He let her finish, before giving an noncommittal shrug. "That is your call ma'am. I am just doing my job and making my handler, you and your daughter, aware of our options and problems, as well as possible courses of action. However, it wouldn't be immediately lethal to anyone but those stupid enough to wander into a burning mine. It took seven years before the issue became large enough to raise concerns. Mostly, they will be denied the mine. It will take nearly two decades before the damage is significant enough to begin effecting the land above the mine, maybe longer depending on the mine or mines' location.<br/><br/>Also, good to know that, however I was trained to identify, confirm, and then suggest mitigating or reducing solutions for that problem, so I can suggest things that are morally bankrupt but would solve the problem. It depends on how fast do you want to win, and how much damage to your public relations is acceptable. But back to your last question, personally, I think one coal mine would not significantly impact the surrounding environmental area enough to damage anything, since most of them would be several miles under the ground due to the mountainous terrain. I also do not think we have quite reached the point where that is required, but am concerned that by the time it is, one mine fire will not be enough, and if that course of action is taken, I might be required to set as many as possible on fire, which would be a far greater threat. We need time to maneuver and begin countering them, and a fire is one of the fastest ways to get them to run away and stay away until it ends."<br/><br/>He pulled out the PDA, and looked over the information for a moment, before continuing with a frown. "I don't have the file with me to refresh my memory, but I<em>believe</em>coal is required to refine iron into steel. Hence my suggestion to hit their coal mines. An earthquake would have a similar but shorter lived effect on their production, despite the fact it will be much more obvious to anyone with the ability to detect magic."<br/><br/>He refilled his plate, and took another bite, savoring the meal this time. "The reason I asked about Sapphire is because I need some information from Bahamut. When I was making her, SOMETHING grabbed my spell to create a construct, and added all the nerves and veins and connected them all, as well as the micro muscles, internal bacteria that assists in digestion and a thousand other little things like that. I didn't realize I was actually creating life rather than a magical construct that would exist just long enough to destroy the mage."<br/><br/>She was smart, and should see what he was getting at immediately.