Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 365 Iron Ore

Then the monk continued:
"Don't worry about their treatment here, they won't be shortchanged. The rest depends on you. Can you make it happen?"

"this…"

Bud and Kegan exchanged a glance, and the latter hesitated before speaking:

"Boss, the treatment you're giving me is pretty good, especially that strong liquor called Snowfield Ice Brew, it's quite potent, no worse than our family's homemade brew, but..."

"This is because the time was too short and some extraordinary measures were used to accelerate the ripening process. If it were fermented and aged normally, there are not many varieties of fine wine in the entire Sword Bay that can compare with it."

Bard picked up the conversation:
"But boss, you may not be aware of the clan mentality among our kin. Kegan and I are special cases. For most dwarves, leaving their homeland and family to venture into a foreign land is not a good path. It is really difficult to pull out a group of them, not to mention that the family will not sit idly by. I'm afraid that in the end..."

"The brewing recipe is given to your family as a token of our appreciation in exchange for the movement of people."

Zhang Yuan decisively raised the stakes, offering new conditions.

"This is unacceptable, boss! Absolutely not! Fine wines like this can even be the foundation of a family's survival. How can we possibly give them away?"

Kagan panicked upon hearing this. As an outlier, he didn't identify with his family background that strongly. Was he just going to give away such an important formula for nothing? He was hoping to increase his salary and bonuses.

Even Bard tried to dissuade him gently, but the mage was determined and his attitude was resolute.

"It's just one recipe anyway. With the help of the Wine Immortal Mangix, how could we lack fine wine? Ice brewing is just the beginning. When the Wine Immortal arrives in person and improves the recipe based on the actual situation, we might even be able to reproduce rare treasures like Dragon's Breath and Storm Spirit."

Upon hearing this, the others had no choice but to give up. The two dwarf brothers solemnly promised to bring their people to the high cliff.

After giving instructions to the dwarf, Zhang Yuan looked at Lawrence:

"After you return to Baldur's Gate, go and bring your old flame over. You should be able to settle down now. Also, use your connections at the local Thieves Guild to see if you can recruit a few wanderers with families and responsibilities."

"As for Nancy, you will come with me to the Flame Fist headquarters."

Zhang Yuan pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and twisted it a few times, his eyes narrowing as well.
"Ultimately, this is a family matter for Flame Fist and even the Grand Duke. The length and difficulty of this journey have exceeded previous expectations. Although we have not yet been able to eliminate the cult organization that may be involved, the two noble families directly related to it have been wiped out. What about the alliance between Iltan and Mandaen?"

"The alliance between the two is not so easy to repair, but at least the previous obstacles are gone, and the lady's child, as a blood tie, has long been found. The knot in this matter can still be slowly untied."

Nancy mimicked someone tapping the table with her fingertips and said:

“Iltan’s gains from this are not obvious in the short term, and it seems to be just revenge. However, with the resurgence of the Mandane family, if Iltan, the Silver Shield Grand Duke, and the Mandane family unite again, the impact on the discourse power of maritime trade will be self-evident. A mere title is far from enough as a reward, and I’m sure he understands that himself.”

The mage nodded. That was the point. He figured Grand Duke Iltan wasn't such a stingy or undignified person. Putting everything else aside, Master Zhang wasn't the young mage he used to be. If he were to openly display his power and influence, few would dare to refuse him.

There's no need to make things so unpleasant unless absolutely necessary, like moving parents around to scare people.

"Money is a minor matter. The important thing for this meeting with the other party is iron ore."

Zhang Yuan removed his finger from the bridge of his nose, his gaze gradually becoming serious, and slowly began to speak:

"We've made a lot of plans, but without resources, they're all for nothing. Iron ore is a strategic resource everywhere. Winterless City does have its own minerals, but they're scattered, difficult to mine, and most of them are owned mines. It's a pipe dream to gather enough iron ore for our industrial plans in the short term. Even if we import from Waterdeep, the price is beyond our means, given how much money we need right now."

"That being said, relying on iron ore supplied by Baldur's Gate isn't a long-term solution, is it? Perhaps we should try communicating with Waterdeep?"

"Let's deal with the immediate situation first, and deal with the future later."

Zhang Yuan remained noncommittal, but in his mind he recalled a piece of intelligence from his previous life: the leader of the Iron Throne, the Tiaflin chieftain, was hiding in Waterdeep, placing such a strategic resource channel right under the enemy's nose.

Master Zhang made up his mind that once his power was gradually established, he would definitely go to the Ancient Night Owl Well to thoroughly suppress the bandits.

The mountains there are not only inhabited by monsters like orcs and trolls, as numerous as rats in a sewer, but also dotted with abundant mineral veins.

Ordinary copper and iron ore goes without saying, but cold iron, silver ore, black steel, and except for the rumored mithril ore, all have certain reserves.

Even more encouraging is that those occupying them are nothing more than ignorant and barbaric mindless orcs and trolls. Even if a few more civilized tribes manage to extract a few pieces of ore using primitive and backward methods, it is nothing more than a drop in the ocean and does not affect the overall situation at all.

These precious mineral deposits are like newlywed brides, only just beginning to be developed, and still have much room for growth.

Unfortunately, these stupid and savage monsters may lack brains, but their muscles and fists are large enough. They occupy these mineral veins and mines, treating these places purely as their home. There is no possibility of compromise or cooperation; it is only a choice between survival and destruction.

The adventurers and dwarven exploration teams who had narrowly escaped back then sent word of the incident, hoping to attract reinforcements or simply use them as cannon fodder to clear the way. But...

Whether they were adventurers dreaming of getting rich overnight or ambitious noblemen, they were all beaten to a pulp by a group of filthy beasts that came from nowhere, gnawing their teeth and sucking their blood, swarming like bedbugs in that damned, savage mountainous region where there wasn't even a decent road.

Hordes of wild, howling orcs, ferocious and unkillable trolls, and even shamans who wield sinister magic and unstoppable sword spiders.

As soon as people carrying all sorts of dreams and aspirations entered the mountains of the Ancient Night Owl Well, they were pleasantly surprised to find that the local inhabitants were truly hospitable. Upon discovering that guests had come from afar, they excitedly took out their most prized possessions, their ancestral, worn-out weapons, and the sharp teeth and claws given to them by their parents, and eagerly and fiercely went to greet them.

Thank you, Alukard, for your monthly pass!

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(End of this chapter)