Chapter 318: The Industrial District and Gunpowder
At the far edge of the planned Outer City, separated from other areas by a two-meter-high wall and operating independently, lay the Industrial District.
A vast array of various earthen kilns and furnaces, all towering in height, filled the field of vision.
Egger came from a highly developed modern world where the social division of labor was incredibly detailed; therefore—despite working with metal materials—he knew little about the smelting process at the very source. Fortunately, while the world of Ice and Fire was backward, it was not a primitive society. The simple operation of reducing metal from ore had long been mastered and refined to a decent standard. As long as there were craftsmen with some experience, the smelting area could be organized and constructed under their direction.
The scouting teams sent to the mountains to prospect for ore had not yet returned, but a small portion of the Queenscrown's Industrial District had already begun operations: the production of charcoal, the material required in the largest quantity besides ore for smelting.
The craftsmen of Westeros had long ago concluded that charcoal-based metallurgy yielded higher quality products. Thus, even before smelting officially began, these preparations had already provided a living for countless New Gift residents. The Gift lacked massive forests on the scale of the Wolfswood or the haunted forest that required labels on maps, but it had no shortage of scattered small groves. With a relatively small population, timber was more than sufficient, though collecting it was quite a hassle.
The administrators of Queenscrown had implemented a Wood Collection Edict, allowing idle folk to gather firewood and bring it to the town. Receivers would weigh the wood, classify it by moisture and species, and pay a reward accordingly. Compared to formal military service or construction work, this task was exhausting and paid little, but its advantage was that men, women, the elderly, and children could all participate. This saved Queenscrown from worrying about fuel while providing a legitimate way to feed many people—a good deed in its own right.
Once the timber arrived, workers sorted it by length and thickness, stacking it into tall, hollow piles and coating the exterior with clay to form an earthen kiln for firing. Using the stifled kiln method—once the fire reached a certain point, all openings were sealed to extinguish the flame and allow for natural cooling—the outer clay was then scraped away to reveal finished black charcoal.
A simple and repetitive operation, the most time-consuming step was the waiting. However, if there was one thing the Gift didn't lack, it was space. Once one charcoal pile was sealed, workers could immediately move to another clearing to repeat the steps. It was for this reason that so many large earthen kilns had formed the scene before them.
Workers moved back and forth everywhere, using crude carts to transport firewood and finished charcoal. Beside these frontline laborers were a smaller but conspicuous number of directors and supervisors, and even several mountain clan vendors who had come to sell food. Their homemade multigrain porridge and coarse bread steamed in the cold air, emitting a faint, savory aroma.
This was by no means a performance put on for Egger. The division of labor and cooperation proceeded so smoothly and naturally that it was entirely believable that as soon as the copper ore arrived, this place would transform into an industrial beast breathing out metal.
"My Lord, this is the finished charcoal." Logically, he should have been displaying a smelted copper ingot, but since there were none, Yam had to pick up a piece of black charcoal and hand it to Egger.
"Mmm." Egger had no problem using charcoal for heat, but as for distinguishing its grade or quality? That was giving him too much credit. Feigning expertise, he rolled and pressed the lightweight black lump between his fingers, then nodded and changed the subject: "See, this burns much better than firewood, peat, or coal. This is what you use for heat in your room at night."
Arya gave him a sidelong glance. "Tch, how is this interesting at all?"
"Heh, true, this isn't the interesting part." Egger nodded. "Where is the master I hired to handle the smelting and casting? Take me to see him."
As luck would have it, likely because Yam's family had once managed mines for the Lannisters and his connections were all in the Westerlands, this craftsman—proficient in everything from smelting to casting and forging—was also hired from Lannisport. Appearing to be in his late forties or fifties, he had bronze skin and a sturdy build, looking every bit a veteran of the trade.
Egger greeted him and, after inquiring about the preparations and technical details, found both to his regret and relief that the metallurgical standards of this world were not so backward that an outsider like himself could offer much in the way of guidance or improvement.
"Once the copper is smelted, what does my Lord intend to do with it?" the craftsman asked casually. "Copper is worth something, but in these times of war, what's more in demand is good steel for weapons... and your Gift is too far from the south. Shipping goods there to sell wouldn't leave much profit after the hassle. However, if we can find tin ore, I can help you make some bronze. It'll suffice, and it's not much worse than iron."
"If we can find tin, that would be ideal; the cost of purchasing it is simply too high." Egger shook his head. "That can wait. I intend to use the first batch of smelted copper to mint coins. After all, coins don't have high requirements for material toughness or hardness."
"What? True, pure copper can be used for coins." The craftsman's eyes widened. "But that's not a material issue. Minting coins... that requires royal recognition. Have you received permission?"
"Not yet, but I will handle that matter myself. We will only mint copper coins here; let's call them 'tokens' for now. They will primarily be used to pay wages and stipends to the residents of the Gift and the Night's Watch. We aren't considering their circulation outside the Gift, and their value will be set equal to the crown's copper. Under these conditions, can you handle the molds and casting for a specific weight of copper per coin?"
"I must admit, I've never made copper goods that small." The ease on the craftsman's face vanished, replaced by a moody head-shake. "But it shouldn't be hard. It's just a thing, after all. Give me enough tools and time to experiment, and it will eventually succeed."
After a pause, he continued, "So... what patterns or text should be stamped on these 'tokens'? Does the Night's Watch have a sigil, or should it be someone's face?"
If anyone's face were to be stamped on a coin, it would have to be Egger's own, but such a bold and treasonous thought was best left as a fantasy; it couldn't be done for real. "Discuss that with the head of Logistics. Just show me the final design. Keep it simple and easy to cast as a rule. We're only minting coppers anyway; we'll still use Silver Stags and Gold Dragons for higher values, so it doesn't matter."
"Understood."
"One more thing, Master," Egger said, lowering his posture slightly. "I didn't bring you to the Gift at a high price just to help us start smelting. When you have time, you must teach the skills and techniques in your head to the apprentices and helpers we assign to you. Rest assured, our people will never go south to compete for your livelihood, and once you have taught them, the reward I give you will be generous enough to last you a lifetime."
The Westerlands craftsman looked at Egger with surprise, thinking that this legendary Other-Slayer seemed to have quite a few ideas. However, he naturally wouldn't agree to such a deep request immediately; he merely nodded noncommittally.
Egger didn't expect to have someone's life's work handed over just by talking. As long as enough gold was provided, he wasn't worried the man would do nothing... besides, the man was on his territory now. If he refused to be reasonable, there were always harder ways to handle it.
After more small talk, Egger bid them farewell and left the Industrial District. He crossed through the Inner City gates, streets, and wooden bridges to reach the small island in the center of the tiny lake—the place where he had settled the pyromancers he had recruited from King's Landing.
If there was any knowledge that could give him a massive advantage in this world at a mere pedagogical level, it was gunpowder. To this end, he had begun accumulating talent and technology early on. Two years after meeting and using various means to recruit these pyromancers, he had finally achieved control over a force that was obedient and entirely his own. He could finally begin to push this ultimate weapon onto the stage of history without fear of it immediately becoming someone else's prize.
The pyromancers had been in the Gift for nearly two years. Consistently enjoying top-tier treatment in Queenscrown, they had gradually adjusted to the climate and were no longer full of grumbling or thoughts of leaving. Aside from preparing and storing wildfire daily, they had also begun the preparations for making gunpowder under Egger's secret instructions.
Entering the tower surrounded by water—the highest security level in Queenscrown—Egger found the pyromancers in a room filled with various bottles and jars, resembling a chemistry laboratory.
After enjoying respect and privilege in Queenscrown for long enough, these alchemists, who had lived like rats since the fall of the Targaryen dynasty, had regained some color and confidence. Two of them had even regrown their hair.
"Good afternoon, Wisdoms," Egger greeted with a smile. "Have the items I requested been prepared?"
"They are ready," said Wisdom Hallyne. "Aside from the saltpeter being a bit troublesome, the others are available in whatever quantity you need. They are hardly rare."
The requested items were, of course, charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter... the materials required for the most primitive black powder.
Charcoal, needless to say, could be made by grinding the high-quality black charcoal from the Industrial District outside into powder.
Sulfur... by a coincidence that was also an inevitability: it was everywhere around the volcanic craters on Dragonstone. Shipping it back and simply melting, filtering, and distilling it would yield sulfur pure enough for their needs. This was not difficult for pyromancers who even knew how to fractionate light oils.
However, on the final item—saltpeter—the pyromancers had hit a wall. Materials like sulfur and charcoal were already familiar and used in the world of Ice and Fire before Egger arrived. Everyone knew what they were when mentioned. But saltpeter—Westeros had no traditional medicine or Daoist alchemists; the people had no concept of it.
"We now know that this substance can be found in the corners of stables and latrines, or on the walls of certain cellars and caves. Purification is simple—soak it in hot water and filter it. The problem now is that these sources are too scarce. They are nowhere near enough for mass production."
"What about saltpeter mines?"
"No one has ever heard of such a thing! Since you can name it, what does the ore look like? Where is it usually found? Give us any hint at all."
How was Egger supposed to know? He wasn't a geology major or an enthusiast before he crossed over, nor did he know he would one day need to manufacture gunpowder! He scratched his head hard, realizing that things were not as simple as imagined. Merely knowing the one part sulfur, two parts saltpeter, three parts charcoal formula was a world apart from actually producing gunpowder and leading a world into the age of firearms.
"Then what? Should I send men across the Seven Kingdoms to buy the 'earth-frost' that forms naturally in people's latrines and stables?"
"For now, that is the only way. However, we still don't understand how these three things can be the bane of the Others. While they can burn, there isn't a speck of magic in them. Besides, don't we already have wildfire, which is far more powerful?"
The so-called 'bane of the Others' was, of course, just a story Egger had made up. He would likely use it as an excuse to purchase saltpeter throughout the Seven Kingdoms. Mixing it with obsidian shards to create dragonglass fragmentation bombs, and potentially pairing it with copper cannons in the future—that was Egger's true plan.
"Where is the sample?"
Wisdom Garigus brought out three large jars containing the three raw materials. "This jar of saltpeter was scraped from the walls of the Alchemists' Guildhall cellar by our assistants still in King's Landing. After doing their best and purifying it, there's only this half-jar. If it truly is the bane of the Others, you had better use it sparingly."
This half-jar had to weigh at least a few pounds—quite a lot—but considering it was all that could be scraped from a building as large as the Alchemists' Guildhall, it was indeed a precious resource.
If used for a cannon, one shot and it would be gone.
It seemed that the war against the Others and the dead would still have to rely primarily on existing things like wildfire for the time being.
Egger took a small pile of each of the three materials onto a piece of paper and carried them out of the laboratory, where fire was strictly forbidden.
"Come. The 'interesting thing' you wanted is here."
The group followed him to a lounge separated by several walls. Egger folded the paper containing the powder, shook it, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it into the heating fireplace.
With a soft whoosh of an air burst, the steady fire instantly intensified several times. Flames of a different color pushed heat and sparks briefly out of the fireplace, startling Yam, the pyromancers, and Arya.
"That... that... what was that!" Arya's displeasure had mostly been an act; seeing this unprecedented sight, she could no longer keep a straight face and cried out in excitement.
The girl merely found it interesting, but the pyromancers were utterly shocked.
For the past two months, they had been researching how these three things could possibly counter the Others. They had spent their time in the fire-restricted lab fiddling around without understanding a thing. Only now did they realize: these three things were meant to be mixed together before being ignited!
Deflagration was something they had seen, of course. They also knew that if such a reaction occurred within a closed container or environment—it could form an explosion.
If nothing else, wildfire could explode under the right conditions. But one must remember: what had always prevented wildfire from being formally adopted for military use was its difficulty in transport and its instability! Now, a completely solid substance—extremely stable and easy to transport when not in contact with flame or high heat, and lightweight to boot—could also form such a violent reaction! No one understood the implications of this better than the pyromancers who had once served the Targaryen dynasty. This was what they had sought for centuries—a chemical substance that could serve as a weapon!
If the lords and kings of the south ever found out about this... the springtime of the pyromancers would truly arrive!
"Thank you all for your hard work and efforts over the past two years. Starting tomorrow, Queenscrown will restrict entry and exit even more strictly." Egger, of course, understood the changes this substance could bring to the world better than any of them. He had long prepared all the necessary secrecy measures. "This substance called 'gunpowder'—I hope that from now until the end of this war, it remains a secret belonging only to the Night's Watch."
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