Chapter 16: The First Mine—A Salt Mine

“The first choice is to be near a water source, convenient for irrigation, and the surrounding land, nourished by the stream, will be easier to cultivate.” Looking upon the palm-sized territory, Verin found only three locations to choose from.

One of these lay seven kilometers north of the Giantstone Tribe, where a stream gathered into a pond spanning over fifteen hundred mu—about a square kilometer—sufficient to satisfy the water needs in the early stages. The other two sites were not nearly as advantageous in terms of geography.

“This is the place. This afternoon, take some men to survey it and finalize the site.” As for the surrounding goblin tribes, they no longer posed a threat. It was quite likely those green-skinned creatures had already begun their migration.

As noon approached, a knight arrived with news—they had discovered a salt mine.

After lunch, Verin set out with several knights for the location of the salt mine. Atop a low hill, several serf-soldiers guarded the cave entrance, gnawing on black bread and animatedly discussing amongst themselves.

“Yesterday on the battlefield, I killed two goblins. With the discovery of this salt mine, I’ll surely be freed from my serf status and become a freeman.”

“Alas, I wasn’t so lucky. Even with the salt mine, I’ve only got two merits. Who knows when the next battle will be?”

“Don’t be discouraged. The master is expanding the fief; there will be plenty of battles. Maybe tomorrow we’ll join the knights in wiping out the nearby goblin tribes.”

“I hope so. Once I’m no longer a serf, I’ll definitely—look, it’s the master!”

One of the serf-soldiers cut off mid-sentence, shouting as he spotted a figure approaching in the distance.

As Verin rode closer, one man stepped forward to hold the reins of the red-phosphor horse, while the others quickly reported, “Master, this is the salt mine. There’s no danger inside.”

“Well done. Keep it up.” Verin dismounted and encouraged the three serfs, then entered the cave with Baird.

After walking over a hundred meters, they arrived at a cavern more than a hundred square meters wide, its walls composed entirely of salt ore.

He stepped forward and probed with his battle energy; as far as his senses reached, it was all salt—high-purity at that—requiring only minimal refining to be sold as medium-quality salt.

As for the upper layers, there were indeed some harmful impurities, but those made up only a small portion.

“This salt mine holds a considerable reserve—what a windfall,” Verin remarked.

Baird, a little skeptical, probed as well. When he finished, his expression shifted and he said urgently, “My lord, this is a treasure trove. We must defend it at all costs. I suggest we use those incorrigible bandit slaves for mining and station troops to guard the perimeter.”

“My thoughts exactly. But in the early stages, we shouldn’t exploit it on a large scale. If word spreads, it could bring us trouble,” Verin replied, stroking his chin.

“As you say, my lord.”

Soon after, they left the cave, found a massive stone, and sealed the entrance. When their settlement was established, they could send people to mine as needed.

With time to spare, Verin took Baird and the others to the pond twelve kilometers away for exploration, intent on finalizing the site for their first settlement.

A dozen minutes later, they arrived at a broad lake, with animals drinking nearby. The tranquil scenery brought a sense of relaxation to them all.

“Baird, isn’t it beautiful?” Verin turned to see the stoic-faced Baird and flashed a genuine smile.

“My lord, it is beautiful. The soil is fertile and easy to irrigate. There’s a slope in the distance, easy to defend and hard to attack—a perfect site for a castle. It’s close to the salt mine and can be supported at any time.”

“Perhaps you and I meant something different, but never mind,” Verin replied with a helpless shrug.

“Come, let’s look around. For a long time, this may be our future home,” he said to the knights, then mounted his horse and rode toward the distant slope.

Baird, seeing this, quietly followed with the others.

They spent more than two hours circling the lake, Verin jotting down rough plans on paper—where a castle might go, fields could be tilled, barracks or even a waste site set up to avoid polluting the lake’s water.

Although the lake’s water was constantly flowing and somewhat self-purifying, Verin had no interest in drinking water tainted with waste.

As dusk approached, Verin ended the day’s survey and led his party back to the Giantstone Tribe, preparing for the final steps before opening up the land.

…

News of the annihilation of the Giantstone Tribe and six neighboring tribes quickly spread, carried by surviving goblins.

As Verin had predicted, the first reaction of the remaining goblin chieftains was not to resist, but to prepare for migration, moving west. For over a century, this had been their way—just repeating the past. They would rather contend with gnolls and kobolds for territory than fight human pioneers.

Battling other races, even defeat meant enslavement and survival. But to resist human pioneers was to risk extermination—too many examples over the past century had etched this lesson into the bones of goblins on the Greyglow Wasteland.

In the days that followed, it was common to see migrating goblins at the edges of Toxic.

Thousands of green-skinned creatures left the barren lands they’d inhabited for over thirty years, moving by day and night. Other goblin tribes, upon hearing of the human pioneers’ arrival, also prepared to migrate, not knowing if this signaled another human expansion or not, but deciding it was best to leave early.

Thus, through his efforts alone, Verin forced hundreds of goblin tribes and tens of thousands of goblins to migrate from the fringes of the Yellowstone region.

This, in turn, became a grand feast for the monstrous tribes in the interior, who gained a bounty of new slave tribes to strengthen their own fighting force and food reserves.

But none of this concerned Verin.

His task now was to establish the first village, the first field, the first castle—extend his domain, pass the assessment in four years, and be promoted to baron, becoming a true noble of this world.

Back at the Giantstone Tribe, after much discussion—mostly Verin outlining his plans, the others nodding in agreement, with Baird occasionally offering his views—they concluded their meeting.

Lying on the carpet, gazing at the construction blueprints, Verin felt a weary weight on his heart.

This meeting only intensified his longing for a talented administrator.

Surrounded by knights whose heads seemed filled with nothing but muscle, he found himself feeling quite overwhelmed.