Chapter 145: Pyrite

Fifteen baskets filled with colorful ores were dumped by the golden-furred trackers in front of the Solovy Knight’s manor.

They had no idea what these ores were called; as long as they looked appealing, they collected them all.

Of course, under Fyssa’s targeted training, they had some understanding of a few important minerals like gold, silver, copper, and iron, and regardless of quality, they brought everything back.

Fortunately, the Petukhov family had their own craftsmen, whom the Solovy Knight had invited over. They could barely identify most of the minerals.

By the time Leo hurried to the Solovy Knight’s manor, the mineral vein had already been discovered.

In a small mountain hollow more than ten miles southwest of the Solovy Knight’s domain, steam constantly seeped from cracks in the rock walls, and the stream running through the hollow carried a warm current.

Deep within the hollow were pools of yellow-green water—hot springs of varying temperatures, some even boiling.

Beyond the hot springs lay a small dissolved cave, less than a meter tall, accessible only to the diminutive goblins.

One of the useful ore samples found by the golden-furred trackers was discovered inside this cave.

Out of the fifteen large baskets of ore, only one valuable mineral vein was found.

The rest were either scattered surface deposits of insufficient grade or utterly worthless.

But this was already impressive; it had only taken three days—far quicker and more professional than experts equipped with modern exploration gear!

The craftsmen, along with a group of able-bodied villagers, were busy excavating the dissolved cave.

After digging five or six meters deep and breaking through the soil and rock layers, golden veins of ore were revealed.

The ores already extracted gleamed with a golden hue, dazzling under the sunlight.

Leo picked up one piece of the golden stone and, staring at the tiny square metallic blocks on its surface, was greatly shocked. “Is this gold ore?”

“No,” the Solovy Knight sighed. “It’s pyrite.”

“Pyrite is also called fool’s gold. It looks like gold but is useless, almost impossible to smelt into iron, so no one buys it in large quantities. Only a few civilian jewelers use it to craft cheap trinkets.”

“However, this vein is accompanied by some yellow tin ore and chalcopyrite, and there might even be some gold, though the quality is low. Still, mining it can yield a decent profit.”

Leo toyed with the pyrite in his hand, puzzled. “Isn’t pyrite used to make sulfur?”

The Solovy Knight said, “Sulfur? Never heard of it.”

The empire had already developed gunpowder technology, but it had been a fleeting phenomenon in the south. The northern territories knew nothing of it.

Currently, the empire’s alchemical firearms were still in the realm of “arcane curiosities.” Apart from magical alchemical products like “Denis’s Fireball,” ordinary firearms were modeled after dwarven guns from decades ago.

Neither guns nor cannons were powerful enough, while the knightly plate armor in the supernatural world was twice as thick and durable as medieval armor.

Some alchemically enhanced and enchanted armors could even stop crossbows.

The power of ordinary firearms was inferior even to the wild folk’s yew longbows, let alone military enchanted crossbows or imperial steel longbows.

Hence, gunpowder was not yet taken seriously and had not spread to the northern territories.

In the north, sulfur was still a material used only by alchemists or shamans.

What the Solovy Knight just said was merely a verbatim relay of his craftsmen’s words to Leo.

In truth, he had no understanding of pyrite, yellow tin ore, or chalcopyrite, let alone their uses.

Even nobles born as knights had not undergone nine years of compulsory education or accessed abundant internet information. Knowledge of these minerals was passed down only among a few specialized craftsmen.

Leo chuckled. “If you think pyrite is useless, I’m willing to buy it, though the demand isn’t large.”

The Solovy Knight replied, “I only want the accompanying tin and copper ores. You can have all this useless stuff… a whole batch if you want. You can send someone to haul it away.”

He had wanted to say he would give it all to Leo, but he was no fool. If Leo needed it, it meant it held some value unknown to him.

Sending a batch over now would allow Leo to understand pyrite’s worth, and then they could negotiate later.

Leo nodded happily, promising to help the Solovy Knight’s uncle haul away the worthless ore for free.

What the other side considered worthless ore was, to Leo, comparable to the high-quality hematite of Goblin Valley.

Pyrite was a primary source for producing sulfur.

No natural sulfur deposits had been found near Icenborough yet, but pyrite ore was almost everywhere.

However, surface-scattered pyrite varied in grade, and most did not meet industrial ore standards.

Previously, Leo had to purchase sulfur from Icenborough, making mass production impossible.

Thus, gunpowder had remained at the level of fireworks, only occasionally used to set off firecrackers for the little mice and Freya.

Only Fyssa’s goblins, relying on their innate mineral-tracking talents, could gather scattered pyrite and sulfur stones to refine higher-quality sulfur.

Hence, Fyssa’s gunpowder barrels were numerous enough that explosions occurred weekly in Goblin Valley, startling the villagers newly arrived at the riverbend.

But gathering these minerals one by one by goblins was far from mass production.

The sulfur output barely supported mining operations in Goblin Valley.

Moreover, supply was highly unstable, dependent mostly on luck.

For goblins, collecting ores was as simple as humans foraging wild fruits.

Even easier, in fact—just a sniff and a glance would suffice to locate ores, even if buried underground.

Minerals with pungent scents—especially their favored sulfides—could be detected by their noses even when buried over ten meters deep.

So they rarely missed deposits, but the problem was they had to encounter them first.

Having harvested a batch of pyrite, Leo was quite pleased. Standing before the mine entrance, his gaze drifted toward the hot springs in the hollow.

The entire southern part of Icenborough was blocked by the Borokbak mountain range’s tributary. Though not very high, this range was rugged.

From its ridges extended small mountain spines, creating numerous small valleys behind the Solovy Knight’s domain.

Compared to the plains below, such valleys were difficult for humans to develop. Apart from mining, they had little use.

And because of the frequent sulfurous odors and the presence of large cold-adapted beasts that nested there, villagers called them Demon Valleys.

They said demons dwelled within, and even the boldest hunters dared not approach.

According to the Solovy Knight, most streams flowing through these valleys were warm; some that entered the manor’s irrigation channels hadn’t cooled completely.

Thinking of this, Leo asked, “Uncle Solovy, have you heard of the Hot Spring Manor?”

The Solovy Knight repeated in puzzlement, “Hot spring? Manor?”

“Yes.”

Leo raised his eyebrows at the Solovy Knight.

Why bother with primary or secondary industries when the tertiary industry was so lucrative?