Chapter 126: How to Acquire Insulation (1)
Thwack! Tap!
The first snow of the year was falling, and the cold wind blew. But the snowfall and gust weren’t enough to dampen and freeze the passion of the workers in the construction field.
“Woah! It’s snowing!”
“Eh? It’s really snowing!”
“Wahaha! Looks like this is our lucky day!”
As the soft hail started to fall to announce the first snowfall, a cheer erupted among the engineers. The reason was simple.
“Compensation for inclement weather!”
These engineers belonged to the fiefdom, so they were the soldiers hired by the lord. Therefore, even if they participated in the construction, the only additional payment they could receive from the lord was some occasional bonuses and nothing more. However, there were some exceptions. It was when the construction took place after dusk late at night or during inclement weather. On top of that, whenever the job involved some form of risk, they received a hefty bonus. Such a type of compensation system was put up by Lloyd, who meticulously supervised the construction site.
Master Lloyd is somewhat, no, shamelessly a cheapskate. He despises losing even a single coin. But what really amazes me is how thoroughly he takes care of his workers.
Everyone was weirded out by this. On a normal day, Lloyd was the worst miser. A loss of coin or peanuts was enough to prompt him to kick his blanket at night in frustration. Being such a terrible pinchpenny, everyone wanted to know whether it was a trait ingrained in the young master’s genes. Upon hearing this quality of his, an outsider may think that Lloyd was the worst boss to work for. That, too, was the concern for the engineers at first. But it turned out, he was different. It was the opposite.
He took great care of us.
When it came to special bonuses, Lloyd was meticulous about giving the proper amount. There was never a delay of payment as well. He always met the payment deadline on the dot. Lloyd even gave the workers holidays. One rest day every week. And he emphasized that the construction site should be kept organized and tidy as messy construction sites were prone to safety accidents. And so, the engineers came to have firm trust that Master Lloyd never considered them as replaceable goods and that he sincerely cherished them. The same was today.
“Hey, you! Make sure you mark the time the snow fell!” shouted Lloyd”
“Why?” said the youngest engineer in the corp.
“Are you serious? Because the rule is to work for an hour and take 20 minutes of rest by the fire during snowy days,” said Lloyd”
“Oh, do you mean the rule Master Lloyd has set here on the construction site?”
“Yep, that’s the one.”
Thwack! Thud!
The engineers got to work with more zeal, waiting for the promised inclement-weather bonus and rest.
“By the way, I have a question I want to ask,” said the same young boy.
“Hmm? What is it?” answered one of the commanders beside him.
“It’s about this central heating room we are constructing.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Why are we constructing today?”
“What? What are you saying?”
“I had heard that the refugees can only live in the apartment complex next fall. That means that there is still a lot of time left… So why hurry the job when it’s snowing?” asked the boy.
“My, my. Are you saying that Master Lloyd may be wasting his money by unnecessarily putting us to work during severe weather conditions?” answered his senior.
“Yes. Master Lloyd may be taking good care of us but he never is wasteful. So I can’t understand even a little why he is pushing ahead with the job today.”
“Tsk. How could you be so narrow-minded?”
“Excuse me…?”
The commander clucked his tongue.
“What are we constructing today?”
“I heard we are building a heating facility,” answered the young soldier as he gulped.
“And what season are we in now?”
“Winter.”
“Then,” said the commander, “should we not hurry to finish constructing the facility before winter has passed?”
“But, they will be coming in next fall-”
“Exactly. That’s why we need to finish up the heating facility and test it out,” enlightened the commander.
“Oh…” he gasped.
“So before they come live here next autumn, we should make sure that the heating facility is running smoothly to heat up indoors in the next winter. We need to check those things. Okay?”
“Th-that’s why…”
“Indeed. That’s why. Don’t forget that Master Lloyd is a meticulous man. So, let’s get to work now.”
“Yes!”
The inclement weather bonus was set to be paid, and the engineers were able to work hard in anticipation of the pay. Thanks to that, the heating facility was built in a smooth manner without any interruptions. First, the central heating room for Building 101 was built in a corner of the plaza. Then, a steam kiln specially made by the dwarf master was installed, and bamboo pipes were added to transfer the steam from the kiln. Next, the exterior of the pipes was wrapped with an insulator made of wheat straw, chaff, and lime. Afterward, those numerous pipes were intricately connected to each household like a spiderweb before they were connected to a steam grill that was likened to a modern radiator.
Of course, that won’t be as effective as ondols in heating up the floor.
Even if that was the case, however, the structure of the apartment complex promised less heat loss than residential houses. That is, the building required less heating. What was more, each unit was much smaller than the average house.
It’s small because there is no kitchen or dining room.
The bathroom and toilets and whatnot were designed to be installed in a communal facility. So each household only held a small living room and bedroom. It was Lloyd’s desperate measure to accommodate as many refugees as possible and minimize the burden of heating.
But still… I must make sure that the heating works properly.
This central steam-type heating for each building was something Lloyd was trying out for the first time. When he ran a simulation using his optional skill, there weren’t any serious malfunctions. Even so, Lloyd didn’t put his guard down as the construction took place. He checked the facility every day without fail, personally overseeing the insulation construction indoors. The walls and floors were thoroughly plastered with insulation mixed with wheat straw, chaff, and lime. Once they dried up enough, they were finished with thin wooden planks. And at last, the construction of the heating system for Building 101 was completed toward the end of the year. Lloyd immediately went on to test the function right away.
Please! Heat up!
Fwish!
The steam kiln for Building 101 was warmed by the heat of the coals. Boiled water and hot steam flowed through the pipes.
Great. It’s working well so far.
To Lloyd’s relief, the steam wasn’t leaking from the pipes. He walked following the pipes and entered the first floor. He touched the radiator of each household.
“It’s hot!”
Lloyd almost burned his hand. A smile escaped from him.
Good. Now to the second floor.
After looking around the entire units on the first floor, Lloyd checked the second floor. It was equally hot. But as he went up, things became different.
Hmm…? It’s a bit…
The look on Lloyd’s face slightly hardened as he inspected the fourth floor.
Though it’s very minimal, it’s getting colder as I go up.
The first floor was scorching hot. The second floor was hot. The third floor was warm. But now on the fourth floor…
It’s slightly lukewarm. I’m sure of it.
Nervousness gripped Lloyd at that moment. And when he came up to the fifth floor, it was more lukewarm than the fourth floor. The sixth and seventh floors were chilly. And when he got to the eighth floor, it was cold.
Woah. Is this for real? This is bad.
As a pang of disappointment continued to grip him, Lloyd analyzed the reason. It was actually simple.
The actual insulation of the pipes is doing more poorly than my simulation. That’s why the heat is lost when the steam flows through the pipes.
The proof was the hot lower floors, which were closer to the heating room. And it got colder the farther he climbed.
“It’s because of the long pipes. Even though I separated the pipes for each household to prevent heat loss, the distance from the upper floors to the heating room is just too far. The insulation isn’t enough. That’s the main reason.”
Tap. Tap. Lloyd concluded as he tapped the pipes of the eighth floor that had gone cold.
“Is there a way we can shorten the pipes?” asked Javier as he furrowed his brow.
“Of course, we can.” Lloyd chuckled. “The solution is actually simple. Just put a heating room for every floor.”
“But why can’t we do that?”
“The reason is just as simple. It’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous? Why?”
“Fire.”
There was finality in Lloyd’s voice.
“Hundreds of refugees,” went on Lloyd, “will be living here in Building 101. And if a fire breaks out in one of the heating rooms that I install on every floor, a catastrophe too terrible to put into words will occur.”
“There will be a great number of casualties…”
“Yes, exactly,” agreed Lloyd. “I built this building to house as many people as possible. The priority wasn’t comfort. And the design followed that direction. The interior is entirely made of wood. So if a fire breaks out, at least half of them will be scorched to death, unable to flee.”
Lloyd wasn’t joking. He was dead serious about it. One fire, and it was sure to spell a massive disaster. At least hundreds of casualties would be seen. Lloyd could ascertain so because he had designed the building himself.
There aren’t any modern-type escape facilities or fire extinguishing facilities here.
This world didn’t have fire extinguishers. No ventilators to send the smoke outside. No helicopter to rescue people who fled to the roof.
“If there’s one, Hamang is our best asset as he can spit a large amount of water at once. But what if Hamang isn’t there? What if he’s vacant? Then there is no other solution. If we’re unlucky, a catastrophe no one can deal with may break out. Besides, even if he’s here, he won’t be able to kill the fire in one gush. And that was the reason why I designed the heating room and cooking area to be placed outside,” explained Lloyd.
“Was it the reason why you wanted to replace the interior lights with light bugs as well?”
“Yeah, obviously. They are common in the eastern range and safe.”
“For safety reasons, I see. Hmm, to wrap up, we should keep the heating facility in the courtyard but improve the insulation of the pipes.”
“That’s exactly right. Javier, man, you’ve gotten smarter these days.”
“Smarter? I doubt it.”
“You do?” asked Lloyd.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“After all, I was already smart in the first place.”
Lloyd didn’t say anything. He simply stared at Javier with a dumbfounded look on his face.
“Ehem,” coughed Javier, “I was being serious.”
“Normally, people say that they were joking.”
“What is the need for it? I am telling the truth.”
“Look at you. You’re just shamelessly saying it’s the truth now.”
“I am a knight, after all,” said Javier.
“What does that have anything to do with that?”
“I learned that knights are always to speak the truth. For example, Javier Asrahan is smart. Javier Asrahan is handsome. Javier Asrahan possesses a noble character. And so on.”
Lloyd was speechless.
“There are other truths besides those. For example, Lloyd Frontera is single. And so, he is jealous of Javier Asrahan’s competence, handsomeness, and character out of his stingy, narrow-minded, and small-hearted qualities. And these are some of the uncomfortable truths.”
“Hey,” Lloyd called.
“Yes?”
“Having fun?”
“I am for the first time in a while.”
“Tsk.”
“Anyway,” Javier said as he changed the subject. “How can we improve the insulation of the pipes?”
“I don’t know. That’s a pickle for me as well.”
Lloyd scratched the back of his neck for this was really a concern.
“Actually, the batter made out of the wheat straw, chaff, and lime was the best insulator I had in mind.”
It was true. The wheat straw, chaff, and lime were the easiest materials to acquire around here in large volumes. This meant that they were low in price as well. The cost was a very important factor to take into account.
Duh. I need to insulate the whole building in the future as well. So if the materials are hard to come by and expensive, it just doesn’t cut it.
But other than the soaring material cost, what equally mattered was their availability. A low supply could affect the construction schedule. And that was why Lloyd decided to go for the wheat straw, chaff, and lime as the main materials. They were cheap and common. He ran countless experiments to come up with the best combination that ensured great performance.
And yet, the insulation isn’t enough.
Lloyd started to deliberate what more he must do with the insulation to keep the heat in the pipes.
The pipes were designed to be as little exposed as possible. There is nothing more to do with the design. This means that I must look further into the material.
He needed materials that provided better insulation than the initial formula but was cheap and easily available. Lloyd put on his thinking cap to figure out if there is any material that satisfies these conditions. His deliberation lasted for three straight days. For a second, it crossed his mind to use CP for the Ending Spoiler to find the answer to the solution. But he shook his head.
No. I should save it for when I’m more desperate or when I really can’t find a solution.
CP was way harder to save than RP which was based on likeability. As such, it was wasteful to spend the point just because he met a small hurdle. Two more days were spent pondering the problem. Lloyd rummaged through his memories and records during those days.
At a time like this, this method may help.
Lloyd brought out a bundle of papers from his bedroom drawer. These were the notes that he consistently recorded from the moment he came to this world. They were related to the novel, The Knight of Blood and Iron.
For people’s memories aren’t perfect.
Lloyd knew that he wasn’t perfect as well. He wasn’t a genius. That was why he recorded the notes with fervor. The plot, major characters, accidents, setting, and other small facts of the novel were jotted down in detail every time he remembered them.
I think I read about a setting that can help my situation right now… What was it…? Eh? Hold on.
After a long time of rifling through his records, Lloyd’s gaze stopped at one note.
Found it. This is it.
The records he finally found had the following writings: “Elves’ woods,” “Javier’s love,” and “Warm dragon breath.”