Let’s Wash Up, Shall We? (1)
"Wait a second."
Aiden quickly pulled a document from the carriage and began scanning the section that had been bothering him.
"I knew something felt off."
In anticipation of farmers looking to cultivate abandoned, ownerless land, the Administrative Welfare Office had already surveyed the areas around the Lord's Castle. Since farmland and agricultural output were the bedrock of the territory's economy in this era, keeping a list of potential cultivation sites was the absolute bare minimum, even if they couldn't break ground immediately.
According to the report, this specific area had long been ranked as the number one priority for cultivation.
Up until now, they hadn't even been able to manage the land near the village properly, so cultivation was a pipe dream—a distant, impossible goal. But the reality of the site, which Aiden was seeing with his own eyes, could only be described as miserable.
It was a gravel field that would have been impossible to cultivate without the distribution of iron farming tools. Further back, the ground turned into a slushy wetland, and the rest was overgrown with thick brush—tall enough to completely hide dozens of Goblins, despite their child-like stature.
'In the spring, of all times.'
The North is cold. That’s common knowledge, even for children. Because of this, even after the long winter gives way to spring, the grass doesn't grow as quickly as it does in other regions.
And yet, this place was overgrown with brush? A region that was nothing but a gravel pit had been the top priority for cultivation? Even the wetlands, which should have been frozen solid in winter and still covered in thin ice in deep spots during the spring, looked completely slushy?
"...If there was a hot spring running beneath this, it would explain everything."
Aiden let out a dry laugh. It was like a blind mouse stumbling upon a piece of cheese, but the important thing was that he’d caught the mouse.
"It doesn't smell, so I don't think it's a sulfur spring, though."
"A sulfur spring, sir?"
"I need to investigate. Send an official request for cooperation to Lapisha. Tell her we've discovered a hot spring, but we don't know its properties, so we need her expertise."
The hot spring water was still gushing out. Since ancient times, hot springs had been used by all sorts of powerful figures for healing, so he decided that verifying its efficacy was the first priority.
"U-um... A-Administrative Officer."
"Ah, yes?"
"W-well, then, what will happen to this land... and to us..."
One of the farmers, his eyes filled with anxiety, stepped forward as a representative. Looking at his expression, it was clear he didn't even know what a hot spring was. The world of people who had been born and raised in one village, without any exchange with other regions or even the most basic education, was incredibly narrow.
"T-the hot water gushing from the ground... if we angered the spirits while cultivating this land..."
"If we're being cursed for doing something we shouldn't have... Oh, heavens! Oh, we're doomed, we're doomed!"
The farmers' lips turned blue in an instant. They were even trembling. To people who didn't know what a hot spring was, the sight of water that looked like it had just been boiled, steaming and soaking the ground, didn't seem like a positive sign.
Even the three adjutants were just blinking in surprise rather than cheering, and the dwarves—the Goblins he was seeing for the first time—were running around shouting things like, "Talk about bad luck, such bad luck!" The farmers looked like they were on the verge of tears.
What happens if you pour boiling water on grass? The vibrant green that was showing off its vitality would instantly become delicious greens. You could put it straight on the table with just a pinch of salt.
"First of all, this isn't a curse."
He had to reassure them immediately. He couldn't let the Northerners' first impression of a hot spring be a disaster. A person's first impression, which is decided in three seconds, takes days or months to fix; there was no point in fueling their fear of the land, which was their very livelihood.
"It's not because the spirits are angry; it's just that the hot water that originally flowed under this land is gushing out."
"Oh, my Lord! Isn't the water flowing under the ground supposed to be cold as ice? I've never seen such hot water in my life!"
They were farmers who had spent their entire lives drawing cold groundwater; explaining geothermal heat or geological structures to them would be a waste of breath.
"It's special water touched by the Great Spirit of Fire who lives beneath the earth. Don't you humans know anything?"
"......?"
"Hehe, you stupid humans! How do you even farm if you don't know that?"
Just then, a Goblin chimed in at the perfect moment.
"The Great Spirit of Fire is incredibly strong! That's why he often comes under the cold earth to cool off, and the groundwater near where the Great Spirit rests absorbs the fire's power and becomes this hot."
The dwarves were spouting nonsense that would make any 21st-century intellectual ask, 'What kind of bull is that?' They had their hands on their hips, looking as serious as star lecturers, and the farmers were all gathered around them, adding, "Indeed!", "So that's how it is!", and "Oh, Great Spirit!"
Aiden felt a sense of déjà vu.
'This looks just like those snake-oil salesmen who swindle innocent elderly folks.'
Saying this cream would cure all joint pain. Saying this water would cure all stomach ailments. Aiden couldn't help but overlap the Goblins with those swindlers who sold cheap trinkets that probably cost a thousand won for hundreds of thousands of won.
'The problem is, the other side seems to actually believe it.'
That was the real issue. They said the most dangerous kind of swindler is the one who truly believes their own lies. A swindler who goes beyond deceiving others to deceiving themselves doesn't just end up in the local news column.
'At this rate, they'd at least get a national broadcast special.'
He sighed, feeling deeply troubled by the sight and about to stop them, when—
"Leave them be, Administrative Officer."
Kalisa shook her head slightly.
"What could be more frightening to farmers than the wrath of spirits? This is an opportunity to put that fear to rest, so let's just watch for now."
"It's just that the Goblins seem to really believe it, too."
"Aren't Goblins farmers, too? Didn't you see while making the textbooks that each race has a wide variety of folklore passed down?"
"I suppose that's true."
Thinking of it that way, it didn't seem so bad.
"This water is proof that the Great Spirit of Fire stayed beneath this land! But do you think the Great Spirit's touch only reached the water?"
"T-then, where else..."
"Look at this brush! It grows much better than anywhere else, doesn't it? This is actually grass that shouldn't grow in the North—I mean, it's cold here!"
"That's true, isn't it?"
"Originally, this grass grows in the warm south. But it's growing here! What do you think that means?"
"Uh..."
"It means the land around here is full of the Great Spirit of Fire's blessing!"
Explaining geothermal heat like that... Oh, the tragedy. He understood it with his head, but Aiden still couldn't accept it with his heart. It smelled way too much like a scam.
"Wooooah!"
"To think these are crops growing on land blessed by the Great Spirit!"
"Land that grows crops that don't grow in the North!"
"This is a miracle! A miracle!"
It's science. Aiden just wanted to give up on the Goblins, the hot spring, and everything else.
***
"It's a carbonated spring."
"A carbonated spring?"
Upon hearing the news that a hot spring had been discovered, Lapisha had reportedly left the clinic in the hands of her disciples and headed straight for the site. She had even set up a makeshift tent and finished a sort of clinical trial using patients she had urgently brought along, and had reached a conclusion.
"Yes. Lapisha was reportedly very pleased. She said it showed great efficacy in treating skin diseases and improving blood circulation."
"Both of which are chronic illnesses for Northerners."
"Exactly."
The skin of Northerners couldn't be compared to the weak people of other regions who had adapted to mild climates, but because of the fierce winds, their lives were miserable all four seasons of the year. Moreover, for the commoners of this era, bathing was a truly luxurious act. Because of this, it was hard to find anyone without a single sore or boil, so the discovery of a hot spring effective for skin diseases was a blessing in itself.
The same went for blood-related diseases. In the bone-chilling cold, blood vessels naturally constrict. For those who already had high blood pressure, the cold was a threat in itself.
"You're going to develop it, right?"
"Of course I am."
For the first time in a while, Kalisa bared her teeth and smiled brightly. A hot spring with good effects was always a way to attract those who were ready to spend money. From the perspective of Kalisa, who was in charge of the territory's finances, there was nothing more joyful than the birth of a new source of revenue.
"Since we have quite a bit of available cash, I should prepare to build a large-scale luxury inn immediately. If we also create a shopping district nearby and stock it with high-end goods, it should be quite appealing to nobles or merchants who come for long-term recuperation. Also—"
"What are you talking about?"
But Kalisa's excited mouth was immediately stopped by Aiden.
"A luxury inn? A luxury shopping district? Why would we need those?"
"...Pardon?"
"Did you not see this?"
Aiden tapped the hot spring survey results sent by Lapisha.
"It says it's good for skin diseases. And good for blood circulation problems."
"That's right...?"
"Then isn't the logical order to build a public bathhouse first?"
It would be great if we could reduce the chronic illnesses of the Northerners while we're at it, wouldn't it? Aiden added a few words about why they were reversing the obvious order. The adjutants all snapped their mouths shut at the same time.
- It's a hot spring, isn't it?
- And it's effective, right?
- But you're not going to develop this for the nobles?
If you calculate the loss, it's obviously correct to develop it as Kalisa suggested. Even though the North is far from the center, wealthy folks looking for recuperation tend to be more satisfied the more rural the location, so it wouldn't be bad. No, rather, since they've come so far, they'll stay longer, so you should view it positively as their spending will increase significantly.
However,
"Administrative Officer. By 'public bathhouse,' do you mean a bathhouse literally used by the general public?"
"Of course."
"All together?"
"Naturally."
"........."
"Why?"
"If something like that is nearby, the nobles will never set foot there."
Roland said, scratching his head.
"Even if you build separate buildings, aren't nobles just those kinds of people from the start? They believe they have blue blood... So, if commoners can enjoy the hot spring nearby at an affordable price, the nobles won't even glance at that region's hot spring, no matter how effective it is."
"Then tell them not to come."
"...Eh?"
At Aiden's nonchalant reply, the sound of air escaping the adjutants' mouths could be heard.
"Money is good. Money is great, but if you put public health and hygiene on the same scale, isn't public health obviously the priority?"
They had been lucky so far that no large-scale epidemic had broken out, but was there any guarantee that would continue? Anywhere?
'If I make hot springs a trend, people will naturally wash more often at home, too.'
The population was pouring in day after day. Even if it was still a long way off, it was obvious that the population density of the villages near the Lord's Castle would soon become quite high. A city with high population density and epidemics were inseparable. Aiden absolutely refused to be the type to fix the barn only after the horse had bolted.