Chapter 493 Gem Mine

It was already bright when Roland got up from the bed.

He put on his coat and walked to the window. The white buildings had revealed their respective background colors, and the red tiles and gray walls mixed together to form a vibrant variegation. Although it is still very cold indoors, if you face the sun, you can feel some gentle warmth.

The ground has melted into snow.

Walking into the office converted from a study, there was today's breakfast on the table, a fried egg and two pancakes, plus a cup of hot water. Just like in the small town, Nightingale had obviously prepared it for him.

"Thank you," Roland said to the empty lounge chair.

"How do you know I'm here?" Nightingale's figure gradually emerged.

"You won't sit down if you can lie down," he smiled, sandwiched the egg between two pieces of pancake, and brought it to his mouth, "And the back of the chair is sunken, so I don't know what's going on."

"No, I also like sitting." She dodged and appeared directly at the desk, turned over and sat on the edge of the table, "like here."

This set of movements is so smooth that I never tire of it, Roland thought, especially the process of escaping into the mist and then emerging out of it in an instant, it is like a leap.

"You seem to be in a good mood. Did you have a good dream?"

She raised her eyebrows and said, "Well, it was a nice dream."

"That's good," Roland swallowed the "egg burger" in several bites, "you have to follow me today."

"Because of the assassination?"

"Well," his mood condensed, "if the "Gem List" is really activated by Tifeko, there may be other dark chess in the Western Region, and we can't review everyone. "These people who are loyal to the royal family and brave and resourceful should not be wasted on assassinations. They could have been put into more promising positions to use their abilities. Thinking of this, Roland further determined to eradicate Tifeko's forces as soon as possible. Determination.

"As you wish, Your Highness," Nightingale smiled, "Where are you going today?"

"The mines and salt wells are one of the main reasons why I came here."

…

After summoning Peiro and a group of related personnel to the castle, the inspection team headed out of the city in a mighty manner.

Although Roland is more concerned about the iron mines located in Maple Leaf and Wild Rose, the gem trade is also a pillar industry in Changge District, and it is also the closest to the fortress, so the first stop of the inspection is this famous mine. On the five-color gem mine.

Due to the melting snow, the ground became muddy and the carriage was impassable. The group could only ride slowly on horseback. It took most of the morning to reach the edge of the Impasse Mountains. Roland was once again convinced of the truth of "If you want to be rich, build roads first." There was no hard road leading to the mining area. Once it rained, the ore would not be transported smoothly, and no matter how high the output was, it would be useless.

The vein is located in a natural cave. After passing through a short narrow passage, the interior suddenly opens up. Nearly a hundred rosin torches can only take a rough look at the scene inside the cave. Roland raised his head and looked around and asked, "Is this cave formed naturally?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Pero nodded, "It is rumored that even the discovery of it was an accident: it was originally a smooth rock wall. There was an earthquake in the earth more than three hundred years ago, and the rock wall collapsed, exposing the current The entrance of the cave. At first, local hunters only used this place as a shelter from the rain. Later, as the exploration continued, they discovered the existence of five-color gems."

"You know very well," Roland smiled.

"These stories are well-known in the Western Region," Pero waved and asked a man from the team to come closer. "His name is Denver Ke Lian. He is the manager of this mine. You can ask him about specific matters."

"Are you from Duke Lane?"

"No, Your Highness, the Ke Lian clan does not belong to any lord," the man known as Denver bowed and saluted. He was about thirty years old, but he spoke like a calm old man, "In our world, Generations have lived around this mine, and the hunter who discovered it is also one of the ancestors of the family. The family has served three dukes, and has drawn a map of the mine that is as tall as a man. No one knows the mine as well as Ke Lian. .”

It can be seen that he is very proud of this, even if he is facing the Prince of Graycastle, he can still talk eloquently. Moreover, his steady temperament is particularly outstanding, and coupled with a slim-fitting black uniform, he looks just like the old butlers of thousand-year-old families in movies.

Since this group of people had passed Nightingale's review before setting off, Roland was not worried that he was a lurker. "Why is there no one mining in the mine now?"

"Because the evil month has just ended, Your Highness," Denver replied without thinking, "the snow in the mountains will melt into the mountains and flow to lower places. Although there are drainage ditches and water collection wells in the mines, , but the water collection speed is much faster than human transportation, and the mineral veins at the bottom are temporarily inaccessible. According to past practice, normal mining here has to wait until summer arrives."

"Is this the same for the iron mines in Maple Leaf and Wild Rose Territory?"

"Although I have never been there, I heard that the terrain of the two iron mines is higher and the mine tunnels extend upward, which is much better than here. But if you want to resume production, you have to wait at least a month."

"It seems that you need to set up a few more steam engines to help pump water." Roland shrugged.

"Steam... machine, what is that?" Denver looked confused.

"A machine that can keep the mine open all year round," the prince couldn't help but raise his lips. "You still have a lot to learn in the future - about mining."

The other party's expression seemed quite disbelieving, and his lips moved, but in the end he did not refute.

Roland didn't take it to heart. The rail mine car and the matching steam engine pumping and traction system have been used very skillfully in the North Slope Mine. They even sold one to the ore tycoon in Silver Light City. Sooner or later, this place will be replaced with a more efficient one. High steam equipment - but he is not interested in gems, and will definitely focus on iron ore.

"In that case, let's go to the next inspection location." Roland turned around and said.

"Wait a minute, Your Highness... This is a wish from the Ke Lian family," Denver probably didn't expect that the prince was about to leave immediately. He quickly took two steps forward, took out a small wooden box from his arms, and handed it to him.

"Oh?" Roland took the wooden box with interest and opened the lid. I saw two crystal-clear gems lying in the box. The light of the torch made them reflect the overlapping red and green brilliance, which was so dazzling that it made people dizzy. He couldn't help but be stunned, "This...is the colorful stone?"

"Exactly, Your Highness, they are exquisite products selected from the purest gemstones, and they are also treasures of the family a hundred years ago." Denver said, caressing his chest, "The Ke Lian family is honored to serve the new master of the Western Region."

Roland didn't listen to the second half of the other person's words at all. His attention was completely focused on the gem. This light was so familiar that even he who knew nothing about minerals had heard the name of this kind of stone.

Compared with the ornamental name of multicolored stone, in later generations, it had another more popular name - diaspore. (To be continued.)