You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 16 Ruby

Roman followed Lax to the blacksmith's shop.

The town of Sige has a relatively comprehensive range of basic occupations, which are enough to barely make a living.

However, we still rely on imports for many things.

For example, iron ingots and iron blocks. Sig Town does not have the ability to smelt them on its own. This requires technological support, sufficient manpower, and most importantly, iron ore.

As far as Roman knew, the Grand Duke of the Cracked Armor could only produce a little over three hundred tons of iron ingots a year.

Iron is very scarce, and its value is naturally extremely high.

Currency conversion was very simple in this era.

One gold coin can be exchanged for 10 silver coins, and one silver coin can be exchanged for 10 copper coins.

1枚金币含有2克或者3克不等的含金量，只能买到30斤到50斤不等的铁锭。

Its price fluctuations are mainly affected by the quality of iron ingots, and sometimes even if you have the money, you can't buy them.

High-quality iron ingots can even fetch the price of 20 jin (1 catties) for one gold coin, while those with too many impurities are difficult to sell.

Roman knew nothing about forging.

But it's okay.

It's just blacksmithing, you'll get the hang of it as you keep at it.

Roman looked at the iron ingots that Lax had hoarded. The blacksmith uncle admitted that he only bought inferior iron ingots, the kind that could be bought for 51 kilograms with one gold coin.

However, it is sufficient to meet the basic requirements of the farmers in Sigge Town for farm tools; we cannot nitpick.

Before long, the carpenter from Sigge Town also arrived.

Roman said to the carpenter and blacksmith, "The heavy plow is of great importance. You must make it as soon as possible. I will have Moor send someone to assist you in forging it. After it is done, I will give you an extra two silver coins—that is, half an ox—as a reward."

There is no technical skill required to make plows.

In simple terms, a plow is just a thick block of iron that doesn't require much processing; it just needs to be shaped roughly.

Roman did not treat Lax as harshly and cruelly as he would a farmer.

With only these two professionals, Roman couldn't find anyone to replace them.

Moreover, with spring plowing imminent, the plowing process cannot be delayed.

This means they have to work overtime, sleeping only a few hours a day before getting up to work. The workload is extremely heavy, so it's normal to give them some money.

The two men had no objection to the matter and were very compliant, except that Lax said, "Sir, we don't have enough iron ingots."

Roman waved his hand and said, "To reforge the original plows in Sigge Town, I need at least 40 heavy plows."

Those light plows are no longer useful.

Heavy plowing and deep cultivation have a significant impact on grain yield.

More importantly, land that would normally require two or three passes with a light plow can now be tilled in one pass with a heavy plow. While it may be slower, the overall efficiency of land cultivation is improved.

“Master, even that’s not enough. Each light plow only has 9 or 10 pounds of iron.” Lax had basic arithmetic skills.

There are more than 80 light plows in Sige Town. Even including the seven damaged light plows, the total weight is at most only 900 jin.

Moreover, light plows also suffer considerable losses during the reforging process, and may even become unusable. Their utilization rate will definitely not exceed 60%, leaving a huge shortfall.

Even if only 40 heavy plows are cast, it would mean that more than 1,200 catties of iron would be needed.

Roman was conflicted, unsure whether to melt down Grimm's steel greatsword and full-body armor.

The main function of a heavy plow is deep tilling. While a wooden plow with only a layer of iron on top can achieve a similar effect, it has the disadvantage of high wear and tear and will break if it hits a rock. Only a pure iron plow with sufficient hardness and strength can turn over the entire ground.

At this moment, Lax respectfully said, "Sir, there should be iron blocks on a merchant ship at the Sig Town dock. You can buy them from him." He had chatted with the merchant named Morey and knew that the latter had iron on his ship.

The mainstream trade in this era was the business of salt, iron, and cloth, but only merchants of high status could engage in this business.

Upon hearing this, Roman immediately set off for the outskirts of Sig.

At the dock on the Bro River, he could see several of Morey's merchant ships moored in the distance.

Morey also noticed that Roman had arrived with a group of people, and was immediately alarmed.

Could it be that the grumpy witch was captured by Roman and then sold off?

In this critical moment, Morey's mind raced, and he came up with three possible solutions. The best solution was to kneel down and beg for mercy, claiming that the witch had coerced him; the middle solution was to pay for his life and atone for his sins; the worst solution was to act as if nothing had happened and deny everything to the death.

Morey sadly discovered that while the middle-to-upper-level strategy may be locally optimal, it may not be globally optimal.

So he nervously approached, feigning confusion.

Upon learning Roman's purpose, Morey immediately felt relieved and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

This gesture looked somewhat familiar to Roman.

He quickly remembered the agricultural officer, Mohr.

Because of his guilty conscience and kidney deficiency, that guy would involuntarily sweat every time he saw him, as if he was afraid of being put into a pigsty.

It's normal for Morey to have this problem, but why does this guy named Morey feel guilty?

However, Roman was there to discuss business, not to pry. After inquiring, he learned that the last shipment on Morey's ship was exactly 450 pounds of iron ingots.

However, these iron ingots are of very high quality. One gold coin can only buy 30 jin of iron ingots, and it would take 15 gold coins to buy them all.

Roman frowned.

He currently only has about twenty gold coins in cash.

He thought for two seconds, then took out a bright red gem from his pocket, which shimmered with a beautiful and moving brilliance.

"What is this?" Morey's pupils contracted.

“Ruby, you should know its effects. It can make a weak person strong. A ruby ​​of this quality should be worth 15 gold coins.” Roman tossed the ruby ​​to Morey.

This was a birth gift given to him by the Grand Duke of Cracked Armor when he was born.

If given to an ordinary merchant, Roman would think the other party wouldn't be able to keep such a treasure, but Morey, the son of a great merchant, would certainly be able to make the most of it.

Morey was shocked by Roman's decision.

For non-superhumans, such gems are extremely precious, as they can nourish the wearer's body, enhance physical strength, and help them become superhumans as quickly as possible.

The process is lengthy, but the price isn't high. Even high-purity rubies are only worth 15 gold coins, while inferior ones are only worth a few gold coins.

Generally speaking, not many people trade gemstones.

It's better to pass it on to future generations.

Some minor nobles or down-on-their-luck knights would sell their fiefdoms just to keep these heirlooms, hoping that their descendants might one day become knights again.

But Roman threw it out so easily.

Morey was startled, then said solemnly, "Your Excellency, you are currently short of funds, but I have no doubt about your governing ability. This land possesses enormous development potential. Please allow me to contribute my meager strength to the construction of your territory, offering these 450 jin of iron ingots in exchange for your friendship. As for this ruby, I absolutely cannot accept it..."

Morey held the ruby ​​in both hands and presented it to Roman, at which point he faintly smelled a foul odor.

He initially thought the smell was coming from the blacksmiths and carpenters behind Roman, but upon closer inspection, he realized the smell was coming from Roman himself, as if the esteemed lord had fallen into a cesspool or played with excrement for two hours.

So Morey regretted it, and it seemed a bit unreliable?

(End of this chapter)