Chapter 67. Spectacular completion ceremony (1)
“Careful! slowly!”
Shoot ah!
An early winter wind blew across the waters of Cremo Harbor.
Waves driven by the wind rushed into the harbor.
Then it was blocked by the side of the sailboat.
The large sailboat jerked and rocked up and down.
Naturally, the crane on the deck of the sailboat also shook along with it.
Every time that happened, Lloyd’s eyes sharpened.
He stared out at the sea below, outside the railing of the sailboat, while maintaining his concentration.
The captain of the sailboat approached him.
“Have you ever been pushed aside?”
“yes. It was pushed to the port side by about 50 cm.”
“Fifty centimeters. Do I have to re-adjust what was pushed that far?”
“Of course.”
Lloyd raised his head.
I looked back at the captain.
“There shouldn’t be any errors. Considering the size and shape of that caisson that was lifted with a crane in the first place.”
Lloyd pointed upward.
The captain’s gaze followed his fingers.
Soon the captain was able to witness.
Two sailboats floating side by side.
Cranes resting on the decks of two sailboats.
I saw a huge structure being lifted and transported by two cranes lined up like that.
It was a structure Lloyd called a ‘caisson’.
16 meters across.
16 meters tall.
30 meters high.
It was a large box made of thick wood.
But the top and bottom were open.
A bizarre and huge wooden box with only the frame remaining was being moved by a crane while dangling in the air between the two sailboats.
thought the captain.
‘What the hell am I going to use that for?’
It’s not even floating in water.
It’s just moving to calm down.
If so, why are you moving it and what are you trying to do by sinking it?
As a captain, I never guessed.
A bitter smile appeared on Lloyd’s lips.
“The captain may not have guessed it, but it was designed and manufactured to fit the place where the caisson was to be put down. But what happens if there is an error in the place you put it down?”
“Um, maybe….”
“Will the project fail?”
“….”
“Then the Earl of Cremor must be overcome with very unhappy feelings, right?”
“….”
“And I will warmly invite the captain and hold him accountable.”
“….”
“Are you sure you have the confidence to handle that situation?”
“Of course not.”
“Isn’t it?”
“Then uhm, should I set it 50cm to starboard?”
“Yes, that is it. thank you.”
“It was nothing.”
Lloyd grinned.
The captain brushed off the crew.
Sailors moved busily.
Two large sailboats tilted to the right.
Lloyd’s gaze also flashed more sharply as he searched the sea.
The surveying skill and the designing skill were activated at the same time.
Tsutsutsutsu!
Surveying skills were used to check the condition of the seabed to be constructed.
The design skill option was also activated.
[Skill only option ②: Plan view (3D) function is activated.]
A hologram image was overlapped in front of my eyes.
An artificial ground foundation designed using design skills and simulation options.
The shape of the foundation was visible in a three-dimensional plan view on the seabed.
Thanks to this, Lloyd was able to figure out exactly where to put the caisson down.
‘good.’
I raised my thumb towards the captain.
cried the captain.
The crane’s line was unraveled.
The heavy caisson went down.
with a splash!
Splashed and submerged in water.
kept going down
We finally reached the bottom of the sea.
There was no error whatsoever with Lloyd’s design.
‘Good start.’
I was relieved that the caisson was positioned well.
Two days passed like that.
Meanwhile, Lloyd has ordered hundreds of wooden stakes.
“The length is 15 meters and the diameter is 30 centimeters. All of them are cottonwood trunks peeled and trimmed, please.”
“You mean cottonwood?”
“yes.”
Lloyd nodded at the count’s butler’s question.
“It is the most easily available tree species in the area and is resistant to moisture.”
It was true.
In fact, cottonwood was a tree species used in groundworks in early Venice.
In particular, it was also used for the foundation of the famous church of San Marco in Venice.
It was a material whose reliability was proven through history.
“So it would be great if you prepare it as quickly and as strongly as possible.”
“her? Hehe, I know.”
Quick, quick, a Korean specialty.
Upon hearing the urging of the magic (?), the general butler was taken aback.
Anyway, thanks to Lloyd, he was able to take over all the stakes in just three days.
By that time, the wooden box caisson that had been set down in the offshore was also in place.
It was because of its own weight.
‘Because the bottom of the sea is full of mud and pearls.’
Thanks to this, the bottom of the sea was very smooth.
A large and heavy structure was placed on such a floor.
Under its own weight, the structure burrowed deep into the mud.
It was the same principle as a car that had forgotten to park on a swamp or sandy beach and the wheels would sink deeply under its own weight.
Such a huge box caisson dug into the soft layer.
The clay and sand beneath it were mixed and anchored deep into the relatively hard layer of karanto.
That was the reason for drilling through the underside of the huge box caisson.
On the other hand, the reason for drilling the top was to drain the water.
“Come on, dear?”
“Hamang!”
“Do you like salt water as well as plain water?”
“Hamang! Damn it!”
“You say you really like it because it’s salty?”
“Hamang!”
“Good. There is a lot of salt water here.”
“Hamang!”
“Do you see the inside of the caisson here in particular?”
“Hamaman!”
“You can drink it all.”
“Hamang!”
Visit!
Hamang jumped into the pool-like caisson.
I opened my mouth wide.
I started drinking the sea water.
Shoot Aaaaaa!
A whirlpool was created.
Hamangi’s size grew like a water balloon.
The water level inside the caisson went down.
2 meters 3 meters 5 meters…Eventually the floor was exposed.
“Hamaman! Haman!”
Lloyd even prepared a bamboo straw for Hamangi, who had grown huge.
Thanks to this, Hamangi was able to drink the seawater inside the caisson without leaving a single drop.
“Hamaang!”
With Hamang’s happy smile, the inside of the caisson became perfectly dry.
The bottom of the seabed to build the foundations was completely exposed.
Of course, the seawater from outside did not even come in.
Above, the caisson walls of sufficient height prevented the waves.
Downward, sea water could not enter as the caisson was dug several meters into the Karanto Formation.
It was like a perfectly smooth construction site in the middle of the sea.
‘It’s a success. Fortunately, things turned out the way I thought.’
Lloyd clenched his fists.
Box caisson construction method, a modern construction method.
I applied it to the situation here.
At the same time, I also felt anxious about what might happen.
I’m afraid the new technique will fail.
I’m afraid that water will get into the caisson.
Numerous simulation options were rotated to refine the design.
It was thanks to such efforts and research.
‘No water coming in at all. Perfect.’
First of all, the first step was a success.
Lloyd immediately pushed ahead with the next stage of construction.
It was a friction pile insertion.
“Now, Xaviel?”
“….”
“Finally your turn has come.”
“….”
“Are you excited? Is your heart pounding?”
“So…Whoa.”
Xaviel let out a deep sigh.
Then he looked at the large wooden mallet he was holding.
Can I call this a hammer?
‘No matter how I look at it, it looks like they took off the siege weight.’
In reality, the hammer was indeed huge.
Only the hammer head reached 1 meter.
The steel handle was as thick as the forearm. It was over 2 meters long.
No matter how you look at it, it’s not something that people made to use.
Lloyd, who gave him such a thing, looked snarky once again.
“Perhaps Lloyd-sama is—”
Xaviel’s voice turned cold as he looked back at Lloyd.
“Are you seriously treating me as a construction equipment?”
“Yeah, of course not.”
“….”
“Has it always been so and will it continue to be so?”
“But I am a knight.”
“Yeah I know.”
“I didn’t learn swordsmanship just to do these things every day.”
“Then change your mind now.”
“You want to change?”
“You can think of it as learning swordsmanship just to do these things every day, right?”
“….”
“Wow, it’s worthwhile. right?”
“What kind of….”
“Hey, in the first place, everything in the world depends on your mindset. Do you know Ambassador Wonhyo?”
“I don’t know anyone like that. I don’t even want to eat that kind of mind.”
“Uh huh. A young man who sees the world negatively.”
“Correct that statement. It’s not the world, it’s that Lloyd-sama is viewed negatively.”
“But you’re still holding a mallet when you say that?”
“That of course….”
“It must be a pathetic gesture not to lose the lullaby service.”
“….”
“Let’s stop whining and get to work, shall we?”
Lloyd erected a large stake.
I put it in place and held it tight.
It was an enormous weight that would be difficult for a normal person to bear.
However, thanks to the help of the dark simbeop, I was able to hold on and endure.
Lloyd grinned with a sweaty face.
“In one room. accurately. Understand?”
“…All right.”
Xaviel reluctantly corrected the hammer.
I looked up at the top of the wooden stake Lloyd had erected.
At that moment, the silver-haired knight kicked the ground.
Taat!
jumped up at once.
He raised his hammer like a battering ram.
It struck like lightning with blue eyes shining.
Quaang-!
The hammer head hit the top of the stake exactly.
Xaviel, a sword expert knight.
It was a blow that mobilized not only Mana Heart’s mana, but also mana amplified by Triple Circle.
The results were astonishing.
I’m sorry!
The 15-meter-long stake was driven all the way to the root at once.
A deep smile bloomed on Lloyd’s lips.
“Right. Are you good at doing it?”
“….”
“Let’s go one more time.”
A second stake was erected.
Xaviel raised the hammer with a sigh.
After that, countless stakes were driven in.
Cottonwood stakes 15 meters long were tightly driven at intervals of 60 centimeters.
‘good. The stakes are going in properly.’
A feeling of satisfaction appeared on Lloyd’s lips as each stake was driven in.
A wooden stake driven into the seabed in the sea.
He was not at all concerned that the stakes would rot.
This was because if it was driven firmly into the ground, there would be no contact with the air.
‘No matter how much a tree is, if it is firmly embedded in the ground and submerged in water, it will not rot. As long as it doesn’t touch the air layer, it can easily last for hundreds of years.’
In fact, many of the buildings in Venice have survived to this day.
Huung Kwaaang-!
Xaviel jumped up.
He hit the hammer like a battering ram.
Each time a stake dug into the ground.
“good! continue!”
“You don’t have to rush.”
Lloyd’s strong encouragement and Xaviel’s harsh reply.
Another stake was driven into the seabed off Cremo Harbor.
A statue containing the Count’s dreams and hopes to revive the declining port.
It was a stake that would serve as the base for the statue.
♣
Several days have passed.
More than 700 stakes were jammed into the bottom of the caisson before I knew it.
The work continued without interruption at a rapid pace.
All pile tops leveled.
The upper surface was woven together with steel bars and connected.
There, the steel frame was further increased.
Then, the inside of the caisson was filled with cement.
Volcanic ash collected in large quantities thanks to drops.
It was Roman cement made by mixing the volcanic ash.
That’s how it went through the pouring and curing process.
The weather was just fine.
Early winter sunlight was just right.
The wind was moderately dry.
The cement that was poured was completely dry.
The caisson rims were then removed.
It was cut according to the height of the hardened cement ground.
Then, a sea artificial ground with a total area of 256㎡, 16 meters wide and 16 meters long, was completed.
“For reference, I also intentionally set the height of the artificial ground.”
“Did you set the height on purpose?”
“Does the Count know what time it is now?”
“I know. At high tide.”
“you’re right. The height of the ground was adjusted so that it was exactly 50 cm higher than the water level at high tide.”
“haha? Hmm indeed.”
Lloyd’s confident explanation.
Hearing that, the count who saw the surface nodded.
It was a day with moderate waves.
Thanks to this, the head of the wave almost reached the upper part of the artificial ground.
“This is great. If Giga Titan sees a statue of a mermaid to be erected here from afar, he will most likely assume that the statue is floating in the sea.”
“I aimed for that.”
It was true.
In addition, fortunately, there was little difference between the tides here.
What if there are enough waves even when the tide goes down and the sea level goes down?
You will hardly recognize artificial ground from a distance.
“Good. very good. But do you know that the work is not over yet?”
“of course.”
Lloyd understood the count’s words at once.
His work had been completed.
That’s how the artificial ground was completed.
But the work was not over yet.
‘Because the statue hasn’t been erected yet.’
This artificial ground he made.
This was the foundation for erecting the statue.
“Then it will be my turn to wait.”
“It won’t take long.”
“All right.”
From now on, it will be time for the artists who will make the statue to move.
It would be after the statue was completely built that the Count would receive the construction payment.
That much was Lloyd’s expectation without much explanation.
‘It’s natural from the Count’s point of view. If the construction is over, he gave me the money for the construction, and later, if there is a problem with the foundation in the process of erecting the statue, it will be in trouble.’
In other words, it meant that he would have to stay here for a while so that he could provide A/S if there was a problem with the foundation.
‘I should rest for a few days at this point.’
A rough 15-day journey from the Barony to Cremo.
Construction preparation and construction started as soon as we arrived here.
It was such a non-stop run.
I needed a break.
So I had a really good rest.
throughout the period the statue is being installed.
I spent every day lounging around in the inn.
Occasionally, he would talk to Xaviel and solve riddles.
In the meantime, Xaviel received seven more love letters from Miss Christine, the daughter of the countess.
Lloyd’s deplorable cry of ‘Is this me!’, which followed every time, was a bonus.
and after a fortnight.
The giant mermaid statue was finally completed.
That evening, a grand completion ceremony was held.
Six sailboats were moored under the giant statue installed in the coastal waters.
It was a sunken party.
Of course, Lloyd and Xaviel were also invited.
After a long time, I attended a party wearing a uniform I bought in the city.
‘Looking at it this way, it looks like the Statue of Liberty.’
Looking up at the giant mermaid statue on the deck of the sailboat, Lloyd thought.
A reddish sunset illuminating the sea.
The statue I looked up from inside was magnificent and beautiful.
Thinking that he designed and made the foundation for such a statue made him feel proud again.
That’s why Lloyd didn’t know.
Not everyone at the party.
Citizens who are finishing their day in the port city.
Everyone couldn’t even imagine it in their dreams.
Grrrrr…!
A sea area quite far from the sea where the mermaid statue was built.
There, a huge monster with a body length of 90 meters and a weight of 2,500 tons was observing the mermaid statue with ferocious eyes.
