Chapter 458: Mortal Magic
"Why, why?" Looking at the iron mountain in front of him, Tryndamere was stunned.
He asked the camp cadre, "Why is iron so cheap?"
"Because we have alchemical technology." The cadre had other things to do, so he left in a hurry after saying this.
"This..." Tryndamere fell into complete panic.
Alchemical technology! It's this magic called "technology" again!
Can the magic of these Demacians really make iron so cheap and inexhaustible?
Tryndamere doesn't understand the Industrial Revolution, but he understands simple logical reasoning:
As "magic" improves, iron becomes cheaper, more people can afford iron tools, the demand for iron tools increases, and more blacksmiths are needed. The employment problem of Freljord immigrants is solved, and these Freljord people can be self-reliant and create wealth for Demacia...
Can they still defeat the Demacians with more than 10,000 mouths?
No, it's impossible.
"Oh no!" Tryndamere suddenly realized why these Demacians welcomed the Freljordians so much.
It turns out that those mortal furnace owners who are only a burden on the ice field are all high-level talents worth introducing here!
If this continues, won’t all the ice tribes that Ashe has worked so hard to unite be drained away by Demacia?
"Ashe's blood alliance." The Iceborn warriors looked at him nervously: "Then what should we do?"
"This..." Tryndamere was also at a loss.
There is simply no answer to this question.
The first creed of the Iceman is survival, better survival.
Therefore, except for the tribes that are integrated by blood ties, the Ice People have no concept of so-called "loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness" towards anyone outside their own tribe.
Whoever can lead everyone to survive on the ice field and provide everyone with a better life is the one worth following.
In the past, that person was Ashe.
And now...
Tryndamere looked up at the blonde girl flying in the air, Laxana Crownguard.
Of course, Ashe is the greatest and most charming leader in his mind. But here at Lux... there is endless bread!
To be honest, if he wasn't Ashe's blood ally, but just an ordinary ice warrior attached to the Avarosa Alliance...
Then he would definitely choose to betray Ashe and go south to join this Demacia girl.
"What should we do?" After a little thought from Tryndamere's perspective, he realized how irresistibly attractive the conditions here were to the people of the Icefield.
"What should we do?" The Iceborn warriors also looked at him blankly, seeking advice from the only intelligent hero in the team.
"Perhaps..." Suddenly, Tryndamere looked up with a bright look in his eyes. "Perhaps, iron has become cheaper, but not as cheap as we worry."
"After all, magic is always an expensive thing, isn't it?"
"This..." The Iceborn warriors were slightly stunned.
yes!
They simply understand "technology" as a kind of magic, and quickly associate it with the scarcity of magic itself.
Magic needs to be performed manually by mages, and mages are rare talents no matter where they are.
If they hire noble spellcasters to "promote the production" of steel, can the production cost of this steel really be reduced to the bargain price they are worried about?
"I understand..." Tryndamere recalled the information he had learned about Demacia's recent situation in the past few days.
He knew that Demacia had officially abolished the ban on magic and disbanded the Demon Hunter Corps.
He also knew that the Crown Guard family had a special force composed entirely of mages. They were once the devil-tainted criminals imprisoned in the Forbidden Magic Tower, and later became private soldiers loyal to the Crown Guard family under the name of "Mage Prisoners".
And Miyin City happens to be the territory of the Mianwei family.
"The Crown Guard family must have enslaved those mages and forced them to work! Otherwise, these magical creations wouldn't be so cheap!"
Tryndamere felt he had found the answer.
No wonder the iron in Miyin City is worthless. It turns out that the Mianwei family just happened to have a group of cheap mages who could cast the production-increasing magic called "Alchemy Technology" at a low cost.
And since all of this originated from magic, from a group of suspected enslaved wizards, it is a special case that cannot be replicated.
"The production of this low-cost steel must have a limit." A wise light flashed in Tryndamere's eyes. "Even if it is the Crownguard family, it is impossible to conjure so many obedient wizards out of thin air to cast the magic that increases steel production!"
Since this production model cannot be replicated or expanded for reproduction, the problem is easy to solve.
It’s just a matter of continuing to waste time!
"The cheap steel produced by the mages may provide jobs for more than 10,000 ice field furnace households."
"But there are still tens of thousands of furnace owners on the ice field. Our Avarosa Alliance still has the capacity to send more people. And what about the Crown Guard Family? How many mages can they provide, and how much cheap iron can they provide?"
"not to mention……"
"These mages are not ordinary people. They are as special as the Iceborn on the glaciers. Are these naturally noble spellcasters really willing to be enslaved by the Crown Guard family and serve these nobles as unpaid laborers?"
Tryndamere has found a new breakthrough to deal with Demacia, which is the manpower problem of the mages of Silver City.
The scarcity of mages means that the cost of magical creations cannot be low.
But the Mianwei family can afford such cheap "magic iron".
What does this mean?
This shows that the surplus value of the mage must have been squeezed completely out by the Mianwei family!
They are definitely enslaved by the Mianwei family and cast spells for the family for free every day .
"Perhaps, we can find those mages and persuade them to join our team." The more Tryndamere thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
Joining forces with those mages to fight against the Crownguard Family would not only destroy the cheap steel industry in Mithril City at its source, but would also provide additional support to the Avarosa Alliance on the battlefield.
This is simply killing two birds with one stone.
"Great! Tryndamere!" The Iceborn warriors all looked at the wise man in admiration.
Their way of addressing him also unconsciously changed from Chief Ashe's bed-warmer to his own name.
Tryndamere has used his extraordinary wisdom and outstanding intelligence to break free from the shackles of his identity as a vassal of a female family and win the respect of everyone.
And just at this moment...
"Tryndamere!" The Wind Leaders had finished unloading the cargo, and the cargo beds of the alchemist trucks were empty.
Then, unexpectedly, the noble lady Laxana flew down from the sky and came before Tryndamere, the inconspicuous leader of the small tribe.
"Lady Laxana!" Tryndamere pretended to be respectful.
"You don't have to call me sir, just call me by my name." Lux spoke in a very approachable manner, not like a noble lord at all.
But Tryndamere always felt that, somehow, the way she looked at him was a little unhappy.
"Tryndamere, you are the first group of employees selected to join the Blacksmith Cooperative."
"Now the site and equipment of the handmade farm tool factory are ready. After dinner, come with me back to the Miyin City Industrial Zone and try to start work."
Lux added, "Food that you earn yourself tastes better. You must work hard when you get there!"
"Yes!" Tryndamere nodded naively.
It just so happened that he was planning to find an opportunity to leave the immigrant camp and go to Miyin City to find out the situation.
Now Lux is going to send them to work in the Industrial Zone of Secret Silver City... Industrial Zone, could this be the place where the Crown Guard family forces those mages to work?
If they go there, will they be able to find those mages who know how to cast "technological" magic and invite them to launch a counterattack against Demacia?
Thinking of this, Tryndamere's work attitude became more positive.
He wiped his mouth, put down his bowl, and took the initiative to say, "Ms. Laxana, we can go over to work now! We will definitely work hard to repay your kindness!"
"Oh?" Lux's expression suddenly softened a lot.
She no longer looked at people with that idiotic look, but said with relief, "Okay, pack up and come with me to the car."
"Yes!" Tryndamere nodded, turned around and called together the Iceborn warriors who were accompanying him.
Soon, these nearly one hundred people gathered.
Under Lux's guidance, they all boarded the cargo bed of the alchemy truck.
After Lux explained a series of tasks to the camp cadres, she flew over the truck convoy:
"Let's go! Let's go back to Secret Silver City!"
…
After a long time, outside Miyin City.
The truck carrying Tryndamere and others was slowly driving on the muddy dirt road in the mountains.
"Cough cough!" The Iceborn warriors pinched their noses and endured the alchemical smoke constantly spewing out of the truck.
Because Zaun has never had an environmental protection technology tree in the past, this alchemical truck is like a car-shaped Singed, releasing "poison" as it runs.
"This car has a terrible smell." The Iceborn warriors complained in a low voice: "But..."
They were like little babies who had just entered the world, curiously stroking the giant steel beast beneath them.
"Is it made of iron?" Obviously it is.
A chariot made of steel, which is understandable.
But……
"It's not powered by magic?" The Iceborn warriors were surprised.
After careful observation and perception, they were unable to sense any fluctuations of magical power from this steel behemoth that could move on its own.
"Yeah..." Tryndamere also murmured, "This is not magic."
The truck was as big as a mammoth on the ice field, but its carrying capacity far exceeded that of the Enuk bull in their tribe.
Apart from being extremely slow and suspected to have no combat capability, it is almost equivalent to a household version of the Juvask giant boar!
But this thing doesn't eat grass or drink water, and it's not powered by magic...
So how did the Demacians make it move?
Tryndamere was simply confused at first, but then he gradually felt nervous: "Obviously no magic was used, but it achieved a magic-like effect."
What on earth is this?
What kind of magical power do the Demacians possess?
The more Tryndamere thought about it, the more panic he felt. And then...
"The Secret Silver City is almost here!" Lux, who was flying in the sky, shouted softly, bringing his thoughts back to reality.
At this time, the truck convoy just drove out of the last mountain pass and slowly drove towards the highland plain where the Miyin City was located.
Then, Tryndamere immediately noticed the difference.
Because the road has changed.
The road was no longer a dirt road in the countryside, but a very flat and smooth road hardened with some special materials.
When a truck drives onto such a road, its speed suddenly increases.
The scenery on both sides began to flicker like a kaleidoscope, and the breeze blowing towards me gradually became stronger.
"This..." This is simply magic! If it weren't magic, who could make such a long muddy road so hard and smooth?
But this is not magic.
Because Tryndamere saw the red flag waving in the distance.
He saw many ordinary mortals, who were working hard to level the land and build roads with the help of steel behemoths of various shapes.
"All this was created by mortals?" Tryndamere became more and more shocked and confused.
He looked at the truck under his feet, and a bold and absurd idea came to his mind...
Could this magical monster that doesn't require any magic power also have been created by a mortal?
"No, no..." Tryndamere didn't want to believe it.
If the Demacians can create magical objects with their mortal bodies, then that means that the cheap "magic steel" may also be...
Tryndamere was in a panic.
At this time, as the truck accelerated forward, the outline of Miyin City gradually appeared in front of their sight.
The appearance of this city at this moment can be said to be a very strange combination.
In the distance are tall and holy white city walls and the solid and elegant Crownguard Castle. At first glance, it is a very standard Demacia city, and the classical aesthetics of the Kingdom of Knights are revealed everywhere.
However, rising from the ground outside this old city is a new city built of steel.
Towering chimneys, neat factory buildings, flat roads, steel behemoths running on the roads...it feels like the style of painting is completely different.
"Ahead is the industrial area of Mishisilver City, which is also where you will work in the future." Lux's voice sounded from the air at the right time.
"Tryndamere, look!" The Iceborn warriors pulled Tryndamere in shock and asked him to look around.
Just next to their truck, there was another convoy of trucks passing by.
And what are loaded on these trucks are... gray-black balls.
"What is this?" Tryndamere and others were a little confused.
"This is iron ore." Lux noticed their curiosity and slowly flew down from the sky to answer.
"Iron ore? Why does iron ore look like this?"
These ice people are proficient in metallurgy and forging, but they have only seen natural iron ore, and have never seen this kind of "iron ball" with a regular shape.
This is clearly a man-made product.
"This is pelletized ore." Lux explained simply: "The ore dressing plant extracts iron ore with an iron content of more than 64% from the ore, and then passes the iron ore through the pelletizer to burn it into blocks again. This is what it looks like."
"Iron concentrate is in powder form. If it is added directly to the blast furnace, it will burn unevenly and there is a risk of explosion. Therefore, it needs to be made into pellets... well, these are the 'iron balls' you see."
“They are actually the raw materials for making iron in blast furnaces.”
"Huh?" Tryndamere and the others looked confused.
They were all part-time blacksmiths, but they couldn't quite understand...
Ore dressing plant? Iron ore concentrate? Pellets? Blast furnace ironmaking? What are these?
According to the traditional craftsmanship of the Freljord people, they grind the natural iron ore into small particles manually, and then screen them manually many times, using this primitive method to reduce the impurities in the iron-making raw materials as much as possible.
If you want to go further, you can only ask those noble forging wizards to use special magical methods.
So they couldn't understand how the ore dressing plant worked and how it extracted large quantities of iron ore from natural iron ore with a lot of impurities.
Yes, the emphasis is on large quantities.
"So many vehicles..." Tryndamere and others looked at the convoy transporting iron ore.
The trucks were connected end to end, stretching so long that there was almost no end in sight.
With so many trucks, how much iron-making raw materials can they load at once?
"How long will it take you to use so much iron ore ?" asked Tryndamere in confusion.
"Haha, that's not a lot." Lux laughed, "What you see now is just the daily usage of our Miyin City Steel Plant."
"One day?" Tryndamere couldn't believe it. "You can smelt so much iron ore in one day?"
"Yeah." Lux smiled but said nothing.
Because as the truck drove into the industrial park, the answer was already in front of everyone.
Tryndamere only felt a gust of hot wind coming from the front. He looked up and saw a...
A furnace several stories high.
Yes, this is an iron smelting furnace.
It took Tryndamere a long time to confirm that this huge object was an iron smelting furnace.
Unlike the small furnaces of the furnace owners, it is a huge monster made of steel.
There is a special conveyor channel that is responsible for transporting ore and coke from the blast furnace silo at the bottom to the top of this huge furnace, providing a steady supply of raw materials to this greedy behemoth.
Tons of ore were submerged in the blazing fire of this huge furnace, and along with the abundant oxygen blown in by the hot blast furnace next to it that was also several stories high, they quickly melted into molten pig iron like magma.
Unimaginable amounts of molten iron gushed out from the bottom of this huge furnace.
They flowed like streams into a large torpedo-shaped molten iron tank as big as a car, and were quickly carried to the steel plant by the molten iron truck.
"This is... a blast furnace?" Tryndamere muttered.
He was already stunned.
The huge furnace in front of him and the sky completely occupied by steel and molten fire were just like the hearth of the demigod Ornn in the ancient legend of Freljord.
This should clearly be a miracle that could only be created by gods or extraordinary powerful beings.
Only a powerful transcendent could build such a large furnace and control this river of flames and molten iron.
However, the blast furnace that appeared before him...
"Is it a work of magic?" asked Tryndamere in panic.
He didn't sense any magical fluctuations coming from the stove. This wasn't magic.
"No." Lux also gave the same answer: "This is a creation of mortals."
“It was those ordinary scholars and craftsmen who created it with their wisdom and labor.”
"How can a mortal create such a monster?!" Tryndamere couldn't believe it.
"Why not?" Lux smiled and looked at the Crownguard family castle in the distance.
That majestic castle was also built by mortals.
The creativity of mortals has always been great.
“Now, we’ve just built something more complicated.”
"..."Tryndamere was silent for a while.
It's over. It's all over now. This isn't magic! This is human power!
"Ashe..." He clenched his fists in despair: "The enemy this time is too powerful."
