The Discovery of the Coal Mine

Less than two months have passed since Damian officially acquired all his territory, and the mineral resources of the land have yet to be fully studied.

During this period, Damian sent more than a dozen groups of surveyors to search for various minerals on a large scale within the territory. From clay mines to lime mines and several metal mines, the explorers slept and ate outdoors until they finally made discoveries and drew various mineral resources on very detailed maps.

Due to the harsh conditions and the vast terrain, the salary for the mining exploration staff is relatively high, reaching eight silver coins per month, which is comparable to the wages of the teachers at the academy established some time ago.

After two months of exploration, the minerals in the territory have been approximately identified.

The first discovery was a clay mine, which was not far from the northern borders.

Damian is ready to melt the snow and build a second brick kiln near the clay mine to accelerate the development of other cities that were lagging behind in the modernity he desired.

Building in the territory without bricks is very inconvenient. Although it is located in a mountainous area, Damian does not have enough manpower to build a detailed quarry at the moment, and his puppets are currently focused on other tasks.

Once the new brick kiln is built, there will be no need to consume transportation capacity to transport bricks from dozens of kilometers away.

Then came the discovery of limestone, which produced raw cement. There is already a clay kiln of this type in the territory, so Damian did not need to experiment with it.

The third discovery was a coal mine, which was scarce in the territory. After learning about the discovery of the coal mine, Damian was so excited that he didn't even take time to grab a pickaxe and explore it.

Immediately, he wrote to the prospectors, held a celebration banquet at the military station, and gave the prospectors a reward in gold coins.

The coal mine is fifteen kilometers from the Army Fort. Damian personally inspected the coal mine and found that it was of high quality. It was typical bituminous coal with a high carbon content and high calorific value, which could be used for coke smelting.

If coke can be produced on a large scale, the steelmaking process will also develop rapidly.

Additionally, if coal is extracted, it can be used for heating in the winter.

If the inhabitants of the territory burn coal in the winter, they can reduce tree cutting, prevent soil erosion, and avoid sudden floods.

Damian has been in the north for over twenty years and has rarely seen anyone burning coal. Perhaps humans in other areas have already utilized coal resources on a large scale.

According to Damian's observation, there are very few coal mines in the north.

This time, it is very rare to find a shallow coal mine that is easy to extract in the territory.

Since the miners in the territory had no experience in coal mining, Damian was a bit worried, so he followed the miners and stayed in the coal mine for a few days.

Surface coal mines are best extracted by digging with hammers and drills, but they do not have much technology in this world.

The coal mine was discovered halfway up the mountain, and to transport the coal, it was necessary to build a kilometer of road, but Damian bypassed this by using his flying puppets and military balloons.

After Damian led the surveyors to inspect the terrain, he decided to use wooden rails to transport coal as well.

"This is northern gold; we've solved the long-term problem we've had," Damian said, pointing to this important mineral.

Frieren, who had been taken out of the Magic Tower, did not look at what Damian was showing her; she remained asleep.

"Come on, guide the puppets. If necessary, we must exploit these great workers. Don't fear the demons; I will take care of them," Damian said, revealing a rare moment of leadership on this special occasion.