Chapter 34

Looking slightly into the distance, the head of the mine said.

“After the treaty was concluded, there was an offer from them. ‘A stable supply is mutually beneficial,’ they said.”

A brief silence.

“‘Providing technology is a matter of course,’ they said.”

Those were not the words of a country buying iron. They were the words of a country placing trust. He shifted his gaze further down the highway.

“This road is also different from before, isn’t it?”

“The highway maintenance is a joint construction project. We provided materials and personnel from both sides… and now even merchants from the neighboring country use this road.”

I slowly exhaled.

Iron crossed the border. But more than that, the road crossed the border.

I surveyed the mountain slope.

“With a vein of this scale, why was it left untouched until now?”

The head of the mine chose his words slightly before answering.

“…The border was too close. As long as we couldn’t read the movements of the neighboring country, we couldn’t make large-scale capital investments. If it were taken from us, we would lose everything.”

That was the reason for the “resignation” that had existed in this land for many years.

Initially, there were voices refusing to show the blueprints to the neighboring country’s engineers.

“If they know the scale of the vein, they will turn their army on us,” they said.

But based on the treaty, the scope of information sharing was explicitly stated. The blueprints to disclose, the blueprints to conceal—the lines were drawn.

“But it’s different now. The treaty was concluded, and what’s more, engineers came from over there. The highway was also jointly maintained. There is no one left who looks at this mountain with fear.”

I slowly exhaled.

It wasn’t iron that changed this land. It was the disappearance of fear that changed this land.

After walking for a while, I suddenly stopped.

Wagons loaded with cargo were coming and going without interruption. The creaking of wheels echoed constantly, and the convoy continued without rest.

“The intervals between shipments are quite short.”

I had heard that the mining volume increased. But would they be transporting it out with such density?

It’s joyful that it’s lively. But it somehow looks… as if they are being rushed.

It wasn’t a question for the sake of inspection, but a genuine doubt from the bottom of my heart.

Then the guide answered calmly.

“Please rest assured. The shipment dates are decided in advance.”

“Shipment dates?”

“Yes. There is a minimum supply volume stipulated by the treaty. We calculate the monthly export volume and organize our mining plan so that we absolutely reach it.”

There, I understood.

The thirty percent guarantee was not an article just to reassure the neighboring country. For the mine as well, it was the first indicator that clearly showed “how much to dig.”

At the negotiation table, I had racked my brains over tactics with the neighboring country. How to pull articles that could easily become unequal toward our own benefit.

I had only thought about protecting national interests.

Making the traffic of merchants lively and keeping conflict at bay—that, too, was nothing more than a scheme to avoid war.

However, I didn’t think the aftermath of that scheme would reach the lives of people to this extent.

“There is no longer a need to force ourselves to dig too much, nor to stop too much. Wages are also stable every month. Everyone is now able to have prospects for their livelihood.”

The penalty clause for breach of contract. Because of that single sentence, supply became a “duty that must be achieved” rather than an “effort target.” That is exactly why both the country and the mine made serious capital investments.

Because there was an article that had to be kept, a system to keep it was prepared.

“Previously, we changed the mining volume depending on the rise and fall of prices. We dug only in profitable years and stopped in tough years. That’s why people didn’t settle.”

The guide continued matter-of-factly.

“But it’s different now. No matter what year it is, we absolutely output a certain volume. For that purpose, we must always have both people and equipment ready.”

I let out a small breath.

The article changed the mine’s “resolve.”

“Thanks to the penalty clause, it has become easier to get budgets passed from the Royal Capital. Because we can explain that there is an agreement we must keep.”

I stopped walking for real this time. My earlier stop was out of doubt. My stop now—was to process what had spread within my chest.

That article was not for binding the neighboring country. It was for binding our own country’s decision-making in the future.

That is exactly why no one can be ambiguous.

That is exactly why everyone became serious.

The maintained highway. The expanded warehouses.

The returning people. The figures of the neighboring country’s engineers.

Everything started from that single sentence. I unintentionally muttered to no one in particular.

“Articles are mysterious things. A promise written on paper is changing people’s lives.”

The wind carries the smell of iron.

But mixed faintly within it was another scent.

The smell of baking wheat. The smell of smoke from crackling firewood.

The smell of life is returning to the mining town.

I shifted my gaze to the waterway extending along the highway.

The water drawn from the mountain passes through the ore sorting plant and flows quietly through the prepared stone-lined ditch.

Further beyond that. The waterway gently descends and eventually leads to farmland.

Young wheat is swaying in the wind.

From the mine to the highway. From the highway to the waterway.

From the waterway to the fields. What is flowing is not just water. Promises, too, are circulating through this land while changing form.

Amidst that scent, I narrowed my eyes without saying anything.

Truth be told, this half-year was not smooth sailing. As mining progressed, wastewater overflowing from the tunnels muddied the farmland downstream. The muddy water flowed into the fields, discoloring the leaves of the crops.

Eventually, voices of protest rose from the village.

“What are you going to do about this!”

“Water is life, you know!”

“So the mountain thrives while the village withers?!”

The angry roars increased day by day, and eventually turned into voices demanding the stoppage of the mine.

In the past, it would have turned into a conflict. Mountain and village. Without yielding to each other, only hatred would have remained.

However, there was a stable income due to the treaty. There was also the framework of joint construction.

I immediately had the tunnel blueprints brought to me on the spot. I had the drainage volume calculated, the soil quality investigated, and the scale of the settling pond determined. I summoned the neighboring country’s engineers and had them submit three revision plans.

But a clash occurred there.

“Stacking stones isn’t enough.”

A man on-site raised his voice.

“The water of this mountain bares its fangs during the snowmelt season. It won’t flow according to logic.”

The engineer quietly tapped the blueprint with his finger.

“The flow rate calculation is complete. Over-designing is a waste of costs.”

The air froze. The village people feared the water, and the mountain people feared collapse. The neighboring country’s engineer did not fear the correctness of his numbers.

I said:

“Build a test pond.”

Everyone looked at me.

“First, let it flow on a small scale. If it collapses, let it collapse. Based on that, we will redesign.”

A few days later, a part of the test pond’s stonework collapsed.

The flow rate was greater than calculated.

The engineer fell silent, and the man on-site also fell silent.

I had the blueprints redrawn.

“Adopt the plan that functions in the shortest time. We will adjust the costs later.”

Do not suppress with emotion; resolve it with a system.

We renovated the exit of the tunnel and newly constructed a drainage channel. Furthermore, we built a settling pond to let the soil, sand, and iron content settle, establishing a system to purify the water.

It took time, but the water began to clear.

Now, that waterway flows quietly alongside the highway. The fields downstream have also breathed new life.

The neighboring country gaining iron.

Our country gaining stability.

The farmer protecting the water.

The miner living with his family.

It is not the victory of any single person.

A form where we mutually share profits is exactly the strongest.

—That is the best path.

I smiled slightly.