Chapter 150: Construction Guideline (2)

“Do you remember the last time we constructed the seokbinggo for the orc village? And how we executed the dark magician?” Lloyd asked.

Javier nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“Do you recall how we tore the whole place down and grabbed every magical material?” said Lloyd.

“Yes, of course.”

“I came across something amazing among the junk. This one. When I implanted mana, it turned out that I could create an illusion.”

Lloyd held out his hand, holding a round medal in it.

“So, did you draw the cube of light under the ground using that medal?” asked Javier.

“Yeah,” said Lloyd. “I thought it would come in handy for marking out blueprints on future construction projects. It will allow the workers to work conveniently.”

“What an amazing function,” stated Javier.

“Right? Me too. There’s more. Can you scoop up an area? Just once.”

“Anywhere?”

“Yeah,” said Lloyd. “Anywhere.”

“…”

Javier stared at Lloyd and stole a glance at the medal. Javier instantly knew. Sure, the medal was a magical trinket, but it was a lie that Master Lloyd had drawn the blue light and side in the earth with that medal.

“…”

Javier wondered if he should let it slide this time as well. After some hesitation, Javier silently held up the shovel and stuck it in one area inside the cube cave. A large dent appeared on one of the perfectly-straight sides. Then, something happened.

Beep!

The sharp beeping was followed by a change of color on the side. It turned red.

“Did you see that?” said Lloyd. “It notifies the worker once they deviate from the design.”

“Then…”

“They’ll know right away if they’re doing something wrong.”

“To me, it sounds like they will not be lazing around anymore.”

“But,” Lloyd said, “I make sure they’re well provided for, don’t I?” He plastered a smile commonly visible among vicious employers. He had wondered how the new optional skill, which he attained by increasing his skill class, would work. But when he tested it out, it turned out to be dynamite.

So, the blueprint I designed has been projected to the ground just the same. And it notifies the error in real-time.

The thing with the construction project was that it held a possibility of being a total failure if the workers did a horrible job. It was the case even when the design was perfect and meticulous to the hilt. Intentional ignorance of a design or busy work was actually quite common in construction sites. After all, it involved people.

But now, I can prevent that from happening. Any deviation from the blueprint is highlighted in color.

What was more, Lloyd was now able to designate the margin of error and standard permissible to him by marking them in red. As such, this optional skill allowed Lloyd to worry no more. It would be more so as he proceeded with this project, which required stringent precision and attention to detail.

And my story about the magical item and whatnot seemed to have worked.

Lloyd was relieved. He thought he had fooled Javier. So, everything was now all set. The time had come to take this construction to full swing.

The construction began smoothly.

“Now, I am sure you know very well what you all must do.”

The site selected for the first excavation was the area near the central village of the fiefdom. There, Sir Bayern gave a solemn speech.

“We have completed various projects under the supervision of our young master Lloyd Frontera. We have constructed countless ondol rooms, turned the Maritz Wetlands into fertile land, and built waterways that run from the high eastern mountain range to our fiefdom.”

As Sir Bayern enumerated the projects he and his engineering corp participated in, his face reflected with a swelling sense of pride.

“But that is not the end of it,” continued Sir Bayern. “The large apartment complex is currently under construction as per the design of Master Lloyd, and through the winter, we carved up the slopes in the eastern range and built up retaining walls to turn them into abundant terraced fields. And now! We are holding our shovels high to achieve something that surpasses all that we ever did.”

A sense of pride rushed through the engineers as they listened to the speech. Each of their uniforms was donned with varying embroideries, symbolizing the construction projects each had participated in. They were the medal of hard work and the proof of their career.

“Indeed. We will make history today. As we actualize the blueprint of Master Lloyd, and for the bright future of the fiefdom, on our honor, we shout! Safety first!”

“Safety first! Wow!!”

The forceful shout signaled the beginning of the construction. The seasoned engineer corp played a critical role and led the construction, while countless refugees and residents, who had volunteered for Lloyd, acted as their support. On top of that, the construction guideline ensured the job was convenient and precise.

“Ppo-do-dong! Ppodong!”

Swish! Swish! Swish!

A large amount of dirt was scooped up each time Ppodong wiggled his butt. Just like that, a 13 x 13 hole that was 6.5 feet deep came to be. The engineers and workers who were watching the sight started to murmur among themselves.

“Over there, what on earth is that in the ground? I see a blue light,” a refugee old man murmured to himself.

An engineer soldier grinned at his side.

“Oh, that? That’s the guideline Master Lloyd drew out under the earth.”

“A guide…line?”

“Yes,” he confirmed.

“What does that do?” asked the curious old man.

“It shows exactly where to dig and where to avoid.”

“How is that possible?” he added.

“Well, I don’t know, but it’s visible to our eyes because it’s possible. I don’t know the mechanism behind it. Anyway, Master Lloyd says that we simply have to dig and build following that mark,” said the young man with a shrug.

“Haha, my goodness. How amazing.”

The civil engineer soldiers were briefed about the guideline before working. And the workers, who heard the same thing from the engineers, were amazed. The construction guideline grew more vivid as they looked at it. But they soon learned that it was a bit different from their expectations. It showed more than the outline, area, and depth to excavate. It was more detailed and elaborate. Even the location and range of the bricks to be stacked inside the hole became visible. It was as though a 3D blueprint hologram was installed inside.

“My goodness, it’s much more detailed than I had thought!”

The workers were astonished by how exhaustive the whole thing was. Just like that, they jumped into action, fine-pressing the shaft Ppodong had dug. Built in the central village of the fiefdom, it was meant to collect all sorts of sewage and bodily wastes people disposed of in the area.

It’d have been nice if I could build a modern sewage system in each household where they can directly throw their waste.

But he didn’t have the technology to do so and lacked money, time, and labor. A bitter smile appeared on Lloyd’s face as he looked at the ongoing construction. To be honest, he wanted to create a modern sewage system, just like the one in South Korea, if he could. It would allow the water used at homes to pass through the sewers and the people to flush their toilets. Clean and sleek. Lloyd wanted to devise a method wherein people could deal with the waste without extra effort or care.

But that’s impossible here.

To construct a modern sewage system, Lloyd had to connect the residential facility with underground pipes. But the current situation made it impossible for him to do so. Soon, the freezing winter would turn the Prona River into a giant block of ice. The accumulated bodily waste there signaled a large-scale epidemic. So, the sewers had to be constructed before the plague, leaving Lloyd no time to build and connect houses with pipes. He would need at least several years to perfect such a thorough system.

That’s why I’m constructing a large sewage shaft in each village and region.

The sewage and bodily waste excreted from each household would be thrown into the shaft, and they would flow through the connected pipes to gather in one place. That was the crux of the sewage system Lloyd planned on constructing.

That would save me time and effort as well.

At the moment, Lloyd needed to opt for the most cost-effective method. With such a motto in mind, Lloyd led and supervised the construction. The earth was dug for the sewage shaft, and the ground was refined and processed. And he coated the shaft with granite bricks and cement to ensure that the sewage and bodily waste wouldn’t seep underground. Then, he connected the sewage pipes for the sewage to flow out.

The ground was dug in an elongated manner, 16 feet deep. The floor received a thick coating of sand and rubble. Then, it was covered with flat granite plates to prevent the leaching of contaminated sewage. On top of the plates, a layer of cement was plastered, and granite bricks were placed to interlock one another. The bottom side of the sewage pipe was made to be shaped in a reversed egg, as this tapered design ensured a faster and more seamless flow of the sewage downward. These pipes were exactly 6.5 feet wide and high. On its side was a 23-inch pedestrian where people could pass by. And the area with finished pipes was completed with granite bricks and water-proofed. Then, they were covered with sand.

The maintenance hole worked as a staircase, from which the workers could safely travel down to the sewer if there were any clogging or leakage. It looked like just the “Cholera Canal,” the sewage in Vienna, Austria. The first section was composed of the sewage treatment facility, which sat at the central village of the fiefdom, and the sewer leading from it. The construction took 20 days to finish. But it wasn’t over.

Of course. This is just the beginning. All I did was construct the facility for one village. The real deal is the one we’ll be building from now on.

The sewage and bodily waste would flow through the sewage treatment facility and sewer built in each village and apartment building, and they would finally stream out of the fiefdom through the main sewer. The construction of the main sewer took place. It was the extra-large version of the aforementioned Cholera Canal. Bibeong was mobilized for this project as well.

“Bibebeong! Bibeong!”

Stomp Stomp!

Bibeong stomped down the mountain. It had been a while, so he was excited to be here. He stole a glance at Bangul, who was sitting on Lloyd’s shoulder in the distance. His heart fluttered with butterflies at the sight of his first love, and his cheeks blushed red. He moved his 3,000-ton front legs with all his might.

“Bibeong!”

Boom! Crash!

The ground was dug as though a gigantic excavator was at work. In a flash, Bibeong excavated a 65 x 65-foot hole. The engineers and workers were put to work just like that as they built sewer pipes. A ginormous main sewer, 32 feet in width and 26 feet in height, was dredged along with a 9.8-foot pedestrian zone on the side. The major sewer faced extended north. Each day, it got longer. The spring rain stopped the flowering of plants. Frogs croaked aloud. Roses bloomed their first petals. Three months later, the main sewer passed beyond the northern area of the fiefdom.

“Now, you must be careful from now on,” intervened Lloyd, “I am sure you can remember. Do you know which direction the Mastodons charged after it ambushed our fiefdom because of the monster domino phenomenon?”

“To the north, young master!” The soldiers answered in unison at Lloyd’s question. The experience of driving the herd of Mastodons to the north using the river water clearly left an unforgettable impression on their minds.

“Good. I am glad that you can still remember. As you know, Mastodons are powerful animals. Sweeping them with the river water simply doesn’t kill them. Almost all of them would have survived after being swept away to this place and starting a new life here. In other words, we’re trespassing their territory and building something here.”

Lloyd continued to warn them.

“So, all you must be on your toes. Surely, Bibeong is here to deter them from attacking us so easily. But there are exceptions. Even if you take a rest, don’t go far away from the site, and if you have to go far for some inevitable reason, go by grouping yourselves into ten. Got it?”

“Yes, young master!”

The construction resumed after the warning speech. But to Lloyd’s surprise and embarrassment, not a single Mastodon was found even when the construction reached the tenth day since the trespass.

Whew, this is embarrassing. Did I give a speech for nothing?

Lloyd chuckled to himself, thinking that the Mastodons must have settled farther than he expected. Or it could be that Bibeong’s presence was deterring them from approaching.

If that’s the case, then it’s good for us.

Things were always better if they didn’t encounter dangerous monsters. It was especially so amid the noisy and chaotic construction site. However, around the time Lloyd was putting his guard down, something happened.

“Bibebeong? Bibeong!”

Bibeong, who was digging the ground, yelled. But his shout was suggestive. It meant, “Over here! Something’s here!”

Hmm? Something’s there?

What could it be? Lloyd wondered to himself. Jostling out of his trance, Lloyd headed in the direction of the calling and looked at the area Bibeong was pointing at. The ground was being dug up. But underneath the piles of dirt, an outline of something appeared in his view.

“Mastodon?”

It was a carcass, buried about 22 feet deep. But it wasn’t very rotten. In other words, it was killed just recently.

What the heck? Why is it buried 22 feet underground?

A landslide? Lloyd postulated to himself, but that wasn’t possible.

This area is a plain.

His next guess was the other Mastodons burying this carcass.

No, it can’t be.

Mastodons were monsters, so they didn’t have the intelligence to bury the dead. Soon, another strange thing happened.

“Bibeong? Bibeo-beong?”

Bibeong, who was looking at the carcass as he cocked his head, moved his front leg and carefully scooped the area next to it. Another carcass appeared. But there was more.

“What…”

As Bibeong continued to dig, dead Mastodons kept appearing without stopping. Ten? Twenty? No. More than a hundred.

“Bibeong! Bibeo-beong?”

“Yes, um, I’m looking at it as well. I can also see that they were carefully buried in a straight line, as though someone put in the effort to do so. What in the world is this…”

Lloyd couldn’t wrap his head around this. His mind flew back to the stories in the novel, but it never mentioned the clean burial of the Mastodons. The only similar incident as this one was about the Namaran’s Wall episode, wherein Javier learned how to use the mana blast. Just then…

Pshhh!

Amid the piles of dead Mastodons, an eerie and ominous noise pierced Lloyd’s ears.