Chapter 422: Launch(4)
Chapter 422: Launch(4)
It was right after I had sent the epilogue, following Volume 30, to the publisher. While the rest of the world was in an uproar over Jin’s death, the Empire alone had no room to worry about such things.
A famine had struck for the first time in twenty years. To make matters worse, it had hit the eastern breadbasket, making it a literal bolt from the blue.
For the Minerva Empire, a famine is a disaster they react to far more sensitively than even war. Roughly a hundred years ago, a Great Famine had nearly torn the Empire out by its roots.
According to the records, approximately eight million people starved to death back then, and there were even accounts of parents devouring their own children. The Empire's population was much smaller then than it is now, so the fact that they suffered such losses meant the country had literally been turned upside down.
By sheer stroke of luck, the Emperor at the time was a man who could be counted among the greatest monarchs in history. The people could see the state was doing everything in its power to help, so no rebellions broke out. One could say the Minerva Empire was quite fortunate compared to the sheer scale of the catastrophe.
Had the famine been left unchecked, even the mighty Minerva Empire would have collapsed helplessly. After a famine comes bandits; when bandits unite, they form a rebel army. Once a civil war breaks out, a nation’s fate is effectively sealed.
Fortunately, the Empire took the Great Famine as a lesson. They implemented various policies and steadily expanded their territory to secure more agricultural land, which allowed them to endure. Although this particular breadbasket was suffering a poor harvest, Albenheim was providing aid, so they could hold out for the time being.
The reason Albenheim could send food aid was simple. First, their population was smaller than the Empire's, and second, their food production was inherently high.
Albenheim, a land flowing with milk and honey, blessed by the gods. There was no specific "breadbasket" because the entire land was fertile. You could scatter seeds anywhere and the crops would grow well on their own, and even the harvesting was done with magic. Furthermore, because of their small population, there were far more uncultivated areas than developed ones.
The small Elven population was likely due to their racial characteristics, but the convenience provided by magic probably played a part as well. They didn't need a massive labor force like a machine-driven society; a few incantations and the job was done. Seeing that, one had to wonder if Elves even needed a mechanical civilization.
"Just knowing is enough. So, tell me."
I was enjoying a rare moment of leisure after sending the epilogue to the publisher when Lina suddenly barged into the mansion. And then, she asked me to provide a way to eliminate the famine. It was an absurd request from my perspective.
Of course, she knew I was a reincarnator from a completely different world, and further, that I had lived in a civilization far more advanced than this one. That was likely why she was asking, but... I literally only knew of things; I didn't know the actual methods of making them.
Besides, I was a liberal arts major.
I did know that Fritz Haber invented nitrogen fertilizer. I also knew he later manufactured poison gas, leading to countless casualties. I only knew the facts. I had no idea about the manufacturing process, and I had long since forgotten the chemical formulas. If I had known, I would have made a fortune with it.
Moreover, this was a world where 'Alchemy' was still the mainstream, not 'Chemistry.' The system of knowledge wasn't established, and development was haphazardly tangled.
A prime example was the training suits I wore whenever I exercised. Those were known as products of alchemy, but in my previous life, they would have been inventions from the period when chemistry was rapidly advancing.
As I’ve mentioned many times, the level of development in this world was strangely unbalanced. Even if I gave them knowledge, I doubted it would even be applicable.
"To be honest, I don't mind telling you. But I doubt you'll be able to use it even if I do."
"What do you doubt?"
"Whether the composition of the soil in my world and the soil in this world are the same. That’s the biggest problem."
That was the decisive reason why telling her might be meaningless. While many things were similar to my past life, there were also fields that defied common sense by my standards, like magic.
In other words, it was unclear if the nutrients dissolved in the soil were the same as what I knew. Since Fritz Haber invented nitrogen fertilizer, I knew that soil needed 'nitrogen.' But I couldn't help but wonder: does the soil in this world also need nitrogen? If it needed a different nutrient entirely, that would be a problem in itself.
This was a world that destroyed my past-life common sense on a whim, so I couldn't be certain. If I had been deeply interested in science rather than history, maybe it would be different, but I wasn't. Finally, I didn't actually know what nitrogen was. Explaining something I didn't even understand myself would be a futile effort.
At least it's a relief that nature isn't something even Lady Hirt can control at will.
Even as the Goddess of Nature, Hirt couldn't intentionally cause a drought. Nature was simply nature. Of course, there were cases like before where she caused an earthquake, but those were extremely rare. As far as I knew, that happened because she was severely scolding Luminous and Mora. This famine was just a natural phenomenon, not a disaster Hirt had intentionally unleashed.
"Hmm... I see. That's a bit disappointing."
Lina nodded, seemingly convinced by my explanation. Her disappointment was plain on her face. I watched her troubled expression and thought for a moment. Seeing as she had come straight to me, this famine must be hitting the Empire hard. The country was already restless because of the demon worshippers, and now a famine had struck on top of that. It was bound to be difficult in many ways.
Because this isn't something that can be solved with divine power or magic.
There is only one reason for a famine when it isn't a natural disaster: the depletion of soil fertility—the nutrients in the land have been exhausted. People of old weren't stupid; they had tried using the aforementioned powers. The problem was that both were the height of inefficiency.
Even the Elves of Albenheim only used magic for harvesting; they didn't use it to restore the land. They didn't need to in the first place. Albenheim was a place where seeds grew well just by planting them, without lightning strikes or rivers overflowing.
The thing they wanted most during the Race War was land, after all.
But Albenheim had refused, saying they could never give up their land. The Human Alliance had pressured them constantly, but eventually gave up. Regardless, soil nutrients weren't something that could be easily fixed with divine power or magic, so I could understand Lina's concern. The Minerva Empire had nearly collapsed from famine a hundred years ago, and now another one had struck after only twenty years.
Thanks to Albenheim's support, there probably wouldn't be mass starvation, but no one knew how long this famine would last.
Even so, she seems quite desperate...
The Imperial Family would have been the first to hear about the famine. I had only found out through the newspapers later. Even considering that, Lina had come to my mansion to find me in quite a hurry. Volume 30 had been released to the world, and the epilogue was just about to come out, yet I felt a sense of urgency from her.
"Is something wrong? You seem more rushed than usual. Don't you have work to do?"
"Uh, huh? Oh, right. Well, a certain noble made a rather shocking proposal after hearing about the famine."
"What kind of proposal?"
What kind of terrifying proposal could make even Lina act like this? I sipped my tea and waited for her to speak. The words that followed were enough to leave me dumbfounded.
"He argued that since such famines might occur more frequently in the future, we should artificially reduce the Empire's population."
"What?"
"Exactly what you heard. He said the population to be supported will only increase, while food production will remain the same or even decrease. Since Albenheim won't help us every time, he suggested reducing the population, starting with the slums. He even said we should abandon territories that aren't vital, even if a famine strikes them."
"..."
I stared at her, completely stunned. To think a theory from the 19th century of my previous world was appearing here now.
What Lina was describing was the famous 'Malthusian Trap.' The theory that while population increases geometrically, the means of supporting that population only increase at fixed intervals. Therefore, the world would eventually be unable to handle the increased population, and to prevent this, the rate of increase must be suppressed. Naturally, the methods of suppression included inhumane ones. It was a claim that was nonsensical to anyone with a conscience.
"...Who made such a claim?"
"Count Baust. He's a renowned scholar. And a descendant of a family that was hit directly by the Great Famine a hundred years ago."
With that explanation, I could guess what kind of person he was. He was saying such things because his family had experienced the Great Famine firsthand or through family history. Furthermore, the fact that this world was very peaceful compared to Earth—where more than half of history was filled with war—probably played a role. On Earth, populations fluctuated due to war, but that didn't happen here.
Even during the Race War, the casualties were only about three million. This world was fundamentally different from the sheer horror of Earth. Of course, timing-wise, it was about time for such a theory to emerge. Given that mana engines had been invented, they were right on the cusp of an industrial revolution.
"What did His Majesty the Emperor say?"
"He dismissed it as madness. He even went as far as to say that if we're going to do it, we shouldn't just limit it to the poor, but kill half the population fairly, regardless of age, gender, or class."
"..."
The Malthusian Trap and Thanos appearing at the same time. I didn't know how to react to such a fantastic combination. Berit probably said that to counter Count Baust, but it didn't change the fact that it was a dangerous statement in many ways.
Meanwhile, Lina let out a deep sigh and spoke quietly, sounding somewhat troubled.
"...Count Baust's words might have some merit. The Empire's population is increasing day by day, but we don't have the capacity to handle it. Even if we can solve the wealth gap with money, it means nothing if there isn't enough food to satisfy everyone. In the near future, wars might break out over food shortages."
"They won't just 'might' break out; they will. That's a natural phenomenon."
"Was it like that in your world too?"
I nodded at Lina's question. One of the biggest drivers of war is food. Regardless of population growth, land doesn't expand unless you invade. Above all, this wasn't a problem limited to the Minerva Empire. You didn't have to look far to see the Animus.
Their population had decreased significantly due to the massacres during the Race War, but it was now steadily increasing. Furthermore, due to their racial characteristics, Beastkin required more food than humans. In the future, they would inevitably wage war to secure food.
I heard they use sorcery to call down lightning when a famine strikes?
Fortunately, there hadn't been any major issues so far. Even if a famine struck, they used sorcery to bring rain. However, the downside was that the sorcery required to call down lightning had to be performed on a national scale. Moreover, a situation would surely come where even this wouldn't be enough.
"In our world, there was a theory very similar to the one Count Baust proposed. An empire that once ruled the entire world even adopted it."
"R-really? S-so, was it effective?"
"Of course it was. A million people starved to death in a Great Famine, and another million emigrated to other countries. It was lucky that the famine happened on an island; if the Empire had adopted that theory during the Great Famine a hundred years ago, the death toll would have easily exceeded twenty million."
"..."
When I replied somewhat sarcastically, Lina bit her lip. She had clearly been hoping for a different kind of 'effect.'
The Great Famine of Ireland, caused by British incompetence and malice. Unlike other famines, this could be seen as a 'man-made disaster' in that Britain intentionally marginalized them. It was said that while God sent the potato blight, the English turned it into a famine. The population of Ireland still hasn't recovered to this day from that single famine. That was how devastating the blow was.
"Still, within a hundred years of that theory appearing, a way to solve all the world's famines was discovered. The population increased from 1.6 billion to 7 billion. Naturally, that theory was discarded."
"I-I see. You said earlier that you knew the method."
"Though they also used it to make poison gas for war."
"..."
Lina's expression, shifting between joy, worry, and shock, was quite a sight. She was getting a very 'tasty' serving of Earth's colorful and fantastic history. Still, her efforts to solve the famine were commendable. My first impression of her was that of a haughty royal, but now I could see she truly cared for the people.
More accurately, she cared for the Empire. But because she fundamentally understood the concept that a nation is built by its people, she showed such principled behavior.
"I don't know if this will be of much help, but it would be best to invest in alchemy."
"A-alchemy?"
"Yes. Analyzing the components of the soil, determining what nutrients are needed for crops to grow, categorizing those nutrients systematically, and then seeing if those nutrients can be manufactured artificially. To do all that, alchemy needs to be developed."
This was the only advice I could give. I didn't know how to make nitrogen fertilizer, I didn't know the chemical formulas, and I didn't even know specifically what nitrogen was. I was just speaking in broad terms. However, I didn't forget to use analogies that suited this world.
"Alchemy... Alchemists are mostly eccentrics; will it really be okay?"
"If not, you could always adopt Count Baust's policy and let everyone starve to—"
"Alright, alright! I'll do it. I'll do it, okay? I'll have to start by creating a system of knowledge first. Like you said, alchemy is too scattered right now."
I wasn't sure if I had been helpful. I had merely recounted history from my past life. Besides, if I were to release a novel about World War II, I would have to field countless questions like this in the future. To the people of this world, it was a setting that seemed like pure fantasy. Yet, at the same time, it was a future that was fast approaching.
Now that mana engines had been invented, all that remained was for the accumulated technological prowess to explode all at once.
"By the way, did your world have an empire too? What kind of place was it that they actually adopted such a policy?"
"To exaggerate a bit, it was a country that influenced the whole world and, in a way, almost ruled it. It was called Britain; at one time, it was called the British Empire."
"Really? It must have been a great place like the Minerva Empire?"
"I can describe them as the sons of bitches who had their hands in everything in world history. If something strange happened in history, nine times out of ten, it was because of Britain."
"..."
And so, I was spending my days in a peaceful, yet not-so-peaceful, routine.
[Another hope appearing in the epilogue. The name of the child born between Jin and Lily is...]
[Jin's resurrection is something even the gods cannot influence. Because his soul became too large, a mortal's...]
[The statement that Jin's resurrection is impossible has left a permanent mark on the hearts of readers.]
Following Volume 30, as the epilogue was released to the world, another series of bombshells dropped one after another.