Chapter 63
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Impossible Construction and Magical Materials (1)
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“The eldest son of the Frontera family, Lloyd Frontera, humbly greets the wise Creemo Count with a proposal to commission a new maritime ground formation construction method for building a ‘statue’ to drive away the ‘Gigatitan’.”
Lloyd’s voice filled the drawing room.
In an instant, the drawing room fell silent.
The chief steward who had opened the door went pale.
Haviel’s eyebrows twitched behind Lloyd.
And the Creemo Count, who had been looking at Lloyd...
“What did you just say?”
He tilted his head.
Good.
He didn’t get angry.
He showed interest first.
Lloyd, who had fired the first shot straight out of the gate for that very reason, quickly laid out his response.
“Just as I said. On the way here, I ‘happened’ to overhear Your Lordship’s troubles, and it reminded me that I have the perfect solution.”
“A bit more.”
The count sank deeply into his drawing room chair.
He fixed a sharp gaze on Lloyd.
‘Feels just like presenting a group project in front of the professor.’
But Lloyd didn’t tense up.
He forgot the count’s status and power.
Instead, he thought of the count this way.
‘That man is money. A client who’ll open his wallet for me.’
How to fling that client’s heart wide open.
How to get him to sign the commission contract.
He steeled his resolve like a chef facing ingredients.
And spoke calmly.
“To cut to the chase, the condition Your Lordship set for the construction—‘build the ground vertically’—can never be met with the reclamation techniques of other builders.”
“You’re saying it’s impossible for them?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s possible for you?”
“Yes.”
Lloyd nodded.
In moments like this, confidence was key.
He spoke with utter conviction.
“To create the sturdiest foundation with the minimal area in this narrow channel, I believe combining friction piles with the box caisson method is the answer.”
“Piles? Box caisson?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, not bad.”
“Have you heard of those methods, by chance?”
“No. Not at all.”
The count shook his head.
He grinned like a big bear.
“How would I know about such things?”
“What do you say?”
“No one’s stepping up to take the job anyway. That pesky Gigatitan won’t leave the waters off our coast, and our port’s trade volume keeps dropping because of it. But here you are, brimming with confidence, so I’ll give it a shot. Success is great. Failure, and we break even. Oh, of course, you know that if the construction fails, you’ll cover all the costs incurred so far?”
“Of course.”
But if this construction succeeded?
He’d rake in massive construction fees.
On top of that, he could build a solid relationship with Creemo Count, the top power in the region.
In other words, a reliable backer.
‘Perfect.’
Lloyd clenched his fist in secret.
‘It was a plan I whipped up on the spot after hearing about the count’s situation from the chief steward, and it worked.’
A delayed construction project.
No builders stepping forward.
From there, Lloyd had already caught the thick espresso scent of money.
So he’d racked his brain during the short walk to the drawing room.
The odds of success.
The gains from that success.
The losses if it failed.
He weighed every factor, calculated, and quickly concluded.
Worth the gamble.
He’d even factored in Creemo Count’s personality from the novel Iron-Blooded Knight.
‘He’s bold and big-hearted. He cherishes the capable, unbound by petty formalities.’
If you had talent, he ignored status.
That’s why he’d treated the wanted man Haviel with kindness.
Even into the novel’s mid-game, he’d been Haviel’s steadfast patron.
‘That personality hasn’t changed.’
That’s why Lloyd went straight to the point.
No beating around the bush.
He’d piqued the count’s interest and signaled he had the solution.
And the gambit paid off.
Lloyd said,
“Thank you for trusting me.”
“Thank you? Anyway, you jumped into construction talk out of nowhere, so I didn’t catch it properly earlier. Who did you say you were?”
“Ah, the eldest son of the Frontera family, Lloyd Frontera.”
Lloyd bowed his head in greeting.
At that moment, the count’s kindly smile froze.
It was an expression he hadn’t shown even when Lloyd ignored the chief steward’s plea and mentioned ‘Gigatitan’, ‘statue’, and ‘construction’.
“What an insolent pup.”
Creemo Count rose from his seat with a stern face.
He strode over.
Passed Lloyd entirely.
Stopped in front of Haviel.
He unleashed a stern rebuke at the silver-haired knight.
“So that’s it. No wonder you’re spouting strange construction methods with such confidence. You’re that rumored eldest son of the Frontera family? I’ve heard plenty lately about your construction skills. I even considered sending for you. But I never imagined you’d be this brazen and ignorant of etiquette.”
The count’s voice grew heavy.
“I could overlook it while we were discussing the project, but to not even face me properly for a formal greeting and send your underling instead? Ha ha ha. Never thought I’d live to see such rudeness.”
Anger flickered in the count’s eyes toward Haviel.
That’s why.
Lloyd was left awkwardly behind the count.
He couldn’t help scratching his chin.
“Um, Your Lordship?”
“Underling, stay out of it and keep quiet!”
“......”
“Explain yourself. Eldest son of the Frontera family. Did you come here today just to show me this rudeness?”
The count’s stern gaze pierced Haviel’s composed face.
Lloyd gave a wry smile.
“Um, Your Lordship?”
“Didn’t I tell the underling to stay quiet?”
“Excuse me, but...”
“If you know you’re sorry, then shut your mouth and...”
“I’m Lloyd Frontera.”
“Hm?”
Creemo Count paused.
With a creak, his head and gaze turned this way.
“You?”
“Yes.”
“The eldest son of the Frontera family?”
“Yes.”
Lloyd could only manage a wry smile.
Creemo Count pointed at Haviel with a confused look.
“Then who’s this fellow?”
“My bodyguard knight.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“For real?”
“Yes, really.”
“Tsk. No matter how I look, this guy has noble features.”
“......”
“It’s true.”
“......”
“Well, anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet the famed capable builder in person.”
“......Yes, an honor.”
As they shook hands and sat, the count chuckled heartily.
He eyed Lloyd with genuine interest.
“You’ve got quite the vessel, don’t you?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean you’re broad-minded and big-hearted.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Vessel size? Breadth?
Even Lloyd couldn’t quite pin down the meaning.
The count chuckled.
“I’m saying you keep that pristine knight—who looks more noble than you—stuck right by your side. Ask anyone you meet for the first time. Out of a hundred, all hundred would take him for a noble and you for the underling.”
“Khup.”
“What? Don’t buy it?”
“Ah, no. You hit the nail right on the head.”
“Ha ha ha. And you keep such a subordinate by your side without a care. You’re more than you seem.”
“......”
Hey, can we get back to the construction talk now?
Lloyd prayed earnestly in his heart.
Fortunately(?), the count’s fact-barrage ended there.
“Shall we finish up the construction talk, then?”
“Yes, thank you.”
From there, they discussed the maritime ground construction.
Mostly Lloyd giving technical explanations, the count nodding.
The count promised support like manpower, Lloyd expressing thanks.
And so the construction commission contract was drawn up.
Of course, the original purpose of the visit—trading used treasures—wrapped up smoothly too.
“Hand the goods to the chief steward. He’ll handle the payment.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you nothing. Do the construction right. If it succeeds, the compensation will be generous.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Be courteous to clients who open their wallets.
Recalling that ironclad rule, Lloyd bowed with sincere thanks.
The day he’d proposed an ondol room to the territory’s tavern owner.
The grand vision he’d envisioned on his first day of possession.
Build ports, bridges.
Undertake massive civil engineering projects.
Resolve the family’s debts with that resolve.
That day’s ambition was becoming reality.
His first construction commission from an upper-class noble.
The start of a new build that would bring him a hefty fortune.
♣
The next day dawned.
The maritime artificial ground formation construction commissioned from Creemo Count.
Lloyd began preparations for this new build.
Surveying.
“Huuuup.”
The waves crashing in the sea before the port.
A sturdy wooden boat floating atop them.
Lloyd leaned his head over the boat’s railing.
Took a deep breath.
Slipped on large goggle-like diving mask.
Held his breath. Bent at the waist. Dunked his face into the seawater.
Splash.
The cold touch of seawater on his face.
‘Ugh, feels like my face is being ripped off.’
It was early winter seas.
Dunking his bare face in?
His skin felt like it was peeling off in one go.
But Lloyd didn’t pull out.
He couldn’t.
It was for surveying.
‘No surveying, no construction. And to activate the surveying skill? I have to ‘see’ the site with my own eyes.’
But this build site was the seabed.
Meaning, he had to see the seabed directly.
‘At least the water’s clear.’
Lloyd forced his eyes open in the frigid water.
The waters off Creemo City had low turbidity.
Meaning, very few suspended particles—clear as crystal.
Plus, the goggles from the count’s family were decent quality.
Thanks to that, even over 10 meters down, the seabed was reasonably visible.
‘Hmm.’
Tzzzzz!
The surveying skill activated, revealing seabed info.
‘Good, almost no slope on the seafloor. Flat. And the surface has plenty of sediment—nice and soft. Weathered rock layer and soft rock layer... Hmm, no soft rock layer.’
Soft rock layer: relatively firm ground deep under the seafloor surface.
But none here.
Precisely, within the 5 meters underground the surveying skill’s ‘underground scanning’ option could detect, no soft rock layer.
‘Probably deeper. Doesn’t matter anyway. Well... ugh, limit reached.’
Lloyd’s face twisted as he surveyed the seafloor.
Running out of breath?
No.
The water was too cold.
Felt like his face was vanishing.
‘Ugh.’
Blurp!
Finally, Lloyd couldn’t hold out and lifted his head.
“Pwah! Hoo, haa! Towel!”
He shouted the moment his head broke surface.
Instant response from the side.
“Here.”
Haviel proffered a fluffy towel.
Lloyd yanked off the goggles, grabbed the towel.
Wiped the seawater from his face.
Only after a while did sensation return to his skin.
‘Ugh, hate this for real.’
Holding breath was manageable.
But the seawater was brutally cold.
Frostbite on the face?
Lloyd eyed Haviel amid blooming self-pity.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
“Can’t you do the surveying for me?”
Dead serious.
He’d hand it off if he could.
But both Lloyd and Haviel knew that wasn’t possible.
“Of course, I’d love to, but—”
“But?”
“I refuse.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m enjoying this.”
“Enjoying? Wait, you don’t mean...”
“Yes. Watching you struggle and grunt is thoroughly entertaining.”
“......Hey.”
“Kidding.”
“Phew, so you can do jokes now.”
“Because I’m in such a great mood for once.”
“Because you get to watch me struggle and grunt?”
“Yes.”
“......”
“Kidding, of course.”
“......”
This guy’s genuinely having fun.
But Lloyd sensed something else too.
Haviel wasn’t just enjoying the moment mindlessly.
“By the way, will it work this time too?”
“Work? What?”
“The construction.”
Haviel spoke with concern.
“Honestly, I’m having a hard time picturing it.”
“Picturing?”
“Yes.”
He continued.
“The water’s not shallow here. How do you plan to make land without pouring in dirt and stones? I wonder if it’s even possible.”
“Doubts creeping in?”
“Yes. It’s nothing like the Marez Reclaimed Land.”
That was Haviel’s honest thought.
Marez Reclaimed Land.
Draining a former wetland to turn it into farmland.
This place was worlds apart.
“Are you thinking of having Hamang drink the seawater again? Even that seems impossible here.”
No matter how much Hamang could drink.
The sea was vastly more.
Drink and drink and drink—endless.
So the Marez method of draining surroundings first wouldn’t work.
Haviel asked sincerely.
“Do you have some magic prepared, Lord Lloyd?”
This time, it’d take magic’s help.
Friction piles.
Box caissons.
He’d overheard Lloyd briefly explain methods to the count, but doubts lingered.
Understanding, Lloyd shrugged.
“Magic, huh. Close enough.”
For real.
This time, something magical would happen.
Haviel’s doubts were justified.
Lloyd said,
“This time, we’ll use the most magical material on any construction site.”
“The most magical material?”
“Cement. Ever heard of it?”
Cement.
Lloyd said the name with a grin.
And thought.
A construction site without the essentials is just wrong.