Kingdombuilding: All My Inventions Are Novelty

Chapter 158: Dig?

"Sigurd, how do you find the power of this cannon?"

Simon’s voice pierced through the gunpowder smoke, reaching Sigurd’s ears and filling him with despair.

Could the Prince of Brambleford, armed with such a deadly weapon, ever be defeated? The thought flashed through his mind, but was quickly shattered.

At the city gate, Damian’s desperate pleas for mercy could be heard; his brush with death had driven him nearly mad.

"I suspect Damian will be much more willing to reveal the source of the gunpowder now. But if you still wish for a dignified death, I can grant you that opportunity."

Simon’s tone was calm, as if victory was already assured.

Sigurd let out a low, bitter laugh. He had lost. The moment the cannon fired, terror had consumed him.

"The gunpowder recipe was passed down by my ancestors," Sigurd admitted weakly. "I only ask that Your Highness grant me an intact corpse."

Superstition ran deep in the Eldorian Empire. The people believed in reincarnation, and many were convinced that only a whole body could be reborn. Thus, ’dying without a complete corpse’ was considered a vicious curse. The half-meter crater in the wall made it clear to Sigurd that if the cannon struck him, he wouldn’t just lose an arm or a leg; his entire body would be reduced to pulp.

"What I asked was where the saltpetre came from." Simon pressed. This was his real concern.

Whether the Prince of Sylvaris was involved or not, the immediate problem was the shortage of gunpowder materials, which would leave him defenceless against the reavers.

"If Your Highness wants it, just dig it out of the latrines." Sigurd laughed mockingly.

Simon frowned, disappointed. He had hoped Sigurd knew the location of a saltpetre mine, but instead, the answer was far cruder.

He waved his hand dismissively at Benjamin. "Kill them all. But leave their bodies intact."

Benjamin nodded and signalled to Lancelot and Liam.

Understanding the order, the two drew their blades. A flash of steel later, Sigurd collapsed into a pool of blood.

The surrounding soldiers watched coldly. Men like these, nobles who oppressed the weak, deserved death a thousand times over.

With the cannon tested and the manor secured, it was time to return to the city.

Now, Simon had to find a solution for the saltpetre shortage. Locating a mine immediately was impossible, but Sigurd’s words had given him an idea, no matter how unpleasant.

After instructing Kai to personally escort the cement to Dunmere, Simon turned to Benjamin.

"Old General, though the six cities’ nobility have been purged, remnants still stir up trouble. I trust you to suppress them and prevent further chaos."

"Leave it to me, Your Highness. A soldier trains for a thousand days to be used in one battle; this is my duty." Benjamin clasped his fists in salute.

Simon nodded. Originally, this task would have fallen to Aiden, but the reaver invasion had disrupted his plans. Now, Aiden was focused on repairing Dunmere’s defences.

The troops returned to the city. Over ten days had been spent suppressing Sigurd’s rebellion, but at least the cannon test had been a success. The Machinery Department could now focus on mass-producing them.

As for Simon, the saltpetre problem remained. The cannons were just one part; he also needed vast quantities of loose gunpowder for grenades.

He had held onto a sliver of hope that Sigurd knew of a saltpetre deposit, but that hope was now dashed.

Still, there was a silver lining. Sigurd had proven one thing: extracting saltpetre from soil was possible, and that soil could be found beneath latrines, albeit in small quantities.

But even a drop counted in a drought.

Upon returning to his castle, Simon immediately summoned James.

"Saltpetre... In latrines?" James blinked in disbelief.

To Simon, the science was clear. The system contained multiple methods for extracting saltpetre from soil, and the principles were straightforward.

In rural areas, the soil near pigsties and latrines was rich in organic matter. As this matter decayed, nitrifying bacteria converted it into nitric acid, which then reacted with minerals like calcium and magnesium to form potassium nitrate, saltpetre.

The white, powdery deposits on the walls of such places often contained high concentrations of saltpetre, sometimes as much as 75%.

After explaining the process to James, the man slowly nodded in understanding.

"It’s a troublesome method, but for now, it’s the only way to overcome this hurdle," Simon said.

If saltpetre mines were available, no one would be digging through latrines. But desperate times called for desperate measures.

Beyond scraping saltpetre directly from walls, Simon also instructed James to dig up old soil from beneath latrines and boil it with plant ash to extract saltpetre crystals.

"My Lord, that’s doable. Now that you mention it, I remember seeing that white stuff in my own latrine. But the amount is so small, how many latrines would we need to gather enough?"

Simon already had a plan. He would mobilise the common people.

After sending James to prepare the necessary tools, Simon summoned Harry and personally drafted a notice for the newspaper.

The notice called on the people to collect saltpetre from latrines and deliver it to local government offices. For every 500g provided, they would be paid one cap.

The next day, the announcement spread like wildfire. Reporters fanned out across villages, reading the notice to illiterate farmers.

"The white stuff in latrines can be sold for money?"

In Tuttle Village, Billy stared in amazement at the man who had just read the newspaper aloud.

His older brother, Collin, had already joined the Brambleford Army, leaving only the eldest brother, younger sister and himself at home.

With the harvest approaching, the family was hopeful, though they were still poor by most standards. Still, life was better than before.

After Billy enlisted, the local government delivered about 60kg of grain and a bolt of cloth to the family, a gesture that left the entire village envious.

No one had expected soldiers’ families to receive such benefits. In the past, conscription meant forced service with no compensation.

Because of this, many hesitant villagers had since enlisted, eager for the prestige and rewards that came with it.

Aside from his second brother, Billy’s eldest brother now worked at the docks, loading and unloading cargo for merchant ships.

Over the past six months, the number of ships arriving in Brambleford’s port had surged, creating a high demand for labourers and driving up wages.

Tuttle Village was close to the docks, and during the farming off-season, most men worked there.

Compared to his brothers, Billy had stayed home to tend the fields. But now, he saw an opportunity to earn some silver himself.

His heart stirred with excitement.