We had built five new storehouses in Village Five. Every single one of them was now packed with a massive amount of iron.
To be precise, iron ingots.
This made one thing clear: there was an unexpected surplus of iron in the Demon Kingdom's markets. It wasn't even as if I had tried to corner the market; this was simply what had accumulated after a bit of light sourcing.
When I looked into why there was so much iron available, it turned out that materials harvested from magic beasts and monsters were generally easier to work with and more practical than iron. In fact, most of the carriages and ships in Shashato City utilized materials taken from magic beasts and monsters.
I see. Iron certainly had its uses, but monster-derived materials were simply more convenient.
"That is correct. Furthermore, actually utilizing these iron ingots requires a significant amount of artisanal skill," a staff member from the Goroun Company explained to me.
While iron has an image of being incredibly hard, pure iron is surprisingly weak and lacks the malleability needed for complex forging. To make it useful, it has to be mixed with other elements to create various alloys depending on the intended product.
This mixing process is where the real skill comes in.
To be more accurate, even an amateur can simply mix things together, but achieving a uniform consistency, hitting specific ratios, or managing mass production is impossible without expertise. Naturally, those with the know-how are reluctant to share their secrets. It’s their livelihood, after all. If they shared their techniques, their own work would dry up.
Therefore, the knowledge is kept strictly confidential. Even training a single disciple takes over a decade. This is also why the artisans won't accept massive commissions; they simply don't have the capacity to process that much work. I was told they might take on a project if I was willing to wait fifty or a hundred years, but generally, they only take on as much work as they can handle with their own hands.
...In other words, the iron filling these five storehouses was just the leftovers? Had the surplus iron from across the country been gathered here?
"Anything beyond what the local artisans require is considered surplus. So, yes, that is essentially what happened."
But wasn't I told that iron rails were out of the question because they would be stolen?
"Oh, they would certainly be stolen. Just because it’s surplus doesn't mean it’s worthless."
I see.
Still, what was I going to do with all these iron ingots? If they just sat in the storehouse, they were nothing more than heavy paperweights. Should I wait until the artisans in Village Five asked for them? Who knew how long that would take.
Perhaps I should ask Gatto and the other blacksmiths from the Village of the Great Tree to make something? I wondered if they would even want to work with ordinary iron. Usually, they were busy handling rare minerals I’d never even heard of. Even if they agreed, the sheer volume was likely more than Gatto and his team could process alone.
I needed to give this some thought.
"Um..."
The Goroun Company staff member looked like he had something difficult to say.
What was it? I was fairly certain the payment for the iron ingots had already been cleared.
"It’s not about the payment... It’s just... well, word has been coming in from various regions. They say they have massive amounts of iron ore sitting around and were wondering if you would be willing to purchase that as well."
...Iron ore referred to the raw stones containing iron that had just been dug up, right?
"Yes."
Was iron ore in surplus too? The Demon King had mentioned he didn't track the total mining volume, but this seemed like a major oversight. Valuable resources were just sitting there because no one knew how to handle them.
"Iron ore deposits are scattered all over... But since the ore is often dug up as a byproduct while miners are searching for rare minerals, the quantity just keeps piling up."
If there was no use for it, wouldn't the merchants just stop buying it from the miners?
"If we refuse to buy the iron ore, the miners will stop selling us the rare minerals we actually need."
Ah. So to get the good stuff, you had to take the leftovers too. That sounded rough.
"Well, there is a certain level of mutual aid involved in the industry."
I see.
"So, what shall we do about the iron ore? We can offer it to you at a very low price..."
It wasn't a matter of what to do; I didn't actually need it. We already had all these ingots.
"I suppose you're right. Understood. I shall send word of the refusal."
...No, wait.
"Yes?"
I didn't need it, but I’d buy it. It was the perfect excuse to start circulating the gold and silver coins we had accumulated in the Village of the Great Tree. How much are we talking about?
"You'll buy it? All of it?"
All of it.
"E-Err... Compared to the large storehouse containing the iron ingots before us... I expect it would fill about twenty more buildings."
I understand. Make the arrangements. As for the delivery location... it’ll just be in the way if we put it here. I'll pick a spot and let you know soon.
"Understood! Thank you for your patronage."
The Dalfon Company would likely come to me with a similar offer. I told the staff member to coordinate with them as well.
"Understood. In that case, we will need to significantly increase the number of storehouses."
Would doubling the current count be enough?
"A few more than that would be helpful."
...Understood. I'd make sure we had enough space to store as much as possible.
When I returned to the Village of the Great Tree and consulted Gatto, he showed far more interest in the massive shipment of iron ore than the finished ingots.
"Forty large storehouses full of iron ore? That’s a blacksmith’s dream. I could spend a lifetime at the forge and never run out."
I suppose so. However, I didn't actually plan on building forty physical storehouses. I figured I would just excavate large cellars underground. It was faster and easier to expand that way.
"Even so, it’s best to smelt the iron ore into ingots quickly so it doesn't take up so much space. Let's set up a large kiln and process it steadily. If you like, I'll take charge of the operation."
Is that all right?
"Of course. However, I'll need a lot of hands, so I’ll need a budget for wages."
Naturally. I'll leave it to you.
"Can I call for help from Howling Village too?"
I don't mind, as long as you don't force anyone.
"I know. The ore won't start arriving for a while anyway..."
Actually, I heard the first shipments should start arriving by the end of autumn.
"Then I'll aim to have the operation running through winter and spring."
I'm counting on you. Oh, and feel free to use those iron ingots already in Village Five however you like.
"Understood. I’ll use some of them to construct the large kiln."
Gatto gathered his disciples and headed for Village Five. He was likely going to scout out the best location for the massive furnace.
Hopefully, this would take care of the iron mountain building up in Village Five.