Chapter 56
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Translator: volt
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Ironworks
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The Ironworks
"When is Raleigh... due to arrive?"
"Word is that Baron Walter Raleigh of Roanoke arrived in Plymouth a few days ago, so he should reach London within the week."
"...Good. You're dismissed. I have matters to ponder."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
Elizabeth slowly looked up at the papers on the table as she sent her attendant away.
And then.
"Hooouuuu..."
She sank into thought.
Raleigh was coming soon.
Raleigh had originally been her 19-years-younger lover who provided her with 'special pleasures,' as well as a pliable retainer useful in all sorts of ways.
But ever since the Virginia colony had begun full-scale development, his position had completely changed.
He was now the bridge between Elizabeth and the native emperor, a diplomat, the queen's envoy.
She didn't know exactly what had sparked it, but according to reports from various informants, Raleigh seemed to have earned the 'emperor's' favor.
Thus, if she wanted to communicate with the 'emperor,' going through Raleigh was the way.
He was the only one shuttling regularly between Virginia and England anyway.
And Virginia trade was entirely his monopoly.
'...Abolishing slavery. The native emperor has clearly extended a hand to me.'
Since he'd gone this far, she'd use Raleigh this time to clarify their relationship. She'd already brought him into the Christian world with a grand coronation ceremony, so now was the time to advance further.
When she'd casually probed by granting Raleigh the barony of Roanoke, the emperor had accepted without resistance.
That proved he'd 'gifted' Roanoke Island and a few small plots to the English.
The vast remaining lands were probably where English settlers were 'permitted' to live on the emperor's territory, and she'd formalize that too.
The English would be permitted to live in his country under his protection, while the Roanoke area would be treated like a consular outpost under Raleigh, her dispatched representative.
Thus settling the boundaries of the 'Virginia Colony' and relations between the two nations.
As a firm alliance.
He was like the Netherlands, waging a war of independence against Spain, in that he opposed Spain and disrupted its hegemony.
And like the Protestant alliances to the north—Sweden or Denmark—in that he supplied strategic goods like timber and ships.
She'd never even seen the 'emperor's' face, but he was now one of her key allies. An ally to stand against Spain together, to support England's economy together.
Without Virginia, things would have been far harder than they were now.
Her head already throbbed just keeping up.
No matter how much luxury goods from Virginia were resold everywhere and various items exported there, the surplus was barely holding steady.
Timber shortages were the worst.
England was an island nation, and in wartime, what island nations needed most were warships and cannons.
Warships and cannons required timber and iron, and iron production demanded massive fuelwood—so timber supply was crucial.
And England's forests had long been depleted.
Thus, they relied heavily on imports for timber, iron ingots, and even many ships.
Ship expenditures would drop significantly now, thanks to cheap vessels from Virginia's shipyards.
But iron? Used in farming tools, armor, all sorts of cold weapons, cannons, chains, anchors...?
Still short.
To fill that gap, the gold they'd scraped together flowed right back out to the Nordic countries. A teeth-grinding situation.
Raleigh... needed to hurry.
The queen ground her teeth in thought. Miss Lawrence—who had thoughtfully provided her with gum painkillers and toothpaste—would be horrified at the sight.
'Expressing hatred for slavery is clearly a declaration of war against Spain.'
Considering Raleigh's tone when mentioning the 'emperor,' the saint's remarks every morning, and all other circumstances... he was undoubtedly well-versed in Europe's geopolitics.
So he'd surely weighed England's position, Spain's prosperity, relations between the kingdoms... and proposed to Drake accordingly.
Taking into account how England's slave trade had quieted while Spain's boomed more than ever.
To build a casus belli against Spain.
Why else care about slavery across the ocean?
Out of the goodness of his heart?
'He's clearly decided to make an enemy of Spain. And resolved to drag England into his war.'
In that case, she had to march to his beat.
What if England... supplied strategic goods to him as he prepared for war?
At the same time, a solution to England's iron shortage surfaced in the queen's mind.
Virginia had abundant timber, so they'd built shipyards there.
What if they built ironworks in Virginia too?
Yes. Send miners and smiths to jointly develop iron ore with the 'emperor.'
Elizabeth slowly reread the flyers spread across the table and the words scrawled on them.
- 'The Virginia Trading Company seeks skilled craftsmen.'
- 'Blacksmiths, goldsmiths, miners, bricklayers, tanners, farmers, etc. Inquire within.'
Blacksmiths... listed first. Indeed, Raleigh had recruited a bunch and taken them to the New World.
That meant the land's iron ore supply must be plentiful!
Virginia could fill England's greatest shortage!
Gift artisans and ironworks to the emperor's territory, share the harvest from that land.
He'd surely welcome it. He'd get iron for the war against Spain.
The queen thought so and awaited Raleigh with bated breath.
She had no inkling why he'd called for smiths first.
She couldn't even imagine Virginia had infinitely spawning steel.
It wasn't her fault, naturally.
As someone who'd studied world history in Korea, I knew a few facts.
England was the country that created the most Independence Days worldwide.
And the first to start a war over selling drugs.
Our ally, sure, but looking at what they did to Spain... uh... nothing much to say. A nation that ennobles pirates.
England meant imperialism, and imperialism meant England. A great nation that massacred enough people in Ireland and India to found a few countries.
...Or so I'd thought.
"Uh... so... England abolished slavery?"
"That's the word. Her Majesty the Queen has always deeply... loathed slavery... or so they say..."
"..."
"...Ahem."
See? You're coughing awkwardly because you got nothing.
You need a conscience. I saw it in the 'Immortal Order' catalog too. Queen Elizabeth sponsored slave traders and invested directly in the trade. Where's this coming from?
Anyway, torn between my skeptical glare and loyalty to his lover the queen, Raleigh coughed and averted his eyes.
"Anyway... good is good, right?"
"Well... yeah."
"Isn't it a beautiful thing?"
Raleigh had a point. Good is good.
The world doesn't always run on justice. Even villains can catch a mouse stumbling backward after chasing an ox, and actions with evil intent can yield good results.
Let's chalk this up to that.
After chatting with Raleigh, freshly back from England, I tried to make sense of the situation.
It's a win, right? Even by 21st-century Korean ethics, no complaints.
...Scratch that. 21st-century Korean ethics probably don't condone piracy either.
Anyway, it's good—let's move on. Plenty of other issues to worry about.
"Walter, tell me about the next matter."
"Her Majesty is sending 50 blacksmiths and 50 miners. She wants to build ironworks here."
"Pardon?"
"...I wanted to tell her we don't even have iron mines here. But we've brought so many iron goods already."
"..."
Fair enough—it doesn't add up.
We took aluminum foil and syringe needles to London, yet claim no iron mines?
To Elizabeth, it'd sound like 'We have nuclear plants, subs, bombs, but no uranium.'
Even I know that's bullshit. I fully got Raleigh's position.
"No matter. Roanoke Island has open-pit mines anyway."
"How did you... Never mind. Some wisdom defies mortal grasp."
I learned it from the game catalog.
Hwangsook Soft might be shady—sending people to the past, slicing DLC shamelessly—but yeah, beyond human wisdom.
Anyway.
"Walter, take the artisans to Roanoke first."
Placing Elizabeth's ironworks on Roanoke Island is perfect.
It's far from Croatoan Island and Chesapeake Bay, and being an island makes controlling personnel easy.
"Her Majesty asked how about splitting iron production 50-50. She insists on confirming your will before proceeding."
"Fine by me. Free resources incoming. But..."
"But?"
"Why ironworks, of all things? Is England that short on iron even here?"
"...Yes. Seems so."
Raleigh sighed as he spoke.
"England's chronic ailment. No timber. They pour gold importing it and ingots from Sweden and Denmark."
"Hm?"
"No matter how I look at it... the war with Spain was a mistake."
Raleigh's brief explanation meshed with what I knew.
Started great. Sucking gold dry from Spanish colonies via piracy. After smashing the Armada, nothing could stop them.
...That's where world history class usually ends.
England wins the war, grabs Atlantic hegemony, lays groundwork for world power. Spain declines to second-rate.
But 'Immortal Order's' details paint differently. Hwangsook Soft nails historicity.
England didn't really win, didn't seize Atlantic hegemony, Spain didn't tumble to second-rate.
Just modern Brits agreeing to forget the bad history.
Like failing a counterattack on Spain post-Armada, souls stripped bare, fleeing.
Or after Elizabeth's death, James I yields big to Spain for a truce.
Like a high school bully whitewashing his otaku middle school days.
So...
"England's losing ground."
"Yes... No denying it."
Raleigh sighed again.
I got a bit spooked.
'Whoa... Worse than the game catalog said?'
The catalog assumed England as future hegemon; contemporaries were brutally frank.
Spain's top dog.
For decades more.
England needs 200 more years for that.
...Feels like betting on unlisted stock just 'cause it'll rise someday.
Can we really rely on England against Spain? One wrong move, and Spanish navy crushes us like rats?
"W-worry not! England's small but great! We have Sir Drake, and likewise great Admiral John Hawkins' right and left feet... Ah, he's dead."
Anyway, England has the spirit of mighty Britons from King Arthur! Richard the Lionheart and Black Prince Edward didn't come from nowhere?"
Right. And you're Anglo-Saxon descendants who killed those Britons.
Familiar rhetoric makes me more uneasy.
Oh no, butterfly effect turning 'Virginia English Colony (1588~15nn, destroyed by Spanish invasion)' and bankrupting overinvested England?
No way. I'd be burned as an 'ex-angel.' Wouldn't even die—burn forever.
England must survive.
"S-support the ironworks to the max, Walter."
"Pardon? Of course..."
"No, 1.5 to 2 times what you think."
"..."
"Got it?"
"Y-yes."
Raleigh headed off to check Roanoke's iron veins. I wiped nonexistent sweat and leaned back.
Yeah... hope no disasters.
Even if English artisans build it, what'll they make? Low-tech steel or cheap cast iron at best. Fine...
'...Wait, cast iron's useful for lots?'
Oh...
Might actually help the settlement?
"Our artisans should have arrived by now. Isn't that right, Lord Cecil?"
At the queen's words, William Cecil—England's Lord Treasurer and Secretary of State—bowed and replied.
"Indeed. With the New World emperor clearly gearing for war, soon Spaniards will face armies armed in English iron across Nueva España."
"Glad you see it my way."
The queen's lips curved sharply upward.
"That Philip of Spain will have much to ponder."
She could already picture the 'emperor,' armed in English-forged gear, leading thousands upon tens of thousands to overrun Spanish settlements.
That ironworks would be sword and shield gifted to an ally, a sharp dagger thrust at the foe.
Joy welled up already.
What weapons would the emperor forge from the freshly smelted iron?
My guess was spot on.
"Over here! Who ordered the door hinges?"
"Oh, a cast-iron pot!"
Cast iron is cheap, easier to make than steel, and as the name implies, perfect for castings.
Not for strength-critical weapons, but everyday necessities? Mostly cast iron.
Pots, pans, cutlery.
Or door hinges, locks.
Thus, with the ironworks, our settlers' lives grew a bit richer.
And not just that.
"We... just assemble this?"
"Yeah. Came out just as ordered."
The boiler room for the automatic pump had been tricky—too big for casting.
Now, massive parts like crank flywheels were easy to cast too.
Our Chesapeake forges could outsource to Elizabeth's artisans for castings or non-precision, low-strength parts.
Thus boosting quality and productivity of machines everywhere in the settlement.
But that's not the core.
Not at all.
Thud.
My new cast-iron skillet.
Clunk.
My new cast-iron Dutch oven.
And assorted camping gear.
I'd pitched my NorXScout tent, lights, chair—stocked when Shine Muscats sold hot—fired up with fire sticks. Naturally.
Over the flames, sizzle from the Dutch oven and skillet, white smoke rising. Steam kisses my face up close, delicious aroma wafting.
"Smells good..."
Lounging in my 120,000-won folding chair, feet on grass, gazing up: spring night sky brimming with stars.
Ah... bliss.
Crickets chirp afar, portable amp blasts tunes nearby. Rural America (not yet), so country music fits.
Dozing off, phone alarm wakes me. Lift Dutch oven lid.
"Ooh."
Golden lobster oven roast done.
Top with butter melting gently, flip the ribeye on the skillet.
The ironworks' biggest change?
Now I could order pricey 21st-century camping gear I'd skipped before.
Devour the piping-hot buttered lobster, crack a 1592 Imjin War Edition wine, pour a glass.
Slice into steak boldly... savor. Pair with wine.
Ah.
'Long live Queen Elizabeth.'
Right. England wasn't piratical...! A nation granting such favors couldn't do evil.
Spanish sailors must've dumped treasure overboard and dived as English ships passed. Blaming the innocent English!
Villainous Spaniards...
Anyway, enough nonsense.
Rustle—Virginia strode up, drawn by the smell.
Eleanor hurried to grab her; I waved them over, shared lobster.
Plenty anyway.
Slight net toss offshore nets lobsters. Three more in the bucket.
...
...
...
This is life.
Crunch. Ow, hot hot hot...
Mmm. Nom.
Wild lobster's divine.
Beef's even better.
Yeah, this is why I time-traveled.