Eternal Teachings (1)
There was always a question that the visiting nobles and merchants seemed to ask as if it were a rite of passage.
And sure enough, a noble asked that question while riding in a carriage.
"Is this really the wild land of the Kalton Mountains that I've heard about?"
The carriage rolled along a well-maintained road.
Despite the view outside, it didn't feel wild at all.
It looked like a forest landscape along any royal road.
"I was surprised too. I came here saying the same thing as you."
"I heard it took over a year just to make a path in a place where no path could be made, but they managed to do it."
"It's literally the land of opportunity! Many nobles are looking to invest right now. I brought you here because I really wanted you to invest as well."
"Hmm, it's not good for a lord to wander around carelessly..."
"What lord? He's no different from a village chief."
"You!"
He was a noble with a title and territory, but he was a low-ranking noble who ruled over a remote region, like one who had been exiled far away.
Although he was a lord and a noble, there was nothing he could do.
At most, he had to go to the kingdom for approval when it was necessary.
He could barely be called a noble, lacking even the luxury of living off the meager income for the development fund of the kingdom.
Such a noble needed investment, and the merchant had brought him to the Kalton Mountains for that investment.
Finally, they began to see something that could be called a building after passing through the forest.
'It's big enough to be considered a small country.'
Unlike what they had expected from an orc city with wooden walls, the castle was made of stone.
Moreover, it was not made of rough stones stacked and hardened with mud, but processed into rectangular-shaped stones.
'There's an abundance of stone, but...'
Even if there were plenty of raw stones, processing them took a lot of time.
There were no mages among the orcs. If they were to make all those stones by hand, it would take a tremendous amount of time just to process them.
"Did the orcs hire mages as well?"
"I've heard that they're getting help from the Silence Tower, but it has nothing to do with the walls."
Knowing where the noble's question came from, he answered accordingly.
"Are you saying it has nothing to do with it? Then are you saying that the orcs made this themselves?"
"They helped, but it's like they didn't help?"
"I don't understand what you're saying at all."
The merchant chuckled.
"You'll understand when you follow me."
Following the merchant's words, the noble passed through the arch-shaped gate and entered inside.
The Orc Alliance, called Barchan, was strikingly similar to the royal roads they had seen before.
They had expected that there would be stone buildings since they had the technology to build walls, but they were surprised that even the architectural style was copied.
Someone greeted them in front of the entrance, looking up at the whole landscape.
"Welcome to the Orc Alliance, Barchan."
The noble, who had intended to pass by without thinking, stopped in surprise.
The one who greeted them with a dull tone was an orc.
He was properly dressed and offered a greeting unique to Althea believers.
"Don't look down on him. He's our guide."
"Who said I was looking down on him! Ahem! Greetings, guide sir."
As he received the orc's greeting, the noble offered one in return.
"I apologize for my manner of speaking."
"It's fine. This friend here doesn't care much about that either."
"Ahem! A noble must maintain his dignity! ...But it doesn't matter."
The noble took a quick glance at the orc's figure.
He stood at 2 meters tall, and his broad shoulders made even the noble's relatively large body seem small.
'He wouldn't look strange even if he was folded in half.'
That's why the noble couldn't dare to say anything he didn't like.
"Have you seen me before, merchant?"
"Yes. I visited once before for investment. This gentleman here is here for the first time."
"Then I will explain once more. Orcs are rough. So just follow the guide. Do not go anywhere else. Understand?"
"I understand."
The noble nodded, hearing the warning.
Although they had developed enough to build high walls, the security was not stabilized.
Having given all the warnings, the guide orc nodded and began to lead them.
Walking behind him, the noble asked the merchant.
"Did the orcs build all this civilization?"
"No. I heard they received help from the Hupper Kingdom."
"I know well that they have an alliance with the Hupper Kingdom."
Although it was his first time in Barchan today, the relationship with the Hupper Kingdom was well-known.
And he had heard it from the merchant before coming here, so he couldn't help but know.
Thud-thud-thud-!
Whiiiiing-!
"What's that noise?"
The noise carried by the wind. Instead of frowning, he was curious about the unfamiliar sound.
"It's the sound of a rock-breaking machine, called a magic stone saw."
"A rock-breaking machine, magic stone saw?"
As the noble expressed his doubt, the guiding orc gestured for them to follow.
Following the orc, the noise became rougher, and they arrived at the construction site.
"What is that thing...?"
The noble's eyes widened.
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[Original Source – dreambigtl . com]
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Half-naked orcs were wearing helmets and holding something.
There were devices for breaking stones and whirring devices for cutting down trees.
"That's a rock-breaking machine. That's a magic stone saw. The rock-breaking machine breaks rocks. The magic stone saw cuts trees."
In an instant, a huge rock was split. Not only that, but they also carved the rock into a certain shape.
'It's truly an amazing thing!'
It looked like magic as one person accomplished the intricate work that would take four or five people to do.
"Can I see that thing up close?"
"Many people are curious. So we show it separately."
As if they had prepared it in advance, they pointed to a table on one side.
A magic stone saw and a rock-breaking machine were placed on it.
The noble began to observe the rock-breaking machine and magic stone saw they were using.
As they observed, they were both surprised at the same point.
"I've seen this before... Isn't this the mark of the Silence Tower?"
The logo on the device was the same as the one on their recording device.
The merchant nodded.
"That's right. It's a product of the Silence Tower."
"So they've been making these things while their mentions have become scarce?"
"I found out when I came here too. They said they couldn't announce it yet since it's still in the testing phase."
He came to invest in mine development and related matters, but what caught the noble's eye was not such a thing.
'With this kind of thing, there's no need to ask a mage for help.'
Dealing with mages was limited to lower nobles unless they were of high rank.
It was difficult to manage a noble-born mage, and even a skilled commoner mage had high pride, so they wouldn't do such menial tasks under a lower noble.
If it was a problem that could be solved with money, they would rather spend more money, which was more comfortable for them.
"With such an item, I would think the merchant alliance would be quite interested..."
"People like you are already pushing for contracts with the Silence Tower."
It provided a means for prideful nobles to maintain their dignity and a desire for merchants who wanted to make more money to monopolize it.
Although everyone came to Barchan to invest, the growing interest was in the Silence Tower.
