Chapter 23: Castel's Plan

When Hughes woke up, the sunlight was already quite intense.

He rang a small bell, and soon, maids entered, carefully placing a low yet long table over his bed. The breakfast was modest in quantity but exquisite and sumptuous. Hughes noticed that every item was something he had enjoyed eating in the past. Even such a small detail had been observed; the life of a noble was truly decadent.

He waved the servants away and dressed himself. Having been here for several days, he still found it difficult to get used to being dressed by others.

"My Lord."

As he opened the door, Connor was, as expected, waiting outside.

"How is the laboratory coming along?"

"It is basically finished. The materials you asked Steward Alexei to prepare have already been placed in the warehouse."

"Very good. I will be heading there to conduct some experiments later. Have Alexei come to see me with the production ledgers of the territory—we must find a way to develop this land."

He paused, searched his memories, and added, "I met an alchemist in Rhine who gave me a notebook. It contains some very interesting things, and I intend to put them to the test."

In this world, alchemists existed. They were somewhat akin to the chemists of his home world, though infused with elements of mysticism, with some crafting intricate gadgets and others moonlighting as apothecaries. In short, it was a hodgepodge. He had previously unearthed a musket, and the gunpowder within was the work of an alchemist, albeit at a much higher cost. He had met a few alchemists before, but those high-status masters had only spoken to him out of respect for his father, leaving him with little to show for it.

But now, he was a genius who had been carefully tutored by several alchemical masters; it was only natural that he would invent a few small things. Of course, first, he had to understand the territory's output to decide how to develop its industry.

***

Alexei walked quickly toward the manor's drawing room, a clerical assistant following behind with a stack of ledgers. He had flipped through these pages many times; they contained all the data regarding the territory. He genuinely wanted to do something practical for the land. If the territory prospered and his abilities were recognized, it would be a win-win. Therefore, upon hearing from Hughes, he had arrived immediately with the materials. He drew his salary from the Empress, and since Hughes was a Count enfeoffed by her, Alexei saw no issue in assisting him. His salary ensured his diligence, but his identification with Hughes made him willing to give his all.

Alexei knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Hughes was sitting at the long table. After exchanging a greeting, he began to flip through the materials Alexei had brought.

"Could you give me a brief overview of the territory's situation?"

"Certainly, my Lord." After a moment of recollection, Alexei began, "The island we are on is called Castel. It is quite large and represents an... important part of your territory."

The rest existed only on maps and in the letters of enfeoffment, mostly held by pirates.

"The northern part of Castel is a pier. It is not large, and currently, it is mostly used by fishing boats."

"I have seen it. It is a decent deep-water port. With some modifications, it could accommodate large cargo ships."

"Large cargo ships? Right..." Alexei swallowed his retort. What kind of large ships would ever come to this godforsaken island?

"Near the pier is the northern plain of Castel. Your manor is on the eastern side of the plain. This is the most densely populated area of the entire island, and most of the workshops are built here."

"What kind of workshops are there?"

"Mainly wineries. There used to be oil presses, too. The island has plenty of olive trees, but unfortunately, olive oil does not sell well. No merchants come to our side..."

"Olive oil?" Hughes’s eyes brightened. This was a valuable resource. The rise and fall of the Mediterranean in his previous life were inextricably linked to it, and during the Byzantine era, it was even a primary economic pillar for monasteries and monks. The Empire, however, had little demand for olive oil; the nation lacked such cultural traditions and had never tied the oil to religion. Castel Island did produce it, but on the Stormy Ocean, where maritime trade was not well-developed, the value of such goods was limited. Even the pirates of Gem Bay preferred to take sweet fruit wine as tax rather than olive oil.

But Hughes knew more uses for olive oil. For example... Hughes searched his memories and revealed a smile.

Soap. One of the artifacts of a transmigrator—simple to make, with astonishing results. The Empire had nothing of the sort. With this single product alone, he could establish a firm foothold on the Stormy Ocean and, in the process, make a fortune. Making soap from olive oil was not complicated; Hughes had an entire implementable process in his mind.

Moreover, his ambitions were not limited to those small bars of scented soap. Saponification was the foundation of many chemical processes. If he could successfully establish a soap production line, the future of Castel Island would be limitless.

"Anything else?"

"There are some mineral veins on the island, quite a few varieties, but unfortunately, they have little mining value." Alexei recalled, "It is too far from the Empire, and the pirates of Gem Bay lack the smelting capabilities. The ore can only be sent to the vicinity of the White Raven Duchy, which has no shortage of ore itself, so it never fetches a good price."

"Is there a registry for the mineral veins?"

"Uh..." Alexei faltered. "I will go back and look for it. There are only records from a long time ago, surveyed when the first settlers arrived on Castel."

"Organize some people to conduct a detailed survey. Issue an announcement in the name of the Town Hall. I will pay their wages."

"Understood." Alexei nodded. "Most of these mineral deposits are located in the southwest of Castel."

"Southwest... Alexei, I remember there is a volcano on the island, right?" Hughes walked to the balcony, pushed open the window, and looked toward the southwest corner of the island.

There stood a towering peak. Its lower half was covered in lush trees, but the upper part was barren, covered in pristine white snow. A cloud resembling icy mist hovered at the summit, obscuring the view so that the peak itself was completely invisible. Castel’s climate was quite stable; for most of the year, it was warm and humid. Even in the coldest season, one only needed an extra layer of clothing; snowflakes had never fallen there.

"For every thousand meters of altitude, the temperature drops by six degrees Celsius. That summit has snow year-round; it must be quite high," Hughes mused.

"Yes, my Lord. It is an active volcano. It is said to have erupted a few decades ago. I have heard from local residents that you can see the magma churning inside from the summit."

Hughes nodded. A volcano was a treasure. Every eruption would bring forth a wealth of mineral deposits from deep underground; no wonder the small island had so many veins. Furthermore, places with volcanoes almost always had sulfur deposits—essential for making gunpowder. Volcanic ash was also a top-tier fertilizer. No wonder the island could export sweet fruit wine; if organized properly, Castel would never lack for food.