zChapter 49 - Arc 2, Crescent Moon Chapter 22 (1/2)

“In Meissen, there exist treasures.”

Ernst spoke facing Aldo, who sat beside Targes.

“…There’s something like treasure in Meissen…?”

“For example, consider this mansion. It was made from good-quality wood.”

“Is that so? I thought this sort of wood was something you could find anywhere, though…”

“Precisely. In Meissen, the kind of tree this wood comes from can be found anywhere. As proof of that, even houses in poor villages are made from it… However, this easily-obtained Ruifa tree wood is light and sturdy, burns well, and has a beautiful wood grain. In the houses of nobility, the more Ruifa wood that can be used for the flooring, the better, as it is a sign of the household’s affluence. As such, this wood is usually traded at a higher price than normal timber.”

“Even though it’s such a common tree…”

Aldo spun around in his seat, looking around the room. It was understandable for him to be so surprised. Even the barracks and stables were made out of this kind of wood.

However, the Ruifa trees, like the Kalia trees, had a narrow habitat.

“Also, the stone in the bathing room. That stone is linua stone. The linua stone is able to conduct and transfer heat, and is primarily used in the mansions of nobles and affluent merchants. Although the bathing chambers in the royal palace prioritized the aesthetic of tile for the floor, the highest quality flooring for a bathroom is said to be primarily linua stone.”

“…but, even if the Ruifa wood is supposed to be valuable, it’s impossible to transport it, right? If it’s supposed to be used as housing material, then its size will be important… Let’s say we want to sell it in Caprix fief, what are we supposed to do…? If we want to carry it on a boat…”

Aldo crossed his arms, tilting his head as he thought.

“Similar to the problem of selling Ruifa wood to Caprix fief, there’s the problem of what we would do with linua stone, no? Are we supposed to strip it off from the estate’s bathing room and go sell it? And besides, once we’ve finished selling everything we have, can we really call it Meissen’s treasure?”

Ernst’s lips rose in a bittersweet smile at Targes’ words.

“Although for the time being, the current plan is to sell the stone in the bathing chamber to raise money for our current financial difficulties… after some thought, I wondered, didn’t this linua stone come from Meissen?…The reason for linua stone’s high price isn’t only because of its characteristics, but because very little of it can be collected. In these past 250 years, no new source of linua has been found, meaning there is no supply to put on the market. As such, no matter how wealthy the noble, if they wish to have a bathing chamber made of linua stone, then it can only be half as big as the size of this office. The amount of money isn’t the problem; rather, that is simply the best that is possible with the amount of linua stone that can be collected.”

“Lord Ernst. The size of the bathing room in this estate is extremely large, I believe…?”

Ganche asked in a strange tone of voice. This was something that Targes and Aldo, who had never seen the bathing room in the estate, absolutely wouldn’t know.

“Correct, the bathing room in this estate is remarkably large. Not only the bathing room, but the attached dressing chamber is also covered in linua stone… However, as far as I can see from the documents, that bathing chamber was made in the era of the previous Lord; in other words, it was created 130 years ago. However, there are no traces of such a large amount of money being moved, and neither are there any records of purchases made from other territories.”

“…In other words, do you mean…?”

As if trying to put together what he was thinking, Targes lifted a hand to his forehead.

“In Rintz Kingdom, there has been no new discovery of a linua mine in approximately the past 250 years. There was nowhere to acquire linua stone for use in any estate, other than what was already available. And for that, a corresponding amount of money was necessary. However, without using any money, this estate was able to acquire a large quantity of linua stone to create the bathing room. That was 130 years ago…”

“What that means is that the linua stone was gathered in Meissen, and moreover, without spending any money, is what you’re getting at… So the question is, where did they dig up that linua stone to use…”

“Then if it’s really as Lord Ernst says, there’s actually a linua mine in Meissen? …Wait, but, there haven’t been any new sources found in the past 250 years, so…?”

Seeing how much Targes and Aldo were struggling, Ernst gave them a helping hand.

“Meissen found a mine and used it for the estate. However, for some reason, they did not announce the discovery of a new linua mine.”

Once Ernst said this, the two of them nodded several times in understanding.

Ernst was able understand, somewhat, why his predecessor hadn’t said anything.

He recalled the line of portraits of the previous lords, the image of the last one decorating the hall, the 16th Lord, appearing in his mind.

When he had been born, he had been expected to inherit the lineage of a marquis. He had taken on that position as a young man. After suffering a bitter defeat to his enemies, he had been sent off to become the Lord of a remote land, thus entering his old age. From what Ernst had read in the documents, he had felt sorry for himself and tossed the world aside, submerging himself in depravity and self-indulgence.

By some stroke of luck, he managed to discover the linua stone.

However, whatever the case, he didn’t tell a single one of those nobles who had driven him off to Meissen about how he possessed this stone that everyone desperately desired, instead using it to luxuriously cover his own bathroom and immerse himself in a feeling of superiority over them.

Ernst chuckled with a heheh.

The person who would later become lord after him would be shocked when they visited the bathroom and found it covered in linua stone.

Then, after considering where this stone could have come from, the only surprising conclusion they could arrive at would be that this had been a result of the previous Lord’s ability.

By leaving behind such slight hints, it felt as if he had decided that whether he lived or died, he would be able to watch and enjoy from the world of the afterlife.

“Lord Ernst…?”

Targes’ voice pulled Ernst back to reality after he had once again fallen into his thoughts. Even when there were people around him, he had the terrible habit of falling too deeply into contemplation.

“The Ruifa trees and linua stone alone are enough to beget enormous wealth upon Meissen. Yet Meissen has yet another, significant treasure… Or rather, it should be called the potential for treasure. What I speak of is the Weiss Forest around Eitt Village.”

“That is the forest affected by the Grude Continent’s influence?”

“Precisely. That forest hides an enormous potential within.”

Targes and Ganche had accompanied Ernst when he had gone to visit that forest.

The two turned to each other, trying to share thoughts back and forth, but neither of them could come up with what that potential could be.

“Because of the Grude influence on that forest, all of its vegetation grows to an enormous size. Also, its greenery flourishes all year round, with no snow falling over it. In other words, the Weiss forest is able to grow certain plants all year round… And, when I went to go see it, I noticed a great number of medicinal herbs growing in that forest.”

“Medicinal herbs…”

“Yes, medicinal herbs. Let’s say that you wish to pick enough herbs to create a full dose of medicine. No matter what kind of medicine, it would require some labor to pick the herbs necessary to create a full dose. Above all, if the ingredients were something which one could only gather a little of, then it wouldn’t be possible to gather enough to create a full dose. But in the Grude-influenced Weiss Forest, the medicinal plants which can be gathered there are larger than what is normally harvested in Schell continent – the herbs there grow from two and up to ten times bigger.”

“Though, are medicinal herbs something that can be sold…?”

“We can sell them. Medicinal herbs are something which doctors gather themselves away from the public eye, so as to not reveal their secrets. That is why there is very little quantity, and the cost is high. However, if Meissen were able to process a large quantity of medicinal herbs, what would happen if we sold them for a low price? Meissen itself would become an enormous doctor. Of course, it would be better if we sold them to actual doctors.”