"Paine, can I have a minute?
"Alsu-sama, what's going on?
"No, there's something I'd like to ask Paine. But before that, have you gotten used to working in Vulcania?
"... that's right. Does it feel like a little bit by bit? The work here is quite different from when it comes to Uluk, so there's a lot of confusion."
"Well, maybe so. But I'm glad Paine was able to do her homework. We wanted more people who could do civilian work."
"Civilians and military officers are often separated here in Balka. Normally, I have to be able to do both, because I do territory work and I fight on the battlefield."
"Well, I guess we're special. There's a chronic shortage of manpower, and even women are willing to work if they want to."
"I was surprised, too. The Reed family, including Kyle, are also giving magic to women. I think it's a different way, but I think it's good."
I see. Everyone will be happy to hear that. "
"So, what do you want to ask me, Ars? Ask me anything I know."
"Oh, that's right. Actually, I wanted to ask you about iron, but there are mountains in the Old Ulk that can take iron, right?
"Yes, there are mines in the territory we have cut off as Vulcan territory this time. Do you need iron?
I see. Barca has never had a stable source of iron. I want it if I get it. "
"But does Barca have hardened bricks? It's hard enough to beat those metals, right?
"Of course it is, but hardened bricks are difficult to process. Iron would do a lot more, wouldn't it?
"That's true. Even if you can produce hardened bricks with the magic of barca, iron is better at processing them."
"That's what it is. So, here's the problem. Do you know anything about steel making? What do you think of this iron sword?
"This sword? Let me take a look.... this is iron with a slightly unusual pattern. I've never seen it. But this... is probably quite a business, isn't it?
"Isn't it? As a matter of fact, this iron sword is a sword made of steel in a special way, but a regular sword can be defeated by an opponent without spilling a blade."
"That's amazing. I see. The fact that the iron manufacturing method is special means that the iron itself is not. In other words, is it possible to mass produce iron ore?"
"That's a good guess. That's what it is. Barca thinks about making steel as a new industry. In order to do this, I want to know exactly how much iron is mined in the mines in the Old Urk Territory. Check it out, Pane."
"I see. I'll take care of it, Mr. Ars."
A pane that joined Barca in a Ulk offensive.
The pane had a lot of work done in Barca.
Apparently, he was a pretty good type of person who could do anything, and he was assigned work in the area of home affairs and so on.
I was talking to the pane with an iron sword.
What I showed Pane was a sword made of iron that was very common and irreplaceable.
But when I saw it, I saw at a glance that Paine was a business.
And that's for sure.
It is not a special ability like a magical sword, but it has a sharpness that goes far beyond the existing metal sword.
Actually, this is one of Grant's weapons.
Grant forged iron in a furnace that produces ultra-high temperatures, a newly built blast furnace.
The advantage of being able to produce temperatures that were not normally available in furnaces until now was not the only advantage when training flame ores.
The same was true of steel making.
In other words, the sword of this industry was a sword that was successfully created by using an unprecedented furnace called a flame blast furnace.
The surface of the sword glows like a mirror, but somehow it still has a rough pattern.
I don't know, but it's like Damascus steel.
If the sword used to be an "Iron Sword", it could be said that Grant made a "Steel Sword" this time.
I've been worried about it before, but I haven't been able to do it.
It was full of Vulcan army equipment.
Ordinary armies are made up of nobles and knights who speak out to the people living in the territory when needed.
For that reason, the knights had good equipment, but the mobilized peasants brought their own weapons.
You may have a weapon, but if you don't have a satisfactory product, you may take agricultural tools as a weapon.
For that reason, the weapons that everyone had were piecemeal.
The Vulcans were a little different in that regard.
Instead of gathering people when needed, they served as a standing army and always secured a certain number of troops.
And I had a weapon ready for the soldier.
But the weapon was never good either.
I want a better weapon if possible.
That's what I thought.
It may be a good opportunity to create a steel sword that has never existed before.
You can also make more use of the flame blast furnace that was created with a large amount of flame ore called phantom ore.
Thus, Balka decided to start a new steel manufacturing business.