Roland was deep in thought at his desk, contemplating a plan to bomb the royal palace in the capital, when a sudden thudding sound came from the floor-to-ceiling window behind him.
Looking back, I saw Lightning perched on the window, his face full of panic, while Maxi squatted above her, pecking at the window with rapid motions.
The nightingale had just opened the window when the little girl leapt into Roland's arms.
"What's wrong?" he asked, stunned. "What happened?" "Black stones! Goo! A massive snow mountain!" Maxi landed on the table, flapping her wings as she reported.
"Ah?" "Not at all," Lightning muttered, "It's Devil. I saw Devil!" "What?" Roland God's expression turned serious. He stroked her head to calm her down. "Don't panic. Speak slowly." After a long pause, Lightning lifted her head from Prince's embrace. Her golden hair was disheveled, and two faint red marks around her eyes—clearly from the wind goggles she'd worn during the high-speed flight—stood out. "I planned to map the border of the Hide-and-Seek Forest and head west along the Chishui River, only to discover a massive mountain..." Roland's eyes widened as she recounted her encounter in detail. The red mist that sustained Devil lay behind the snow-capped peaks, just over two hundred kilometers from the western frontier.
He glanced at the nightingale, who nodded. "I'll call the other sisters over." An emergency meeting was promptly convened in the castle office.
After Roland recounted the lightning's discovery to the group, the witches who had endured the Night of Slaughter all instinctively showed signs of unease. Particularly Yezi, the witch who had personally slain two Devils, couldn't help but cover her mouth and let out a soft cry.
"Your Highness," the Scroll spoke first, "I propose further reconnaissance of the red mist-covered lands. After all, the lightning strikes were merely distant glimpses, and we cannot confirm the Devil's presence beneath the mist. Even if confirmed, we must investigate whether they might cross the coastal mountains and advance along the shoreline toward the kingdom's mainland." "I concur with the Scroll," Wendy nodded. "Though formidable, prepared defense is better than passive surrender." As the two longest-serving witches of the Guild of Assistants, the Scroll and Wendy had always been the pillars of their sisters' confidence. Though some still harbored lingering fears, none wished to remain passive.
Roland also favored this solution. Since no one objected, the matter was essentially settled—the real challenge was how to put it into practice.
"Let's use a hot air balloon for reconnaissance," Anna suggested. "We can camouflage the Voyager over the sky, using the clouds as cover, and fly across the sea." "We could also bring Sylvie," Nightingale said. "Her abilities are perfectly suited for this mission." "Hmm," Roland nodded. "And..." He added, "I'll go too." "Your Highness!" The moment Roland spoke, Wendy, the Scroll, and Nightingale stopped him. "You can't take such a risk yourself!" "It's not a risk," Roland waved his hand. "If they could leap over oceans or mountains, they'd have spread across the Four Kingdoms long ago. The fact they remain clustered in the Far West proves the Devil isn't as terrifying as imagined." There was another reason he hadn't mentioned—his unparalleled experience in assessing the development of an alien civilization would be invaluable. Seeing the Devil and its cities firsthand would greatly aid in formulating future strategies and countermeasures.
"But..." Wendy hesitated.
"Don't worry, just take a distant look," Prince said with a smile. "If even scouting from afar is dangerous, I wouldn't have agreed to let you go." "Alright then, but you must bring me along." Seeing his persuasion failed, the Nightingale was the first to change his mind.
Seeing the earnest look in her eyes, God, Roland knew he couldn't refuse. After a moment's thought, he announced, "The team will include me, Anna, Wendy, Soraya, Sylvie, Nightingale, Lightning, and Maxie." "We'll set off in a week. Along with the necessary food, each of you'll get a revolver. Spend a week practicing it so even non-combat witches can counter any enemy." The hot air balloon's speed paled in comparison to Lightning's. Covering over 200 kilometers would take a full day, so they'd need to camp out for one night to complete the reconnaissance. With that in mind, provisions, tents, and weapons were all essential.
"Yes, Your Highness," the witches responded in unison.
After everyone had left, Roland finally had time to examine the black ore that Lightning had brought back.
"You mean these stones are everywhere at the forest's edge?" "Well," Roland said, his voice now calm, sitting at the rosewood table with his feet dangling, his cheeks still flushed. "The closer you get to the mountain base, the more abundant they become. From above, the black stone-covered ground is roughly ten times larger than Border Town." He lifted the stones to his hand, feeling them in his palm, and a slight tremor ran through his heart.
By weight, it is significantly lighter than ordinary stones, making it highly unlikely to be metallic ore. Its surface is hard yet lightweight, exhibiting a metallic luster and exposed on the ground... Could this be a coal mine?
Thinking of this, he hurriedly called Anna back.
Under the scorching heat of the black fire, the stone rapidly turned a brilliant red, resembling iron ore in a smelting furnace, yet it remained undissolved. Even after the black fire was withdrawn, the orange glow it emitted showed no sign of fading, and faint blue-green flames could still be seen rising from its surface.
Roland confirmed his suspicion—it was indeed a premium piece of anthracite coal.
"Coal mines are actually like this," Lightning exclaimed in surprise. "I always thought they were as brittle as charcoal, with so much powder that a single touch would soil your hands." "They're actually crushed coal balls and cakes mixed with water," Roland chuckled. "Most coal mines come out as solid as stone when mined. The better the raw coal, the harder it gets—ultimately resembling these stones, with surfaces that even reflect a glossy sheen." This unexpected discovery thrilled him immensely.
Coal was no rarity in Graycastle, with mines operating in both Dragonfall and Silverlight City, primarily used for kiln firing and heating. Yet its applications were far more extensive. Before the widespread adoption of internal combustion engines, it was the roaring coal that powered half of the steam-powered machinery. The coking process of coal replaced charcoal in iron and steel production, proving far more environmentally friendly than extensive deforestation. Even in the electrical age, coal could be processed into gas, hydrogen, and asphalt, as well as for power generation, making it a cost-effective and high-quality fuel.
Holding an open-pit coal mine in your hands is clearly far better than relying on imports. The only question is, how should it be developed?
Roland shifted his gaze to the newly drawn map of Lightning.
It seems that it is imperative to build more inland steam cement ships.