Chapter 4. Model House, Open (3)
“Isn’t it very hot?”
Wrinkled hands caress the floor.
I tried pressing it with the palm of my hand as if it were strange, and then turned it over and put the back of my hand on it.
A surprising expression immediately comes to mind.
Even the cushions were put aside.
I rubbed my ass on the sizzling floor of the room.
A satisfied smile bloomed on the white old woman’s lips.
“good. very good.”
He was an old man with some dementia.
That’s why he was more honest.
At the old man’s words, the tavern owner turned around.
A satisfied smile was on his face.
“Your mother likes you a lot, young boy.”
“yes?”
“yes.”
“So what did I say? You made it hot. Ondol room.”
Lloyd shrugged.
thank god.
The ondol room was a huge success.
It was still a cool morning in early spring.
The spring cold was in full swing, so it was chilly outside.
However, the inside of the ondol room where the fire was lit was different.
The floor is sizzling.
Even the air is hot.
The tavern owner had taken off his coat.
“Did you see the fire started earlier? You can light a fire in the fireplace outside the door. If you smoke it properly once, the heat will last for two days. It really doesn’t cool down better than it looks.”
“Two days?”
If you light a fire once, it lasts for two days.
At those words, the tavern owner’s eyes widened.
Lloyd laughed.
“You’ll know if what I’m saying is true when you test it.”
“Of course I believe.”
“okay?”
“yes. Umm, can I be more honest?”
“try.”
“Actually, I thought the young master was cheating.”
“I? scam?”
“yes. I never imagined you would really make something like this.”
…what would have been
If you think about it again, Lloyd Frontera was a man like a dog.
I’ve never served anyone in my life.
There was no relationship with life for others.
So the tavern owner wouldn’t have believed it either.
“But contrary to my thoughts, you really made such a wonderful ondol. I swear, this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this.”
“okay?”
“yes. I don’t know how to thank you because my mother loves it. It’s really ondol.”
…Are you watching the mother-in-law?
The gukppong here is vigorously fluttering.
A cough came out of my mouth at the soaring embarrassment.
“Hmm, thank you. It’s a contract anyway.”
“A contract.”
“okay. contract.”
Anyway, this was a transaction that was carried out by mutual agreement.
This one builds an ondol room.
The owner writes off the compensation for the damaged furniture.
“But this ondol room…I think it will be worth a lot more than broken furniture. Master, please wait a moment.”
What did the owner think?
Soon after, the owner, who had been to the bar, had a leather pouch in his hand.
“Please take more of this.”
“What is this?”
“This is my little courtesy.”
Iron gruck.
A pocket that sits on the floor.
A heavy sound of coins flowed from it.
It was cash.
“Ouch, what are all these….”
Of course, Lloyd quickly grabbed the coin bag.
Instead, as a service, he secretly threw a tip (?) for using an ondol room.
“See the window here? Open the windows slightly at night or early in the morning when it gets a bit cooler. Let the cold air in. Then heat the ondol at maximum heat and cover it with a blanket. Roaming around in it, forgetting tangerines, or eating baked potatoes or sweet potatoes. Then do you know what happens?”
“What happens?”
“The air is cool and your buttocks are warm. You will understand why the cold current and the warm current meet to form a landscaping water and become a golden fishery.”
“….”
The owner tilts his head.
Receiving his greeting, I left the ondol room.
There were a lot of onlookers around.
All residents of this territory.
They were still looking at each other and sighing among themselves.
They were showing a bit of confusion and quite a bit of curiosity at the same time.
‘of course.’
A smile came out without me knowing.
Rumors and rumors that had been circulating about him recently came to mind.
The baron, Bocchan, is crazy.
Are you digging a grave for suicide?
You said you lied to the bar owner?
There were no good rumors.
However, the ondol room was completed in front of everyone.
All the rumors that had been circulating were denied right in front of their eyes.
‘So you’d be more curious. It looks like a building was built, but you can’t even guess what kind of building it’s used for or why the owner likes it so much.’
In fact, it was Lloyd who deliberately stood by as rumors spread.
He had no reason to stop the rumors.
no, it was rather good.
‘Because it’s publicity.’
Advertising was important.
Publicity is life.
The builder was no exception.
It was even more so in Korea.
Even if you build an apartment, you start with advertisements.
Broadcast advertisements and leaflets, outdoor advertisements and telemarketing were the basics.
Internet and social media viral advertisements were also an obvious option.
They used every means imaginable.
‘They hit the ads like that and attract aggro. Thanks to that, people gather like clouds on the opening day of the model house.’
As a result, applications for sale are lined up.
It will become a so-called business.
Lloyd still thought the same.
‘Thanks to the rumors, I didn’t spend a single advertisement fee and this much people gathered. Opportunities like this aren’t common.’
Even now, residents look down on this side.
A hundred seemed more than enough.
In Lloyd’s eyes, they didn’t look like Yeongjimin.
potential contributors.
In other words, it looked like a customer who would give money to this side.
‘Then, the model house is now open.’
He stood in front of the onlookers.
Everyone’s eyes gathered.
I cleared my throat.
“Are you all curious? What have I made?”
“….”
Of course, no one answered.
Everyone just rolls their eyeballs and looks at them.
Lloyd grinned.
It’s not bad.
This is an expected reaction.
Then there is no need for long words.
“Then you’ll find out if you go in order and check for yourself.”
He strode toward the people.
I grabbed the sleeve of the woman in the front.
I took the whitened woman to the ondol room.
‘Because word-of-mouth starts with the women in the neighborhood.’
With the consent of the owner of the tavern, he gave me a tour.
The woman’s eyes widened at the heated floor.
After that, it was a breeze.
Gathered onlookers.
I looked around and experienced an ondol room in turn.
The expression on his face when he entered changed to admiration when he came out.
They were greeted by a table set by Lloyd.
It was the table of the sale contract for the ondol room.
“How was it to see the ondol room?”
“It’s much better than new.”
“yes?”
“yes. I don’t think I will have to worry about the cold in the middle of winter.”
“So I prepared something like this, would you like to see it?”
“This?”
“It is a simple concept. It’s kind of like a pamphlet.”
A piece of paper that Lloyd held out to the villager.
In fact, it was a pamphlet I made for this moment last night while staying up all night.
Two types of ondol rooms were beautifully drawn in the pamphlet.
“Type A is a detached building built separately in the yard, like the ondol room we just saw. Type B is a form of remodeling by tearing down the floor of the first floor of the existing house. If you combine the two and build them together, you will get a 10% discount on the price as a service.”
“….”
“Are there any children at home?”
“yes. The big one is seven years old and the little one is five.”
“Isn’t it heartbreaking to see the children shivering at home in winter, huddled together in front of the fireplace while crying and coughing from sore eyes? My heart aches just thinking about it.”
“….”
“And if you sign a contract now, five bundles of firewood for heating will be provided free of charge as a special service for the opening of the sale.”
“….”
“think carefully. Because opportunities like this don’t come often.”
“Hey, but I guess….”
“why? no?”
“….”
The man kept his mouth shut.
Lloyd could see what was inside.
‘Because they don’t trust me.’
no because i’m afraid
In a way, it was a natural story.
Even if you have changed now, people don’t know that fact.
In their eyes, this is still Lloyd Frontera.
Yeongji’s maniac.
Garbage that behaves badly when drinking.
‘But there’s no way I’ll suddenly believe that he made a plausible ondol room and showed it to me.’
You’ll probably think you’re cheating.
Maybe it’s considered a joke.
So, hesitating the contract.
However, this level of reaction was already expected by Lloyd.
“so? Aren’t you going to sign a contract?”
“….”
“really? Is that so?”
“….”
He stared into the man’s eyes.
The man flinched.
The eyes this one sends.
I figured out its meaning.
‘If we don’t make a contract here, they will assume that life in the future will be difficult. I’ll be overcome with anxiety like that.’
Lloyd swallowed a bitter laugh.
It was a slightly despicable way to exploit the anxiety and fear of the local people.
But now it was also the best way.
‘If you’re being hated for trash anyway, it wouldn’t be bad to use that image appropriately. But it’s not like they just take the down payment and don’t do the construction.’
Getting started is important.
As long as I somehow(?) get a contract.
After that, I had the confidence to create good word of mouth.
So, he thought, it was necessary to make good use of Lloyd’s notoriety, even if it was a bit petty.
“…Oh, I see.”
A rational will not to be deceived.
Anxiety about what is to come.
The man who was conflicted between them finally made a decision.
I signed the contract with a reluctant expression.
The next resident and the next resident did the same.
Of course, Lloyd had the confidence to brighten their expressions in the future.
‘That’s because the heating efficiency of the ondol will be fine.’
This was the conclusion I came to through my own research over the past few days.
It was because of the limitations of the fireplace, a local heating method.
‘The fireplace is not as efficient as it looks. It’s only warm nearby. It only heats the air and cools down quickly. Heat does not stay indoors for long. Besides, the ash and smoke soot make my eyes sting all winter long. It’s difficult to manage because you can’t use any firewood. Even to keep the fire from going out, one person has to keep the fire going all night without sleep.’
On the other hand, ondol?
Most of its drawbacks can be offset.
Lloyd, convinced of that, confidently threatened (?) the residents.
Thanks to this, we were able to win a sales contract that exceeded our expectations before the afternoon was over.
32 Type A contracts.
There were a whopping 57 B-type contracts.
The hefty upfront payment was a bonus.
‘Amazing, Great.’
Of course, it wasn’t a lot of money.
It wasn’t enough to pay off the baron’s debt right away.
But the aftermath was important.
‘I was a bit forced to win the contract, but if you successfully finish the ondol construction in the territory, there will definitely be a good word. I can advance to other territories in this area.’
Branding the construction of Ondol.
That’s how to open a heating business in this area.
That was Lloyd’s primary plan and goal.
“Whoa.”
When I finished my calculations, I let out a sigh.
I suddenly looked back.
A red-tinged sunset.
With the setting sun behind her back, she saw Xaviel following her.
“Hey you. Are you strong?”
“yes. All right.”
“Then how about a human forklein or a crane?”
“yes?”
“He said he was strong. Couldn’t you dig up the ground with that power and carry the logs?”
It was an honest wish.
Xaviel is a great swordsman.
Of course, it has powers beyond human limits.
What if that kind of Xaviel plays the role of heavy equipment in the field?
Construction in the future will be simpler and faster.
That is, the efficiency of construction increases.
It can digest more construction in the same period.
income will grow exponentially.
But Xaviel shook his head without thinking twice.
“It’s not possible.”
“why?”
“My lord’s mission is to protect Lloyd-sama’s safety.”
“So you can’t work as a construction site worker?”
“That’s right.”
“But you’ve been helping me so far, right?”
“I think it was my job as a knight to help the tavern owner’s mother.”
“You were protecting the weak?”
“yes. But the future work that Lloyd-sama just requested is different.”
“Wouldn’t you like to help with your personal business?”
“That’s right.”
“You’re firm.”
“It was nothing.”
After all, he was like a sweet pumpkin.
Lloyd licked his lips.
‘I still need heavy equipment.’
The difference with and without construction equipment is really huge.
In severe cases, the construction period may differ by more than ten times.
No, depending on the presence or absence of construction equipment, the type of construction that can be attempted differs.
It changes the range of options.
‘To make a lot of money, I have to win a large-scale project unconditionally.’
Right now, I am satisfied with the ondol room.
But I couldn’t stay at this level forever.
Because there will be a limit to the amount of money that can only be earned through the ondol construction business.
‘I hate paying money when I’m old.’
Then it was difficult.
Even in Korea, I struggled because of money.
Even here, for the rest of my life, it was a sincere specification.
‘So, in order to properly run the construction business and pay off all the debts, the construction equipment problem must be resolved.’
the road to the mansion.
The worry continued to deepen.
That’s why Lloyd didn’t realize.
Xaviel’s cold eyes staring at him.
The temperature of that gaze was slightly different from before.
♣
‘I can’t figure it out.’
Xaviel felt a bit confused.
His gaze turned to Lloyd’s back.
The eldest son of Baron Frontera.
Lloyd Frontera.
He was the son of the lord he served.
He was also the target of his escort for the past few months.
So it was even more confusing.
‘Was this drunkard originally like this?’
Lloyd was an open class.
It was so even when viewed from the standard of an ordinary person, not from his strict gaze on everything.
I had no patience.
No manners or culture could be expected.
He was just a bastard living a worthless life, drinking and drinking every day.
Even the day the seizure came into the family was like that.
‘Honestly, I didn’t like it. No, even now.’
The more I got to know him, the more I couldn’t like him.
If it wasn’t for the master’s son, he might have been cut down right away.
A being who is worshiped but thoroughly despised.
It was literally human garbage.
At least that was definitely the case until a few days ago.
‘But that has changed. So suddenly.’
maybe a few days ago.
After going on a rampage at his favorite tavern.
It must have been when I woke up the next morning.
Xaviel still remembered clearly how Lloyd woke up that morning.
‘I only called twice and he woke up.’
It was something unimaginable before.
Did that human scumbag even remember and call his name for the first time?
that was just the beginning
‘I went to the tavern owner and comforted him. I promised to make you an ondol in exchange for reimbursement.’
Until then, I thought I was doing something new.
but it wasn’t
I really built an ondol room.
I kept my promise to the tavern owner.
And that wasn’t all.
He also wrote a contract to build an ondol room for the residents of the village.
‘To make money? No. Money is just an excuse.’
Somehow I felt that way.
It seemed that he had a bigger goal.
Of course, I couldn’t guess the goal.
What was certain, however, was the fact that those actions did not look private.
‘It’s as if I became a different person overnight.’
The tone of voice has changed.
His expression and attitude also changed.
He displayed skills he had never learned.
He designed the building and introduced a new heating method.
It was confusing.
Could it be that he really became a different person?
But no matter how much I look at it, I keep observing it carefully.
The man who was walking one step ahead was clearly the idiot Lloyd Frontera.
‘Then, could it be that I’ve been hiding something like this until now?’
In fact, there was no other way to explain it.
If you think so, the front and rear are right.
‘The baron family lived a leisurely life while it was peaceful, but when a crisis came to the family, they revealed their true self?’
I thought maybe it was really like that.
Of course, it would be too hasty to conclude.
‘For now, let’s stick to my mission.’
And if possible.
Let’s keep watching this madman.
Xaviel Asrahan made that promise.
Once again, Lloyd’s back as he walked ahead was imprinted on his retina.
That moment.
Lloyd, who was walking ahead, encountered an unexpected message floating in front of him.
♣
Ding-dong!
[Haviel Asrahan’s affinity for you has increased by +2.]
[Current relationship with Xaviel Asrahan: -29]
[36 RP obtained by slightly improving the relationship with the main character]
[Current RP: 36 ]
[You can bloom talent skills by investing the acquired RP.]
‘What is this again?’
Messages floating in the air in front of my eyes.
Lloyd’s eyes widened as he read the message.
