Gandalf had never been so harsh in his criticism of Roland as he is today.

He's always scoffed at alchemy, and he didn't sleep well all night after knowing that Rick was here last night, and he's going to die today.

Luo Lan smiled wryly.

"I say, Gandalf, I command you, obey the command, and watch for another month. If, after a month, you still think alchemy is harmful, I'll expel Rick. ”

Luo Lan didn't talk nonsense, he gave the conditions.

Gandalf was a little surprised, he thought for a while and got up.

"Your Highness, please forgive me for being rude. I just don't want you to go down the wrong path. You are the eldest prince of Hailing Kingdom, as long as you govern Phuket Island well, you will definitely be able to go back and become a king. Now that you've invited Rick, I'm afraid you'll make a mistake. ”

"I know that you are not only my courtier, but also my elder. In a month's time, we'll decide how to stay with Rick. ”

Gandalf agreed.

Luo Lan smiled slightly, and caught up with Gandalf with the team.

Bina in the carriage lifted the curtain and looked, "Luo Lan, what's wrong with you?" Was there a quarrel just now"?

"No, no, Gandalf said I should marry a wife, what a gossip man."

Luo Lan laughed, and the guards around him laughed. Gandalf, who was unhappy, couldn't help but say, "Yes, it's time for Your Highness to marry a wife, I don't know if Barrett's sister likes His Highness or not."

"I sure like it, she looks at the prince's palace from time to time when she's overseeing the work."

"The prince is going to propose!"

The guards coaxed and rushed to match Luo Lan and Ellie, and it was estimated that Ellie would be angry when she heard it.

Luo Lan smiled but said nothing, motioning for everyone to speed up.

Bina lowered the curtain and gently pinched her fingers.

In a cheerful atmosphere, the convoy drove through the vast northern plains and arrived in the jungles of the west coast three days later.

The terrain ahead was in vain, and the mountains were endless, but these mountains were not high, not even half the southern mountains.

On the land, some abandoned roads can be faintly seen. These roads are mostly stone roads rather than the usual rammed earth roads.

The convoy came all the way to the West Coast, and the speed was very fast, thanks to these stone roads, otherwise it might have taken more than ten days.

Twenty years ago, the aristocratic mining movement connected the roads on the west coast to Phuket City, and although it is deserted now, it is still usable, and even the roads here are better than those in Phuket City.

Luo Lan is very satisfied, the traffic on the west coast is still there, and it is completely possible to transport minerals to Phuket City, which can form a complete mineral trading market.

"Into the mountains!"

Luo Lan gave an order, and Barrett took the lead in leading his troops into the mountains to clear the barricades and wild beasts.

Two carriages also entered the mountains.

As soon as you enter the mountains, there are more traces left by the mining movement of 20 years ago.

There are high piles of earth and stones in many places, many of the nearby mountains have been hollowed out, and there are even broken tools on the ground.

The deeper you go, the more obvious the traces of mining are, and there are more caves, whether it is a mountain mine or a land mine, all of them are pitch black, and the entrance is desolate and desolate.

The group stopped in a clearing that was supposed to be a canyon but was destroyed by the mining movement, and the land was nothing but weeds but dirt and stones.

Gandalf put aside his preconceptions about Rick for a moment, and he made his way through the canyon with his experience.

"It's all hollowed out, and there are all kinds of stones, but there's no gold or iron."

Gandalf gave Luo Lan an analysis, and Rick, who couldn't contain his excitement, had already run to check the mine.

The guards lit torches and protected Rick into the cave.

Luo Lan was also very excited, because he saw black gravel on the surface of the land, which seemed to be coal.

Ever since yesterday she learned that blacksmiths were still using wood to make fire, Luo Lan's mind had become active. If there is coal on the West Coast, then it is developed itself.

He hurriedly dug a pit in the ground with the shovel he carried with him.

Bina came over to look at him, "What are you digging up the dirt for?" If you want to dig it, you have to dig it in the mine."

Luo Lan was silent, and after a few shovels went down, the soil on the surface was completely dug open, revealing a hard stone that was pitch black.

These stones are linked together like solidified sponges, which are very different from ordinary stones.

Moreover, it is easy to shovel out the particles with a shovel, and the shovel is stained black.

When he saw the whole picture of these black stones, Luo Lan couldn't help but exclaim: "It's really coal!" Open-pit coal! ”

Luo Lan dropped the shovel and squatted down to stroke the black stone, he almost jumped up with excitement.

What is Coal? It is one of the largest energy sources in the development history of human beings on earth for thousands of years, and coal has been used in the Spring and Autumn Period of China, and various derivatives have been produced. In the 21st century, coal remains one of the most widespread sources of energy.

Bina looked at the excited Luo Lan in confusion, "What coal?" This is a black stone, it is found in many places, and it is not valuable."

Blackstone?

The people of this world have known about the existence of coal for a long time? Also named Blackstone?

Luo Lan couldn't help but be surprised, he pointed to the coal and said, "You know this thing? Then why don't you use it, the blacksmiths in Phuket City still use charcoal, and no one uses blackstone. ”

Faced with Luo Lan's doubts, Bina gave an explanation.

It turns out that as early as fifty years ago, some people in the northern country used blackstone, and that era was the golden age of alchemists, and blackstone was also initially used.

Unfortunately, however, a small northern kingdom used more than a dozen pots of black stone for a royal dinner. At that time, it was freezing cold, and everyone in the royal family ate meat and drank wine in the palace, and as a result, everyone died mysteriously overnight.

That country was already small, and it was in a cruel northern country, and after the death of the royal family, it was occupied by other countries in just half a month, hundreds of thousands of civilians were reduced to slavery, tens of thousands of people were slaughtered, and the sound of wailing continued all night.

This is the famous Blackstone Destruction Incident in history. According to the Church's investigation, the black stone will emit the smell of the devil, causing the soul of a person to be eroded, and those who are recruited will surely die.

And the black stone was popularized and used by alchemists, and it was popular among the nobles of the north for a while, but people often died inexplicably. In addition, at that time, the notoriety of alchemists had spread, and the church began to suppress alchemists.

Various events fermented and broke out together, and finally the alchemists were ruthlessly abandoned, most of the alchemists in the north were killed, and the alchemists in the south also became street rats.

Bina said in detail, and Luo Lan showed an expression of "what the hell" after hearing it.

The murder in Blackstone is not carbon monoxide poisoning, and burning charcoal in a closed palace is simply suicide.

People can't understand charcoal burning. The principle of suicide, so he became angry with the alchemist and avoided the black stone.

Coupled with the church's encouragement, Blackstone was thrown into the cold palace.

This is simply destroying the future of the energy development of the Nuolan Continent.

Luo Lan couldn't help but sigh in her heart, the power of the church in this world is too big, and it is already big enough to influence the trend of the development of the world.

In the European medieval era on Earth, religious rights were also great, but they were definitely not so exaggerated, and the countries of Europe had the right to develop science.

And the right of the world to develop science has almost been obliterated by the church.

"Blackstone is a good thing, as long as the window is open when it burns, it's fine."

Luo Lan picked up a piece of coal, and sighed with uncontrollable excitement.

Bina looked dazed, and Gandalf came running over at this point.

"Your Highness, don't touch the black stone, this is an ominous thing in the earth, everyone knows that it is the scourge of the earth, and there will be no gold where there are pieces of it."

Gandalf was afraid that Luo Lan would be contaminated by the blackstone, and he knew that the miners tried to avoid it when they encountered it.

Luo Lan sneered, and was about to explain the correct use of coal, when Rick, who was in the mine not far away, ran out excitedly.

"I have found a lot of useful ores, Your Highness, please send someone to repair the mine here, I also need a blacksmith, and also, transport wood as soon as possible, without wood you can't make gold."

Rick was impatient, Luo Lan picked up a piece of coal and smiled: "Mr. Rick, why are you still using wood?" It's full of the best fuel. ”

Everyone was shocked, and Rick's face changed slightly, "Your Highness, blackstone can indeed burn, but it will make people die unconsciously, many alchemists are greedy for convenience and firepower, and they are using blackstone, and as a result, many people die silently."

That's because the alchemist is alchemizing gold in a cave, and carbon monoxide can't be emitted.

Luo Lan thought for a moment and asked, "Mr. Rick, if you can solve the problem of killing people with black stone, are you willing to use black stone?" ”

"What? Can you fix this? ”

Rick was taken aback, he was a veteran of alchemists, and he knew Blackstone well, so he naturally knew that if he could solve the problem of Blackstone's silent killing, then this fuel would definitely bring the development of alchemy to a new peak!

The key to alchemy lies in refining, and refining requires fuel, and harmless blackstone is undoubtedly the best fuel!