The first signs appeared quietly.
A delayed caravan here. Missing alloy shipnts there. Southern rchants suddenly demanding higher prices for identical contracts.
Nothing dramatic enough to seem hostile openly.
But together—
The pattern beca obvious.
"They’re slowing trade intentionally."
Lucas placed another docunt onto the strategy table with visible irritation while the rest of the administrative council quietly reviewed the growing stack of reports.
Inside the fortress chamber, tension slowly filled the air.
Lucien however remained calm.
Almost too calm.
Cedric noticed imdiately.
"You expected this."
Lucien looked up from the production sheets.
"Yes."
"Which sohow makes this more annoying."
Fair enough honestly.
Malen crossed his arms near the map table while studying the updated trade routes.
"Southern inspections increased nearly forty percent."
"Specialized alloy imports delayed."
"Two caravans turned back entirely."
The Peak Knight frowned slightly afterward.
"They’re testing us."
Lucien nodded once.
Not military pressure.
Economic pressure.
House Valcriox likely hoped slowing industrial expansion would force Elarion back into dependence.
Unfortunately—
They underestimated how industrial systems adapted under pressure.
Lucien stood afterward before walking toward the large territorial map mounted across the chamber wall.
Northern regions marked in red ink covered nearly half the board.
Mining zones. Factory districts. Road expansions.
Everything connected together.
And right now—
Raw materials remained the greatest bottleneck.
Lucas rubbed his forehead slowly.
"If southern imports continue decreasing, rifle production slows within two months."
"Then increase local supply."
The answer ca imdiately.
Lucas stared at him blankly.
"...From where exactly?"
Lucien’s finger moved farther north across the map.
Toward the Frostpeak region.(The na of mountain ranges around elarion
The room quieted instantly.
Even Cedric stopped joking.
Because everyone knew those mountains.
Harsh terrain. Monster activity. Brutal winters.
And beneath all of it—
Rich ore deposits mostly abandoned decades earlier due to extraction difficulty.
Malen narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You want to reopen Frostpeak mining?"
"Yes."
"That region is dangerous."
"So was Elarion."
Nobody argued with that.
Lucien continued studying the northern map calmly.
"Southern nobles think they can pressure production because we still rely on their refined tals."
His finger tapped lightly against the mountain region.
"Then we remove the reliance."
That statent settled heavily across the room.
Because this wasn’t rely responding to pressure anymore.
This was acceleration.
The more the south tried restricting Elarion—
The faster Lucien pushed toward self-sufficiency.
Cedric slowly leaned back in his chair afterward.
"You know, normal people would probably complain first."
"Complaining does not produce steel."
"...Again. That. That’s the unsettling part."
Lucas ignored both of them entirely while reviewing mining estimates.
"If Frostpeak mines reopen, infrastructure costs will be enormous."
"Yes."
"Road expansion alone could take months."
"Then start imdiately."
The council mbers exchanged looks quietly afterward.
And slowly—
The atmosphere shifted.
Not fear anymore.
Determination.
Because everyone here already understood sothing important:
The south had made a mistake.
Pressure only gave Lucien another problem to solve.
And Lucien enjoyed solving problems far too much.
Three days later.
The Frostpeak expedition departed north.
More than two hundred workers moved alongside engineers, guards, dwarven surveyors, and supply wagons as snowstorms rolled across the mountain roads ahead.
Cedric stared toward the frozen mountain range with visible disbelief.
"I truly hate this plan."
One dwarf snorted loudly beside him.
"You hate weather softer than spring rain."
"This weather stabbed yesterday."
"That was ice."
"Exactly."
Lucien ignored the conversation entirely while reviewing geological survey notes near the lead wagon.
According to abandoned kingdom records, Frostpeak contained:
iron deposits,
coal veins,
and traces of rare strengthening minerals.
Difficult extraction.
Excellent quality.
Perfect.
Ironbreaker(na of dwarf Good at exploring iron deposits) marched beside Lucien excitedly while holding several old mining docunts.
"The mountains here rich."
"They were abandoned."
"Humans weak."
Cedric imdiately looked offended.
"You know we can hear you, right?"
The dwarf shrugged.
"Good."
Normal dwarven diplomacy honestly.
The expedition continued upward through narrow mountain roads while heavy snowfall reduced visibility steadily.
And yet despite the conditions—
Morale remained strangely high.
Workers joked around campfires. Engineers argued about furnace designs. Soldiers competed over rifle accuracy during rest stops.
Nobody looked discouraged.
That alone surprised Lucien slightly.
Months ago most northern workers rely survived.
Now—
They believed in the future Elarion was building.
That difference mattered more than technology sotis.
By the fifth day, the expedition finally reached the abandoned Frostpeak mining settlent.
Or rather—
What remained of it.
Collapsed wooden structures stood buried beneath snow while broken mining towers leaned against the mountainside like ancient skeletons.
Cedric stared around the frozen ruins quietly.
"...Charming place."
A worker nearby looked confused.
"You think so?"
"No."
"Ah."
Lucien stepped through the abandoned site slowly while studying the surrounding terrain carefully.
The mountains here were rich.
He could feel it already.
Coal.
Iron.
And potential.
And unlike the south—
Nobody here could blockade mountains.
Gandalf suddenly knelt near an exposed rock formation before smashing it open with a hamr.
The dwarf examined the fractured ore briefly.
Then grinned widely.
"Rich vein."
Several dwarves nearby imdiately beca excited.
One shouted sothing incomprehensible in dwarven language.
Another nearly sprinted toward the survey equipnt.
Lucien allowed himself a small smile afterward.
Good.
Very good.
Lucas approached carefully through the snow while holding updated supply calculations.
"If extraction succeeds..."
"It will."
"...then southern alloy dependence drops significantly."
Lucien looked toward the mountain valley quietly.
Not imdiately.
But eventually—
Completely.
And once that happened—
The south would lose one of its few remaining ways to pressure Elarion economically.
Snow continued falling across Frostpeak while workers slowly began clearing ruins and establishing new camp foundations.
Far south in the capital, nobles believed they were tightening control over the north.
anwhile in the frozen mountains—
Elarion simply adapted.
Again.
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