How to Use the Lord's Future Diary

Chapter 167

The canned meat that our territory had recently begun producing was receiving an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response from the Beastmen.Not only from the tribes that had participated in the war, but even the Ape Tribe and Cat Tribe, who hadn't fought at all, somehow heard about it and came asking for it.

The greatest advantage of canned meat was, of course, its shelf life.

Being able to store meat for long periods at room temperature made it an incredibly valuable commodity for the Beastmen.

‘And once you start eating it, you just can't stop.’

Naturally, taste was just as important as preservation.

The canned meat, packed with natural seasonings that gave it a unique flavor, easily passed that test as well.

Demand for it would undoubtedly continue to grow.

At this rate, canned meat might even become our territory's signature specialty.

-Isn't that why you needed that grinder or whatever it was?

‘Exactly. Right now it takes far too much manual labor.’

Until now, every step of the process had been done by hand.

The war had been imminent, and the Builders had all been dispatched to the Second Horn.

There hadn't even been enough time to properly work on simple magical tools.

The Mouse Tribe had somehow managed to keep production going through sheer cooperation.

But continuing to operate so haphazardly wasn't sustainable.

Now that the Mouse Tribe had agreed to rotate between several territories, there was naturally a limit to how much work they could handle.

So, as soon as the war ended, I'd commissioned the Builders to make a grinder.

They'd told me it was entirely possible.

‘As expected of real men. Completely different from Peter, that weakling who says something looks difficult before even trying.’

-Wasn't the problem that there wasn't enough time? If the workshop contacted you already, then that sharp-eyed male must've helped as well.

‘Probably. Thinking about it, the Alchemy Workshop was the only place equipped to research something like this. Since it was being built there anyway, he must've lent a hand.’

If the workshop had called me over, then the grinder had been completed in one form or another.

It was wonderful news.

With a grinder, we'd be able to produce canned meat far more efficiently than before.

‘First, I should adjust the recipe.’

-Hmm. Is there really any need?

‘There is.’

Aside from the natural seasonings, salt, and herbs...

The canned meat was practically made from nothing but meat.

The meat content was probably around ninety-eight percent.

Even by modern standards, that was absurdly high quality.

Furthermore, because the meat wasn't ground and was instead compressed as-is, a considerable amount of organs and less desirable cuts were simply thrown away.

It felt wasteful.

Once cooked, they were perfectly edible.

And our Beastman friends certainly wouldn't care whether it was lean meat or not.

‘If we grind the meat instead... we could mix in a few other ingredients.’

-Like what?

‘For example... beans or flour?’

-...How evil.

Wouldn't that actually be healthier than eating only meat?

Nutrition should be balanced.

Plant protein had its own benefits compared to animal protein.

It was better to eat a little of everything.

-That reminds me... I seem to recall hearing a report that bean consumption inside the territory has become extremely low. Master... are you just trying to get rid of excess beans?

‘...Not at all.’

It was true that ever since a greater variety of ingredients became available, unpopular foods like beans had fallen out of favor.

Even so, we still needed to keep planting beans to maintain soil fertility.

Since consumption had dropped, our warehouses were filling up with surplus stock.

But that wasn't why I wanted to mix beans into the canned meat.

I simply thought Beastmen should eat more beans for the sake of their health.

Besides, once ground into canned meat...

They wouldn't even notice.

Even if they hated beans, they'd end up eating them anyway.

-You should at least wipe the drool from your mouth before saying that.

The rabbit had completely misunderstood me.

I wasn't that underhanded.

“You're here?”

“Yeah. Since you specifically called me over, I assume you've made some progress?”

“Well... yeah. We finished that grinder you've been going on about.”

“Oh? Really?”

“And... there's something even more important.”

“Hm?”

“No, let's look at the grinder first.”

After greeting Peter, the owner of the workshop, I stepped inside and examined the grinder.

It was an extremely simple magical device.

A rotating blade crushed everything placed inside.

The only real difference was that it had been enlarged for mass production.

It was exactly what I'd requested.

There wasn't much point asking for anything more complicated.

Our territory's technological level simply wasn't there yet.

‘Automation is still a long way off. That's why everything takes so much manual labor.’

Still...

For now, this was more than enough.

“Oh? My Lord, you've arrived.”

“Master Bennett.”

While I was happily inspecting the grinder Peter had handed over...

Master Bennett emerged from deeper inside the workshop.

Dark circles hung heavily beneath his eyes.

It looked like he hadn't been sleeping well.

‘Surely not because of the grinder? Though... he doesn't seem particularly interested in it.’

Just as I tilted my head in confusion...

Master Bennett handed me a bundle of scrolls.

The moment I looked at them, I recognized them.

They were among the items the Horse Tribe had looted from Lucas.

When we'd sorted through everything taken from Lucas' warehouse, we'd kept several items the Horse Tribe had no interest in.

These scrolls had been among them.

I had absolutely no idea what they were.

Just in case, I'd sent every mysterious item to the workshop.

Apparently, Master Bennett had discovered these while examining them.

“But... what are these?”

“Ah, these. They're incredibly important. I've been losing sleep over them lately.”

“Really? What are they?”

“They're Magic Scrolls.”

“Magic Scrolls?”

“With these, even someone who isn't a Mage can cast magic. Enhancement Magic, Magic Enchantments... even Building Magic. These are incredibly precious items.”

“Wow...”

Magic Scrolls.

An item that appeared constantly in games and fantasy novels.

Something that allowed even non-Mages to use magic.

According to Master Bennett, they were extraordinarily valuable.

Even before the Great Cataclysm, there hadn't been many of them.

They were almost never used in the Kingdom.

Only the Empire, where both magic and technology were highly advanced, made regular use of them.

‘Ah... so that's how they did it. No wonder they built fortresses without any Builders.’

The Imperial Army had constructed remarkably solid fortifications overnight.

That had always puzzled me.

They certainly hadn't brought Builders along.

Now it finally made sense.

They'd simply used Magic Scrolls to construct them.

‘The Empire really is the Empire. Magic Scrolls...’

Although offensive spells were almost nonexistent in this world...

Simply being able to use magic freely made these scrolls extraordinarily valuable.

If only we could manufacture something like this...

‘Improving the Beastmen's quality of life would become so much easier.’

Unfortunately...

According to Master Bennett, our current level of technology simply couldn't produce Magic Scrolls.

“This seems like something only true Enchanters could even attempt. No matter how I look at it, I can't find an answer.”

“Really? That's unfortunate.”

If someone like Master Bennett had researched them long enough to develop dark circles under his eyes and still failed...

Then there truly was no solution.

No matter how versatile the Builder School specializing in Golems was...

They weren't professional Enchanters.

Still, his efforts hadn't been wasted.

Simply identifying what these scrolls actually were was already a remarkable achievement.

“If Enchanters are required... what about sending them to Haken?”

“To Uldea? Hmm... Haken certainly does have the capability.”

Haken possessed the most advanced magical technology on the entire Levela Peninsula.

It also employed several genuine Enchanters.

Since Magic Scrolls had been rare even before the Great Cataclysm, results wouldn't come immediately.

Still...

Their chances were far higher than ours.

‘Besides... I should probably smooth things over with the Lord of Haken. He's probably still a little unhappy about our trade decision.’

After beginning trade with the other Great Lordships, we'd informed Haken as well.

The Lord of Haken had understood our position as a ruler himself.

Logically, he knew this had been the best decision available to us.

But understanding something rationally...

And actually feeling good about it...

Were two entirely different matters.

Human emotions weren't that logical.

Besides...

The Lord of Haken could be surprisingly petty sometimes.

A gift like these Magic Scrolls should greatly improve his mood.

‘If Haken manages to mass-produce Magic Scrolls, it'll benefit both sides.’

It was also true that Haken no longer had many practical goods to trade us.

Lately they'd been sending rather strange inventions instead.

Apparently they'd created a magical tool that functioned much like a camera.

They used it to record performances and football matches before sending the recordings to us.

Not that I looked down on cultural entertainment...

But if possible, I'd much rather receive something more practical.

Magic Scrolls could easily become one of Haken's greatest strategic assets.

‘Besides, almost all the Mana Crystals entering Haken already pass through us.’

The Mana Crystals Haken gathered on its own were barely enough to maintain its daily Living Magic.

In the worst-case scenario...

We could simply stop selling Mana Crystals to limit their Magic Scroll production.

In other words...

Even if Haken succeeded, we wouldn't lose anything.

“And this.”

“Oh... this is...”

“Seriously. This thing nearly drove me insane.”

After Master Bennett stepped back, it was Peter's turn again.

Grinning mischievously, he handed me something extremely familiar.

Honestly...

I was a little shocked myself.

Because the object he placed in my hand...

Was an Imperial Mana Bomb.

Not only that.

It was one reconstructed using our own technology.

“You've already recreated this?”

“Don't even ask. The Rabbit Tribe caused absolute chaos over it. I never realized they could be that aggressive.”

“Ah... I suppose.”

The Rabbit Tribe had personally witnessed that magnificent explosion during the war.

Considering their obsession with explosives...

There was no way they'd simply ignore something like this.

Apparently, they'd practically staged a protest outside the Alchemy Workshop, constantly pressuring Peter.

Forget the grinder.

He'd had no choice but to prioritize the bomb.

“Well... the Rabbit Tribe and Mouse Tribe were extremely cooperative, so the actual work wasn't too difficult.”

They'd apparently shown up at the Alchemy Workshop themselves to help modify the bomb.

As far as I knew, the Rabbit Tribe had also been helping mine Mana Stones recently.

When exactly had they found time to work on bombs too?

They were already undergoing intense military training.

How was any of this possible?

Their love for explosives truly knew no limits.

“The bomb is impressive, but isn't the truly important thing this Red Ore?”

“Ah, right. That. To be honest, I had no idea what it was at first. I'd never seen a mineral like it.”

“And?”

“Turns out... someone did know.”

“Really? Who?”

“Who else? Dr. Nickel.”

“Ah... him. Well, if it's him...”

Apparently, Dr. Nickel knew exactly what the Red Ore was.

It was Lava Stone.

A mineral that could only be mined in very specific places.

According to him, it occasionally appeared in volcanic regions in the southern Empire.

Since nothing like that existed around here, this was his first time seeing an actual sample.

Still, being the walking encyclopedia he was, he already knew its appearance and characteristics.

“So that means recreating the Fire Bomb is impossible?”

“Come on. Of course not.”

“But there aren't any volcanoes nearby.”

“No volcanoes... but there is something similar.”

“Something similar... Ah, right. The thermal zone inside the Forest of Illusions.”

“And Lava Stone can also be found wherever Fire-attribute Variant Monsters appear.”

“A Fire-attribute Variant Monster...”

Wasn't the Variant Crocodile that attacked our territory last winter exactly that sort of monster?

If we could figure out where that creature had come from...

Then perhaps we could obtain Lava Stone after all.