Endings

The mining in the open cave progressed smoothly. Damian mobilized hundreds of experienced miners, and together with his puppets, they were able to extract around 500 tons in a single day.

Everyone thought that the most challenging part of having all this mineral would be its exportation, but they were all surprised to see how the military balloons easily lifted a hundred tons.

To extract it, Damian could only use a wheelbarrow to cross the tunnels. But once outside, the puppets did all the work for him, which was incredible.

Nevertheless, the cost of transportation was considerable.

Since the threshold for coal extraction was very low, to avoid private excavation and illegal mining, Damian formulated strict laws. Anyone caught mining illegally would have their fingers cut off; everyone knew their salary was more than sufficient.

Damian could not tolerate a crime like theft when no one was lacking food in their homes.

The revenues from the coal mines were part of the territory's tax income. Anyone who dared to profit from this would have to deal with Damian directly.

Time passed slowly, and soon December arrived.

Damian once again summoned the territory's officials to conduct an end-of-year summary.

In addition to last year's participants, this year's meeting was attended by two newcomers: Frieren, who was interested in learning about governance, and Sebastian's son, who was substituting for his father.

Sebastian's son, practically named after him, was responsible for the educational work in the territory and served as a director to test his management skills.

"Is there any movement from the demons in our territory?" Damian asked a unique question, hoping for good answers.

Wilson looked at Damian and said, "The demons have completely avoided our territory."

"They will likely continue to avoid it for a long time."

"No, they are looking for ways to protect themselves from Damian's magic. They will attack when they are stronger and more perfected." Frieren fully understood the evolution of the demons.

Many remained silent upon hearing these words from Frieren; it was hard to accept, but demons improved their magic faster than humans.

"There will be no war for about fifteen years."

If there is no war next year, steel sales will definitely drop dramatically, and military spending will increase. To avoid a deficit, Damian should focus on mass-producing his next inventions.

They discussed many things, but Damian was contemplating what he could improve during all this time. But only time will tell; after all, he will live longer than he could imagine.