Chapter 132
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: Dancing on Rebar (2)
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Ta-at!
She kicked off the rebar.
She launched herself into the air.
In that moment, Mui thought.
Free.
And familiar.
Tens of meters above the ground.
A building piled high with rebar and cement instead of towering trees.
At the top of that construction site, as she took flight, she felt an astonishingly familiar sensation.
*It feels just like returning to the forest.*
The Everglow Forest, where she had lived her entire life.
It had been less than a month since she left.
And yet, she already missed it.
Its scenery, its air, its scents.
Lately, all of it had been flashing through her mind constantly.
But now?
At this very moment, leaping from the top of the apartment construction site?
Her longing for the forest faded to an astonishing degree.
Thanks to this unexpected familiarity.
*The forest feels similar. The height. The space.*
The towering apartment building and its pillars felt like tree trunks.
The rebar jutting out everywhere, bolted in place?
They evoked the image of the forest's dense branches.
*The sensation of leaping between them feels the same, too.*
Ta-dat! Pa-a-at!
She leaped to the top of the rebar.
She scanned the site, hanging from it like from a tree branch.
Were the other elves feeling the same sensation?
Unlike when they were on the ground, their eyes sparkled.
They raced across the site, riding the wind.
No, they were flying.
Whirliick, clack!
The elf rebar workers moved and tied the rebar in an instant.
They danced and glided on the wind.
When moving between floors?
They performed full-on acrobatics.
Pa-a-at!
Mui threw herself outside the building.
Tens of meters of empty air welcomed her.
But she didn't plummet to the ground.
She had spotted her landing point from the start.
A safety net was there.
Clang!
She landed on the edge of the safety net like a puff of fur.
She kicked off and leaped.
She used the bounce.
She entered the floor below in an instant.
She picked up the tool she had absentmindedly left there.
Returning to the upper floor was the same.
Ta-dat!
She kicked off the safety net.
She stepped on the apartment's outer wall.
No, she ran horizontally along the outer wall, body tilted parallel.
Then she reached out.
She grabbed the window frame of the upper floor like the wind and pulled herself in.
No need for stairs—the time to climb up was just over two seconds.
Ordinary people wouldn't even dream of such maneuvers, yet Mui and the elves completed them without a hint of excitement.
As naturally as breathing, or walking casually.
To them, it was utterly obvious and instinctive.
Even while moving like that, the elf rebar workers flawlessly executed the techniques Lloyd had taught them, without a single minor mistake.
*Jackpot. This is way beyond expectations for real.*
Lloyd, supervising the site, gaped.
Those elves.
Maybe they were born to be rebar workers.
He couldn't help thinking that.
*Brought 'em here—best decision ever.*
At this level, he could trust them with the work.
No more supervision needed.
*But even monkeys fall from trees, they say. Better pile up a thick heap of straw on the ground below, just in case.*
They might slip up and fall past the safety net.
Lloyd figured he'd add safety measures for that scenario.
He left the site and descended to the ground.
On the ground level, in the apartment courtyard, orc warriors were cheering up at the site.
“Awesome, kkuik!”
“Elves are the best, kuik!”
“Climbing high used to terrify me, kkuik!”
“I got nagged by my girlfriend every night, kuik!”
“I got chewed out by my wife, kkuik!”
“I got scolded by my son, kuik!”
“Liar alert! All these guys are single, kkuik!”
...and so on.
In short, thanks to the elves' stellar performance, the orcs escaped rebar duty. And acrophobia.
*Plus, those elves work at insane speeds. At this rate, we can finish Building 102 up to the 8th floor before it gets any colder.*
Winter had crept up fast.
That had been Lloyd's secret worry.
Once temperatures dropped below freezing, cement pouring would be impossible.
*Perfect conditions for freezing and thawing.*
Freezing and thawing.
One of the biggest hazards in winter construction.
*Concrete uses water. Drop below freezing? The water in the concrete freezes solid. If it freezes inside before the poured concrete dries...*
Once the concrete sets in that state?
Countless ice chunks and particles remain trapped inside like impurities.
Then winter passes, temperatures rise, and they melt belatedly.
Suddenly, random water blobs form inside fully cured concrete.
*That spells disaster for the project. The concrete structure falls way short of design strength. Cracks galore, crumbling, rebar corrosion, and in bad cases, pop-out where fist-sized chunks pop off.*
A total catastrophe.
The building becomes unusable.
For an apartment housing thousands per building?
*Ugh, nightmare fuel.*
Lloyd shuddered.
But seeing the elf rebar workers' pace?
That worry could fade.
*Temperatures have held up so far. Finish the 8th floor in days, before it worsens.*
With that resolve, he spurred the site.
Coaxing the elf rebar workers at times, prodding at others.
Thanks to that, the lagging 8th floor surged ahead.
Just eight days later, they finished cement pouring.
*Perfect. Too perfect.*
Lloyd felt immense satisfaction.
They'd topped out Building 102 before real cold hit.
Meaning winter work on insulation and heating for 101 and 102 was feasible.
*Treat 101 and 102 as prototypes. Use the data and experience to ramp up honeybee apartments from 103 in spring.*
Lloyd dove straight into the next task.
The long-delayed heating work on 101.
“So, we're mixing this precious sap with bean oil?”
“Yeah.”
The secret weapon for upgrading heating pipe insulation.
He poured a bit of Elensia sap into bean oil.
Haviel shot him a weird look.
Like asking what the hell he was doing.
Lloyd brazenly replied.
“Got tons of Elensia sap? Hell no. Too valuable to use straight. No need, either.”
“So, dilute it?”
“Yeah.”
“But why bean oil of all things?”
“Cheap, easy to get, and waterproof.”
Plus, it smells nutty—nice bonus.
Lloyd mixed the Elensia sap and bean oil.
But the ratio was the issue.
1:1?
Of course not.
Conscientiously 1:10?
Nope.
“No way Lord Lloyd means to call that 'mixed' after dropping just one drop of pure sap... right?”
Haviel, watching Lloyd work, was dumbfounded.
Obviously.
Lloyd was mixing pure Elensia sap into bean oil at about 1:99!
Yet Lloyd replied calmly.
“Hey, world's full of this crap. Buy any drink off the shelf—you'll see. One percent concentrate is a blessing.”
The world really worked that way.
Just check any store.
Fruit-flavored drinks or jellies.
Big bold labels screaming orange or strawberry, but ingredients list? Zero fruit sometimes.
That childhood realization had scarred his innocence deep.
He still remembered.
The capitalist lesson etched alongside that scratch.
The dirty sales trick revealing cost-cutting magic!
“This ratio's plenty. Tested the performance, too.”
“I see.”
“Obviously. Here, take the bowl. Take the brush.”
“......”
“What're you waiting for? Hurry up.”
Lloyd led Haviel to 101's heating room.
He pointed to the pipes running from the heating room into the apartments.
“See the pipes? Now we coat 'em with Elensia insulation cream. Go.”
“Technically bean oil insulation cream?”
“Tsk. It's the one percent that counts.”
“......”
They meticulously coated every pipe with Elensia insulation cream. Fanned it diligently to dry. Added thick straw piles on top. Tied the straw secure with string.
Then tested insulation performance.
Results: outstanding.
“How's it feel?”
“Toasty warm.”
“Right?”
“Yes.”
Previously, the 8th-floor pipes were lukewarm at best—chilly.
After adding Elensia insulation cream?
They felt like the heating room was right next door—piping hot.
*This is it. Total win.*
Existing insulation of straw, rice husks, and lime plaster.
Topped with Elensia cream and extra straw layers.
All that layering paid off.
Then.
“Uh, Lord Lloyd.”
“Hm?”
Haviel called.
But his tone and vibe were off from usual.
Like...
“You're about to ask me a favor, huh?”
“......”
“Bingo.”
“How'd you know?”
“You started with 'over there' just now.”
“......”
“You don't call me like that unless something's bugging you.”
“......”
“So? What's the favor?”
“The refugees.”
“Yeah.”
“How about prioritizing the sick and infirm for moving here first?”
Haviel laid out his honest thought.
No big reason.
Just touching the toasty pipes jogged a memory from days ago.
*The blind boy's mom. Hope she's okay.*
He recalled the scene.
The conditions there.
Harsh.
They'd built refugee tents with care.
But tents were tents.
Even healthy folks would struggle.
Let alone the ill or injured.
“Refugee camps mean exposed communal living. For the sick, quiet apartments might aid recovery better than group setups.”
“Hmm.”
Lloyd mulled Haviel's words.
Made sense on reflection.
“Yeah. Cramming the sick into crowded tents ain't helpful.”
“Agreed.”
“Then let's start with floors 1-3—easy access. Screen for patients first?”
“Great idea.”
101 had basic facilities ready.
Heating and interior finishes mostly done.
Communal kitchen and bathrooms needed tweaks.
Fine for immediate move-in and recovery.
*Plus, real residents will help me spot issues.*
Design and living differ.
Houses always do.
Inter-floor noise, condensation, drafts, lighting, ventilation, etc.
Problems you miss during build, discover living there.
Observe patients over winter?
Use them as beta testers?
Apply fixes to 103+ in spring.
Upgrade for real-life comfort.
“Screen patients first, put the worst off on 1st floor.”
Thus, first move-ins began.
Refugee patients shifted to 101.
They were overjoyed.
No surprise.
Monster domino disaster struck out of nowhere.
They'd lost homes and livelihoods.
Fled with sick and injured bodies.
Endured crude tents.
Now, months later, proper homes.
Tears of gratitude inevitable.
“So much to thank you for... How to repay this grace... Sniff...”
The first group included the blind mother and her young son.
She stroked their small home, tears streaming.
Ding-dong.
A new message appeared before Lloyd.
[Monumental Construction Achievement Unlocked]
[You have led the first apartment construction and move-in on the Lorasia Continent.]
[The successful first residents will live gratefully toward you forever, becoming this territory's most loyal citizens.]
[You have left a bold mark on Lorasia's civil engineering history.]
[You will be etched in history as the pioneer of apartments.]
[Bonus for monumental achievement: Massive RP granted.]
[Acquired 700 RP.]
[Current RP: 4,783]
RP after ages.
Lloyd suppressed warm fuzzies.
Replied coolly to the blind mother.
“Grace? Just raise your son right.”
Grow up strong, join territory workforce.
He'd work that kid hard, reap profits.
Profits snowball, honey pot swells.
*Heh. Think I built this for free?*
Nope.
No freebies in this world.
He might snag freebies, but giveaways? Never.
Even to refugees.
*But not yet. Soon. Once settled and healthy, grind 'em proper.*
Make 'em earn their keep.
Lloyd was sketching that savvy future when.
Someone dashed breathlessly to the site.
“L-Lord Lloyd!”
Turned out to be a baron's mansion servant.
The servant, sweating bullets, gasped.
“J-Just now, j-just!”
“Just what? Calm down, speak slowly.”
“An-an envoy. From the crown.”
“What?”
Envoy?
From the Queen?
The servant nodded vigorously.
“Yes. Waiting for you at the mansion now.”
“......”
An envoy.
Waiting for him.
Lloyd's instincts tingled.
*Uh-oh. Don't tell me.*
A hunch hit.
He headed to the mansion with the servant.
In the mansion garden, the envoy chatted with the baron couple.
The same envoy from Creemo, bearing the decree for the gigantitan kill.
Same guy, but attitude shifted.
“It's been a while.”
He bowed politely on sight.
Unthinkable before.
Back then, he'd been casual, informal.
“......”
The hunch sharpened.
Lloyd, feeling the spark, said.
“Let's do procedure first.”
“Yes, of course. Ahem!”
The envoy glanced around.
An attendant brought a scroll.
The Queen's decree.
Lloyd knelt on one knee.
Awaited the reading.
And sensed.
His hunch was spot on.
That decree held what he expected.
The envoy began reading.
“From time immemorial, We and Our forebears have striven tirelessly for the peace and prosperity of the kingdom's nobles, citizens, and all subjects.”
The rest was predictable.
Felt great responsibility.
Toiling day and night still.
Deeply grieved by recent disasters.
Commends Frontera Territory for stepping up.
Blah blah. Praise galore.
Lloyd's lips moved faintly as he listened.
Mouthing his hunch.
His growing certainty.
A quiet murmur.
The envoy's proclamation.
Lloyd's whisper.
The voices merged at last.
“By decree. For the aforementioned merits, elevate Frontera Territory to county status.”