Chapter 21. Second Random Draw (1)
Kaang! Can-can!
The steel shovel moved.
Every time it moved, it reflected the hot spring sun.
I hit the head of the signboard with a noise of iron dust.
Cacan!
Finally, the sign was driven deep into the ground.
Only then did Lloyd stop shoveling and wipe the sweat from his forehead.
“Whoa.”
A gentle breeze stealing away drops of sweat.
The sunlight that makes you feel good just by basking in it.
There was even a sign standing right in front of my eyes.
A smile crept across Lloyd’s lips.
“How are you?”
his head turned
He looked at the silver-haired knight standing behind him.
Upon receiving his question, the silver-haired knight Xaviel asked back with a sullen look.
“What do you mean?”
“What? This is it.”
Lloyd’s hand pointed to the sign.
Xaviel’s eyes turned to the sign.
These words were written in large letters on the placard.
< Scheduled site for bituminous coal mine construction: Unauthorized farming is prohibited - Baek, son of the lord > Otherwise things will get complicated later.”
“How does it get complicated?”
“It’s common to plant peppers and cabbage.”
A bitter smile crept across Lloyd’s lips.
“The village grandmothers and aunts. If there is an empty land that you want to be okay, you plant lettuce, red pepper cabbage, and chives completely meticulously? But what if we have to start construction on that land?”
In fact, there were many such things in Korea.
Usually, in such cases, it is common to just push out a vegetable garden with a forklein.
In some cases, fines are imposed on grandmothers or aunts who tended the fields.
It was a pity indeed.
Of course, Lloyd had no intention of dealing with things like that here.
“What if I pushed the garden for construction? It’s nice to hear accusations of trampling on a farmer’s precious field. It’s good to hear the tyrant. My image, which I thought I had built up a little better recently? Flying to Hellgate, Good Morning while doing the lamprey ascending dance. Very.”
“…In short, it means facing criticism.”
“huh. That’s it.”
Lloyd grinned.
It was these days when he began to gain the trust of the local people.
But I didn’t want to lose it over a trivial dispute.
“Anyway, construction will start soon. Digging here, making tunnels and digging bituminous coal.”
“If bituminous coal, you mean coal?”
“huh. Do you know me well?”
“Yes, a little.”
Xaviel nodded.
“I know that it is a black stone coming out of the ground. It crumbles well, but they say it is much better firewood than firewood.”
“huh. that’s right. I’ll get it here.”
“You mean bituminous coal is buried here?”
“uh.”
Lloyd laughed.
“Looking at the records, it turns out that during the time of the former lord, he tried to build a mine twice in this area, but failed? The ground collapsed because the ground was soft.”
It was a fact mentioned in the novel Iron Blood Knight.
Suddenly, the contents of the novel came to mind.
Lloyd’s father, Baron Arcos Frontera.
In the novel, he ends up committing suicide while suffering from debt pressure.
Just before hanging himself like that, he complains like a sigh.
If Matthias Frontera, the lord of his predecessor, had succeeded in developing the mine, there would not have been a tragedy like today.
Of course, Lloyd remembered those references in the novel properly.
So it was.
It was from the beginning when he decided to develop the manor.
The mine development of this mountain was engraved on the planner as an essential course.
Of course, I didn’t forget to check in the middle of the day.
The surveying skill that had recently risen to an intermediate level was helpful in checking the veins.
If you activate the surveying skill, you can grasp all the space from the ground to 5 meters underground.
It was possible to grasp all of the bedrock and the presence or absence of the constituent mineral veins of the groundwater.
‘It would be nice if it could be scanned deeper.’
From what I’ve researched so far, this is the best place.
So paved roads were laid.
It was to smoothly move the coal dug up in the mine.
“That coal will be the food line for our estate for the time being. Besides, it will be the most efficient way to prevent the firewood crisis that will begin this winter.”
“A firewood crisis?”
“We’re going to run out of firewood. Because of the ondol room I’m building these days. This is not a prophecy, but an inevitability and certainty.”
Lloyd shrugged.
his words continued.
“Gudeul-style heating is kind of like that. Instead of being hot, it consumes a lot of firewood. After all, it heats the entire floor of the house, not just the kitchen, like a fireplace. Thanks to this, forest resources are consumed so much. To put it simply, in a few years this area will be a bare mountain.”
“Did you cut down too many trees for firewood?”
“huh.”
“then….”
“Did you anticipate the damage? of course.”
Lloyd’s smile darkened slightly.
“Who am I? He is the one who designed the ondol heating system. Of course, I expected this much. After halfway through this winter, everyone will start to feel it. The fact that the firewood we prepared since fall will not be enough.”
“So you fooled everyone?”
“I?”
“That’s right.”
Xaviel’s voice grew cold.
“These are the local residents who believed in Lloyd and demolished the fireplace and installed the ondol. But if we run out of firewood, we will spend half of the remaining winter shivering in the cold.”
“That’s right.”
“Then Lloyd-sama cheated on them?”
“Um, that’s not it.”
“if….”
“I will sell coal.”
“You mean the villagers?”
“huh. Coal is the best firewood if you can mine it. I can’t get enough of it without buying it.”
That was Lloyd’s plan.
Ondol heating is supplied to the estate.
As the supply rate increases, firewood becomes scarce.
Ondol’s inherent disadvantage of excessive consumption of firewood will be highlighted.
At that point, the stockpiled coal is sold to the villagers.
1st profit from ondol construction.
It is like earning a secondary profit from coal sales.
‘What if the ondol construction is expanded to neighboring estates? All you have to do is export the coal to another territory.’
Ondol and coal.
The double wagon of the two revenues will be a great help in resolving Youngji’s debt.
At the thought, Lloyd’s smile grew even more hearty.
On the other hand, Xaviel’s expression when he saw Lloyd hardened.
“Could Lloyd-sama have taken all of this into consideration in advance?”
“huh.”
“Since when have you been like that?”
“From the beginning. From the time I went to the bar owner with you, apologized, and signed the contract for the first ondol room.”
“….”
“If you have something to say, say it. Do not curse with your eyes.”
“Can I?”
“huh.”
Lloyd nodded.
Xaviel said as if he had been waiting.
“You are a wicked human being.”
“It’s better than being naive.”
“So I hate it.”
“I?”
“yes.”
“But what should I do?”
“What do you mean?”
“The person you hate is giving you a good night’s sleep every night.”
“….”
“So you hate the lullaby service?”
“….”
“boy. to worry about. You can see the eyes rolling.”
“….”
“If you fix your gaze after listening to Mr. Ajo, it’s too obvious.”
“….”
“Open your eyes, man. I won’t make fun of you.”
“….”
“To be at ease. Be cute.”
“I am….”
“it’s okay. I’m not going to stop the lullaby service, so don’t whimper like a puppy that wants to poop.”
…I am not a puppy!
Xaviel almost shouted without realizing it.
However, Lloyd’s words that came out first interrupted his cry.
“Well, I can roughly understand why you are taking school now. They must think that I am cleverly deceiving and taking advantage of everyone. My attitude must have felt mean. I know everything. I won’t deny it. But what do you do? We have to save our estate for now.”
Lloyd’s evil smile turned a little bitter.
“Isn’t that it? To be honest, did you think money wasn’t everything in the world when you were young? But as I got older, I realized it was an illusion. There is nothing more important than money. Money is a much better thing than I vaguely imagined in my childhood.”
“Lord Lloyd, but….”
“that’s right. Anyway, money can’t buy happiness. Still, if you have money, you can be happier. So, let’s make some money even if it’s a bit petty and mean. Let’s pay off some of the debt accumulated in the manor. huh?”
“….”
Xaviel closed his mouth.
The moment he realized Lloyd’s plan, the intense disgust subsided.
Lloyd Frontera speaks with a self-deprecating smile at himself.
It was because those eyes seemed to say so.
‘I eat curses. criticism? finger pointing? I’ll take it.’
So just close your eyes and follow me.
It seemed to say so.
“….”
this person in front of you.
He is a human being who was thought to be an unanswerable fool.
From time to time, it often embarrasses people.
Even now.
But I didn’t hate it all that much.
‘Though the method is nasty and awkward.’
Looking back, there were many cases in which that person was right as a result.
He helped complete the dark heart method.
Revealed Lord Neumann’s betrayal.
So what now?
Perhaps he was preparing a stepping stone for the great leap of the territory.
“All right.”
Xaviel smiled involuntarily.
He spoke frankly to Lloyd.
“Let me admit it.”
Lloyd, his escort target.
I looked at him with sincere eyes.
Lloyd also looked directly at me.
I tilted my head.
“Are you admitting it? Do you have any plans for me?”
“Yes, of course.”
“What are you misunderstanding right now?”
“yes?”
“I never really asked for your approval or permission, did I?”
“….”
“Right. I am the lord’s son. Why do I need your approval when I am digging a mine?”
“….”
“So put your misconceptions aside. Will you keep me out of here? Let’s do some measurements.”
Xaviel’s graceful face crumpled.
Lloyd laughed mischievously.
As expected, Xaviel is a guy who is fun to tease.
♣
It was from that day.
Lloyd had been clinging to the mine construction site all day.
I surveyed the surroundings and analyzed the environment.
Two previous mine construction attempts.
Two cases of failure that occurred in a row like that.
A construction plan was drawn up according to the case.
‘There is no answer in the traditional way of drilling. It’s time consuming and, above all, too dangerous.’
Coincidentally, there was a record of past construction failures in the library of the mansion.
Upon inspection, it was recorded that both times the traditional drilling method was used.
‘They say they moved forward while splitting rocks by heating and then cooling them down.’
That was the traditional rock breaking method.
What if a large rock comes out while digging?
Workers set fire to rocks.
Heat the rock very hot.
Pour cold water into it.
A sudden temperature change is then applied to the heated rock.
The rock splits along the grain.
It will be easy to break.
‘It was that way at first. But I couldn’t advance even 30 meters. The tunnel collapsed. Both turns.’
Of course, all the hapless workers were buried.
Because of this, Lloyd’s grandfather, Baron Mathias Frontera, gave up building the mine.
‘The reason is simple. It’s because the ground is soft.’
Accidents are bound to happen if the properties of the soft ground are not properly grasped.
According to his understanding, the mountain’s foundation was a kind of soft ground in the form of a mixture of some rocks and loose soil.
Therefore, it was essential to mobilize custom construction methods for the environment.
“So I’m going to try using the shield method.”
“Shield technique?”
It was during dinner.
Lloyd held out a piece of paper to the baron across the table.
“Maybe I was thinking about it. Here is a conceptual diagram that simply shows the shield method.”
“It’s a concept.”
The baron’s eyes turned to the concept map.
Lloyd’s explanation continued.
“To put it simply, a cylindrical frame made of steel is called a shield. A worker enters the shield. Dig up dirt and rocks. In the meantime, the shield itself withstands the pressure of the shaft and prevents it from collapsing.”
“Hmm, is it a kind of shield and support?”
“That’s right. Have you ever heard of a shipworm clam?”
“Have a stomach…Wormshell?”
“yes.”
“Explain it.”
“A roughage is an animal that is a distant relative of squid and snails. It is also a nasty guy who gnaws at the bottom of a wooden boat and makes holes.”
“But what does that animal have to do with this project?”
“He’s the one who provided the idea for the shield construction method.”
Lloyd smiled.
It was true.
In fact, in the mid-1800s, the construction of the Thames Tunnel through the River Thames in London, England was carried out in this way.
An engineer named Mark Brunel, who designed the Thames Tunnel at the time, developed a new construction method after seeing the ecology of the ship silverfish and getting an idea.
That was the shield technique.
“The ship silverfish pierces the wood of the bottom of the ship with its shield-like shell. Wood, however, swells when water is absorbed. Then, the hole dug is narrowed, and the shipworm clam gets stuck in the tree hole it made and dies. To prevent this, the shipworm digs a hole and at the same time smears secretions on the inner surface of the tunnel. It prevents the hole from narrowing as the secretion hardens. The shield method is the same.”
Lloyd pointed to the concept map.
“The shield works like a silverfish’s shield. Protect workers. It acts as a vanguard to dig a hole. In this way, workers form groups within the shield. Some dig holes and others install in real time the equipment that will prevent the shaft from collapsing.”
“Like the worm smears its secretion on the inside of the hole to keep it from ruining it?”
“yes.”
“Then, it means that the process of digging and reinforcing the hole is carried out at the same time while moving forward little by little.”
“That’s an almost accurate summary.”
Lloyd explained the construction plan in a bit more detail.
The baron listened to Lloyd’s words.
Meanwhile, the Baron was very interested.
Coal is an excellent source of firewood.
If you can dig it up, it’s money.
The baron, burdened by a huge amount of debt, couldn’t help but flinch.
In addition, the new construction method proposed by Lloyd also felt plausible.
Finally, the baron gave permission for the construction.
“Feel so good. But there is one condition.”
“What is?”
“During the construction, I don’t want you to go into the shaft.”
“Are you afraid it will be dangerous?”
“of course.”
The baron’s answer became firm.
“Wouldn’t it be perfectly safe just because there was a new method?”
“But that is difficult.”
“why?”
“If I don’t go in, what kind of worker will believe in the safety of the new method and try to work?”
“….”
“In addition, we have to keep an eye on changes in the situation and environment at the site every moment. That way, accidents can be prevented.”
“but….”
“I promise you. You will be safe.”
“haha.”
After that, rumors continued.
But it was Lloyd who was more stubborn.
In the face of that stubbornness, the baron finally raised his hands.
That’s how the mine construction work was decided.
However, Lloyd did not immediately start construction.
It was because there was something to prepare before this construction.
waited for the night to come
I put Xaviel to sleep.
I went out to the backyard gymnasium in the middle of the night.
The system window has been called up.
Opened the ‘Phantom Species Random Draw’ menu.
‘Ppodongie can’t be used for this project. It’s rather dangerous because it’s too big to dig a tunnel. But it would take a long time to dig a mine with only human power.’
The longer the construction period, the more money it costs.
The shield construction method only makes the construction safer.
I couldn’t really speed up the construction.
Therefore, to shorten the construction period and save construction costs, competent workers were needed.
‘If possible, it would be better if it was a guy with abilities related to digging tunnels.’
Lloyd thought so and launched the ‘Random Draw’ menu.
There was quite a bit of RP left after using it last time.
[Random draw cost (2nd round) = 70 RP]
[Currently owned RP: 119]
[Do you want to run a random draw?]
[YES / NO]
I selected ‘YES’.
[Phantom species random drawing is executed.]
Faaaaaa…!
Pale light colored the space.
A complicated magic circle was engraved and the space fluctuated.
Unfamiliar silhouettes began to appear in the turbulent space.
A new fantasy species that finally reveals its identity.
Lloyd’s eyes widened at the sight.
