Krafft's Notes on Anomalies

In addition to the traditional water transportation route from the Teme River to the hinterland of the kingdom, there are many options provided by its many tributaries, like branches of arteries, which deliver ships to the extremities of this difficult-to-maintain body.

After entering the river mouth and traveling for two to three days, a khaki branch turns straight south, leading to the hilly mountainous area in the south. It is an inland extension of the coastal mountains, the aftermath of rocky waves, and unsettled undulations that stretch out into the kingdom's most intricate geography.

The water vapor from the ocean is blocked by the mountains, making it one of the rare dry areas in the kingdom. The slightest rainfall is sucked up by the dry soil in the valleys between the low mountains and hills, which is only needed for the growth of shrubs and small trees.

These vegetations are not very capable of consolidating water and soil. Coupled with the unique landform, there are few stable surface water sources here. Most small rivers like capillary networks will dry up seasonally. Even the groundwater touched by deep wells may one day Dry up without warning.

Someone once pointed out that objectively speaking, the rainfall in the southern mountains can only be said to be less than that in the rest of the kingdom, and it should not be this bad. But the fact is that the water is still swallowed up by the hills covered with dry soil of shrubs, leaving only the remaining bits for humans after their booze.

The only river in this land that can be passed by ships is still used. The turbid yellow water surface sends ships carrying grain and minerals into it, and ships carrying mineral products are sent out.

It is also the place with the highest concentration of mines in the kingdom, and rich minerals are buried shallowly under these seemingly worthless barren lands.

The Tobid River, that turbid yellow tributary, provides only a week's worth of navigation before it is no longer suitable for navigation. Those who want to go deep into the mountains must walk on winding mountain roads and set foot in the bushland.

Naturally, the captains would not ask for trouble and go further in. They stayed on the boat, loaded up the minerals or crude metal products brought from the mountains, then turned around and set sail, returning to the Teme River, the main shipping artery.

The theoretically valid paper survey was completely cut off at this point, and the entire page of place names and changes in mineral transactions were piled on the small circled dot at the end of the paper. After all, the captain only cares about loading the goods and doesn't care where the goods come from.

The road further in cannot be marked on the route map, and no corresponding map can be found. Several captains who have entered it for a short distance said that they can only rely on local people to lead the way, otherwise they will miss the stepped roads if they are not careful. , contrary to the destination.

The settlement is sandwiched between lowland valleys, and except for the transportation of minerals, daily life tends to be as closed as the geographical environment. If it were not for the unsustainability of meager agricultural output, grain and mineral trading would not exist at all.

"No one knows what it's like inside. If you want to hide a new mine here, it couldn't be easier." The pen tip tapped the place where a large circle was drawn. The painter was a little anxious. After several weeks of collecting, he only got one Generally speaking, it is difficult to complete the next step by one person alone.

"And I want to reiterate that everything is just a guess that I take for granted. The actual location can be somewhere else in the kingdom. It is a high probability that there will be no harvest. Are you sure you want to go together?"

The door of the cabin is closed, and the curtains are half-opened, illuminating the drawings on the table. Small characters mark the river from its source to its confluence, and the lines are densely intersecting and pointing in the circle.

"Of course. If you miss such an interesting opportunity to make a fortune, you will regret it for the rest of your life." William scratched his bushy chin. After drinking unlimited spirits for several days, he finally realized what the priest and Kraft were doing. plan, and as an old friend, he was actually fooled by a few bottles of wine.

Under strong request, considering the manpower and financial resources needed to implement the plan, William, who was relatively trustworthy, reluctantly agreed to join after swearing to his Heavenly Father.

Although I didn’t understand anything about distillation or alchemical potions, the pair of glass wings of the church’s holy emblem and the wine in my hand were real things. So Kraft, who was willing to share the news with him, became his half-brother on the spot.

"I don't know anything about alchemy or lung disease, but I know that there is no guaranteed profit business in the world. If you are right, we will be able to put gold coins on the corner of the table for the rest of our lives. If we can't find the money, we will lose half the money at most. I can afford to lose twice as much."

William wiped his hands with the hem of his clothes and touched the circle along the line. The spot of light fell right in the middle, like a hole made of gold. "Besides, I think what you said makes sense. The profit may definitely be greater than the loss."

"It's actually very simple. If you want to open a mine, you can't bypass the locals. Let's bring a few good and trustworthy young men on the ship to search all the places where food has been entered. Sooner or later, that's all."

"I hope so." Kraft shook his head. According to his experience, things usually get complicated and slip into troublesome directions. "How much do you know about this?"

"Most of them are small villages, and they don't like to interact with the outside world, unless they are selling minerals or buying grain." William thought about it carefully and collected some words that he had heard when he was bragging with his colleagues. "I heard that they lived here a long time ago. Yes, earlier than the ore trade.”

"You need to find a local guide."

"It's not difficult. There will be some at the river port." The plan was finalized. Find a guide and follow the lines that transport food in and line up all the settlements in the circle.

When he came to the end, William saw the sword on Kraft's waist and suddenly remembered something. Considering his status as a doctor, he turned to look at Kupu who was standing next to him, "I would like to ask, how is your retinue doing his job?"

"Well, is it okay?" Kraft cast an uncertain glance at Kupp, who was touching the smooth metal surface of the page hammer. He had just bought a new one, and considering that he would not be able to master the skills for a while, he chose one based on his strength. There is a guy with pretty good power, so he has some fighting ability.

"That's good." William became serious and faced Kraft and Yvonne, "I also heard that some special methods may be used inside. I mean maybe, I may not be able to take care of you then."

"I can take care of myself." He is still very confident about this and thinks he is above the level.

"Look at the map before you go in. Don't touch your hammer, Coop, and Yvonne, come here. This is our starting point." In the past few weeks, Kraft found opportunities to teach the basic characters, and there are still some Simple vocabulary. It just so happens that in this era, place names do not require any high-end vocabulary, so you can test the teaching results.

Unprepared for the spot check, Yvonne was caught off guard and was stunned on the spot. Her mind was confused. The two simple words on the map seemed familiar to her, but when she came to her mouth, she couldn't tell what they were.

"Uh..." Coop let go of his precious hammer and came closer. Craft doubted that he would be willing to smash someone's head with it, and there was no hope for words.

Just when Kraft was about to admit the failure of education, the rough man hesitated and squeezed out the pronunciation.

"Gravel... town?"