109 – Conflict of Interest (1)
“Where…”
Puuuong!!
“Oh…”
After lighting a fuse made of dried stems and waiting for a while, smoke billows with a small popping sound.
The work of making a salt grass field a year ago has finally seen the light of day.
The intensity of the explosion is small, but it can be clearly seen as a failure, seeing that a lot of smoke is emitted, but where is this? First of all, it should be noted that a phenomenon enough to be called an explosion occurred.
“…! I’m sorry, Your Majesty. The quality is so poor that I’m very disappointed—”
“—-No, that’s enough. I made it in a situation where I had nothing to refer to, so how can I get better here?”
I am sincere.
How can you blame me when things have progressed this far just by me vaguely speaking?
It is a miracle in itself to have made something like gunpowder with only the clue that it is 75% salt vinegar, 15% charcoal, and 10% iron oxide powder.
Even if it was original, isn’t it a common black powder recipe to add sulfur instead of iron oxide? There’s no way you’ll be dissatisfied with a product like this when you don’t know anything about the ingredients and manufacturing method except for the composition ratio.
“Of course, the performance of the gunpowder I’ll show you next should be better than this. Keep experimenting by adjusting the ratio of each ingredient or changing the wood used to make charcoal. Everyone has done a great job.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The faces of the magic alchemy professors bloom at my words. Apparently, the firepower of the gunpowder was too weak, so I was afraid of being reprimanded.
‘I have no intention of cutting it off, so just focus on your research.’
At first, it was just a project that I thought it would be nice to have a gun or cannon, but now that I see it, it was a really good move.
From nob le mtl dot com
Making gunpowder is currently improving chemical knowledge, and if satisfactory gunpowder is made later, material mechanics can be expected to develop by making gun barrels and gun barrels that can withstand the explosion of the gunpowder. In addition, it is clear that various physical knowledge represented by ballistics will also be developed while operating the cannon made in that way.
Did you say science and technology are developed by war? Well, computers were originally made to calculate the trajectory of field guns, and that makes perfect sense.
Of course, access to the north of Dijon, where the salt grass fields are located, smells so bad that it is completely forbidden to enter, and all sorts of strange rumors have circulated about it, but what is it? You’ve already come too far to notice such a thing. You just have to keep doing what you’re doing.
…………
[Permanent job search: Citizens of Dijon who want to participate in the construction of the aqueduct as a laborer, please come to the Civil Engineering Center on the eastern gate street.]
“Sell it for six fairy tales per adult rooster!”
“A well-dried buckskin sells for 8 silver coins!”
“Wow… What is this all about?”
Comparing Dijon with the Holy Empire, which was in turmoil, the difference is too great.
It’s been a little over a year since I was dispatched to the Holy Empire as a mercenary, but it’s changed like this. I knew from a letter from my mother that merchants were flocking and enjoying prosperity, but seeing it with my own eyes was so different. . Dijon in my memory was, of course, a good city to live in, but it wasn’t to this extent.
Ugh… I don’t think there will be any jobs if there are so many people… Do I have to do manual labor? I was discharged at best, but I don’t want to do work that requires my body again… It will cost a lot of money.
“A delicious sandwich sells for 3 fairy tales each!”
“Sandwiches?”
I’m no longer in the military, so I’m thinking hard about what to do, and at the same time, I’m walking around looking at Dijon, which has changed drastically in a year, and I hear a word I’ve never heard before.
As he turns his head in the direction the sound came from, a man suddenly smiles and presses his face. Oh wow surprise
“Oh, welcome. Is this your first time in Dijon?”
“No, that’s not the first time. What about a sandwich?”
“Ah, it’s just bread with meat or vegetables sandwiched in between. Of course, it’s no different from a normal meal at home. His Majesty called this type of bread a sandwich, so people here eat bread like this. Now they call it a sandwich.”
What, was it just plain bread?
I was excited because I thought it was a sandwich I had never seen before, but I’m losing steam.
“Aha… Umm, I’m hungry, so give me one. Here are three Holy Empire coins.”
“Yes, here it is.”
Because the settlement had not yet been fully completed and before receiving the reward, there was only the coin of the Holy Empire in hand, which was obtained by searching the corpse, but due to the extensive currency reform that had previously occurred, the currency of the Holy Empire was equal in value in Rotaring, so there was no particular difference in trading. There was no problem.
Let’s see…
Agjak-
“Hmm…?”
What is this?
I didn’t really expect the taste because it’s only 3 fairy tales, but it’s surprisingly delicious.
The bread is rough and stiff, but it is very filling, and the juices from the meat seep into the bread, making it very delicious, and the crunchy grass mixed with it creates a wonderful texture.
Did you feel that way because you ate a proper meal after eating porridge all year round?
“What did you put in this?”
“Yes?”
“Oh, the portion is very large and delicious for the price. Was this rude?”
“Ahahahaha… Well, asking for the ingredients would be rude if you were a normal merchant, but I’m not special, so it doesn’t really matter. Pork belly or pork hind leg, lettuce, clover on bread made with oats and wheat flour. I put in.”
“Huh? Anything else… Oats and clover?”
Aren’t oats feed horses and clover feed chickens?
Ugh… I’m sure it was delicious the first time I ate it, but when I suddenly heard that they added those things, I feel a bit sick to my stomach. There’s a reason it’s cheap for some reason.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if I could just fill my stomach? The workers at the construction site over there know what goes inside, but they buy it every day and eat it.”
“Hmm… Well, I guess. The price is so cheap.”
Of course, except for the fact that I used those materials, it’s overall great. Above all, isn’t there meat in it?
It is very rare that you can eat bread and meat to your heart’s content with 3 fairy tales. Even if you’re not a laborer, there must be a lot of people who will fill their meals with this.
“Well done. Thrive.”
“Yes, thank you. Please come again.”
Originally, I didn’t want to do physical work because it costs a lot for food, but if you have something like this, you can do it. Now, when the call-up order is officially issued, I will become a civilian, so it wouldn’t be bad to apply as a construction worker.
The soldier who was dispatched as a mercenary to the Holy Empire for a year walks through the crowd thinking that way, and the merchant who was talking to him just a moment ago is quickly hidden by the people.
…………
“Whoops, worms.”
“Have you asked for help from Your Highness?”
“Well, that’s right. It looks like there’s been quite a stir.”
A middle-aged man casually throws a letter written on fine paper on the floor, then pours a glass of wine. Originally, it is common for the attendant to pour alcohol into the glass, but since it was his hobby to pour alcohol himself, no attendants come forward here.
“Even the speckled roaming around the garden knows that the situation is dire, but why directly participate in a crusade that has nothing to gain?”
“Above all, I opened my hand to His Highness Berman by opening up the matter to a subject who was not capable of handling the problem himself.”
“Yes, you’re right. Participating in the holy war can be seen as simply a lack of judgment, but asking me to help you with that is not just a lack of judgment, it’s dementia.”
Since he is also related by blood, he might have looked after him if he had lost a just war.
But didn’t you just participate in the holy war blinded by plunder and dividends? But why should I help? Do I look funny?
Gulp- Gulp-
The duke of Vermant laughs at the relative who sent the letter and is angry.
The noble duke behaves completely out of line with etiquette, but etiquette is useless to him who has lived with the sword of Burgon all his life. The servants maintain their postures calmly as if it were always the case.
Kung-!
“Kuhh… Well, forget about that bastard… Yeah, what did my little girl son say he’s doing?”
“As you said before, I’m learning mainly public administration, and I’m learning medicine as a liberal arts.”
“Medical?”
“Yes, he said that if you learn to keep people alive, you won’t be useless.”
“Hmm… Well, that’s true. It’s funny that someone who has cut people’s throats dozens of times would say that.”
Saying so, the duke grumbles on the outside, but a faint smile forms on his lips.
Apart from being too nice to like, there are no parents in the world who would be offended when their son studies with great ideas.
“…Kuhmm. Anyway, tell them that studying is important, but making connections is also important. It seems that cooperation between fellow vassals will become more important in the future.”
“Is it because of the weakening of the church?”
“That’s right, we can just ignore the churches that have lost both authority and power. Before that, they lost their power due to the confiscation of church territories and became poor, but they even lost their authority due to the defeat of the temple. There will soon be a big dispute between nobles over a large piece of meat. We need to prepare for that time.”
The Duke said that for the last time, and then he filled his glass again and drank.
He has lived his whole life as the sword of Burgon, but devoting allegiance to his lord and dedicating everything he can get to his lord are two different things. He has no intention of conceding edible meat.