Chapter 181
Chapter 181
Logan, Clayton, Hamar.
The small party of three arrived in the Taren region a week after departing from MacLaine Town.
Whoooosh.
"Seriously, there's nothing here."
As Hamar said, the only thing visible in the surroundings was barren land.
"Master, why did we come here?"
"Keep going a bit further, and you'll see. The wealth and glory you desire lie beyond this wasteland."
"Don't tell me you're planning to build the Grand Workshop in this desolate place...?"
The Grand Workshop.
The foundation of the prosperity Logan had promised Hamar.
It was the pledge to gather hundreds—no, thousands—of craftsmen to mass-produce goods, with Hamar overseeing it all.
"Of course not. Beyond this wasteland lies the mining district—that's where the real workshop will be built."
Hamar's face lit up with anticipation at Logan's answer. But it didn't take long for that expression to twist into disappointment.
"What could possibly be done here?"
"I told you. Right now, it's just abandoned mines. But this was once the kingdom's most prosperous mining city."
"...All that's left are traces. Damn it."
Hamar's gaze swept over the mountain range, where only the faint remnants of what might have once been a castle remained. The forest had been stripped away, revealing the jagged rock faces beneath.
The abandoned mining district of Taren.
Even the stone paths that once connected the castle ruins to the surrounding areas were now barely visible, overrun with weeds.
Two hundred years ago, this mining city had accounted for more than half of the royal treasury. The signs of its downfall were evident in the desolation.
"If they're abandoned mines, that means they were deemed unprofitable and left behind. Are you saying you've found something the kingdom couldn't?"
"I didn't find it. I just think the probability is high. Like the MacLaine gold mine back then."
Hamar's expression stiffened at the memory of the grueling labor from that time.
Clayton, who had been curiously surveying the area, interjected before Logan could respond.
"But how did you come to that conclusion, Your Excellency?"
Before Logan could answer, Hamar cut in with a shout.
"If you're just going to say, 'Dig because it's there' like last time, I swear—this time, I'm not doing it! That's slave labor! If there were veins in these abandoned mines, others would've already investigated them!"
"If I were just telling you to dig blindly, I would've brought Feyl and the miners with me."
Hamar sighed in relief at Logan's immediate response—but then Logan added:
"This time, I can't pinpoint the exact location, so we'll have to search before digging."
Which only meant even more grueling labor beforehand.
"...I won't do it! No, I can't! Who knows how many shafts are still intact? You expect me to go down each one and inspect them all the way to the bottom?! Absolutely not!!"
"No, that's not what I—"
"You said yourself there's not just one or two abandoned mines!"
To be precise, it was a major vein that had once held five iron mines, two gold mines, and three copper mines.
Even if each mine had just ten shafts, that meant investigating a hundred shafts.
Shafts that had been dug for at least thirty years—who knew how deep they went?
Shafts that others had already explored and concluded were worthless.
Logan had no intention of ordering such backbreaking labor either.
"Let me say it again—you won't have to suffer that much. If I wanted that, I would've brought a whole team, not just us, right?"
Fortunately, he had a trump card.
"We now have Clayton-nim, the kingdom's only archmage—and, more importantly, an archmage of the earth element."
Logan spread his arms dramatically, as if presenting a hidden gift. Behind him, Clayton wore a resigned expression.
Hamar exhaled deeply.
"So, instead of mobilizing miners or laborers, you're going to use this mage?"
"Exactly."
"...What crime did this guy even commit? Huh? Let's ask."
"Hmm. Maybe wasting ten million gold?"
"WHAT?! He did commit a crime?! Mage, is that true?!"
Hamar's eyes bulged in shock. Clayton, unable to refute his "crime," could only force a strained smile.
He had already heard Logan's explanation beforehand, so he was willing to try—though he had his doubts about its legitimacy.
"Your Excellency, why do you think there's a magic ore vein beneath these abandoned mines? You said the probability is quite high?"
Clayton lowered his voice cautiously, even though he knew no one else was around.
There was a good reason for his caution.
Magic ore veins.
Hamar's mouth fell open.
"M-Magic ore?!"
Hamar instinctively flinched and glanced around after blurting that out.
Magic ore was an essential consumable—used in spellcasting, artifacts, scrolls, and communication crystals.
Because of its importance, even the mighty Ares Empire had classified magic ore mines as state secrets.
Economically, a magic ore mine was worth dozens of gold mines of the same size.
"You're saying there's a magic ore vein buried here? Here?"
Hamar was momentarily stunned—but then frowned.
"If there was a magic ore vein beneath the veins they were already mining, how could the kingdom have missed it?"
It was a reasonable deduction.
That was why, in Logan's past life, everyone had been shocked when the empire developed a magic ore mine here of all places.
"They missed it."
Logan shrugged, but the skeptical gazes only intensified.
Of course, he couldn't say, "I heard about it in my past life. The empire built a fortress and monitored the entire mining district, so I don't know the exact location."
So he pulled out a pre-prepared excuse—one based on the Grandia Liberation Front's investigations in his past life.
"Two hundred years ago, the deposed crown prince likely falsified records. Probably to screw over his brother, who took the throne."
"...How would you know that?"
"I stumbled upon it in the royal archives."
"..."
"..."
It sounded like an outright lie—but what could they say? They weren't about to storm the palace to verify it.
Logan added credibility with more details.
"There are about 120 shafts in total. One of them supposedly had a magical reaction—about 100 meters below the lowest level, so it was discovered late."
Seeing their still-doubtful expressions, Logan continued.
"But before they could start development, the royal family was overthrown. Since they were already discussing abandoning the mines, they just collapsed the shaft and destroyed the records. I happened to find those destroyed records. So, we just need to find the collapsed shaft. Easy, right?"
Logan's explanation was convincing—but Hamar spotted a critical flaw.
"Master, you said this was two hundred years ago?"
"Yes."
"And you think a shaft from back then would still be intact?! With the technology they had?!"
"...Is that a problem?"
Logan blinked innocently—and Hamar's eyes twisted in fury.
"So you are telling me to inspect them all?! You bastard!! You didn't bring laborers just to make me suffer, didn't you?! Huh?! Wealth and glory my ass! I knew this would happen!"
Whoooosh.
A cold wind blew in, as if mocking the boiling frustration of the listeners.
"Damn it..."
Even the usually refined Clayton couldn't hold back a curse.
Logan had to spend a long time placating them.
"So, first, we confirm the existence of the vein among ourselves?"
"Then, after that, we mobilize a large workforce to excavate the mine, fortify it, and develop the surrounding area into a city—recruiting refugees from MacLaine as residents? And then build the Grand Workshop centered around the mine? Did I summarize correctly, Your Excellency?"
Inside a makeshift tent set up on the old castle ruins, the dwarf and the archmage's expressions were grim as they discussed Logan's plan.
"Exactly. The royal family will accept the justification of reviving abandoned mines—we might even get development support. Not that we need it."
"It's a plausible plan. Except..."
"Except that we have to suffer for a while."
Sparks practically flew from Hamar and Clayton's eyes.
"Wouldn't it be better to just mobilize a workforce from the start—"
"How many people can detect a vein 100 meters below the lowest level? And how much would it cost to rent—or make—equipment for that? Wouldn't people get suspicious?"
"You have plenty of money—"
"Shut it! Secrecy is paramount—at least until development begins, and ideally long after!"
The latter was practically wishful thinking.
But Logan's expectations for this magic ore mine were that high.
If the gold mine had made MacLaine prosperous, the magic ore mine had the potential to transform the kingdom's entire economy.
History was full of wars breaking out over magic ore mines—once discovered, they became prime targets.
This might even accelerate the empire's invasion—but it's a risk worth taking.
War, in the end, was about money.
The economic gains from this mine could strengthen not just MacLaine's forces but the kingdom's military.
And if Clayton's research succeeded, this mine could become more than just a moneymaker—it could be the production base for new weapons that would elevate the kingdom's military power.
A crucial foothold to stop the empire's war—or even win it.
So—
"Somehow, we will find the magic ore vein and develop it in secret. For now, our movements will just look like nobles lingering over abandoned territory. We have to do this now."
Logan made it clear he wouldn't tolerate objections.
If Clayton hadn't been here, he would've been prepared to draw attention and mobilize a large workforce—but there was no need for that now.
Sigh...
Damn it...
With the dwarf and the archmage's reluctant sighs behind him, the operation began.
Fortunately, Clayton's magic maximized the efficiency of the grueling survey.
His signature spell—Golem Army—now controlled forty golems, each digging through collapsed shafts at terrifying speeds.
In just three days, all 120 shafts had been temporarily restored to their original state.
And when Clayton used earth-hardening magic, temporary shafts were created—allowing small teams to reach the lowest levels for at least a week.
"Truly, truly amazing, Clayton-nim!"
Logan could only keep raising his thumbs up at Clayton.
The results far exceeded expectations.
The best laborer became a mage—and now, he's become a laborer for the history books...
Logan swallowed the thought—knowing Clayton would have a fit if he heard it.
But Hamar blurted it out.
"Unbelievable! A one-man workforce doing the job of ten thousand laborers! Mage, won't you sign a contract with me? As the chief of the Grand Works—mmph! Mmmph!"
Hamar's eyes bulged as Logan clamped a hand over his mouth.
Luckily, Clayton didn't seem to mind—if anything, he smiled with pride.
"Indeed. This is working..."
The archmage, his face smeared with soot, looked nothing like his usual self.
Logan's conscience prickled—he had essentially turned a high-ranking mage into a glorified laborer.
To ignore the guilt, he resolved to finish the task as quickly as possible.
"Alright, let's check them one by one."
"GAAAH! Wait! Then why did I—?!"
Logan dragged Hamar along as Clayton followed, sighing repeatedly.
The vein survey had begun.
And just four days later—
At the end of a shaft that had once been an iron mine two centuries ago—
Hamar, half-asleep, was scribbling on the ground with unfocused eyes.
"Just let me sleep... Finding mine paths is easy... Why don't you try it... Damn it..."
His grumbling echoed through the quiet shaft—but the others didn't react.
This was the 82nd shaft they were inspecting.
Clayton, exhausted from the repetitive task, cast a detection spell with a bored, tired expression—but this time, it felt different.
At the very least, Logan and Clayton sensed something unusual.
And that hunch was soon confirmed.
Huuuuuum.
"I-It's here! The magic ore vein! I can feel it!"
Thudthudthud!
Rumble!
The shaft shook with Clayton's excited shout—startling Hamar awake. But Clayton, his face smeared with dirt, kept cheering.
Beside him, Logan grinned, flashing white teeth.
The next day—
"Buy up every available dwarf in Harun—pay a premium if you have to. Send them all to the abandoned mining district! Recruit laborers and dispatch a third of our forces there!"
The administrative office in MacLaine Town was thrown into chaos by Logan's urgent magical message—executing orders they had postponed during the vassal meeting.