The atmosphere at the banquet instantly stiffened.

Garrett wanted to say something, but he couldn’t articulate it. Biochemical environmental materials, the four major pitfalls, undertaking environmental pollution treatment is a perennially loss-making business...

Why should he ask the city lord to undertake this? Or rather, what benefits could he offer to persuade the city lord to do so?

It’s not just about interests, relationships, or coercion... Things don’t work that way.

Viscount Joann immediately rejected Garrett’s suggestion, and instantly regretted his impulsive remark. The impulsiveness of youth, without which, one could hardly be called young...

Such a blunt refusal might displease Mage Nordmark, wouldn’t it?

Oh no, he should have been more tactful... Perhaps he should have cried poor more convincingly? Talked more about his own difficulties?

"Um, Mage sir, it’s not that I don’t want to do this, the villagers are my people too, and it hurts me to see them suffer... but, but..."

His round, chubby face crumpled inward, instantly turning from a freshly steamed bun into an 18-pleated baozi. Every wrinkle on his face screamed poverty:

"If we don’t dump the wastewater directly, then what should we do? To clean those mining waters, I’d have to sink all my mine’s output into it, and it still wouldn’t be enough! — If it comes to that, I might as well not mine at all!"

Garrett remained silent. So this was the challenge of environmental management: when a company’s costs for pollution control exceed its total profits, what can you do?

Just shut down the operation?

That is indeed an option, but the question remains: who will address the local people’s employment, taxes, and economic issues?

Let alone in this world of exceptionally low productivity, many places in Garrett’s previous world followed the path of pollution first, treatment later.

The local government, the local people, do they really not know about the pollution?

It’s poverty!

"Besides, it’s not just my operation producing dirty water, that workshop over there discharges more than my mine! Even if my side is clean, their relentless discharge makes it pointless!"

This was true. From what Garrett had observed, the workshop nearby was enveloped in yellow smog, discharging untold amounts of sulfides. As for lead? Zinc? Cadmium?

The pollution from chemical production was certainly much more than just washing some ore!

Lord Joann didn’t mention that workshop, and Garrett thought to ask about it. Since it was brought up, he might as well inquire:

"Viscount sir, do you know who owns that workshop? Where do they sell their products, and what are they used for?"

Lord Joann knew this. Upon being asked, he counted off on his fingers, speaking confidently:

"That workshop is owned by Viscount Lest of the neighboring county, but I heard that the mages they worship also have a share. As for where the products are sold..."

The viscount stood up, picked up a pair of glass cups from a nearby shelf, and placed them in front of Garrett:

"Lead ingots, zinc ingots, and the like, just those places. As for their dyes, I heard they are sold to a glass workshop controlled by the Mage Tower. This pair of cups, they were a gift to me—"

Garrett focused his attention. Glass cups were not unusual, clear and transparent, just of normal quality. The only notable feature was the notably eye-catching prints on them:

Bright yellow, vivid blue, orange-red, fluorescent green. Each color was exceptionally vivid, turning slightly in his hand, almost making one suspect that the rainbow had descended to earth.

Especially that bright yellow, Garrett felt as if he had just seen it a few days ago. He pinched the cup with his thumb, the surface smooth and sleek. Clearly, the print was on the inside, not the outside.

"Could I pour some water into this?"

Garrett asked softly, an idea forming in his mind. Viscount Joann laughed heartily:

"No problem! Mage Nordmark, if you like, I’ll just give these cups to you!"

No need for gifts. Garrett poured more than half a cup of boiling water, covering all the prints, and pushed the cup aside. Then, he spoke slowly and quietly, negotiating with the city lord:

"This mine’s wastewater definitely needs to be treated. I’ve examined the water system’s flow; from the streams coming out of the mountains, directly entering the nearby largest Whit Lake, and Whit Lake’s water irrigates the surrounding dozens of miles. If left unattended..."

At this point, the viscount’s face turned sour. The fields around Whit Lake were the best farmland around, and half of the vis

count’s own farm was there.

Thinking of the future grains, vegetables, beef, and lamb all irrigated with that poisonous water?

Absolutely not!

"So what should we do? How much will it cost? Otherwise... shall we just close the mine?"

He asked a series of questions. Garrett sighed:

"That’s not necessary. Things like industrial wastewater treatment, I’ve seen similar projects in Nevis before. Simply put, it involves hardening drainage channels, directing the wastewater into plant pools for purification through plants."

With this, he proposed using concrete, writing a letter for the Mage Tower to seek authorization from the council to start a workshop; making money while robbing Peter to pay Paul;

Plant-based wastewater treatment, the Church of the Nature God in Nevis had technological expertise, and a letter could be written to inquire. They would likely be willing to help;

Leaving pollution management to the Church of the Nature God, the city hall only needed to contribute a little...

He explained everything clearly. Seeing Lord Joann nod repeatedly, it seemed action would be taken. Then, Garrett took a clean empty cup, picked up the previous printed glass cup, and poured the hot water inside—

A detection spell confirmed it: the water contained cadmium.

Great, long-term consumption, and one wouldn’t even know how they died.

Garrett slightly raised his eyebrows, smiling broadly.

"Speaking of which... that workshop, does it have a share from Viscount Lest’s side, and the Mage Tower?"

That very afternoon, Garrett rode his horse, Apa, rushing a hundred miles directly to Viscount Lest’s location in Cersil City. After wandering around the city for half the evening, the next day he directly visited the Mage Tower outside the city.

A person’s reputation, a tree’s shadow. Cersil City’s Mage Tower’s presiding mage, Belton Litz, was also someone who regularly read "Arcane" and "Magic," having seen Garrett’s name in the journals. Upon hearing it was him, the doors were immediately opened to welcome him.

Mage Litz, in terms of mage rank, was one level higher than Garrett but was twenty years his senior. Having been stationed outside for a long time, seeing a mage from Nevis like Garrett, he was extremely enthusiastic.

He personally welcomed Garrett at the Mage Tower’s front door, led him into the tower’s top guest hall, and they settled into their respective places, Belton hurriedly instructing his subordinates:

"Make tea! Bring that new block of tea I acquired! Boil milk, add sugar cubes, bring your papers..."

Garrett: "..." There was no need for all this...

The two conversed pleasantly. Garrett spoke of the latest academic research trends in Nevis, and Mage Litz spoke of the customs, special products of Lest County, engrossed. But when Garrett mentioned his request, Litz couldn’t help but show a troubled expression:

"This... managing wastewater is extremely costly, the workshop might operate at a loss. It would affect the Mage Tower’s performance evaluations, our research funding, this problem is rather large. And to be honest, that workshop isn’t solely owned by the Mage Tower, I can’t decide alone..."

Garrett silently pulled out a stack of papers. Glancing around, Litz, sensing the implication, dismissed the lower-ranked mages. Garrett laid down the papers, pushing them across the table:

"...Could you take a look at this first?"

Saying so, he flipped the papers around. Litz saw the title and involuntarily inhaled sharply:

“On the Hazards of Cadmium to Human Health”

The stack of papers was thick, with illustrations and text. Page by page, the contents were shocking: joint pain, bone pain, osteoporosis... liver damage, kidney damage...

Existing cases, histories of cadmium exposure, with the treatment effects of 【Detoxification - Cadmium】 confirming the existence of such damage...

Litz slightly bowed his head, quickly recalling if he had accidentally come into contact with this substance in his management of the workshop. After confirming he hadn’t, he relaxed a bit and continued reading:

"...Our use of cadmium dyes predates the discovery of this element. 【Dispersed Yellow】, this dye, to date, has been widely used in the production of glass, ceramics, paints."

Litz read up to here, involuntarily tilting his head slightly, glancing at the colorful glass window. This window, too, was a product of the glass workshop, related to those glass cups:

"And when used in the manufacture of glass, ceramic vessels, especially when containing hot water, cadmium may leach out, being ingested by the user..."

His expression changed subtly. And Garrett sat opposite, observing his reactions, quietly said:

"I bought several glass vessels in the city’s glass shop. Any with prints inside, when soaked in hot water, would leach out cadmium elements."

Litz’s forehead began to sweat slightly.

Glass vessels, especially printed ones, were generally unaffordable to ordinary people—customers were all from wealthy and powerful families. Letting them know that the glass cups sold by the Mage Tower were toxic?

"...What do you want?"

"I have a lot of work to do in Hartland City and won’t return to Nevis for half a month to a month. I will only submit this paper when I return to Nevis."

Garrett calmly answered. With this time, the glass workshop could remedy what needed to be remedied, recall what needed to be recalled, and should be roughly smoothed over. Seeing Litz nod rapidly, he suddenly smiled wryly:

"Also, I may not understand dyes... but dye flaking is likely a problem with the glass firing temperature. Increasing the temperature should solve it."

Saying this, he rummaged through his space bag, pulling out a stack of papers. Methods for treating smoke from the dye workshop; approximate methods for hardening channels and plant pools; a letter of introduction from Elder Elwin to the local Church of the Nature God...

The methods were there, the budget was there, the connections were there. The Mage Tower’s willingness, that should be there too. Pushing the workshop to treat pollution, that shouldn’t be too difficult now, right?

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