Thanks to the influx of people during this time, many heavy tasks gradually became manageable. With enough manpower available after breaking new ground, Lind could finally support some production plans.
Lind had considered giving up on the reclamation effort. Connecting numerous construction workshops to initiate a capitalist model was tempting; while this idea could earn quick money, it was fundamentally unreliable, akin to building a house of cards, unless Lind planned to rely solely on the financial support of the Lars Family.
Now, without further ado, the production line for snow sugar could already be set up.
The advantages of a production line compared to traditional handmade workshops are unnecessary to elaborate on. Most importantly, there was no concern about leaks; even if one or two staff members were bribed, it wouldn’t matter.
Of course, Lind did not expect that in this world with alchemy, the recipe and methods for making snow sugar could remain confidential for long. After all, this was just the first bucket of gold, and it was impossible to rely solely on this for income in the long term. Moreover, sugar was an important strategic resource, and once development began, it would surely be prioritized for the territory.
Compared to sugar, what Lind was more concerned about now was the production of cement, as it was impossible for over a thousand people in the territory to all sleep in tents.
Aside from the nobles’ castles and grand palaces, most people in this world build their homes with primitive materials, primarily wood, stone, and some earth, making even a two-story building a significant engineering task. It not only takes a long time to build but also requires a large number of skilled craftsmen.
The traditional method of making cement was actually very simple, even much simpler than sugar production.
In his previous life, Lind had once seen an old brother downstairs start mixing traditional cement at his doorstep because of a leak in his house.
However, Lind still preferred industrial cement.
The scenarios in those transmigration novels where the protagonist easily produces industrial cement due to their previous life’s memories and quickly begins to develop infrastructure are not very realistic. After all, ordinary people, even if they know how to produce industrial cement, find it hard to achieve mass production within a short period due to obstacles like high temperature, grinding, mixing, and calcining processes.
Moreover, industrial cement is not concrete; it is merely a material for producing concrete. Without concrete, it is impossible to realize infrastructural miracles.
However, Lind only thought about industrial cement; in reality, traditional cement was a significant upgrade for this era in terms of cost-effectiveness. Since the River of Tears runs through the territory, materials could even be sourced locally.
Furthermore, there were currently no constructions in the territory that required industrial cement. Using traditional cement with stones to start building was sufficient—simple and efficient, seamlessly integrated with those craftsmen who had experience in house-building.
Fortunately, the development of cement went smoothly, and there were no fundamental differences from boiling water that he experienced in his previous life.
This world was not chaotic; principles were still at play—it just required the addition of the variable of magic.
Now the biggest issue was that the quality of traditional cement for road construction was not very good. If Lena and her knights, fully armed, made a few trips back and forth, the road made of traditional cement might start to buckle.
However, it was only a matter of buckling; it wasn’t completely unusable. Compared to earthen roads, it was already a significant improvement. Furthermore, fully armed Lena and the knights were already heavy cavalry, and because they were professionals with bloodlines from magical beasts, their overall weight was much heavier than historical heavy cavalry from Lind’s previous life. The situations requiring these knights and their equipment were certainly not common and could be temporarily disregarded.
Thus, after all these over a thousand refugees were granted citizenship, the cement factory by the River of Tears officially commenced operations.
The old craftsmen were indeed very surprised when they saw the cement, not because of its hardness after drying but because they were astonished that the lord would use such a precious alchemical material to build houses and schools for the common people.
People cannot imagine things they have never seen. In the minds of these old craftsmen, cement was a mysterious alchemical material from the lord’s family, fundamentally impossible to be made from the clay and sand found everywhere. Even after witnessing the cement-making process with their own eyes, they would still think that it was a magical feat of the deeply hidden alchemist lord or that some miraculous powder had been secretly added.
Seeing these craftsmen prostrate on the ground, Lind couldn’t help but feel that the responsibilities of compulsory education were indeed daunting.
Alongside cement, gunpowder also began to be researched.
Because it was a very important project, Lind did not let Lauri or Lila handle it; he personally stepped in to manage it. The staff involved in making gunpowder was primarily elderly residents of Lind’s territory, whose loyalty was unquestionable.
Moreover, this was the only place in the territory where Lind had hired Lena’s knights for protection. Although those knights looked down on people, they were undeniably absolutely loyal to Lena’s commands.
Lind did not keep his research on gunpowder a secret from Lena. Rather, he would report every evening about all the territory’s affairs to Lena, regardless of her interest. Even if Lena fell asleep after he spoke the first syllable, it was a matter of attitude.
Lena may not be well-adjusted, but there would definitely be spies from Duke Lars around her. Even if it was just for show, Lena could not be completely excluded from the management of the territory.
Originally, Lind was prepared for the worst, which was that gunpowder, like steam, would not work in this world, being interfered with by elemental powers. After all, gunpowder is fundamentally different from cement; it can truly produce flames. If it was harmonized by water elements like steam, everything would have to start over. However, the actual process turned out to be unexpectedly smooth.
Moreover, the materials were purchased and refined through alchemy, yielding even higher purity. From the start of the research, Lind produced something akin to firecrackers.
Even though the workers were already used to witnessing their lord’s miraculous alchemical materials, after seeing the thing they rolled out explode a steel basin, they looked at Lind with awe and fear.
Whether magic was added or not is unknown, but the lord had indeed produced effects equivalent to magic using these non-magical materials.
No wonder the regulations for managing this gunpowder factory were stricter than those in any other place in the territory, even stricter than in Lind’s own tent. A small mistake could result in blowing off an arm.
However, watching from the side, Susan seemed to be yawning; at this level, the explosions had a loud sound but low power, enough to scare people but practically less effective than a first-level magic scroll. As a level four professional, Susan could fully withstand bathing in these explosions, fully armed.
And it was quite troublesome to use; Susan truly did not understand what use Lind saw in researching this material.
It was normal for her to have this thought because, until she witnessed the mass production of explosives and their use in industrial mining and quarrying, it was unimaginable to her, even though Susan had seen magic more exaggerated than those scenarios.
How long does it take to train a mage who can use magic for mining? How much does it cost to hire one? Mages need to rest and replenish their magic power, but explosives do not.
Your magic is about to run out, while my explosives are inexhaustible.
Moreover, this was still just traditional gunpowder. As the saying goes: “One nitrate, two sulfur, three charcoal, and a little brown sugar.”
If it can be granularized, Lind could even bring the level of gunpowder technology to the modern age in a short time.
The remaining issue was firearms.
Lind was not a firearm enthusiast in his previous life, and his knowledge of gunpowder was only because its formula was as well-known as a sign at a crossroads, but firearms were different.
To create firearms close to modern standards, the first problem to solve was the smokeless powder issue. Black powder was the extent of Lind’s understanding, and beyond that lay his blind spot of knowledge.
Thinking of this, Lind suddenly looked at Lena, who was dozing off while listening to his report as if it was a lullaby. It was doubtful that, just like creating waterwheels all over the place, the moment he provided her with an idea, she would directly design a finished firearm, right?
Impossible; absolutely impossible. Firearms are not as simple as a hydraulic hammer; even if Lena had some ideas, it would take quite a bit of time for trials.
Forget it. Lind mocked his own unreliable thoughts and decided to start researching firearms down to earth.
There were primarily two directions for the research: flintlock guns and percussion caps.
Apart from the differing ignition methods, the requirements for the powder in percussion cap guns were higher. He could start by researching flintlock guns, laying a foundation and then gradually upgrading the ignition device and powder until arriving at percussion cap guns, as historically, percussion cap guns were improved from flintlocks, beginning research from this direction was undoubtedly correct.
Sure, he could attempt to use customized alchemical materials for a one-step solution, directly creating a powerful weapon, but this method would definitely not allow mass production; he could only make a prototype for Lind to experiment with.
However, all of these were future concerns. The most pressing issue now was to produce the gunpowder that could be put into production.
