Upon hearing this, Sid immediately shook hands with Yun Wei and said with a smile, "I'm relieved to hear you say that."
Then the two chatted casually about other things.
Yunwei learned that when the two of them returned to Bethlehem this time, in addition to promptly resolving the plague, arranging the pre-winter harvest, and holding their wedding, they also selected twelve apprentices to come to Alchemy City for a period of apprenticeship.
In addition, there were several shrewd stewards and servants from Bethlehem, making a total of about twenty people, all of whom first set up tents in the courtyard.
It did make things lively, so there wasn't a shortage of people available.
“Anyway… I’ll probably move to Bethlehem next spring,” Sid said.
The two men watched the apprentices moving materials back and forth in the laboratory, remaining silent for a long time.
Sid suddenly sighed and said with a wry smile, "Although I have great ambitions, I don't know where to start for the time being."
Yun Wei was feeling quite relaxed this morning when he suddenly heard Xi De's worries and was stunned.
The physical laws of the two worlds are not exactly the same, and many experiences from the previous world can only be used as a reference, not copied directly.
He thought for a moment, then spoke up: "May I share my thoughts?"
“Of course.” Sid turned his head and made a gesture. “Speak freely.”
“Tools. We can improve their tools first.” Yun Wei said as succinctly as possible, “Although the alchemy workshop may have some difficulty in forging sacred artifacts, it is very easy to make enchanted weapons, which often gives us a false impression.”
Sid raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but ask, "What misconception?"
"The illusion of being very advanced in forging and smelting."
Yun Wei didn't keep them in suspense. He continued, "In reality, each weapon requires a considerable amount of labor costs and can only meet the needs of professionals. Have you noticed that most of the tools used by farmers are still made of wood or stone?"
“But they can’t afford the high costs either. Even the most ordinary ironware costs several gold coins. After all, the fire-type magic crystals used to smelt iron ore, even if they are E-grade, are not something they can afford.” Sid frowned.
"So we need to mass-produce to reduce costs." Yun Wei pointed to the furnace in the corner and said, "It will no longer be hand-hammered, but cast using molds."
Sid shook his head and said, "It sounds wonderful, but the temperature required for iron ore is just too high. Without magic, it's impossible to reach that temperature."
Yun Wei blinked, but said, "It can be done in Bili City. Even without using magic, the furnace temperature can be doubled."
He was actually not clear about the situation in Bili City.
However, based on his interactions with Xie Mulang, he believes that Bili Ren lived during the Wei-Jin period.
It should be noted that in his previous life, as early as the Spring and Autumn Period, his civilization had already begun to produce iron tools in large quantities and used them in agriculture.
Even junior high school history textbooks emphasize the most outstanding achievements in metallurgy—
Iron plow.
Explaining this in detail would be too complicated.
In short, during the Qin Dynasty, farmers could harvest about ten liters of grain from one liter of planted millet, unlike in the Zhuyuan Continent where they could only harvest about two liters.
Although there are various reasons, such as the locals simply scattering millet in the fields and then praying for the blessing of the Radiant Lord, not fertilizing, weeding, or removing gravel, and not allowing the land to fallow or rotate crops, etc.
But only by freeing people from the land can handicrafts develop.
As long as humanity continues to need food, agriculture will forever remain the unshakable foundation of all industries.
Sid was very perceptive; with just a slight hint from Yun Wei, he almost immediately came up with the answer. "You mean, replace the firewood with that black mineral clay we had before? Let me think..."
He even had a sudden urge to spend a whole morning organizing his notes.
He quickly rummaged through his jacket pocket to retrieve his notes from that time.
“Hmm, found it. It’s here. That’s called coal.” Sid was still a little confused. “But if only the Blacksole has this kind of ore, once we start buying it in large quantities, the cost will increase accordingly.”
"You don't necessarily need to use coal." Yun Wei picked up a chopped piece of firewood from the corner, manipulated the fire element to heat it, and completely isolated the wind element with the fire element.
In just a short while, one end of the firewood was completely carbonized, turning into pitch-black charcoal.
Upon seeing this scene, Sid couldn't help but exclaim, "Ah!"
The exclamation was quite loud, and even the Grand Duke of Bethlehem, who was encouraging the apprentices one by one at the door, couldn't help but cast a suspicious glance at them.
Sid quickly waved to the other person to indicate that he was alright.
Seeing Yun Wei using tongs to separate the black charcoal from the workbench, Sid exclaimed, "So that's how it is! First, the firewood is converted into charcoal at high temperature, and then it can achieve a higher temperature when burned!"
He couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, muttering to himself, "Sigh, how come I never thought of something so simple? Many things turn black before they burn."
"Because we rely too much on magic," Yun Wei said with a smile, trying to comfort her.
After all, even if there's nothing else, as long as there's fire element, it can keep burning—that's truly incredible magic.
“Alright, now we can start planning the supply chain again.” Sid couldn’t help but start thinking, “Starting with lumberjacks, woodcutter, charcoal burner, miner, porter… and then blacksmith.”
At this point, Sid stopped talking, looking rather annoyed.
Yun Wei and he looked at each other in bewilderment.
This supply chain doesn't seem to be easy to build; it requires so many people all at once.
It should be understood that if they were to draw people from the duchy, the likely result would be a shortage of food and firewood, ultimately leading to everyone going hungry and cold.
Yun Wei sighed and said, "We can only take it slowly. Fortunately, the ironware is durable enough to last for ten years without any problem."
He now realizes how unreliable his suggestion was.
The most crucial point is that the backward agricultural production on the Zhuyuan Continent is a chronic problem that has accumulated over many years, and it cannot be solved simply by having iron farming tools.
Besides tools, advanced technology and accumulated experience are also needed...
And the soil fertility that has been gradually accumulated and improved by generations of people.
The more Yun Wei thought about it, the more he realized that his idea was still too immature.
He was about to dissuade Sid when the other man unexpectedly waved to the Grand Duke of Bethlehem in the distance—
"Silver, come here quickly! I have a difficult problem that I need to ask you to solve!"
After a brief exchange of knowing glances between the two of them, Sid walked toward the notepad next to the control panel.
The other person said, "Wow, Xiao Yunwei, you're amazing! You even completed the top order. This year is basically over!"
While sighing, Sid picked up the horsehair brush next to the notepad and began to erase all the chalk writing on it.
"Hey, what are you writing?" Sid couldn't help but laugh. "You're not so hungry from working, are you?"
Yun Wei suddenly remembered the keywords he had hastily scribbled down on the notepad after his confrontation with Old George in the lab that day—
The kitchen, and the golden leaves.
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