The Unknown
The Unknown
He used to draft mechanical drawings with his computer all the time before coming to this world. Since he had rarely used pen, he had not anticipated that he would employ this ancient recording method again.
Beside him lay two documents, both of which were the plans he was going to implement.
One was about the massive production of sulfuric acid. Anna and Soraya had already produced the equipment required. The previous lead reaction vessel had been replaced by a more sturdy iron one, with an anti-corrosion coating on the inner side. The new vessel was three times larger than the trial version.
Since he had yet to find a feasible way to collect and purify exhaust gases (mostly resulting from the combustion of sulfur and escaped nitrogen oxide) emitted during the manufacturing process, Roland decided to place the facilities on the south of the industrial zone, far away from Redwater River and the residential area. He also planned to build an enclosure outside the plant as well as a chimney to further increase the effective emission height.
As the increase in the production of sulfuric acid would greatly enhance the production of nitric acid of a high concentration, the current top priority was to put the facilities to use. In the document, Roland instructed Kyle Sichi to pick some of his students to exclusively help with the mass production of sulfuric acid. At the same time, he also asked Barov to recruit some handymen from local residents for further assistance, so there would be around 100 labors working in the first chemical plant.
The second document was about establishing a public health care system.
To be honest, Roland was not familiar with this area and naturally had no knowledge of modern medical science. Despite that, he still drafted a preliminary proposal that met the current requirements based on common sense.
The first task for this department was to promote and advocate for a healthy lifestyle. For instance, water should be boiled before drinking; meat should be cooked before serving. The public should receive basic education related to health care such as the cause of illnesses and their corresponding treatment, the differences between parasites and microorganism, etc. With the improvement of his reputation, Roland believed that it was not hard to induce his subjects into doing what they were told. The hard part was actually to let them know the reason behind it. To tackle this problem, there should be experts responsible for public education. Subjects should be educated repeatedly before fully accepting the concept. It worked just like the slogans hung over the farmland. A one-time campaign was definitely not enough.
The second task was to encourage birth rates. Since City Hall was short of staff, Roland did not want to specifically found a birth control department. He thus put this part under the healthcare sector. In this era, labor was always in deficiency. So, the more children subjects gave birth to, the better. With the help of Nana, complications that arose during the labor and delivery process would be largely reduced, and almost every woman could survive childbirth. Furthermore, to prevent child abandonment, especially of female babies, Roland made detailed policies regarding subsidies and punishment. For example, the subsidy for a female baby would be slightly higher than that for a male one; subsidies would be distributed regularly; there would be a fine or a sentence of imprisonment for child abandonment, etc.
The last part was about fees. Apart from helping child deliveries, the hospital would charge a certain amount of fees according to how much magic power Nana consumed. This would not only reduce the burden placed on the little girl but would also lay a solid foundation for the establishment of future medical institutions. Roland had already known who the first superintendent of this department should be. It was Nana's father, Viscount Tigui Pine.
The third document, which he was currently working on, was the most complicated and lengthiest of all three—the city construction plan for Border Town.
The proposal talked about the expansion of the town itself, as well as the merging with Longsong Stronghold. Roland would have to enact a series of laws to govern people in two locations and also create a judicial and policing system. He knew it was impossible to write a comprehensive, perfect plan just with the poor knowledge he had now. Therefore, he decided to first make a draft and further enhance the plan after discussing the details with Barov, the director of City Hall.
Roland stretched himself after finishing the opening section. He then walked to the French window.
It was a somber day. There was no sunshine in the morning. By the afternoon, the sky had been overspread by thick, sullen clouds. It appeared there was going to be a heavy rain soon. Chilly winds swept over the castle backyard while rustling the olive trees.
Just then, Roland saw a dot darting in the castle's direction.
"It's Lightning." Nightingale's voice popped up behind him.
"She probably went to Misty Forest to pick mushrooms again." Roland smiled. Normally when Lightning and Maggie did not need to scout around, they would just practice flying freely around the forest and have lunch outside. According to them, they would often come across some bird eggs and beehives. Sometimes, they would barbeque some little animals. Perhaps every explorer would eventually become a Bear Grylls.
Although bird beak mushrooms usually grew on trees, they always remind Roland of the story of "A Little Girl Who Picked Mushrooms".
"Your Highness, you have a... weird smile on your face."
"Ahem, I just thought of an interesting story. Do you want to hear it?"
"Huh?"
Roland cleared his throat and began. "Once upon a time, there was a little girl who liked to pick mushrooms while counting... Hang on." The dark shadow gradually drew closer. To Roland's surprise, it lowered and dashed straight to the French window instead of passing the castle. Roland hesitated for a moment before opening the window panes. Lightning darted into the room swiftly.
"Your, Your Highness! I found a witch!" No sooner had she landed than she exclaimed in excitement.
"A witch?" Roland asked curiously, "Where?"
"In the stone tower in Misty Forest." Lightning pointed to Maggie who entered the office later. "She can be my witness!"
"Coo, coo!" Maggie raised her head.
"Stone tower?" Roland's brows knitted. "What happened exactly. Fill me in."
Roland gasped after hearing Lightning's account. He could not believe the little girl would be so audacious as to again investigate the ancient relic where demons had once appeared accompanied by no one but a pigeon. What was more astonishing was that there was a witch down the relic. Of course, the witch could not be an ordinary one... At any rate, it was just incredible.
"What of the voice calling for help?"
"It's this. I found it on the table behind her." Lightning took out a palm-sized square iron box from her pocket. The box looked like a small vanity mirror at the first glance. When Roland opened its lid, however, he saw a red gemstone embedded in it. After turning on the switch beside the gemstone, an anxious lady's voice rang in his ear.
"Help me..."
Roland shuddered. It was such a horrid voice that it appeared to be very close one moment and suddenly drifted far away the next. If he heard the same voice in a dim dungeon, he would not feel like staying there for even a single minute.
"The gemstone has magic power." Nightingale revealed herself and commented with amazement. "I can see the swirl of magic power, although it was almost invisible. It looks just like the magic power of a witch."
It seemed that the gemstone worked as a recorder running by magic power. Now the probability that the woman was a witch appeared to be even higher. "Are there any other stones like this in the basement of the stone tower?"
Lightning shook her head. "I didn't look. Many rooms have been flooded. At that time, I just wanted to fly back and tell you the news as soon as possible."
"Don't do that again in the future, and particularly, don't go to dangerous places on your own." Roland patted Lightning on her head and then looked to Nightingale. "Summon all the members of the Witch Union and Iron Axe to my office. We probably have to carry out the relic-searching plan earlier than we've planned to."