How could there be unstable magic stones here? Did the Riot Bear discover a mine and bring them back to make a nest?
It seems the Riot Bear's territory needs to be thoroughly searched.
Allen placed the unstable ore to the side. After all, this kind of thing couldn't be placed with these naturally occurring gems.
natural gems can slowly absorb surrounding magic, thereby gaining more energy.
Unstable ore is composed of various magical energies haphazardly interwoven within it; without magical interference, it is absolutely stable and will never explode.
However, the Riot Bear placed them together for such a long time, and the gems surprisingly didn't absorb the unstable ore's magic. Otherwise, even a slight absorption would break their stability and cause an explosion.
It seems the Riot Bear was truly lucky. Allen sighed with emotion, but his hands didn't stop, continuing to gather the gems.
In a moment, he felt something different again. Peering closer at the crystal, it was another unstable ore!
"...Riot Bear, no, no, Brother Bear, you are truly lucky! I wouldn't dare to take these, and you actually slept on them for your entire hibernation." Allen's voice trembled.
No, no, I need to check first to see if there are any more. Otherwise, I'll be the one hit by a nuclear bomb.
He picked up the glowing crystal nearby with his left hand, shining it on the pile of jade. With his right hand, he gently dug around, and sure enough, there was another one.
He picked it up and placed it aside, then dug a bit more, finding that the ground here seemed a little off.
He dug down further and saw a blocky, reddish-brown small ore.
"This looks like hematite." With a little refining, it would become pig iron. So, this cave?
Allen stood up, holding the glowing crystal in his left hand high above his head.
The light illuminated the surroundings, and he vaguely saw that the wall to the left also appeared reddish-brown. He walked over and discovered that the entire wall was made of blocky or reniform hematite.
"Oh-my-God!" This was a naturally occurring iron ore vein, and there were also three unstable ores the size of ping-pong balls inside.
I feel like I can't breathe. Is this happiness? I was just thinking earlier about what would happen to the industrial revolution without iron.
"Now this... Hahaha, I can finally take a step forward." Allen let out a hearty, unrestrained laugh.
He stopped gathering gems and instead grabbed his clothes, small bag, and the three unstable ores, quickly rushing towards the exit.
As soon as he exited the cave, he looked up and saw Hartfilia crouching on a branch of the large tree.
Hartfilia also noticed Allen and leaped directly from the tree, rolling once with the momentum to successfully dissipate the force without making much noise.
Using that roll, she immediately knelt on one knee in front of Allen, supporting herself with one hand on the ground as she reported: "My Lord, the sounds of fighting are getting further and further away. It must be that the Riot Bear has driven away the Spotted Hyena. We should also leave quickly."
Allen watched her flashy movements and casually tossed his clothes over: "Hold these tight and don't let them fall out. Let's go quickly, don't let Brother Bear catch up to us."
"Yes, My Lord." Hartfilia frowned in confusion.
She wondered why My Lord called him Brother Bear? Did My Lord discover another bear? And was it the big brother of the bear outside? We really do need to run fast.
The two stealthily returned to where they had hidden the horses and quickly went back to the territory's castle. Hartfilia even sprinkled some odor-interfering powder as she walked ahead.
"Young Master, seeing you return safely, I am sincerely pleased." Carter's face showed a relaxed smile.
"Hmm, how are things?"
"I have already learned the situation from the Attendant Knight and have arranged personnel to patrol around the castle. I have also re-checked the food storage situation."
"You did very well, Carter. Go prepare three magic-isolating boxes for me and bring them to the study." Allen said, then led Hartfilia towards the study.
As soon as Hartfilia sat down, she eagerly asked: "My Lord, are all these gems in your clothes from inside the bear's cave?"
On the way, Allen had roughly told her the situation.
Allen sat on the stool behind the desk, disregarding his noble image, and gulped down several mouthfuls of tea to suppress the excitement in his heart, exhaling deeply.
After calming down, he said: "Yes, besides these, there are still some that I haven't taken yet."
"My Lord, this is truly astonishing."
"Indeed, so our next goal is to clear out all the wild beasts in this Icewind Forest Corner. You should first think about a feasible plan."
"Yes, My Lord."
Allen gave Hartfilia a task, then began to think about how to handle the iron ore.
The current population in my territory is barely enough for mining, but there's no place for large-scale refining, let alone forging.
I can only rely on external forces, so cooperating with the Earl is the best option.
Okay, the iron ore issue is roughly resolved. Now, what about these three unstable ores?
Should I hide them as a trump card, or, like the Tricolor Violet Family, make them public for deterrence?
Hiding them as a trump card is good, but trying to hold onto this iron ore vein with just the family is a bit difficult.
After all, my eldest brother and second brother can only be described as having a promising future, and my father's title is only that of an Earl.
Normally, only established Marquises, those with family wealth and connections, can truly take on an iron mine.
"So it can only be made public, but can the quantity be vague? Like saying 'enough for use' as the East University did?"
It seems unlikely. After all, an innocent man is guilty for possessing a treasure.
This world is ruled by Dragon Knights, and they would not allow any family to possess so many things that could threaten dragons.
So I should hide two and make one public until my eldest brother becomes a Dragon Knight, or my second brother makes further progress.
If they can quickly solve this problem, then I won't have to think so much and can just cling to their coattails.
Allen, having thought clearly, breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Hartfilia: "Do you have a plan?"
"Yes, My Lord. Although our strength is not enough, we can use these gems to invite other powerful lords to jointly eliminate the demonic beasts in the Icewind Forest Corner."
"Hmm, when first establishing a territory, there isn't much money, so inviting with gems is indeed feasible." Allen nodded.
"Moreover, the powerful lords nearby are all followers of the Earl, so giving them gems indirectly strengthens the Earl's power. After all, most people are stuck in the process of advancing from intermediate to advanced Dou Qi."
"This way, Father might gain several Sky Knights under his command. He might even thank us for giving him the opportunity to advance."
"My Lord is truly far-sighted. I had not thought of this aspect."
Allen smiled and said, "Alright, I'll leave this matter to you. Go act quickly."
"Yes, My Lord." Hartfilia rose and walked out.
As soon as Hartfilia stepped out of the study, she couldn't help but exclaim in her heart:
He truly lives up to being the Earl's son. Even with lesser talent, he remains rational and hasn't been blinded by this unexpected fortune.
He didn't show any arrogance in response to my praise and flattery.
He still maintained humility and calmness, except when he first entered and drank tea.
But he's only just come of age, and he has plenty of time ahead. Indeed, my judgment is still so good; I haven't pledged loyalty to the wrong person.