Whether the Industrial Age born from the union of magic and technology was merely empty rhetoric would require time to prove, but the flourishing development of the Black Oil Mine industrial district was plain for all to see.
"Using extracted crude black oil solely for burning is far too wasteful. With this distillation tower refinery, our use of black oil has risen to a new level." The refinery's guide was a beautiful lady.
That lady was none other than Lord Marcus's daughter, Malena.
Though already married, Malena was unwilling to stay home and serve her husband and raise children. Especially since her husband, Mickel, had not yet been granted a title and did not even own a manor. The management knowledge she had learned at the Furious Wind City Girls' Academy had been of no use at all.
So she had simply answered the lord's call and come out to find work where she could put her talents to use.
The refinery had an exhibition hall, and Malena was currently there, introducing the refinery's history of development to Russell and Mel.
"This is Black Jade Paste. Early Black Jade Paste was made by mixing black oil with wood impurities, and it could be used as a substitute for coal. Now, our refinery has worked with the Blackfire Scholarly Tower to develop a new generation of Black Jade Paste."
The new Black Jade Paste abandoned wood impurities in favor of an asphalt mixture for added hardening, greatly multiplying its effectiveness.
Malena then introduced several of the refinery's other products.
Kerosene was mainly used for household lighting, illuminating countless homes across the Blackfire Land; Liquefied Gas had not yet been fitted with suitable household gas canisters, so it was temporarily used as kiln fuel; Lubricating Oil was used to maintain equipment and