The Invention of Cloment
Delma sighed as she carried her bucket into the garden. “Aigoo, this soil won’t do. There are way too many stones.”
She wandered around, searching for the finest earth—dark in color, rich, and high in quality.
“This patch has too many fallen leaves mixed in. That spot over there looks better.”
Bucket in hand, Delma circled the garden until she finally found soil that satisfied her. She squatted down in front of it.
With a small trowel, she began scooping the dirt into the bucket with great care. She even patted down the heaping mound to fit more inside. Then her hands suddenly stopped.
She had just remembered how, only moments ago, she had been determined to stop her young lord from doing anything ridiculous.
“Why on earth am I holding a shovel?”
Instead of talking her out of it, she had somehow ended up digging away like this. It felt as if she were possessed.
When Delma returned with the soil, Chloe’s face lit up. She carefully added varying amounts of it to the solution she had prepared. The mixture, which had been hardening instantly, suddenly thickened and transformed into something malleable—like clay that could be shaped with ease.
“Yes! It worked!”
Among the different ratios, the hardest result came from mixing soil with Tiese stone powder at five to one.
After adjusting the amount of Como tree sap several times, she discovered that using only half the original quantity produced nearly identical hardness.
Chloe couldn’t hide her pride as she stared at what she had accomplished.
Looking at the solution beginning to set inside the bowl, she declared in a triumphant voice, “This is Cloment.”
“Cloment?”
“I invented it, so I get to name it after myself. Cloment. Doesn’t that sound cool?”
Cement, Cloment! Lime is dead! Should I become a rapper or something?
Chloe seriously wondered if she might have a hidden talent for naming things.
It had been a completely random choice, yet the more she said it aloud, the more she liked it.
By now, the letter from Aileen had been completely forgotten, buried somewhere in the back of her mind.
And then—
Ding!
You have created a substance that never existed before and upgraded it for easy use!
I applaud the user who completed the mission far faster than anticipated. Clap clap, clap clap clap!
Never mind the clapping—just give me the reward already.
Chloe glared at the status window, which was clapping along to a rhythm that made it look like a red devil madly waving a Taegukgi.
Since you have completed the mission, the time restriction on the unstable activation zone will now be lifted.
Would you like to stabilize the unstable region ‘Boramdang’?
Chloe had been about to answer yes when she narrowed her eyes.
It’s not Boramdang, it’s Borim-dang. Are you trying to sell me something shady?
Oh dear, what a mistake.
Would you like to stabilize the unstable region ‘Borim-dang’?
Chloe realized that even non-humans could put on an act. After checking the words “Borim-dang” several times, she nodded.
The time restriction on Borim-dang, one of the activation zones, has been removed. Your eyes are quite sharp.
The tiny text tacked on at the end was extremely annoying, but Chloe simply grinned.
I’m in such a good mood right now that I won’t even curse you out.
All in all, it had been a very profitable night.
The next morning, Chloe woke up feeling refreshed.
She had been so exhausted yesterday from inspecting the territory and conducting her very first experiment that she hadn’t even made it through the front door.
Her plan had been to thoroughly check the activation zones as soon as she woke and visit Borim-dang to collect more gold without any time pressure. Leisurely, of course.
But she had been more tired than she realized and ended up sleeping in. Her early-morning schedule was now completely ruined.
She was staring at the firmly closed front door, wondering what to do, when she heard a knock.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
At her lord’s reply, Delma entered and immediately studied her complexion.
“Are you all right? You were sleeping so soundly that I didn’t wake you on purpose.”
Delma examined Chloe’s face carefully, checking every inch for any sign of injury. Watching Delma fuss over her so tenderly made Chloe’s heart warm, and she beamed like a child.
Delma found the smiling Chloe utterly adorable. She desperately wanted to stroke her hair but held back, instead gently brushing away a strand of hair that had stuck to the girl’s cheek.
“Aigoo, you really are still just a baby.”
Even Delma’s grumbling mutter sounded pleasant to Chloe’s ears.
After a simple breakfast and quickly getting ready, Chloe summoned Handsome and asked about what had happened in Enol Village the day before.
Handsome looked slightly haggard as well—probably from yesterday’s hard work—but his eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.
“Construction is scheduled to begin next week.”
“Why wait? Why not start right away?”
“I gave the village chief the list of tasks. He said it would take time to assign appropriate work according to each person’s abilities and to prepare everything.”
The more Chloe learned about the chief, the more she liked him.
“Then will the village chief be in charge of the Enol construction project?”
“Yes. That was my intention unless you had someone else in mind. Do you have another candidate?”
“Hmm… I know the chief is trustworthy, but this is a large-scale project involving significant funds. I’d feel better if you took overall responsibility.”
“…Understood. I will do my very best.”
Handsome’s voice cracked slightly at the end.
“Is it too much work? Will it be difficult?”
“Not at all. I am simply overwhelmed with gratitude that you would entrust this task to someone like me.”
Handsome stopped mid-sentence and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. They quickly turned red and bloodshot.
Feeling awkward, Chloe looked away for a moment before handing him a sheet of paper.
“What is this?”
Handsome muttered the words written on the paper, then looked up at her.
“When building houses or paving roads, mix the materials exactly according to these ratios.”
“Cloment? I’ve never heard of it. Is it a famous construction technique?”
“No, but it will be. I created it myself. That’s why I named it Cloment. What do you think?”
“It’s a very… good name.”
Handsome clearly wasn’t skilled at empty flattery; hesitation was evident in his answer. Strangely, that made Chloe like him even more. She liked both Handsome and Cloment.
“Deliver this to Builder. Tell him to test it in Morta Village first, then apply it to the next village.”
“Yes!”
Since it was her very first invention, Chloe wanted Builder—the first technician she had met—to receive it.
When she smiled with unmistakable pride, Handsome asked with a worried expression, “However, my lord, producing Cloment in large quantities will require a great deal of Como tree sap. The trees in the garden won’t be nearly enough.”
“Of course. We’ll have to enter the Black Forest and cut some down, won’t we?”
“But with so many knights already assigned to the villages, we don’t have enough manpower to send into the forest.”
“Is that so? Then hire mercenaries.”
“It will cost quite a lot.”
“That’s fine. I have plenty of money.”
Chloe grinned.
Is this what it feels like to have an unlimited black card?
“The cost will vary wildly depending on the quality of the mercenaries. What level should we hire?”
Handsome asked cautiously. Hiring mediocre mercenaries could mean they would only consume food while potentially causing harm to the village.
Yet more skilled mercenaries cost far more, so his tone remained careful.
“The highest level. Find people who can protect the territory residents entering the forest without letting them suffer a single scratch. Cost is no object.”
“Yes, my lord!”
Handsome’s fervent gaze felt a little overwhelming, so Chloe cleared her throat awkwardly.
That afternoon, Chloe rode with Red Bear and ten knights, carefully surveying the area near Morta Village.
She had the carriage move at a slow pace so she could observe the surroundings in detail. She was searching for additional land that could be cultivated for farming.
No matter how abundant the wild Dural was, they couldn’t rely on it forever. Besides, the harvested Dural was disappearing at an alarming rate.
Not suitable for farming, but after certain procedures, the soil quality can be changed to support various field crops.
This was the terrain information for Morta Village that she had obtained at Terrain Info Level 1. She didn’t know what those “certain procedures” were, but she first needed to find suitable land.
Although she didn’t know much about agriculture, Chloe narrowed her eyes and searched for any spot that looked even slightly better.
However—
“It’s all terrible.”
Even with her limited knowledge, she could tell. The land spread before her was the very definition of barrenness.
The soil, a pale brown like desert sand, had hardened until it was rock-solid. The sparse weeds that somehow grew there looked ready to collapse at any moment.
The hard, dry ground seemed like it would simply ring out with a metallic clang even if struck with a pickaxe, refusing to yield even a single scratch.
In the few places where plants grew more thickly, thorny bushes had taken over so densely that clearing them alone would probably take a month.
When the wind blew, clouds of settled dust rose into the air.
There was no moisture whatsoever, making it seem nearly impossible to convert into farmland.
“What should I do?”
Chloe’s gaze remained fixed outside the carriage window. After staring out for a long time, she suddenly shouted.
“Stop the carriage!”