pen, with each one wearing a bronze collar.
Well, harness technically. That restricts their movements and power.
They are made from a tough but flexible alloy called begris. There is not a hint of enchantment on it. We can't use anything magical with these beasts, given their power.
"They are still as aggressive as last time," I said, seeing the two Shardmaws fighting.
On the other side, one is struggling hard against the locked harnessed, while two dwarves and an orc inspect it.
"These shardmaws are the most aggressive monsters I have come across, with them resisting most of the spells and fighting hard most of the skills, it is really hard to control them," he replied, but doesn't seem disappointed.
"It makes things difficult, but that is where the fun is."
I watched the man grin before he focused on two dwarfs and an orc, who carefully removed the crystals of the shardmaw, only a small percentage of it.
It is for this work that we hired the man. It is the thing that could help the city the most.
We could mine Drelthar, but it is a finite resource. Not like the crystal on these shardmaws.
If we could raise them, we would have a continuous supply of the powerful magic-resistance crystal, which is more powerful than drelthar and seems to be more versatile in use, given the latest find by alchemists.
"What is the status of the growth of crystals?" I asked the most important question.
"They are growing, but very slowly. We need it faster, we have skills for that, and I am also experimenting with new feeds." He replied, before his eyes moved to the little shardmaws.
"Though the real result will be brought by selective breeding," he added.
I sighed internally and nodded.
This will be a multiyear project; the initial harvest will be small, but we will crack the higher productivity. That is a far-off target, as we have barely started.
We don't even know whether we will breed these shardmaws in a controlled environment like this.
Though we are going to try with all our might.
A few minutes later, I walked out of the pen with my daughter. "Most of the reports had been positive so far," said Lia. Well, positive meaning Shardmaws are accepting a new diet, harnesses are working, and other things.
"We need more proof before we can have real hope about this," I replied, and she nodded.
"I hope we succeed, Father, because they could help us as much as Drelthar," she said. More, actually. She didn't have access to secret reports.
The alchemists are very excited about the crystal and its applications.
I am as well.
This is not a resource that could end. As long as it succeeds and we manage it well. It had the potential to bring a massive fortune to the city.