Iron production is not a very difficult theory.
　In short, iron ore (iron oxide) reacts with carbon, and iron is extracted through a redox reaction, which can be understood to a certain extent if you have knowledge of chemistry at the level of junior high school science.

　The carbon used in the redox reaction has long been wood, or charcoal.
　The problem is that a large amount of wood is used.

　No matter how much iron ore is collected in Japan, without wood, iron cannot be produced.

　In the past, Britain imported most of its iron from Sweden, even though it had iron ore and iron-making technology at home.
　This was due to a shortage of wood, as too many trees in the forests and mountains were cut down for development and ship building.

　Sweden, on the other hand, had an abundance of timber, so it used it to make iron, which it exported to foreign countries, earning a fortune and becoming so powerful that it was called the Baltic Empire.

　What broke through this situation was coke, which was created by the British Darby father and son.

　Coal contains sulfur and other impurities in addition to carbon.
　When coal is used to make iron, the sulfur reacts with the iron to form iron sulfide, which makes the iron brittle.

　To solve this problem, coal is dry-distilled, or steamed without air, to remove impurities from the coal and extract only high-purity carbon.
　This is coke.

　Fortunately, the mountains of England were bald, but coal was plentiful.
　With the invention of coke, Britain was able to become self-sufficient in iron.

　In other words!
　Baldness is a sin.







　"That's the theory, do you understand?
　"Hmm, I have a feeling about it, Your Majesty.

　Hercule was explaining coke to a man with a beard that was braided and wrapped around his neck in a peculiar fashion. ...... The miner (dwarf).

　It's not an exaggeration to say that the Dwarves are the companions of the Long-Eared Elves, the people who have supported the Lemurian Empire for so long.

　They are dexterous and strong, and like the Elves, they are skilled in the arts of the spirit.
　They are closely related to the Elves and have the second longest lifespan after the Elves, averaging 150 years.

　However, their appearance is very different.

Elves have beautiful skin, thin body hair, long limbs, tall stature, and very well-shaped faces.

　On the other hand, the Dwarves (......)

　On the other hand, the dwarves have dark skin, thick body hair, short and stocky limbs, short stature, and less-than-perfect facial features: ......

　In terms of appearance, they are polar opposites.

　Because of this, there was a lot of conflict when they first met.
　However, this changed when Lemuros conquered the Dwarves, who founded the city-state of Lemuria.

　In fact, the Elves are not so much good at work as they are at industry .......
　They prefer to play rather than work, and ...... war rather than play.

　In fact, the Elves have used much of their magic in warfare.
　They have long arms and legs, arm strength that is several times that of humans, a sense of balance that has been developed through living in the trees, and an innate fighting instinct that comes from being hunters.

　Normally

　"Oh, well, we'll get by. I'll be serious next year.
　"I wonder if there are any cute girls (or cool guys).
　"Farming is a pain in the ass, right?
　"I'd rather get wet in the rain than build a house.
　Do I have to wear clothes?　"I'll just get wet in the rain if I have to build a house.

　But once they go to war, they turn into excellent warriors who defeat the enemy one after another.

　Dwarves, on the other hand, are not very good at fighting.

　Because of their short stature and short limbs, they are not good at handling weapons.
　They are also good at concentration and detailed work, but they are not good at ...... battles that require quick decision making.

　In addition, compared to the Elves, who are good at group activities, the Dwarves prefer to work individually and are not good at group activities and are unable to form ranks.

　The Elves are good at war, but bad at making weapons and houses.
　The Miners (Dwarves) are not good at war, but they are good at making weapons and houses.

　It was a meeting of fate.

　Since then, the Dwarves have supported the industry of the Lemurian Empire.

　Incidentally, this is an aside, but in contrast to the Elves, who are trying hard to keep their blood pure and increase the number of half-breed Elves, the Dwarves are trying hard to keep their blood pure and have few half-breeds.

　This can be found at ......
　You get the idea.

　Guess what, they only have the same dwarves!
　It's no wonder men and women are so hairy.

　And as a side note, there are no bald Dwarves.
　And there are many balding Long Ears (Elves).




　"But where did you learn all this?　Or did you learn it yourself?
　"No, I read it in a book. I don't remember which book.

　Coke was not invented by Hercule.
　It was invented by a great man of the past.
　So, Hercule would not lie and boast that he came up with it himself.

　Well, it is true that I have an advantage in knowing, and I am not going to be sneering about it.

　Between those who know and those who don't know, there is no doubt that those who know are somewhat greater than those who don't know.

　In the first place, the history of the world proves that copying is justice. 　
　The one who is copied is at fault.


　So, the important thing is whether it can be done. ......
　In short, the principle is the same as preventing the wood from being exposed to the air when making charcoal. Then it's quite possible. It's a simple job. If you wait a month, we can theorize how to make it. Give me another six months and I'll build you the best furnace for making coke.
　Dwarves, indeed.
　Of course, Your Majesty.

　The dwarf man laughed in a low, muffled voice.






　"Your Majesty, you are more energetic this time than ever.
　"How rude. I've always been a great politician.



　Hercule replied to Christos.
　Christos smiled bitterly.

　What is your motive, really?
　Karolina asked me if I was going to end the internal administration with financial reforms.　That's what she asked me.

　After all, ulterior motives were the main reason.
　But I can't help it, since I'm Hercule.

　But what's the point in going to that much trouble to protect the forest?
　"Well, ......, that's surprising. I thought you would be the most supportive.

　I thought you would be the most supportive.

　The less wood we use for steel production, the more wood we can put to use elsewhere. Like ...... shipbuilding.

　The Lemurian Empire is currently a shipping nation.
　The current Lemurian Empire is a shipping nation.
　As a maritime nation, Lemuria needs large, strong timber and dragon bones to maintain a strong navy and to build large trading ships.

　The protection of the forests of Hercule is a multifaceted policy that is connected to trade and military affairs in addition to agriculture and forestry.

　That's it, no objections?
　Yes, ....... By the way, how do you plan to protect it?
　"As you can see, a sudden ban would disrupt the economy, so we're going to nationalize all the forests first. Then, the villages that use the forests on a regular basis will be given the exclusive right to use and manage the forests.

　This is a policy based on an economic theory known as the "tragedy of the commons".

　To give a brief overview of the "tragedy of the commons," it is the theory that "common land belongs to no one, so people use it as they please and it falls into ruin, but if it were private land or belonged to a specific group of people, they would use it systematically and it would not fall into ruin. The environmental destruction of the modern earth is a major example.

　Incidentally, the Kyoto Protocol and the greenhouse gas emission quota were created based on this theory of the "tragedy of the commons.

　The forests of the Lemurian Empire were naturally common land that belonged to no one.
　At present, large merchants and others cut down the trees as they please and sell the lumber.

　In order to prevent this from happening, the forest of the Lemurian Empire is to be made 'the property of the villagers around the forest' rather than 'the property of everyone'.
　It is expected that the forest will be maintained to some extent.

　However, Hercule does not believe that this will be enough to protect the forest.
　This is just the first step, a preliminary treatment.

　Since the villagers will benefit from the forest, we will require them to plant trees in return and submit reports periodically. We're going to require them to plant trees in return, and we're going to give them regular reports on how well they're doing. Oh, and an important point: ...... The villagers have the right to use the forest, but the timber guild still has the right to sell the timber. Since all sales go through the guild, the supply and price of wood in the empire can be regulated to a certain extent, and it can also be monitored to see if there is any unprovoked logging going on.

　Monopoly rights are, in essence, for surveillance.
　The monopoly right is, in essence, for monitoring. Currently, there is no way to monitor who is coming and going and who is felling the trees, but if the number of people using the trees is limited, monitoring becomes easier.
　This is the same reason why Hercule allowed guilds.

　In addition, it is cheaper to let people plant trees semi-voluntarily at their own expense than to let the government do so.

　Oh, yeah. ......
　What's wrong?
　We need to make them pay a certain amount of tribute in return for truffles and other mushrooms.

　It's safer, fresher and tastier to buy them directly than from the market.
　It would be safer, fresher, and tastier to buy it directly from them than from the market," Hercule said with anticipation.

　In a world where entertainment is scarce, reading, eating, and carolina are the few things Hercule enjoys.

　Speaking of the benefits of forest protection, I forgot to mention that it has also led to the development of the ...... fishery.
　What do you mean by that?
　It means that the nutrients in the forest flow into the ocean.

　It also helps to prevent tsunamis. ......
　And so on, Hercule counted the benefits.

　The more I think about it, the more benefits come to mind.
　It's a genius policy.

　It's a genius policy," Hercule praised himself.

　Well, at any rate, there will be no logging restrictions at first. We're waiting for the miners' coke, and it's doubtful how much coke we'll be able to spread. Well, for now, we'll just have to prep and invest in ...... coal mining.

　There are a number of coal mines in the Empire.
　There are a number of coal mines in the empire, although production did not expand during the reign of Hadrian III due to the focus on gold and silver. ......

　If the government invested heavily, the amount of coal mined would increase.
　Hercule thought.

　There are no coal guilds. ...... Should we start with a monopoly or outsource to a firewood guild? ......

　Muttering, Hercule began to think about his next policy.