Chapter 126
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: A Way to Obtain Insulation Material (1)
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Pit-pat! Plop-plop!
The first snow was falling.
A cold wind blew alongside it.
But even that flurry of snow and biting gale couldn't cool the fervor at the construction site. If anything, it only fueled the workers' enthusiasm as they sweated away.
"Whoa! It's snowing!"
"Really?"
"Ha ha ha! What a stroke of luck!"
As the heralding flurries of first snow began to fall, the Engineering Corps soldiers cheered.
The reason was simple.
"We hit the jackpot—severe weather pay!"
The Engineering Corps served as the territory's private soldiers.
They were, quite literally, mercenaries hired by the lord.
So even when participating in construction, they only received a modest extra allowance and bonuses.
There were exceptions, however.
Night work after sunset.
All-nighters in the dead of night.
Work in poor weather conditions.
Or any job with hazard pay—they always received a hefty bonus without fail.
It was all thanks to Lord Lloyd's meticulous site management.
'Lord Lloyd has a stingy streak—a blatant one, even. He hates losing even a single coin. But strangely, he's always punctilious about the allowances for us workers.'
It was something everyone wondered about.
The usual Lloyd was as tightfisted as they come.
The man would toss and turn all night over the loss of a single coin or peanut. People even joked he must have been born in a salt flat.
Anyone hearing that would assume he was a natural-born exploitative boss in the making.
The Engineering Corps soldiers had thought the same at first, worrying accordingly.
But after watching him?
No.
The opposite was true.
'He takes really good care of us.'
If nothing else, he never skimped on special allowances and bonuses—not a penny off. He never delayed payments either. They always came sharp on the promised date, without fail.
Lloyd even ensured the workers got days off.
One day of rest per seven, mandatory.
He always stressed keeping the site tidy too.
A disorganized site was prone to accidents—that was the reason.
Thanks to that, the Engineering Corps soldiers always felt like...
Lord Lloyd didn't see them as expendable.
He truly valued them.
Today was no different.
"Hey, rookie! Mark the time the snow started!"
"Why, sir?"
"You asking because you don't know? On snowy days, the rule is one hour of work, then twenty minutes warming up by the fire."
"Oh, you mean the site rules Lord Lloyd set?"
"Of course!"
Clang-clang, thud-thud!
With the promise of severe weather pay and proper breaks.
That trust drove the Engineering Corps soldiers to work even harder.
"Ah, but sir. There's something I'm curious about."
"Hm? What's on your mind, rookie?"
"This central heating room we're building right now."
"Yeah."
"Why are we rushing to work on it today, of all days?"
"What? What do you mean by that?"
"I overheard that the refugees aren't moving into these apartments until next fall. That means we've got plenty of time left... Do we really need to push this hard, even in the snow?"
"Oh ho. So you're saying from Lord Lloyd's perspective, paying us extra severe weather allowance for unnecessary work might be a waste?"
"Yes. Lord Lloyd takes great care of us, but he never wastes money needlessly. That's why I'm having a hard time understanding why we're pushing through today."
"Tsk. You know one thing and miss two."
"...Pardon?"
The Engineering Corps squad leader clicked his tongue.
"What are we building right now?"
"A heating facility, I heard."
"And what season is it now?"
"Winter."
"So doesn't it make sense to hurry this heating setup so it's done before winter ends?"
"But move-in is next fall..."
"Exactly. That's why we need to finish the heating system and test it before this winter's out."
"...Ah."
"That way, before next fall's move-in, we can check for any issues, see how warm it keeps the rooms in actual winter weather, that sort of thing. Right?"
"Th-that makes sense."
"Exactly. Lord Lloyd's a bit of a perfectionist. Alright, back to work."
"Yes, sir!"
The guaranteed severe weather pay.
That faith alone let the soldiers pour their effort in.
Thanks to them, the heating work progressed smoothly.
First, the central heating room was built on one side of the 101 Building plaza.
A special steam boiler, crafted by dwarf artisans, was installed.
Bamboo pipes were laid to carry the steam from it.
The pipes were wrapped in insulation made from straw, rice husks, and lime.
Countless pipes spiderwebbed tightly through every unit in the apartment.
At their ends sat steam grilles resembling modern radiators.
'Of course, it won't match an ondol room that heats the floor itself.'
Still, apartments lost far less heat than single-family homes due to their structure. In other words, less heating would suffice to keep them plenty warm.
Plus, these beehive apartments had units much smaller than average houses.
'No kitchen or dining room.'
Even bathrooms and toilets were communal, placed in the central plaza.
So each unit had just a small living room and a bedroom.
It was a desperate measure to house as many refugees as possible while minimizing heating demands.
'...But only if the heating works properly.'
Central steam heating per building.
A first-time endeavor.
He'd even run simulations with the Design skill option.
No major flaws showed up.
Yet Lloyd never relaxed during the heating construction.
He checked the installation daily.
He oversaw the interior insulation work himself too.
Every wall, floor, and ceiling in all units got a thorough layer of straw, rice husk, and lime mix. Once dry, thin wooden panels finished it off.
And so, toward year's end.
The 101 Building's heating was finally complete.
Lloyd tested the performance right away.
'Please! Get nice and toasty!'
Fwoosh!
The special steam boiler in the 101 Building's heating room heated up with coal fire.
Water boiled, and hot steam flowed through the pipes.
'Good. So far, so good.'
No leaks, fortunately.
Lloyd walked along the pipes.
He entered the apartment's first floor.
He touched the radiators in each unit.
"Ssst!"
He nearly burned his hand.
A smile crept across his face.
'Alright. Let's check the second floor.'
After inspecting every first-floor unit, he headed up.
The second floor was just as piping hot.
But as he climbed higher, things changed slightly.
'...Hm? This is...'
Lloyd's expression hardened a bit while checking the fourth floor.
'It cools off bit by bit the higher you go.'
First floor: hot.
Second: warm.
Third: toasty.
But the fourth?
'Lukewarm. Definitely.'
Unease sprouted.
Fifth was cooler than below.
Sixth and seventh were outright chilly.
Eighth was just cold.
'Whew. For real? This is a problem.'
Amid surging disappointment, Lloyd analyzed the cause.
It was simple, really.
'The pipes' actual insulation is worse than the simulation. Steam loses heat gradually as it travels, cooling off.'
Proof: lower floors near the heating room stayed warmer. It dropped sharply higher up.
"The pipes are just too long. Even isolating lines per floor to minimize loss, the distance from the ground-level heating room to the upper floors is too far. No amount of insulation can fully compensate. That's the root issue."
Thud-thud.
Lloyd tapped the cool eighth-floor pipe with his palm as he spoke.
Haviel furrowed one eyebrow slightly.
"Is there no way to shorten the pipes?"
"Of course there is."
Lloyd smirked.
"Simple, really. Add a heating room per floor."
"But why not do that?"
"Simple again. Too dangerous."
"Dangerous how?"
"Fire risk."
Lloyd said it like it was final.
"Hundreds of refugee households will live in just this 101 Building. If we put heating rooms indoors per floor, and fire breaks out in one? Horrific."
"...Casualties would be massive."
"Exactly. These buildings prioritize cramming in as many people as possible over convenience. That's the design philosophy. And the interiors are all wood-finished. If fire spreads? Whoosh—half or more might die without evacuating."
It was true.
No doubt about that.
Any fire here would be a catastrophe.
Hundreds could die.
Lloyd, who designed it himself, could vouch for that.
'Not like modern shelters with proper fire suppression.'
No extinguishers.
No smoke vents.
No helicopters for rooftop rescues.
"The best bet might be Hamang blasting a ton of water at once. But if Hamang's not around? Or away? No answer. Worst case, total disaster beyond saving. Even Hamang's water might not douse an interior blaze instantly. That's why all heating rooms and kitchens are outdoors in the courtyards."
"So that's why you're replacing indoor lights with glowbug lanterns?"
"Yeah. Naturally. Common and safe in the Eastern Mountains."
"For safety. Hm. So the conclusion is: keep the heating room in the courtyard as is, but improve the pipe insulation."
"Spot on. Haviel, you're getting sharp these days?"
"Sharp? Misunderstanding, my lord."
"Misunderstanding?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I've always been sharp."
"..."
"Ahem, serious."
"Usually, you'd pass it off as a joke."
"No need. It's the truth."
"Wow. Now boldly claiming the truth."
"I'm a knight, after all."
"A knight?"
"Yes. A knight's mouth must always speak truth. For example: Haviel Asrahan is sharp. Haviel Asrahan is handsome. Haviel Asrahan possesses noble character—such facts."
"..."
"And other truths, like: Lloyd Frontera is a bachelor. Thus, with a petty, shameless, jealous mindset, he envies Haviel Asrahan's talent, looks, and character... uncomfortable truths like that."
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Enjoyed that?"
"Quite refreshing, for once."
"Tsk."
"Anyway, how do we boost the pipe insulation further?"
"Hmm. That's what I'm pondering too."
Lloyd scratched his nape vigorously.
It was a real dilemma.
"This straw-rice husk-lime mix was the best so far."
True.
Straw, rice husks, lime.
Easiest materials to source locally.
Easy to stockpile in bulk.
Hence, cheap.
Crucial point.
'Duh. We have to insulate every building in the apartment complex ahead. If materials are hard to get or pricey?'
No go.
Skyrocketing costs aside, shortages would delay the schedule.
So he went with the cheapest, most abundant: straw, husks, lime. Endless tests. Optimal mix. Maxed insulation.
'Yet still not satisfactory.'
What more?
How to reinforce without pipes cooling?
'Pipe design already minimizes exposure. Can't improve layout more. So materials need upgrading.'
Better insulation than current.
Cheap and bulk-available.
Did such a material exist?
Lloyd agonized for three days and nights.
Tempted to burn some accumulated CP.
Or use the rare skill 'Ending Spoiler' for a hint.
But he shook his head.
'No. Save it for true desperation, when no other way shows.'
CP was harder to farm than RP, tied to affinity.
Too precious for casual use.
He pondered two more days.
Rifling through memories and notes.
'This might help.'
Lloyd pulled a bundle from his bedroom drawer.
Memos diligently kept since arriving in this world.
All about the novel *Iron-Blooded Knight*.
'Human memory isn't perfect.'
Even his wasn't.
He wasn't a genius.
So he recorded diligently.
Story progression.
Key characters, events, settings, trivia.
Whenever fragments surfaced, he noted even minutiae meticulously.
'Something useful for this situation... What was it... Huh? Wait.'
After poring over his dense notes for ages.
Lloyd's eyes stopped on one spot.
'Found it. This is it.'
The record he'd unearthed.
It read: 'Elf Forest', 'Haviel Route', 'Toasty Dragon Breath'.