The roads in Limasosia were a little rough and full of potholes. It was rather difficult for the carriages to move forward. Oask cursed as he drove the carriage left and right to avoid the potholes and protruding rocks on the road.
There had been a storm the night before and the roads had become rather muddy.
On the other hand, Limasosia County was filled with mountains and highlands. The carriage trekked on the mountain road with difficulty, moving forward step by step.
"Isn't this road a little too bad? Why can't they fix it properly?"
Claude asked as he sat beside Oask. Sitting in the carriage on such a mountainous path was nothing short of torture. Nobody could withstand the bumpy ride.
"It's not that there aren't people who can fix it. It's just that after fixing it, it'll get like this again after some time.
Limasosia is a mining prefecture. Most of the roads outside the prefecture are in the same condition. They're mostly crushed by the heavy carriages used to transport ores.
The fees they collect from the mining companies are barely enough to fix the roads near the towns. They can't do anything further than that, "Oask said.
Most roads in this world were built using stone powder. They first had to set up a foundation, place rocks on top of it, fill it with gravel, pour a clay paste over it, and finally lay a layer of stone powder on top of it.
Normal carriages and cargo carriages would be fine on the roads.
But for the heavy carriages used to transport ores, the roads wouldn't be able to handle the weight and would be crushed easily.
Even though cement existed in this world, it wasn't produced in large quantities and the cost was rather high. It wasn't a problem to build a house or a yard with it, but no one could afford to use it to build a road.
It was also said that even if the roads were paved with cement, they still wouldn't be able to withstand the weight of carriages.
There was once a prosperous street in the royal capital that was damaged. In order to attract more customers, the proprietors pooled their money to pave the road with cement.
But after only half a year, the cement road was still crushed by the passing carriages. Many potholes appeared on the road, which hindered the passage of pedestrians. In the end, the proprietors had no choice but to pave the road again.
"We have to stop at the front for a while. Look, the hooves of the two horses that are pulling the cart are covered in mud. I have to help them scrape it so that they can run more easily.
Also, the roads are too wet. We'll rest for a couple of hours and wait for the sun to dry it out a bit more. "
"It's fine. We have plenty of time. It doesn't matter if we report a day earlier or a day later," consoled Claude.
"En, then we'll go to White Wood City tonight.
My original plan was to arrive at the city of Bentario at night and arrive at the city of Gourneygada in the county of Kafreizit tomorrow. The day after that, you will be able to report to the barracks on Fukby Hill.
That's exactly six days' worth of travel, but it looks like we'll have to delay it by a day. The mountain path here is too difficult to traverse … "Oke was annoyed by the unexpected turn of events.
After another stretch of the mountain path, the carriage stopped at an empty spot on the side of the road. Oke took a small piece of wood and used it to scrape the mud off the hooves of the two horses. Claude didn't stay idle either. He found a branch and used it to scrape the mud off the wheels.
"Uncle Osk, are you familiar with Limasosia?" Claude tried to find something to talk about.
"Yes. My unit was stationed here for five years. Later on, when the second war broke out with Nasri, a unit from Nasri reached Bentario.
Back then, my unit was ordered to defend the city. Before I could fire a single shot, I was blasted by a cannonball and lost a lot of blood. By the time I woke up, I was already sent to the infirmary.
Half a year later, I recovered and came out. The war was almost over and my unit had already been ordered to retreat from Nasri. I still didn't get the chance to make a contribution on the battlefield. "
That was one of the three wars Oke had participated in in his life. He went into battle, got injured, recuperated and the war ended.
However, Oke said he was already very lucky. The unit he was in had lost two-thirds of its men during the defensive battle in Bentario.
Oke, on the other hand, was injured at the start of the battle and there were enough men to send him to the infirmary for treatment.
It was said that there were heavy casualties at the end of the defensive battle. Many of the injured soldiers couldn't retreat from the battlefield and bled to death.
"After I retired, I became a caravan guard. I'd come here a few times a year to escort caravans here to purchase ores and other goods.
After I stopped being a caravan guard, I rarely came here. Apart from you, the only other person who came here in the past three years was Kridadaro who escorted his family here. The man seems to have been hired as a manager by a large mining company here. I heard he gets a high salary of one crown a month. How enviable. "
"By the way, Uncle Oisk, you mentioned that this is a mining prefecture. What kind of minerals do they produce? The geography books I read about it in school said that there are more than ten types of minerals here. Are there really that many?"
"There are a lot of them. Gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, tin and coal are quite common. There's also limestone, granite, saltpeter and so on. In any case, the geography book you read is correct.
Ten types of minerals is still a little too little. Just the rarer ones here already number more than ten.
I once heard from the caravan leader that the demand for whiteroot powder, azurite and fluorescent stone essence is always in short supply. Every year, however much is sold out and the price keeps rising. "
Azurite was actually a type of stone similar to marble. It had a fine luster and was known as the best stone for carving.
Fluorescent stone essence had another name, which was earth crystal, an earth-attribute magic crystal.
Oke pointed ahead. "Follow this path for another ten kilometers and you'll reach Whitewood Town. The whiteroot powder produced there is the most famous in the kingdom.
It's said that when the miners dug up the fossilized plants, they cursed out loud, saying that the ground was filled with trash and that it wasn't the ores they were looking for.
The miners' settlement was named Whitewood Cavern because of the fossilized plants. It wasn't until a herbalist heard about it from a miner who went down the mountain to buy supplies and hurried up the mountain to take a look. Only then did he find out that the fossilized plants were the raw materials of whiteroot powder.
Trash turned into treasure in an instant, so Whitewood Cavern became a town and later a city. "
In that case, the whiteroot powder used in alchemical experiments and alchemical experiments was produced here. "Uncle Osk, do you know how much whiteroot powder produced here costs?" he asked. "Uncle Osk, do you know how much whiteroot powder produced here costs?"
Oke shook his head. "I'm not too sure myself. I'm not interested in that. Anyway, it doesn't seem cheap.
However, you have to be careful when buying whiteroot powder in Whitewood Town. There are many scammers. Some scammers hire children to sell other powders as whiteroot powder, saying that it was stolen from the mines by an adult and is being sold cheaply. Many people who don't know the truth will fall for it easily.
The merchants I used to be in always bought it from the shops of the big trading companies and mining companies. Even though it's a little expensive, the quality is guaranteed. "
After resting for close to two hours, the muddy mountain path had been scorched dry by the sun. Claude and Oxus ate some dry rations for lunch before they got on the carriage and continued on their way. At around four in the afternoon, they arrived at Whitewood City.
At the city gates, Claude was interrogated once more. The guards carefully checked the Bluefeather conscription pass and the stamp on it before finally stamping it with the Whitewood garrison seal and letting the carriage into the city.
Oke, on the other hand, sat on the carriage with his national identity card and smiled as he waited for Claude to get on after the inspection.
However, Claude noticed that the security in Whitewood Town was rather tight. There was a squad of garrison soldiers on duty at each gate.
Additionally, he felt that the guards were more focused on the inside of the town than the outside.
There were only four soldiers in charge of the inspection, while the other eight faced the inside of the town.
Apart from that, there was also a squad of soldiers patrolling the walls. They were also focused on the inside of the town.
Most importantly, all the muskets in the hands of the soldiers were lit, so they could raise their guns and shoot at any time.
Oke didn't think much of it. He had experienced such situations many times during his time as a soldier. It was most likely something happening in the town.
For example, a fugitive was discovered in the town and the soldiers were on high alert to prevent him from breaking through the gates in desperation.
"Most of them have a close shave. A few fugitives trying to break through the gates are practically suicidal," Oke said.
"When I was a soldier, I once arrested an underground gang that set up a private casino. The boss gathered more than forty people to attack the city gate, which was guarded by a small group of soldiers. In the end, after a volley of gunshots, only four or five of them were killed or injured. The rest of them knelt on the ground and begged for mercy." "That's right.
Along the way, Claude learned quite a few things. For example, the inspection and stamping of his pass were handled by the patrols in the town. In the city, however, it was handled by the garrison at the city gates.
As for the local guards, such as those in villages or towns, they could inspect it, but they didn't have the authority to stamp it.
The tavern Oke brought Claude to was called the Great Wagon Tavern. It was a favorite gathering place for the coachmen who transported ore to the mining companies. Claude saw more than 20 wagons parked in the large empty space at the back of the tavern.
There were three rows of stables built with logs on the side, and all of them were strong draft horses. Five or six grooms were busy feeding and watering the healthy horses.
It was still early. There was still an hour before dinner, so Claude decided to go out for a walk. He didn't want to be like Oke and sit in the tavern with a glass of ale while the coachmen bragged for an hour.
He turned left after leaving the tavern and headed for Mario Street two streets away.
Oke told Claude that the shops of the mining companies and the big merchants were all on Mario Street, which was quite close to the tavern. It was only a ten-minute walk away.
However, as soon as he passed a street corner, he was stopped by someone.
A shifty-eyed, skinny fellow appeared beside him. "Bro, do you want whiteroot powder?"
Claude shook his head with a smile.
"It's cheap, bro. It only costs one crown a box. I got it privately from the mines and I guarantee its quality.
The bigger firms sell them for three crowns a box, and the profits are all taken by the greedy mining companies and merchants. Miners like us can only earn enough to buy black bread.
Because it's so unfair, we secretly got some from the mines.
We're not greedy. We just want to eat a few full meals. "
The skinny fellow nagged on and on. Claude stopped in his tracks helplessly. "Do you think I look like someone who can afford a box of it?
I don't even know what whiteroot powder is. "
"You should've told me you couldn't afford it. You made me walk with you for so long and talk so much," the skinny fellow cursed.
"Hey, stupid brat. How about you give me a thale to buy a glass of wine to wet my throat? That'll count as an apology from you. How about it?"
Claude suppressed his anger. "No, why should I apologize to you?"
"Heh, stupid brat, you're still not convinced, are you? Why don't I call some people over to make you kneel and beg for mercy? You made me waste so much time and effort, so of course you have to apologize to me!
Hurry up and take out the money. "
Claude's eyes flashed with killing intent as he spat out a single word, "Scram!"
The skinny fellow stumbled back in fear, but he still tried to act tough. "You … just you wait."
Claude ignored him and turned to leave. That idiot came to bother me for no reason. Not only did he fail to scam me, he even tried to extort me. It seemed that Oke was right when he said there were many scammers here.