Chapter 107: Visiting the Land
Three days after the official establishment of the Royal Signal Corps, Ernest finally found himself returning to a matter that had occupied the back of his mind ever since the king had handed him the parchment bearing his title.
His land.
Five thousand hectares.
Even now, the number felt absurd.
That wasn’t an estate in the way most nobles understood the word. It wasn’t a large farm with a manor house at its center or a collection of villages supporting an aristocratic family.
Five thousand hectares was territory.
An area large enough to contain forests, rivers, hills, and valleys. Large enough for entire communities to live their lives without ever seeing the opposite end of it.
More importantly, it was large enough to hide things.
Resources.
The kind that shaped economies, built cities, and determined which kingdoms prospered and which faded into history.
The morning sun had only just begun creeping above the rooftops of Helmarte when Ernest stood outside the gates of Helmarte Machine Works with a folded map tucked beneath one arm.
Beside him stood Hollen, who looked considerably less enthusiastic about the expedition.
"You know," Hollen said while climbing into the carriage, "most newly appointed barons spend their first weeks thinking about manor houses."
Ernest climbed in after him.
"I know."
"They think about vineyards, hunting lodges, and gardens."
"I think you’ve made your point."
Hollen settled into his seat with an exaggerated sigh.
"And instead we’re traveling halfway across the kingdom because you want to look for rocks."
Ernest smiled.
"Important rocks. One that will fuel our budding industry."
The carriage lurched forward as the horses began pulling them westward.
Two mounted guards rode ahead while another pair followed behind the carriage.
Apparently becoming a baron came with escorts.
Ernest still wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about that.
The land granted to him lay near the western frontier of Belfast where the Crownlands gradually gave way to the rugged province of Westmarch. The location had immediately caught his attention during his meeting with Lord Ashford in the capital.
Most nobles had rejected it. After all, it has poor farmland, sparse settlements, difficult terrain, and limited agricultural potential.
To traditional aristocrats, those were flaws. To an engineer, they sounded suspiciously like opportunities.
Because mountains rarely hid fertile wheat fields. Mountains hid minerals.
The journey took nearly five days.
During the first two days the scenery remained familiar. Wide fields stretched toward the horizon while villages appeared every few kilometers beside rivers and trade roads. Farmers worked beneath the summer sun while carts laden with grain rolled steadily toward market towns.
By the third day, however, the landscape began to change.
The roads narrowed and the forests thickened.
The gentle hills of central Belfast slowly rose into ridges and valleys as though the earth itself had begun folding upward.
By the fourth day, distant mountains dominated the western horizon.
Ernest found himself staring through the carriage window for long stretches without speaking.
Actually...This looked familiar.
The broad valleys, rolling hills, and steep ridgelines reminded him strongly of Wales.
Not perfectly.
The vegetation was different and the mountains lacked the exact shape he remembered from photographs and textbooks, but the resemblance was close enough to make something stir in the back of his mind.
Coal country.
Hollen noticed his expression almost immediately.
"You have the look again."
Ernest looked away from the window.
"What look?"
"The one you get right before my life becomes significantly more complicated."
Ernest wisely chose not to answer.
They reached the edge of the territory the following morning.
A stone marker stood beside the road bearing the royal crest carved deeply into the granite surface. Beneath it, fresh lettering had been chiseled into the stone.
Barony of Teucher.
Ernest stared at it for several moments.
The words felt strange.
Actually, strange wasn’t the right word.
Surreal felt closer.
Hollen walked around the marker once.
Then again.
Then a third time.
Finally he looked toward Ernest.
"That’s your name."
"I’m aware."
The forge owner folded his arms.
"That seems incredibly irresponsible."
Ernest laughed.
"I’ll pass your concerns along to His Majesty."
The real work began almost immediately.
Several local guides joined the expedition while surveyors unpacked maps, measuring chains, compasses, and notebooks. The first day was spent traversing valleys and following river systems while Ernest slowly pieced together an understanding of the region’s geography.
By noon he had already identified three things that immediately stood out.
First, the rivers were excellent.
The waterways flowing down from the western mountains possessed strong and reliable flow rates fed by both rainfall and upland springs. Their gradients were steep enough to support waterwheels, mills, and eventually hydro-mechanical systems if needed.
Several sections offered natural choke points ideal for dams.
Others contained broad floodplains suitable for future industrial development.
Water was life for industry.
The territory had plenty of it.
Second, the forests were enormous.
Dense woodland covered much of the central barony with mature hardwoods dominating lower elevations while pine forests appeared higher along the slopes.
Timber shortages would not become a problem anytime soon.
Construction materials, charcoal production, mine supports, railway sleepers, housing developments, and shipbuilding all consumed wood at astonishing rates.
The forests represented decades of industrial growth.
Third...the geology looked promising.
Very promising.
The exposed rock formations immediately caught Ernest’s attention.
The valleys revealed layers of sedimentary rock stacked visibly along cliff faces and riverbanks. Sandstone formations alternated with darker deposits while erosion had exposed sections that would normally remain hidden underground.
His engineering instincts activated almost immediately. He dismounted beside an exposed hillside and crouched near the stone.
Dark streaks ran through the rock face.
His fingers brushed across the surface before he rubbed the residue between his fingertips.
Coal.
Hollen noticed immediately.
"You found something."
"Maybe."
The older man crouched beside him.
"It looks like dirt."
"It’s very valuable dirt."
The following days transformed possibility into certainty.
Coal seams appeared repeatedly throughout the western hills.
Some deposits were little more than thin bands trapped between layers of shale and sandstone. Others were considerably more substantial.
One exposed section along a riverbank forced Ernest to stop his horse entirely.
The seam measured nearly two meters in thickness.
Two meters.
He simply stared at it.
That wasn’t a minor deposit.
That was industrial fuel on a scale capable of transforming an economy.
A nearby guide shifted nervously.
"Is something wrong, my lord?"
Ernest looked back toward the hillside.
"No."
Actually...Something was very right.
Coal deposits formed under specific geological conditions. Thick seams required enormous quantities of ancient vegetation compressed beneath sediment over millions of years.
Finding one seam increased the probability of finding others. Finding several suggested an entire coal basin.
And coal changed everything. Steam engines consumed coal. Steel consumed coal. Railways consumed coal. Cities consumed coal.
Industrial civilization itself consumed coal with an appetite bordering on insanity.
Iron appeared two days later.
The discovery happened almost by accident.
One of the surveyors pointed toward unusual rocks exposed beside a stream where spring floods had stripped away the surrounding soil.
At first glance they looked unremarkable.
Then Ernest picked one up.
Heavy.
Far heavier than ordinary stone should have been.
Dark reddish streaks covered the fractured surface while portions displayed the metallic sheen he recognized immediately.
Iron ore, possibly a magnetite based on its appearance. It has the highest theoretical iron content, which is lucky for him.
His gaze shifted toward the nearby hills where they had identified multiple coal deposits earlier in the week.
Then back toward the ore sample in his hand.
Then toward the hills again.
Coal and iron.
Together.
Close enough to transport cheaply.
For several moments he simply stood there.
Because he understood exactly what that combination meant.
This wasn’t merely a barony anymore.
This was the foundation of an industrial heartland.
Sheffield.
Birmingham.
South Wales.
The names echoed through his memory.
Regions that had fueled furnaces, powered railways, and built empires.
Places where entire landscapes had reshaped themselves around mines and steelworks.
Hollen approached slowly.
"You found more rocks."
Ernest laughed.
"Yes."
The forge owner glanced toward the hills.
"How important?"
Ernest considered the question carefully.
Then answered honestly.
"Kingdom-changing important."
Hollen immediately looked worried.
Those words rarely led anywhere simple.
The survey continued for another week.
The deeper they explored, the more the territory seemed determined to exceed expectations.
Limestone deposits appeared throughout the southern region, often exposed where streams had carved through the hillsides. Perfect for cement, lime production, and eventually steel refining.
Clay deposits emerged near several river valleys where ancient floodplains had left thick layers of fine sediment ideal for ceramics and brickmaking.
Copper traces appeared in the northern hills.
Not enough to guarantee profitable mining operations yet, but enough to justify further investigation.
Slate deposits emerged near several ridgelines.
Timber reserves appeared almost endless.
By the time the expedition finally prepared to return eastward, Ernest’s notebooks were overflowing with observations.
The future slowly assembled itself inside his mind piece by piece.
On the final evening, Ernest stood alone overlooking the valley below.
The setting sun cast long shadows across the landscape while a river wound through the center like a ribbon of silver reflecting the fading light.
Forests stretched toward the horizon.
Smoke rose from distant villages. Footsteps approached from behind.
Hollen stopped beside him.
"You’ve been staring at this valley for almost half an hour."
"I know."
"What are you thinking about?"
Ernest remained silent for several moments. Coal mines. Steel mills. Railways. Machine factories. Power stations. Mining towns. Cities.
Thousands of workers, perhaps millions someday. Finally he answered.
"I think the king accidentally gave me the most valuable piece of land in Belfast."
Hollen looked around the valley.
"I don’t see anything."
"That’s because you’re looking at the surface."
Ernest pointed toward the mountains rising beyond the river.
"The important part is underneath."
The older man remained quiet.
After a while he finally spoke.
"You’re planning something."
"Always."
"Should I be worried?"
Ernest smiled.
"Probably."
That answer earned a sigh.
Hollen looked back toward the mountains one final time.
"Whatever you’re seeing..."
He shook his head slowly.
"...I have a feeling this place won’t look anything like this in twenty years."
Ernest followed his gaze toward the darkening horizon.
No, it wouldn’t.
Because beneath those hills lay enough coal and iron to drag an entire kingdom into the industrial age whether it was ready or not.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, he possessed something he had lacked for years. Resources.
"I guess it’s time that we unearth the riches of my land."
"What are you thinking?"
"I am going to need a detailed report on the mineral resources we can find in my land, and once it is done, we’ll start a new company."
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