Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 399 Echoes Through the Mountains (Part 1)

"...Steel is forged by fire and hammer, and so is this city! From a few thatched huts made of mud bricks and hay to the steel fortress that stands on the shores of Lake Rose today, we have endured countless disasters: fires, wars, and famines!"

"But—my beloved compatriots, remember my words—no matter what calamity they may bring, they have never succeeded in defeating us, not even once! From the ashes we are reborn! And stronger than ever!"

"This city, and the people who live here, possess a spirit—a spirit of courage, tenacity, and indomitable will! It flows in the veins and bones of you, me, and every Solingen resident. It is this spirit that sustains us as we rebuild streets, houses, and warehouses time and again from ashes..."

A dignified man dressed in a purple robe stood atop the steps of the City Hall, still stained with soot and blood, and addressed the thousands of citizens gathered in the City Square.

His left hand was held at his waist, while his right hand waved passionately, accompanying the rise and fall of his voice.

The dense crowd in the square, like an orchestra, was being conducted by his right hand, emitting wave after wave of increasingly loud applause and cheers.

Standing by the window, gazing at the figure on the steps in the distance, John Servit sighed: "I'm still not as good as him."

“As a negotiating opponent, you are more difficult to deal with than him—I’m not trying to flatter you.” Winters leaned against the window frame and waited for the interval between the two rounds of cheers before speaking: “But I must also say that Mayor Woopper’s skills are something that no one else can learn.”

Listening to the impassioned and powerful words echoing in the square, it's hard to imagine that they came from the mouth of a cowardly mayor who was forcibly dragged out of his home by the military police.

When the City Hall was attacked by a bomb, the mayor reacted quickly, abandoning the council and his colleagues, and escaped from the City Hall through a secret passage with his guards. He returned to his residence and refused to step out the door again.

But Paul Wupper has this ability: as long as you dress him in a gorgeous gown, put on an expensive wig, apply a thick layer of powder, and then put him in the public eye, you don't have to worry about the rest.

“I used to think Mayor Wooper was just a good actor,” Winters said slowly, resting his chin on his hand. “But now I realize that for Mayor Wooper, acting is an instinct he can’t control. He’s not a good actor; he’s a slave to the desire to perform.”

“Steelburg needs a leader who can boost the morale of the people.” Servet, on the contrary, was trying to exonerate Paul Wupper: “Besides, since Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, no one has been absolutely free. Mr. Granah, what kind of slave are you?”

"I?"

This question took Winters somewhat by surprise. He thought for a moment and answered seriously, "Could I also be a slave to the desire to perform?"

Servetus's gaze was sharp: "And what role are you playing?"

“At least in Steel Castle,” Winters said slowly, “I’m playing a positive character.”

Servetus remained noncommittal, his face still devoid of emotion. He drew the curtains: "Let's go for a walk."

Winters readily agreed.

Led by Servetus, the two left the town square, neither on horseback nor in a carriage, without guards or any sashes or medals to identify them. They walked along the slag-paved streets to the south bank of the Rose River.

Standing on the south bank, looking out, amidst the charred ruins, some people who hadn't gone to the city square to listen to the speech were clearing away the rubble.

After the warehouses and shops of various merchants and workshops were claimed, the blockade of the south bank by the garrison was lifted—there was hardly anything left anyway.

The restrictions on the north bank were subsequently eased, markets reopened, churches opened to disaster victims, and some homeless victims were evacuated to villages and towns outside the city.

The embers may not have dissipated yet, but Steel Castle is already on the road to reconstruction.

People wiped away their tears, pushed away the rubble and debris, and collected the usable stone and timber. Burnt timber was also continuously transported from the mountains to the city for reconstruction.

“No matter how many times,” Servet said softly, looking at the people with resolute expressions and heads down at work, “I will always be amazed by the human will.”

Winters stood silently, without saying a word.

After a moment, Winters asked, "Did you submit a new South Shore plan to the City Council?"

“Yes.” Servet walked toward the ash heap by the roadside and said calmly, “The original neighborhoods on the south bank were haphazardly layered and wrapped around the Elin Church, with no logic whatsoever in the layout of the streets and blocks. Now that we have the opportunity to rebuild completely, we can’t go back to the same old mistakes.”

Winters politely replied, "A very visionary idea."

Servet watched for a moment, then pulled a charred rat carcass from the ashes: "Some say that on the night of the fire, hordes of rats on the south bank jumped into the Rose River and froze to death under the ice. Those that couldn't escape were all burned to death, even the rats in the basement couldn't escape. Did you witness it?"

"I didn't notice."

“I hope it’s true.” Servet buried the rat carcass back into the ash heap and said in a low voice, “This might be the only way to completely eradicate the plague in Steel Castle.”

After walking for a while, the two arrived at the ruins of the El Ind Cathedral.

The Eindhoven Cathedral was almost completely destroyed in the fire, with only a solitary bell tower standing alone at the southern end of the ruins, refusing to collapse.

On the night of the fire, the lead sheets covering the church roof melted and flowed into the street. The Reformed Church had not yet had time to recycle the lead, so at first glance, the stone pavement around the church appeared to be plated with a dull silver.

Strolling through the ruins of the cathedral, Servet said with regret, "What a magnificent cathedral, but it was still no match for the fire tornado."

“I cannot agree.” Winters rubbed the tip of his nose. “A fire tornado is just a tornado. The Eindhoven Cathedral is a stone building. How could a tornado have the power to overturn it? It was clearly the internal and external scaffolding that was burned down, causing the roof to lose its support, which is why it collapsed.”

Servetus asked, "Were you there at the time?"

“Everyone present saw it,” Winters replied.

Servetus didn't delve into the matter. He surveyed the remaining foundations of the church and suddenly asked Winters, "Do you know how Steel Castle got its start?"

"Because of iron ore?"

"Did you see the mines at Steelburg?" Winters thought for a moment: "No."

“The mines are all on the other side of the mountain.” Servet pointed to the north of the city: “There’s a valley between Steel Castle and there’s a small town where miners live, called Redstone Town. After the ore is mined, it’s first screened and sintered in Redstone Town, and then transported by horse-drawn carts to Steel Castle for smelting.”

Winters asked politely, "You seem to know a lot about mining?"

“My father and grandfather were both miners,” Servet replied casually. “My father lost half a foot while fighting for Emperor Richard and was forced to leave the army. The pension Emperor Richard gave him was not enough to pay off his debts, so he and my grandfather had to sell their only piece of land and move from Neuchâtel to Solingen to make a living by mining.”

Winters nodded slightly and listened without saying a word.

“My story is actually irrelevant.” Servet stopped and gazed at the Rose River ahead.

"What I want to ask you is, why Steel Castle in particular?"

In terms of natural endowments, while Steel Keep possesses the water power of the Rose River, Redstone Town is closer to the mines. Furthermore, Montaur has iron ore deposits in more than just Steel Keep. So why did Steel Keep rise to prominence and become Steel Keep?

Redstone Town, once home to iron mines, is now merely an appendage of Steel Fortress. Redstone Town owns no iron smelting furnaces; even the mines are owned by the Steel Fortress's blacksmith guild. Steel Fortress blacksmiths enjoy the wealth generated by the iron industry, while Redstone Town miners toil in the mud. Why?

Winters recalled the story passed down among the citizens of Steelburg: "The Great Saint Joseph entered the workshop and personally promised the blacksmiths prosperity and fortune."

The people of Steelburg never doubted the story's authenticity. They not only told it to their children, but also revered Saint Joseph as the patron saint of Steelburg, and decorated every important place in the city with the scene of "Saint Joseph entering the workshop."

“Perhaps it’s a gift from God,” Winters said, an answer that was always correct.

“Wrong!” Servet said firmly. “Only those who don’t know why they succeed would use fate and divine grace to numb their reason. I don’t deny the capriciousness of fate, but attributing everything to gods is undoubtedly an insult to humanity.”

Winters couldn't help but think more highly of the congressman. He nodded slightly and asked the congressman to continue.

“The answer is simple.” Servetus stomped his foot on the ground: “Right beneath your feet.”

Winters raised an eyebrow: "The way?"

"Yes, roads. Steel Fortress defeated Redstone Town by building roads."

Please elaborate.

Servetus leaned on his cane, his tone calm: "In a country of mountains, building roads is a sacred undertaking comparable to building churches. Do you know why?"

Winters answered without hesitation: "Too costly."

"Yes, because road construction is too expensive, it often requires multiple parties to raise funds before construction can begin. Since money has been spent, the investors naturally want a return. As a result, there are toll booths everywhere in Monta, and even the councils of many towns are maintained by toll fees."

Although Senator Servet expressed strong disapproval of the toll collection, Winters did not see anything wrong with it.

Because not only in Monta, but in other republics as well, there are toll booths everywhere. The Venetians even jokingly say that the magnificent army headquarters was built with toll fees.

“Whoever builds the road should collect the money,” Winters said. “That’s perfectly reasonable.”

“That’s right, it makes perfect sense.” Servit looked at the mountains and said with a touch of nostalgia, “But the brilliance of the Steel Fortress Blacksmiths’ Guild is that they built the road and decided not to charge any tolls.”

"A loss-making business."

"It is indeed a losing business, but after using everyone's money to do the most unprofitable part of the business, the rest will be profitable. In this way, even if we take a longer route, the toll fees saved will be enough to cover the cost difference between the steel fortress iron materials and the redstone town iron materials."

Although road construction was a losing proposition, Steelburg prospered by squeezing out and acquiring the iron smelting industry in Redstone. Steelburg continued to build and purchase roads, and to this day, convoys entering and leaving the Solingen region do not pay tolls.

"Since Redstone Town controls the iron ore, they should have plenty of ways to deal with Steel Fortress, so how could they lose so easily?"

Servet's voice was a little hoarse, probably because he rarely spoke so much at once: "Because their interests are not aligned, they don't have a blacksmith guild like Steelburg that can withstand short-term losses and place their hopes on the long term. So they were defeated one by one."

Winters pondered Servet's words: "Using everyone's money to do the most unprofitable business?"

"The same applies to building roads, and the same applies to digging the Woodpecker Canal. Since it's everyone's money, what's wrong with spending it on things that benefit everyone?"

“Yes, there’s nothing wrong with it.” Winters crossed his arms, a slight smile suddenly appearing on his face. “But why are you telling me all this?”

The remaining foundations seemed to weep in the wind, yet the church inexplicably became even more silent.

“You have won, Baron Granah.” Servit turned his back, looking at the altar burned to the ground, and spoke forlornly:
“Steel Fortress is no longer what it used to be. No one supports my relief plan. The people who own this city are unwilling to spend money on things that would benefit everyone. I can only rely on your gold and silver to push forward the reconstruction plan, and even though I know your identity is questionable, I can only turn a blind eye and tacitly allow them to sell you weapons.”

“So, you’ve won this time. You’ve defeated us one by one.” Servet turned around and extended his hand to Winters: “Enjoy your victory, Your Excellency.”

Winters calmly grasped Senator Servet's hand and shook it.

Servetus tried to pull his right hand away, but no matter how hard he tried, the young baron held it firmly.

“Your Excellency, have you considered another way of cooperating?” Winters slowed his speech: “A way for both of us to be winners.”

"In what way?" Servet stopped trying to pull his hand away, and instead narrowed his eyes, watching Winters cautiously.

"Why limit our relationship to buying and selling?" Winters paused for a moment, his eyes gleaming. "Have you ever considered... investing in us?"

Happy New Year, everyone!
Wishing everyone a healthy, safe, and smooth-sailing tomorrow!
[I originally planned to wrap up Monta's storyline today, as the ending felt particularly fitting for "saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new," but... but... (covers face)]
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, rewards, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
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(End of this chapter)