Chapter 23
Chapter 23
“A path for rainwater to flow, you say. Interesting. Go ahead and try it.”
After spending three days agonizing over how to persuade the lord, it was almost anticlimactic how easily Calix Krauvel granted permission.
I felt both bewildered and uneasy.
If it didn’t work properly, he wouldn’t shift all the responsibility onto me, would he?
“Then I will submit an official notice requesting the residents’ consent and cooperation.”
“Why would you need the residents’ consent and cooperation?”
“Well, if we conduct a large construction project, it may cause inconvenience to nearby residents…”
“This is my land.”
Calix Krauvel lifted his chin arrogantly.
“Whatever I do on my land is entirely my freedom. Therefore, there is no need for residents’ consent or cooperation.”
Even if it was his own land, starting construction usually caused noise, dust, and other issues that often provoked complaints from nearby residents.
That was why people normally circulated notices asking for understanding beforehand or prepared small token gifts as a formality.
But he said none of that was necessary.
It sounded absurd, yet in a way it made sense.
This world was medieval, where the lord’s word held greater authority than the law.
With that kind of mindset, it’s no wonder he turned residents into monsters to use as weapons and shields in order to stop the male lead from coming to rescue the heroine.
Remembering the events from the original novel sent a chill down my spine.
“If you have nothing else to say, you may leave.”
“Yes, I will take my leave.”
As soon as I stepped out of the office, I muttered while looking at the tightly closed door.
“I really need to leave this place as soon as possible.”
Dying a meaningless death was absolutely not an option.
To do that, I had to obtain the lord’s wish reward no matter what.
For now, I’ll start by repairing the places that were damaged during the summer monsoon.
Walking down the marble corridor decorated in an old-fashioned style, I organized my plans in my head.
I can leave the repairs to Anton Brown and the Urban Development Department employees.
Because Toma Harens had been so incompetent, I had worried about the abilities of the other staff members as well.
Fortunately, they weren’t that bad.
They might not take initiative, but they completed whatever tasks they were given without complaint, which made them extremely convenient to manage.
I should also select workshops to work with.
Originally the work had been assigned to the Oak Heart Workshop, but after the Toma Harens incident, the designated workshop system had disappeared.
Should I give this to the Nine Workshop as well?
I had already planned to commission the triangular roofs from them anyway, so it might be convenient to handle everything together.
With that in mind, and also to check what other workshops existed, I headed toward District 5.
District 5 was the artisan and workshop district, where various workshops—stonemasons, carpenters, metalworkers, and others—were gathered.
The Oak Heart Workshop was also located here, so I ended up passing by it unintentionally.
It was the largest workshop on the street, so it naturally caught my eye.
“It really is big.”
It looked as large as three or four other workshops combined.
Inside the workshop, the sounds of hammering and metalwork rang out.
“So they’re still getting commissions.”
Rumors had already spread throughout the city that the Oak Heart Workshop had bribed the Urban Development Department team leader to secure contracts.
I had assumed that no one would give them commissions anymore, so this was surprising.
Maybe they were just finishing jobs that had already been commissioned.
“Hey, you!”
I was about to pass by since it had nothing to do with me, when a familiar voice called out.
It was the master of the Oak Heart Workshop—the same man who had caused a scene in the office earlier.
His name was…
“Hello, Mr. Walter Hauf.”
When I called his name, Walter Hauf raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise.
“So you know who I am and still act insolent?”
“When did I act insolent? I simply greeted you.”
“Talking back like that is insolence.”
Good grief.
There was no benefit to speaking with someone like this for long, so I turned to leave.
But Walter Hauf grabbed my arm.
“Where are you going in the middle of a conversation?”
“You told me not to talk back, so I was leaving. Is that a problem?”
“What?!”
Good grief, my ears are going to burst.
“First you humiliate me, and now you’re ignoring me too?”
If it was wrong this way and wrong that way, what exactly did he expect me to do?
“Oh dear, I’m sorry. Anyway, I’m busy, so I’ll be going.”
Apparently that answer didn’t satisfy him either, because Walter Hauf grabbed my arm again.
“You’re going to the Nine Workshop, aren’t you?”
“No.”
“Don’t play dumb.”
“I said I’m not. And even if I were, it has nothing to do with you, Mr. Walter Hauf.”
“Of course it does! That work should originally have gone to us!”
What an incredibly shameless man.
“Then I’ll give the commission to your workshop. Would you like to give me a bribe too?”
When I mentioned bribery outright, his expression stiffened slightly.
You don’t like it? I don’t like it either.
“I will.”
…What?
“I’ll give it. How much do you want? Should I give you gold as well?”
“…Are you serious?”
“I don’t lie about things like this.”
Honestly, this seemed like the kind of situation where lying would have been better.
“How much do you want? As long as it’s not an absurd amount, I’ll match it.”
This man was even more ridiculous than I thought.
“I don’t need it.”
Feeling a headache coming on, I frowned and shook off his hand.
“And if you’re a workshop master, you should compete with skill instead of trying to solve everything with money.”
“Then I’ll show you my skill.”
I wanted to ask if he actually had any skill to show.
“Toma Harens told me that if I wanted commissions, I had to show sincerity. That’s why I had no choice but to give him the Golden Turtle.”
Walter Hauf looked aggrieved, as if he had never wanted to do it in the first place.
Hmm. It didn’t seem like he was lying.
“I’d prefer respectful treatment instead of bribery. No matter how skilled someone is, I don’t want to do business with a rude person.”
At my words, Walter Hauf flinched and slowly released my hand.
“Ahem… that’s true. I suppose I was too heated earlier. I apologize. I’m sorry.”
That was quite a fast change in attitude.
Unlike Toma Harens, who was a minor noble, Walter Hauf was a commoner, which made such a shift possible.
I had assumed that anyone with a surname was a noble, but that wasn’t always the case.
Commoners whose abilities were recognized—such as merchants, craftsmen, or scholars—could also have surnames.
They could even establish their own families and receive proper respect.
“I’d like to maintain a good relationship with you from now on.”
“It’s Aileen, not ‘you.’”
“Right, Miss Aileen. Let’s forget the past and work well together from now on.”
When Walter Hauf extended his hand for a handshake, I placed a blueprint into it.
“What’s this?”
“It’s the blueprint for a scaled model of a triangular roof.”
I had brought several copies just in case, and that turned out to be a good decision.
“You said you would show your skill, so try making a triangular roof according to this blueprint.”
Not only the Oak Heart Workshop but also the Nine Workshop and several smaller nearby workshops received the same blueprint and commission.
The deadline was two days later at 1 p.m.
I told them that even being one minute late would disqualify them, so everyone showed up at the Urban Development Department office by 12:30.
They were all quite diligent. That part earned them a passing mark.
Walter Hauf arrived last and scowled when he saw the craftsmen from the other workshops.
“Wasn’t this supposed to be assigned only to our workshop?”
When I stepped outside the office, Walter Hauf approached me and asked in a low voice.
“Of course not. Every workshop received an equal opportunity.”
“That’s…”
“Why? Are you lacking confidence?”
Apparently having nothing left to say, Walter Hauf groaned quietly and stepped back.
“Alright then, let’s examine the triangular roofs you brought.”
Following the order of arrival, I first examined the one from the Nine Workshop.
Well made.
The cross-section was somewhat uneven, but that was a matter of equipment rather than skill.
My standards were also too high because I was used to modern technology.
Taking that into account, I continued the evaluation.
As expected of smaller workshops, some of them were quite poor, but others performed better than expected.
The biggest surprise was the Oak Heart Workshop.
Until now, everything they had produced had been terrible, so I hadn’t expected much, but this one was quite good.
It seems the problem was Toma Harens’s blueprint.
After all, the craftsmen themselves weren’t at fault.
This confirmed that the rumors about the Oak Heart Workshop replacing skill with money were false.
The evaluation ended with the Oak Heart Workshop.
Out of the seven workshops, only three met my standards.
“Nine Workshop, Cheshire Workshop, and Oak Heart Workshop. Only these three will remain.”
Because time was short, the more manpower we had the better.
However, I couldn’t entrust work to workshops without sufficient skill.
The masters of the Nine Workshop and the Cheshire Workshop looked delighted, but Walter Hauf’s expression was complicated.
It seemed he didn’t like that other workshops had also been selected.
He really was greedy.
“Alright then, Team Leader.”
When I called out, Anton Brown stepped forward as if he had been waiting.
He placed his hands on his waist, lifted his chin arrogantly, and looked down at the workshop masters.
“Please explain to them what work they will be doing from now on.”