Building a Modern Nation in a Fantasy World

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Alice's Confrontation

"Are you sure it's sulfur this time?" Arthur asked, his gaze sharp. "Last time, you brought me limonite."

At the mention of his past mistake, the man's face reddened slightly, but he quickly composed himself. "I can't say with absolute certainty, Your Majesty," he admitted. "But this time, we found it near a hot spring—just as you mentioned. Sulfur is often found in volcanic regions or near hot spring, so the chances are high."

Reaching into his pocket, the man carefully pulled out a small, rough crystal with a distinct yellow hue. He held it out for Arthur to inspect.

Arthur took the crystal, rubbing it between his fingers. It crumbled slightly, leaving a faint, pungent odor—the unmistakable smell of sulfur.

A slow smile formed on Arthur's lips. Finally, they found sulphur. I don't know why sulphur are so dam rare in this world but on earth it is one of the most common elements. Luckily, I started to assigned them to find sulphur as soon as I started to create potassium nitrate.

"Well done. This is exactly what I was looking for," he said. "Where did you find it?"

The man straightened slightly, his voice filled with a mix of excitement and pride. "We discovered it in the Oakstead region, Your Majesty."

Arthur's expression turned thoughtful. Unlike other regions, Oakstead was the farthest from Edoria, a remote and sparsely populated land where two-thirds of the territory was dense forest. Few people lived there, and even fewer ever traveled beyond it.

In this kingdom, most common folk rarely ventured beyond the small regions they were born in. With no public transport and the high cost of carriages and horses, travel was a luxury reserved for merchants, nobles, soldiers, and the rare few seeking better opportunities elsewhere. For the average villager, the world beyond their homeland was little more than a distant tale.

"Is sulfur rare there?" Arthur asked.

The man shook his head. "Actually, it seems to be quite abundant. At first, we focused our search in the nearest regions to Eldoria, but we had little luck. Then, by chance, one of our search teams spoke with a local from Oakstead who left his hometown to work in Ironhearth. When we described what we were looking for, he mentioned that there were plenty of 'crystals' like this throughout Oakstead."

Arthur's grip on the stone tightened slightly. Great, sulphur is not rare, which is even better for me.

A slow smirk formed on his lips.

"Interesting," he murmured. "Very interesting."

Arthur turned back to the man, his expression firm. "Send word to our search teams. I want a detailed survey of Oakstead's sulfur deposits. And have a report prepared on the region's population, terrain, and potential trade routes."

He paused before adding, "Also, bring more sulfur as soon as possible. The sooner we secure a steady supply, the better."

The man bowed deeply. "Yes, Your Majesty." Then, without hesitation, he turned and hurried off to carry out Arthur's orders.

Arthur took a final glance at the yellow crystal in his hand before wrapping it carefully in a piece of cloth and tucking it into his pocket.

After that Arthur resumed his original task and made his way to the workshop to check on the progress of the Linotype. Since he had already inspected it earlier that morning, he wasn't expecting much change. As expected, the craftsmen were working diligently, their movements precise and focused. The progress was steady, and the machine was coming together piece by piece.

Arthur spent some time in the workshop, observing their work and asking a few pointed questions before deciding he had seen enough for the day. Satisfied, he left and made his way back to his chamber.

However, as he approached his chamber, his steps slowed. Alice was waiting by the door, unaware of his approach, her arms crossed as she stared ahead.

Arthur exhaled through his nose, resisting the urge to sigh aloud. What now? Is she waiting for me?

It was already past five in the evening, and all he wanted was a quiet moment alone—to read the finance reports, review the latest updates from his ministers, and go over the documents from various departments. But more than that, now that he had all the ingredients for gun powder, he was eager to experiment and make a small batch for himself. Thus he had neither the patience nor the desire for another round of skepticism or questioning.

Maybe I should just go to the library instead? he mused.

With that thought, he subtly shifted his course, intending to bypass Alice entirely and head toward the library. However, before he could take more than a few steps, Alice caught on. She stepped forward, cutting off his path with a determined look.

"Arthur, I need to talk to you. Privately."

Arthur clenched his jaw. Of course she does.

He exhaled slowly, forcing himself to maintain a neutral expression. "I'm busy. Can we talk tomorrow?"

"No," Alice said firmly. "I need to talk to you now."

Arthur's patience thinned. His mind boiled with frustration. Why can't she just leave me alone? Can't she see I don't want to talk right now? Can't she read the damn room?

But on the outside, Arthur's expression remained composed. Instead of letting his irritation show, he pulled on a well-practiced, polite smile. "Of course. Why don't we discuss this inside my chamber?"

Without waiting for her response, he turned, opened the door, and stepped inside, leaving it open for her to follow.

Alice hesitated for a brief moment before entering, her eyes scanning the room as the door clicked shut behind her. The room was messy but not in the way she had imagined.

Alice had expected the stench of alcohol, empty bottles strewn across the floor, and the suffocating air of a man drowning in self-destruction. After all, that was the Arthur she had known—reckless, drunk, and utterly useless.

But this? This was different.

Scattered across the floor were crumpled sheets of paper and some parchment, some with half-finished sketches, others covered in scribbled notes. The desk was buried under stacks of books, ranging from politics to engineering books of the current world, and loose papers filled with strange diagrams. Maps of Keldoria, documents on trade policies, even economic reports—things she never would have imagined Arthur so much as glancing at, let alone studying.

She stepped forward cautiously, her gaze sweeping over the organized chaos as she thought. This isn't the room of a man wasting away—this is the room of someone obsessed.

Arthur moved toward his desk, shifting a few papers aside to make space. "I know what you're thinking," he said, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Alice crossed her arms. "Do you?"

"You expected to find me passed out in a pile of empty bottles." He glanced at her with amusement. "But as you can see, I've upgraded from being a drunk mess to being a workaholic mess."

Alice didn't laugh. She bent down, picking up one of the discarded sketches. It was a rough blueprint of some kind of device—one she couldn't quite make sense of. "What is all this?"

Arthur took the paper from her hand, briefly glancing at it before tossing it back onto the desk. "Ideas."

"For what?"

He leaned against the desk, arms crossed. "For the future."

Alice frowned, glancing between him and the scattered papers. "You're not just being cryptic to annoy me, are you?"

Arthur didn't bother responding to the jab. His expression hardened, his usual smirk fading as he leveled her with a serious look. "Enough games. What is it that you needed to talk about so urgently that it couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

The air in the room shifted.

Alice's eyes darkened with suspicion as she took a slow step back. Then, without warning, she raised her hand and chanted a spell under her breath. A fireball flared to life, crackling in midair as she pointed it directly at him. @@novelbin@@

"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice cold and unwavering. "I've been watching you. I've asked around. And everything I've seen today only confirms what I already suspected—you are nothing like the useless, talentless bastard of a brother I once knew."

"So I'll ask you again," she continued, her gaze piercing into his. "Who are you? And what happened to the real Arthur?"

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not part of the story

Bonus Chapter as promised!

I've also decided to sign a contract with Webnovel, so I'll likely be uploading at least one Chapter a day—sometimes more. I truly appreciate all the readers who have stuck with the story and read every Chapter up to this point. Your support means a lot!

And to those coming from RR or SH, thank you for following the story here as well. Your continued support and readership are deeply deeply appreciated.

Hope you all enjoy the story.