Chapter 124
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Apartment Construction (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Elder, we’re almost there.”
The voice of the escort knight came from outside the carriage.
At that, Wells Kogidus, the royal dwarf master craftsman, opened his wrinkled eyes. He turned his gaze to the window.
An unfamiliar landscape came into view.
It was the Frontera Barony, the destination of this journey.
‘Talk about the boonies.’
There weren’t many proper buildings.
Just fields scattered here and there.
But Kogidus liked that.
‘It’s been a while since I could breathe easy.’
Had it really been forty years since he started working as a craftsman in the capital?
How many times had he ventured outside the capital in all that time?
‘Not enough to count on one hand. The last time was a whopping fifteen years ago.’
Thanks to that, he’d grown accustomed to the capital’s densely packed tall buildings.
He’d adapted to the bustling crowds everywhere he went.
That was probably why.
The serene natural scenery here felt refreshingly novel.
‘Well, of course, I didn’t come all this way just to vacation.’
Master craftsman Kogidus suddenly recalled the events of a few days ago.
It had been a quiet night.
The king had summoned him to the palace.
It was unusual.
He was a master craftsman who had served three kings, and the young king had always shown him proper respect and formality.
For example, he would never summon him abruptly past midnight.
So as he entered the palace, he thought.
There must be something special going on.
‘And I was right.’
As soon as the audience began, the king brought up something unexpected.
“What’s the largest thing you’ve ever built?”
“It was the suspension bridge constructed last summer, Your Majesty.”
“Have you ever thought about building something even bigger?”
“Bigger than the suspension bridge—what do you mean, exactly?”
“Something like a city, for instance.”
“......”
Build a city?
What on earth was that supposed to mean?
And the king’s subsequent explanation...
‘Lloyd Frontera. That clever, cheeky bastard with unmatched talent. Help him build a new city—something to that effect.’
There was no need to agonize over it.
He nodded.
The reason was simple.
It was a chance to create all sorts of new things he’d never built before.
So he packed his bags.
He selected twenty dwarf craftsmen from the royal forge.
After a hectic half-month journey with them, they had arrived here.
“Whew. My back’s killing me like this.”
Kogidus grumbled.
The young dwarf craftsman sitting across from him in the carriage grinned.
“You’re telling me, Elder. I didn’t expect this nonstop march either.”
“Right? Sitting in a jolting carriage all day is no joke—it’s heavy labor.”
His whole body ached.
His joints creaked all over.
He finally understood how packages felt after days of shipping in a box.
But even after arriving at the destination and stepping out of the carriage, Kogidus couldn’t quite savor his freedom.
“You’ve arrived. I’ve been eagerly awaiting you.”
A greeting flew in before he could even feel liberated.
Kogidus twitched his bushy eyebrows and turned toward the voice.
Upon recognizing the man, he immediately snapped.
“Eagerly awaiting my foot. I don’t buy your nonsense, you punk.”
“Oh, really?”
“Of course.”
Lloyd, beaming as if he’d come out to greet them properly.
The dwarf master snorted at him.
“A guy who’s been eagerly awaiting me shows up alone? Be honest, punk. You just happened to spot us while passing by, didn’t you?”
“Uh, when did you learn mind-reading?”
“Mind-reading nothing. It’s obvious.”
“Haha. Should’ve hung a banner at the territory entrance if I knew you’d react like this. Prepared some bouquets too.”
“Spare me, punk. Who’re you trying to tickle to death?”
“That’s why I didn’t prepare any. It’s a beautiful act of humanism-based consideration, consideration.”
“My ass. So grateful I could cry.”
“Yeah. I’m tearing up just seeing you, Elder.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I truly waited so long. So—”
Lloyd held out the bundle of papers he was carrying.
Suspicion flickered in Kogidus’s eyes.
“What’s this?”
“You’ll see.”
“......”
A roll of about twenty sheets of paper.
He took it and unrolled it.
Lloyd’s sly voice reached his ears.
“I drew these up while desperately awaiting you, Elder. Honestly, who needs banners or bouquets? Even I think this suits your tastes better.”
“This? My taste?”
“Yes.”
“How do you figure?”
“Your nostrils were flaring when you unrolled it.”
“......”
“Come on. You like it.”
“......”
“Welcoming you with blueprints—admit it, you’re thrilled.”
Lloyd’s voice grew even more insinuating.
In the end, Kogidus couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Fine, punk. I came to see this. Happy now?”
“Yes. Take your time.”
“Heh. But punk, what if I just look my fill and breeze out? What makes you so cocky?”
“Hmm, isn’t this the first time you’ve seen blueprints like these?”
“What?”
“You’d toss and turn all night if you just looked and left.”
“Me? Why?”
Kogidus raised an eyebrow.
Lloyd grinned.
“You’ll want to build it.”
“......What?”
“You’ll desperately want to build it. Close your eyes, and the blueprints will sprout in your mind. Ahh, I want to build it. Hammer the steel, sparks flying, shape it, refine it. See it built and working. Little wishes like that.”
“What nonsense are you spouting...”
“So every night, you’ll regret it under the covers, kicking them off. Should’ve built it then, wish I could turn back time. Oh, your blankets will have it rough. No time for bruises to heal before nightly beatings.”
“Why would I kick my blan—”
“So, you won’t build it?”
“......”
“It’d be so much fun. You’d feel life’s fulfillment blooming. Plenty to brag about later. Right?”
“Tch. Fun, fulfillment, bragging—whatever. Building’s just building. Why all this chatter?”
“So you’ll build it?”
Lloyd brightened.
Kogidus grumbled.
“Even if I wanted to, I need to know what it’s for, punk.”
Flip flip.
The dwarf craftsman flipped through the blueprints and spoke.
“Alright, explain. This open-ended cylinder, and the huge tank connected to it—what’s it for?”
“Oh, that’s the mixer.”
“Mixer?”
“Yes. A cement mixer cart.”
Lloyd nodded.
A truck that mixes and transports ready-mix concrete at construction sites.
Anyone’s probably seen one on the road.
A truck with a big round drum on the back.
And that drum slowly rotates.
The mixer truck.
It was practically the flower of construction sites.
From small houses to massive structures.
Few sites didn’t use ready-mix.
“But this looks familiar no matter how I look at it.”
“Familiar how?”
“Isn’t this just a giant hamster wheel?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“It is?”
“Yes. Podong will power it by rolling.”
“......”
Kogidus was at a loss for words.
Lloyd continued.
“The principle’s simple. Podong rolls the hamster wheel here. That transmits power through this axle. It rotates the mixer body.”
“But the mixer body? What’s this spiral inside?”
“It mixes and maintains the cement.”
It prevents the cement from setting while rotating.
Keeps out rainwater and debris.
It also keeps the cement quality uniform.
“The Brazil nut effect. Preventing that’s the key.”
“Brazil... nut?”
Kogidus tilted his head.
First time hearing it.
Lloyd grinned.
“There is such a thing. Simply put, when large and small particles are randomly mixed, the small ones sink to the bottom.”
“Hmm, small ones sink?”
“Yes.”
“Makes sense. I’ve seen it handling charcoal and sand.”
“Right?”
It was real.
The Brazil nut effect.
A scientifically proven phenomenon.
Shake a bottle with big beans and small grains, and you’ll see.
Or shake a box of Lego bricks of various sizes.
Most will float up instead of large particles settling at the bottom as expected.
‘Though reverse Brazil nut effects can happen under certain conditions.’
Anyway, it had to be watched for when mixing and pouring cement.
Management was needed even after mixing.
Otherwise?
Large particles in the cement float up.
Small ones blanket the bottom.
Pouring that into a building spells disaster.
‘The cement dries unevenly. Cracks form soon after, it crumbles, chaos ensues, and it collapses.’
Such issues had to be prevented at all costs.
Especially for this construction.
‘Apartments differ from Creemo’s offshore structure foundations. Different from the suspension tower foundations in the capital. Can’t just dump cement recklessly like before.’
Past cement projects came to mind.
Creemo’s offshore artificial ground.
The suspension bridge tower foundations in the capital.
Those were different.
Huge and simple structures.
Just pour cement into vast open frames.
Mix and pour nonstop.
But now?
‘Conditions are different.’
The upcoming apartments wouldn’t have simple structures.
Floors, walls, ceilings, stairs inside.
Complex, intricate layouts.
The formwork would be small and detailed too.
No dumping cement sloppily like before.
‘Corners wouldn’t fill properly. Voids or air pockets would remain. Trouble.’
It was the same on real sites.
Concrete pouring.
The most skilled worker handled the hose.
It required expert, delicate touch.
‘Takes longer than expected. Leave cement unmixing that whole time? It sets or separates before pouring. Hence the mixer.’
A mixer to properly blend and maintain cement.
Essential for this apartment build.
“Oh, and this is the pump for pouring the cement.”
“Pump?”
“Yes.”
Lloyd pointed to another blueprint.
“Connects to the mixer and pumps cement up. The building’s tall, all the way to the top.”
“Hmm. Is this an adaptation of the screw pump used in water wheels?”
“Yes. Spot on. Planning a manual manpower version.”
“Perfect. Not too complex.”
“So you can make it?”
“Heh. Doubting my skill?”
“Of course not. How could I?”
Lloyd grinned slyly.
Kogidus frowned.
“Tch.”
Dealing with this guy always went like this.
Before he knew it, he’d been drawn into the punk’s pace again.
“This is why... Now I see you anticipated me coming and drew all these up. Feels like I’m always the one losing out. Kid’s got a head full of sly foxes.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“Shameless too.”
“So, how long do you think production will take?”
“Tch, I’ll let you know once I try. Show me the workshop first.”
“Of course.”
Lloyd quickly took the lead.
Ten days passed.
As expected, the royal craftsmen were on another level.
Led by top master Kogidus.
Bangul-brand steel ingots stocked steadily were used as material.
The results were ideal.
A hamster wheel a whopping twenty meters in diameter.
The connected axle and mixer body were massive too.
Local smiths wouldn’t have dreamed of it.
But Kogidus and the craftsmen?
Completed in just ten days.
It even operated flawlessly.
“Podong!”
Rumble rumble...
Podong, fed red sunflower seeds, hopped onto the wheel.
The twenty-meter wheel began moving ponderously.
“Podong?”
A smile bloomed on Podong’s face.
First time rolling a wheel like this since birth.
Way more fun than expected.
Podong sped up.
The wheel spun fiercer.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-!
A twenty-meter wheel at one full Podong-power.
Its furious rotation transferred fully through the axle to the mixer.
Roooar-!
The mixer rotated heavily.
The cement inside sloshed and danced.
Lloyd’s hopes swelled with each thump.
‘Jackpot. Working perfectly.’
The royal dwarf craftsmen dispatched.
Thanks to them, key construction equipment was ready.
Now, time to dive into full-scale apartment complex construction.