I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 146 Black Ridge Valley

"Xu~"

Luc pulled the reins and looked at the unfamiliar valley below him.

There are tall forests at the foot of the mountain and gurgling streams. The clouds on the top of the mountain block the thin sunlight but still cannot block a piece of reddish-brown rock exposed at the bottom of the stream on the mountainside.

A large number of oak trees cover the steep hillsides. Looking out, you can see a winding but gentle stream running from northeast to southwest, and finally merging into the Agate River.

"It's just as I expected." Luc narrowed his eyes and muttered involuntarily.

"Come on, Ryan, let's go down and take a look!"

Luc no longer hesitated, and immediately dismounted. He and Ryan, who came with him, tied the mule and donkey to a tree trunk, left little Charlie, who had come back specially, to guard them, and quickly climbed down the cliff.

Ryan also had a solemn expression on his face. He held the dagger at his waist and followed closely.

Since he got the red rock from Mary last night, Luc had not slept well all night. Early this morning, he did not care about the ridicule. He rode the only mule and donkey and galloped towards the location Mary said.

After finally climbing over two hills, we successfully found the mountain stream in front of us about three miles to the northwest.

Luke wore light leather armor, carried a sword and a bow, and Ryan also wore a shield and a mattock. The west was an unknown land, so it was best to be armed.

As he got closer to the stream, Luc's eyes grew wider. The mountain stream was not as green as the Agate River, nor as clear as the tributary of the Knight's Castle. It was black, a not thick but conspicuous black.

Seeing this, Luc walked faster to the stream. His own vague figure was reflected on the surface of the river. There was not a single fish in the water. He reached out and scooped up the sand at the bottom of the stream. It was also black sand. Feeling the different touch, Luc knew that they were not sand at all.
"Master, what happened?" Ryan stood aside and couldn't help but ask.

Luke's strange behavior last night made Ryan, Old Ek and others very confused. Mary couldn't even understand what the iron rock meant. But this morning, after Luke called out Ryan mysteriously and explained it, this follower, who was not stupid, was also shocked and held his breath.

iron ore!

Iron ore was discovered in the valley?

Did he hear it correctly?

“It can’t be wrong.”

After observing for a long time, Luc took a deep breath and said excitedly: "This is indeed a piece of iron ore!"

"Oh! Thank God!" Ryan exclaimed in surprise.

"Hahaha, that's right, we have to thank God!"

Luc laughed and sang a rare hymn to the gods.

Luc's current joy is beyond words.

If salt is the king of commodities, a means of making huge profits, then iron is a sharp blade that can overthrow a regime! And it is a real sharp blade.

Isn't iron one of the problems that Luc has been facing for the past two years?

Farm tools, armor, weapons, and horseshoes.
It involves almost every aspect of life.

Luc racked his brains and used all his means, but now all the iron in the entire manor may weigh less than a hundred pounds, not to mention Hans's iron lump that weighs a full eleven pounds.

But what if you own an iron mine?
"With the salt mine, this place is already a treasure trove. Now there's iron ore. If the news gets out, even a powerful earl would be tempted."

Surprises come with greater risks.

Salt and iron, any one of the above words is enough to provoke a great noble to start a war. This is why few people know about the salt mine until now. Even Eugene and other serfs only know that he is a slave, and no one understands what he is doing specifically. Even if there are a few smart people who guessed it, it is wiser to remain silent.

"But this place is very hidden." Looking around, this place is not only hidden in the valley, but also covered by trees all over the mountain. It is also far enough away from the Agate River in the south. There are even a few natural towering trees blocking the view with their branches and leaves. No wonder there are so few traces of humans and even large animals.

"Sir, what should we do? Should we not mine first?"

"We couldn't mine it anyway. We didn't have enough manpower, and there were too few people we trusted enough."

Unlike salt mining, iron mining is an extremely huge project. Not to mention that Luc has no idea how to smelt iron. After all, he is not omniscient and omnipotent. Even if he knows, if he wants to hammer out enough iron for use, he will probably have to bring all the young and middle-aged men in the manor over!
Not to mention, he didn't even have a blacksmith.

Luc withdrew his gaze, thought for a moment, and asked Ryan to use a mattock to chisel off a small piece of loose iron rock, put it in his arms, and then returned to the mountain.

"Since we can't harvest them, then seal it up. Ryan, when you go back, announce to everyone that no one is allowed to go to Black Ridge Valley, including Mary. Let her graze in the north from now on!"

Because the black water flowed down the mountain, Luc named this place Black Ridge Valley.

The valley of the Knight's Castle was changed to the valley ground.

The two returned to the place where they had come from, took little Charlie with them and rushed back to the Knight's Castle. The lord came and went freely, and no one was curious about where Luc had gone. They only knew that after Luc came back, he immediately summoned old Eck, and then a new decree spread throughout the valley.

……

"What bad luck! Another damn disaster victim!"

George slammed his whip and impatiently chased the thin man away like a fly. The man took his equally skinny wife by the hand, nodded and bowed to thank her, then disappeared into the distance, leaving only a cloud of dust.

Following him, several equally pale-faced victims followed closely, carefully crossing the Telf Bridge.

George narrowed his eyes and raised his chin, enjoying the awe-inspiring looks from the crowd. As a horse thief, he rarely received such stares. Most of the time, he was looked at with contempt and caution.

Come to think of it, he actually likes this job.

There is no complicated and hard work, just guarding the wooden bridge. Not only is he free, but thanks to Lord Luke's wealth and generosity, he doesn't care about the gains and losses of a few pfennigs, so he can go to the nearby Cooper Castle for a drink every now and then. If possible, he can even save some money to spend a night with the thin girl in the tavern who is said to be from Scotland.

As for that bald guy.

George curled his lips. It was true that in terms of status, Luke was Luke's retainer, but George understood that compared to Ryan, Luke's retainer position was purely out of respect for Madam Douce and was not a true confidant at all. Otherwise, how could he be the actual manager of Telf Bridge? And he had even gone to the valley to report the news himself?

Rang is just a thug.

".Hiss, but that guy can definitely fight."

George took out a fruit and threw it into his mouth. The land of one-third of a mile along the bridge was under Luc's jurisdiction, and this fruit was a product of the forest.

Because Telf Bridge is one of the main roads in the Barony, a group of porters happened to pass by yesterday. When they heard that they had to pay a bridge toll, this group of people relied on their large numbers and not only did not want to pay, but instead wanted to take the opportunity to rob the two men. Porters do not return frequently like caravans, and they may become bandits at any time. They planned to rob a lot of money and then run away.

It was then that George witnessed Jean's ability. The bald man, riding a small travel horse, knocked over two porters in the blink of an eye.
"It's a pity that he's such a dull person."

George swallowed his saliva. Since he was neither addicted to alcohol nor was a prostitute, he really had nothing to talk about with him.

Seeing the victims leaving and no new travelers ahead, George planned to go back to the house to drink some water. Halfway there, he saw Jean, who was taking his daily horse ride, coming towards him.

"Hey, man, did you go to Cooper Castle?" George noticed with his sharp eyes that he had some more food on him.

"Yes, I bought some bread with the money those bastards paid me yesterday."

Due to the loss of a warhorse, the number of trips from the Knight's Castle to the bridgehead gradually decreased, and the food supply was not as frequent as before, so only some food could be purchased occasionally.

George nodded and wanted to help get it, but suddenly he heard Jean say gloomily: "Baron Berry is back."

(End of this chapter)