A Famous Traitor and Treacherous Genius

246 – Barcelona Terror (6)

Currently, the work of the Barcelona Governor-General is carried out in two major directions.

One. Territory development.

Wood is supplied by utilizing existing forests, and stones are supplied from mineral veins.

However, stones mined from gold mines are not very helpful in construction.

Just because gold is mixed in, accidents are bound to occur if you build a house, a food warehouse, or an imperial hospital.

From noble mtl dot come

Is it possible that there are gold nuggets hidden in the walls of this house?

The human living in the house will immediately get a pickaxe and dig out the wall.

They will gnaw away at the wall like termites nesting in a tree, and eventually the building will quickly collapse, much weaker than when it was first built.

So it is necessary to bring stones from other places.

A place other than a coal mine.

A place where nothing is revealed.

You may be thinking, ‘There must be a lot of gold here too!’, But when you dig deep, it’s just a place built up high.

“Don’t you know how much it means to develop the Gibraltar Gorge, Gray Gibraltar?”

“I know.”

As soon as I submitted a proposal to cut a canyon and use the stones there, the person in charge came right away.

“Your Excellency the Grand Duke of Winchester. Resources are only meaningful when they are used.”

“So, let’s collapse the canyon?”

Grand Duke of Winchester.

A man who knows better than anyone else the great significance of the canyon terrain.

“It can be said to be a natural fortress in a war with the empire, but since war won’t break out anymore, wouldn’t it be okay to use it?”

“War won’t break out? That’s too optimistic an expectation for Gray Gibraltar.”

Hehe…”

The reason Gibraltar has protected the canyon for 500 years is, of course, not only because of Gibraltar’s own strength, but also because it has a terrain that can be said to be a stone fence itself, over hundreds of meters high.

A natural castle wall that seems to have been built by the Gold Dragon for Nostrum.

In the direction of the Empire, the fact that there is a magic that prevents anyone who is not a Master level from digging a tunnel or even a tunnel is proof that this is not an ordinary terrain.

“The Nostrum did not think of touching the canyon for 500 years.”

“Because there was no need for that.”

“Does it exist now?”

“Isn’t it worth the money?”

I handed out a box made of ebony wood and covered with a gold leaf pattern.

“Here is a peace symbol worth 100 thalers.”

“Isn’t it just a piece of stone? And the price is several times higher than what I heard?”

“It’s also part of the Gibraltar Gorge. And it’s an even more special stone.”

“Special? What is it?”

“It looks pretty.”

“…”

Digging is not just a stone.

“It sells the expectation that one day this huge stratum will collapse and kingdoms and empires will be able to travel not only through narrow canyons, but also through other paths.”

“You…”

“Just as the Duke of Winchester collects three bottles of wine from each estate each year in the cellar of his private villa, this can also be sold as a collection element.”

“You can drink wine, or you can pass it on.”

“Anyway, His Excellency the Grand Duke, it’s not like you’re going to empty hundreds of bottles of wine before you die.”

“…”

The Duke of Winchester covered his face with one hand as if his head was pounding.

“And realistically, there is the biggest problem.”

“What?”

“We need to create a new residential environment by building villas and buildings on land in Barcelona, but there is a dire shortage of bricks.”

“…”

“Your Excellency the Grand Duke, I would like to ask you a question. When the three gates of Gibraltar Gorge were built 500 years ago, where did all the stones come from?”

“…Wait a minute.”

The Grand Duke of Winchester’s eyes flashed with a serious expression.

“Although it is said to have magical powers, the walls of the gateway have been weathered and have some traces of being chipped, but have not collapsed. The material is…”

“Could it have been made by dragging a wagon all the way from the other side of the continent? A large amount of stone, enough to build three 50m long gateways?”

I picked up a 100 thaler commemorative stone from the Gibraltar Gorge.

“Isn’t it worth researching?”

“Research… “

“As it is a resource that no one has developed so far, it could be a tremendous discovery. Or, when combined with existing technology, it could become an item that can bring about greater development for us.”

“Are you doing this knowingly?”

“That can’t be right.”

I raised my hands.

“I could swear on Astasia. If I had known, I would have started digging eight years ago.”

“You’re not saying there’s a gold mine hidden inside the Barcelona estate that you won’t even look at, right?”

“I hope so. Accidents happen every day in the gold mines, and if those who cause accidents go to the Gibraltar Gorge.”

“Your father won’t stay still.”

“Who would dare think of causing trouble against His Excellency the Grand Duke and my father?”

“Hmm… “

The Duke of Winchester nodded heavily.

There are people who cause accidents, but if the lord who acts as a judge is a sword master, even those who want to commit a crime are bound to think about it once and put up with it.

“Governor Gray. How many executions have been carried out in Barcelona this month?”

“There were 18 cases in total. They were all people trying to steal gold or murders that occurred inside the gold mine.”

“Assassination or terrorism?”

“At least the number is lower than those executed for gold. Surprisingly.”

Fortunately, that trend is now decreasing in Barcelona as well.

The proof is that the number of people executed directly due to assassinations and terrorism has decreased, and the number is now lower than the number of people executed due to gold mining development.

“Good. I will handle the development plan for the Gibraltar Gorge.”

“Yes?”

“What if there is a problem while developing near a canyon where trains are running? What if the canyon collapses and the entire gateway, including the outlet, collapses?”

“I didn’t intend to develop on such a large scale and dig up the canyon to the point where it would collapse…”

“If you’re going to do it, you have to do it for sure.”

The Duke of Winchester picked up two cuboid-shaped pound cakes placed on the tea table in the drawing room.

“If this is a stratum and the middle is a canyon, I think development should start here.”

The Duke of Winchester used a fork to slightly scoop out the bottom of the pound cake.

“Is it Seirene or Seville?”

“Not in Sirene. There’s trash there.”

“Are you talking about human trash?”

“Not just one or two.”

“Then, it is Seville territory.”

“Okay.”

The Archduke shook off the bread crumbs from his fork and grinned, activating an aura.

“Practical training for the Black Rose Knights and fortress-building training to exterminate demonic beasts. Isn’t that appropriate?”

“…If we deploy a large number of troops on the border, could there be a war?”

“Border? You have to say it right away.”

The Duke of Winchester giggled and stuck his fork into the pound cake.

“In keeping with the era of peace, we are trying to eradicate the demonic beasts in the polluted zone and turn it into a human land. Right?”

“In the process, it would be natural to use the hardest stone in the vicinity to build a wall to protect against powerful demonic beasts.”

“Then loading the stone onto the train and using it somewhere else is just a secondary issue.”

“It will be mainly used in Nostrum, but it will be sold more to the Empire. If it is transported by train, it can be sent to the Empire.”

“This traitor. Are you already taking care of the empire?”

“Thanks to the strata being divided into canyons, there are two separate sections, top and bottom. Isn’t there a reason to only dig up stones from the top?”

“Really…”

The Duke of Winchester shook his head.

“It’s a good thing there’s a spell on the empire’s lands.”

“So, isn’t it worth digging further? What on earth is in that canyon that can’t be touched ‘only from the direction of the Empire’?”

Unless it is magic and a miracle, it is something that cannot be understood through common sense.

“Grand Duke. Please prepare a budget, but I don’t think there is a need to set a budget that is too large.”

“What do you mean?”

“We mobilize the empire.”

“…”

“It may feel like asking the thief to remove the fence yourself, but wouldn’t you be able to remove the fence without spending a penny?”

A few days later.

In the royal palace, full-fledged discussions on ‘Gibraltar Gorge development’ began.

* * *

Issues are covered with issues.

This is one of the political tricks that Habsburg von Tersian taught me.

“Sir Robert, if you had just tried to develop the Gorge of Gibraltar, the whole of Nostrum would have been shocked, wouldn’t you?”

“No matter how much you stop fighting with your neighbors, how can you not care if the gate is going to be torn down?”

“I guess I won’t pay any attention to it. Right now, there’s a lot of gold in front of my eyes.”

I went out to the mine near the Government House with Sir Robert and pointed to the gold nuggets that had been mined.

“I think it weighs almost 100 kg.”

Not just as a piece of gold, but as a ‘seized product.’

“Hey, I tried to steal a huge piece of gold.”

“Isn’t this all gold? It looks like it’s mixed with gold.”

Not all 100 kg is gold.

Still, the amount of gold visible on the outside is enormous, so what would it be like if you open the inside?

“I don’t know what the yield will be, but if I break it and cut it up, I can find out. By the way, isn’t this the biggest one ever?”

“Even if you search Barcelona, or even the entire Marquisate of Barcelona, you will never find a gold nugget this large.”

“Even if only half…No, 30% is gold, it would give me goosebumps.”

I sat on the gold nugget and crossed my legs.

“Then let me ask you, where did you plan on taking this?”

There is no answer.

That had to be the case, because all of the people I had questioned were now on their knees, with their hands tied behind their backs and the sword of the Knights of Gibraltar draped around their necks.

“If I don’t tell you, you’ll just die?”

“…”

“There is no need to keep silent mouths. Or should we ask the Marquis Roland, who has the right to develop the gold mine where this gold nugget came from?”

A brief summary of the incident.

A gold nugget that can be said to be the largest ever found has been discovered.

You’ll have to break it for yourself to find out, but you can make a lot of money just by scratching the surface and collecting the gold.

“You can’t just quietly let go. The theft alone deserves death…”

The warehouse storing such gold nuggets was attacked.

“You even killed people to get gold. That was Nostrum’s compatriots.”

“Huh…!”

The soldiers guarding the warehouse died, and the knight in charge also died.

Only those dispatched by the Marquis of Roland died.

“If you do not answer, I will have no choice but to discuss the theft of this gold nugget with the Marquis Roland.”

Of course, we need to discuss it.

“To dispel suspicion. Some people say it may be a play written by the Marquis Roland.”

“Woah, we…!”

“Or are they sent by His Majesty King St.

“…”

There is no answer.

“It’s okay. No matter what your reality is, what you will do from now on is set as one.”

I held out a leash in front of the thieves.

“The number of prisoners has grown so much that it’s difficult to get rid of the corpses? I guess I should wear this and pick up a pickaxe. New miners are always welcome.”

There is a magic stone embedded in the center of the leash.

“This is all a magic stone. It’s nothing special, it just has two magics on it. Location tracking magic. If the magic stone in the middle has a magic that detects the location, the rest of the leash is a magic that activates the moment it ‘leaves’ its location. Easy.”

Some quick-witted people looked at the leash in front of them and became thoughtful.

“If you run away, the magic stone around your neck will explode.”

“Fire, explosion…?”

“Yes. You won’t be able to take it off or cut it. The moment you try to cut it…”

I put a leash made of magic stones on my index finger and twirled it around.

“Kwa-ang.”

Position sensitive explosive magic stone.

As soon as you leave the designated area, the low-level explosion magic engraved on the necklace is activated.

“I improved the explosive magic stone used by those who carried out terrorism against me and tried it out. How was it?”

When traitor Gray captured the revolutionary army, it was one of the tools used to manage them.