NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 33: Two Unexpected Pieces of Information
Chapter 33: Two Unexpected Pieces of Information
The value of iron ore is significant in any world, even more so in this extraordinary world. Particularly, a large iron mine holds immense value, not only because iron itself is a form of currency but also because a large iron mine can yield mithril, a primary material for crafting silver armor.
Having control over a large iron mine means the territory can continuously produce silver armor. Compared to black iron and bronze armor, silver armor is a truly extraordinary type, a highly sought-after commodity in the market.
The value of black iron armor is relatively low, typically around ten silver coins per set. Even in the Northern Province, the price of black iron armor does not exceed thirty silver coins. Bronze armor is slightly more expensive, priced at two to three gold coins per set.
However, silver armor is entirely different. In the Frostmoon Province, a set of silver armor can fetch over a hundred gold coins, and even more in the Northern Province. The mithril required for a set of silver armor, even when sold as raw material, can be purchased by the Habsburg Chamber of Commerce for over eighty gold coins. Selling it to other nobles could fetch a price of a hundred gold coins or more. If crafted into silver armor, it could sell for over three hundred gold coins. With three hundred gold coins, one could buy fifteen hundred of the strongest slaves from the Northern Province, where a strong slave costs around twenty silver coins.
For a large iron mine, even in the worst-case scenario known to Thor, it could produce at least twenty sets of silver armor. With the current mine’s capacity, Thor believes it could yield at least fifty sets, perhaps more.
Such wealth would be tempting to anyone in the Northern Province, save perhaps for Marquis Raymond. Thor is no exception. Though his father, Count Engel Dresrosa, provided him with considerable start-up funds, no one ever dislikes having more wealth. Especially when it's a fortune worth tens of thousands of gold coins.
If word got out, Thor has no doubt that the surrounding nobles and pioneer knights would wage war against him. The Northern Province is synonymous with chaos, except for Loren City. Of the more than fifty titled nobles, only about thirty remain. The rest either perished in pioneer wars or were swallowed up by each other in wars of annexation.
The slaves in Loren City are not only imported from other provinces but also include many from the Northern Province itself. These matters are rarely discussed, and those who have failed are left to be forgotten, their traces erased over time.
Thor does not wish to become one of these forgotten souls. After further confirming the mine's capacity, he began issuing new orders: first, to fence off the entire mine area as part of his domain; then, to send knights and trainee knights to explore the surroundings, ensuring no information leaks out.
By the time these tasks were completed, night had fallen, and stars adorned the sky. As the night deepened, the familiar system prompt sounded again:
"Buzz!"
[Daily Information Update]
1. Tomorrow at dusk, a herd of unicorns will pass through the upper reaches of the Maine Valley, led by a second-order peak unicorn.
2. Three miles to the left of Eagle Ridge, there is a gathering place for groundhogs.
3. Two hundred miles to the right, an spectral dragon has left its nest, which is now occupied by a group of earth dragons, along with the treasure it collected.
4. A thousand miles from Loren City, in Leaf Valley, there is a small iron mine guarded by goblins.
5. There seems to be a surprise in the depths of the timid goblins' lair.
6. Magic elements are gathering in the large iron mine. In three months, a piece of adamantine will be born.
7. Thirty miles to the right of the large iron mine, there is a small green goblin settlement in the forest.
The familiar daily information system updated as scheduled, drawing Thor's gaze. His eyes scanned the daily information, lingering a little longer on the spectral dragon entry. He had been interested in this spectral dragon's nest since the dragon left, but it was too far—over a thousand miles deep into the Northern Province. Given his current strength, it was too dangerous to venture there.
Upon arriving at the Maine Valley, the distance shortened to a hundred miles, making it reachable within a day or two. However, it was soon occupied by a group of earth dragons, and even the spectral dragon's egg disappeared. Thor had to abandon the idea.
Yet, the daily information updates kept his interest alive, even if only as a possibility. After a brief pause, Thor shifted his attention to the rest of the information. When he reached the fifth and sixth entries, he couldn't help but breathe heavily.
Adamantine—a higher-level magical material, different from mithril, is primarily used to craft golden armor. While mithril's price is already exorbitant, adamantine's price is astronomical. One piece of adamantine, sufficient for crafting a golden armor, is as valuable as a bottle of intermediate life potion, valued at over a thousand gold coins.
This price is for raw adamantine; once crafted into armor, its value skyrockets. In the Frostmoon Province auction houses, golden armor can fetch over five thousand gold coins, a sum that could buy nearly two bottles of intermediate life potion, each priced at around three thousand gold coins at most.
This high price is justified, given that an intermediate life potion only offers a small chance—around ten percent—for a peak grand knight to break through to an earth knight. Golden armor, on the other hand, can truly withstand an attack from an earth knight, making it incomparable in value. Only advanced life potions, which offer over fifty percent chance for a peak earth knight to break through to a sky knight, can surpass golden armor in price.