Chapter 162

Chapter 162: Steel Red Gravel

In the north of Clancia, outside Red Gravel City,

A wide gravel road winds through the mountains like a giant serpent, extremely smooth with thick layers of gravel covering the path without any mud.

A long caravan steadily advances along this road; some wagons are adorned with iris patterns, indicating they belong to the Mousyne Merchant Guild.

The Mousyne Merchant Guild primarily deals in clothing and fur products. They started from Vergha but have recently shifted their focus to the north due to the proximity of the raw materials from the Gufia Grasslands. Their products such as cashmere coats and wool sweaters are mainly sold in the northern region.

This caravan carries numerous finished garments. They will head to Red Gravel City, then follow the Lay River eastward, passing through Emanas, and finally transport the goods to the Verdant Empire in the east.

The Western Continent is divided by the Sighing Mountains, with only the Lay River crossing through them. The Golden Plain south of the Sighing Mountains is another passage. Due to the Lay River being difficult to breach, Emanas remains a permanent neutral ground. If the Verdant Empire wants to attack the Snowflower Seven Kingdoms, they generally use the southern Golden Plain.

Besides the wagons of the Mousyne Merchant Guild, there are also unmarked wagons at the rear of the caravan. These wagons carry passengers heading to Red Gravel City. Out of fear for their safety on the road, they pay a fee and are allowed to travel behind the main caravan, protected by its guards.

On one of these wagons sat six people. Some were dozing off out of exhaustion, others meditating, while others carefully checked their belongings.

A young lady dressed in a light brown coat leaned against the window. She wore a black dress and stockings inside, her dark eyes gazing at the scenery outside.

Towering mountains almost blocked the entire view. Hundreds of meters high, the mountains seemed sliced like cakes, revealing dark red rock interiors. Layers of rocks varied in color, from deep red to light red to brownish-red, alternating like a layered cake.

At the foot of the mountains, many miners worked in the open air, placing stones into baskets which were then transported away by ox carts. If not mistaken, these red gravel stones were iron ore.

Red Gravel City had得天独厚的露天铁矿, abundant in steel and close to the Blue River. It was once a key town in the north of the West Wind. However, since Nide County declared independence, it immediately sent troops to seize the neighboring county’s city. Now, this place is part of Clancia’s industrial plan.

Zhongzhen, a great deal of manpower and resources have been concentrated here, and the iron ore production has increased significantly compared to before.

“Is this your first time traveling far from home, little girl?” asked the old man sitting across from the young lady. His face was wrinkled, but his arms were thick and strong, with numerous calluses and scars on his hands.

“Yes,” the young lady nodded.

“How brave you are! I have a granddaughter around your age, but I wouldn’t dare let her travel alone at this age,” the old man sighed.

“Now, how’s the security in Clancia?” the young lady asked hesitantly.

“Well, compared to when it was under Westwind, the people in charge now are different. You can see soldiers patrolling the city streets every day with neat strides; the security is quite good. But it’s not so reliable outside the city,” he replied.

“Are there bandits outside the city?” the young lady asked curiously.

“Yes, those people were originally just hooligans. They got used to eating and drinking for free during the Westwind era. If you ask them to work, they can’t handle it. So they ran off and joined up with former rogue soldiers and unscrupulous mercenaries, turning to highway robbery,” he explained.

“Don’t the authorities in Clancia do anything about it?”

“They do try. They send out patrols to clear them out, but these people are local ruffians. They escape quickly and often change locations. The mountainous terrain is also complex, so they frequently manage to evade capture,” the old man said with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

“I see,” the young lady mused.

“Grandpa, are you going to Hongli City for work?”

“Yes, the Clancia authorities recently gathered many skilled blacksmiths in Hongli City. I heard they’re planning some kind of event to pool ideas and improve techniques.”

“That sounds good, doesn’t it?”

“It sounds good, but who knows what the outcome will be. Westwind did something similar before, and all the benefits and achievements ended up benefiting the nobility, while us craftsmen became even busier,” the old man shook his head.

“This time it should be different. I heard they will reward craftsmen who come up with effective improvements and will also raise the treatment of excellent craftsmen,” the young lady confidently stated.

“Oh, little girl, you sound very certain. Are you from the Imperial Capital?” The old man wasn’t too concerned about the outcome of this event. He had experienced similar things many times before; it was just a matter of working harder.

“I come from a small village near the border, but along the way, I’ve seen many places, and everyone’s lives have improved compared to before,” she recalled, reflecting on her journey.

The genuine smiles on some people’s faces couldn’t be faked.

“It’s true, my boy used to work as a swordsmith for the nobility, earning no more than fifteen silver coins a month. Now, working in a workshop, he earns thirty silver coins a month, doubling his income,” the old man said with a hearty laugh.

“Thinking about it, I really look forward to this conference. I hope we can see those old fellows again. Haha.”

Thus, the carriage slowly turned around several large mountains, and a magnificent city came into everyone’s view.

Built along the mountain, the city was divided into several huge terraces. Tall chimneys from workshops emitted thick black smoke, and deafening sounds echoed throughout the city. At the foot of the city, several large waterwheels were built along the river, with diameters of about 200 to 300 meters. Driven by the river’s current, these waterwheels rotated, transporting cartloads of ore and coal up to the workshops in the city. Some finished steel products were also carried down by these waterwheels into cargo boxes.

Along the riverside, there was a wide dock where large inland ships moored at the shore, unloading boxes of coal and loading boxes of steel products onto the ships.

As the carriage approached the city gate, the passengers could still hear the sound of molten iron being poured and cooled, and some workshop chimneys emitted intense white steam.

Upon entering the city, the sound of metal being hammered could be heard everywhere. The cobblestones on the streets were interspersed with black coal slag and ore dust, and the air was filled with the smell of coal smoke.

Sniffing the somewhat pungent odor, the young lady sneezed after getting off the carriage.

“How is it? Not quite adapted yet? Haha, but someone like me has long been accustomed to it; I can hardly smell it anymore.”

The old man smiled at the little black-haired girl and then continued asking.

“Well, we’ve arrived at our destination. Old man here will probably be busy again. My name is An Bo. If you ever want to have any protective weapons made, feel free to find me. By the way, I don’t know your name yet?”

“Thank you, Grandpa An Bo. My name is Lolan.”

The young lady waved goodbye to the old man and walked toward the other side of the street, where there was an open space halfway up the mountain. A beautiful white airship was parked there.