Chapter 53: We Dig Together (3)
“Young Master Lloyd!”
“What do I have to do?!”
“My lord! Give us something to do!”
“We brought everything we have, our shovels, pickaxes, and everything!”
“I also brought my sons!”
“We came as a couple!”
“We are here, too, oink!”
The area was bustling with people. It was early morning. It was normally a tranquil time people used to get ready for the day. It was when people ate breakfast amid the fog of the early fall and washed their faces as they stretched their slightly stiffened bodies.
However, today was different. There was a noisy crowd in front of the baron’s estate. Hundreds of villagers assembled in the area. Each shouted aloud, raising up their shovels, pickaxes, and other tools. At first glance, the scene resembled a peasant revolt that would instantly make any lord turn pale as a sheet. However, that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t a revolt. It was a group of villagers who gathered up to volunteer for the construction. Baron Frontera looked outside through the window in his office and became aghast.
“Did you expect this to happen?”
“Hmm…To be honest, I never thought it would be this much,” Lloyd confessed.
Lloyd gave a wry smile in response to the baron’s question. It was true. He had absolutely no idea that the declaration issued the previous afternoon would be this impactful. Lloyd had suggested to the baron to write the declaration. He advised the baron to transparently inform everyone about how underhand Viscount Lacona was and what he demanded using his threat.
But the baron turned out to be a better writer than I imagined.
To put it plainly, the baron had an amazing talent for writing. It was just a regular announcement, and yet it tugged at the readers’ heartstrings. When Lloyd read through the declaration, he found his heart pounding with emotion. He clenched his fist in anger, and his throat choked. If it had such an effect on Lloyd, who had grown cynical as a result of his difficult life, it was no brainer what it would bring about once the naive farmers read it.
Maybe the baron was born at the wrong time and in the wrong world.
Just then, Lloyd wondered what would have happened to the baron if he had been born in South Korea. He wondered if he might have become a popular author on platforms like NAVER. Pushing such a trivial thought aside, he spoke. “Regardless, the declaration had a great impact. It appears that our work will go smoother.”
“Do you mean the one we talked about yesterday?”
“Yes. I am thinking of starting the construction for the temporary reservoir right away.”
The time was ripe as there was an enthusiastic atmosphere among the villagers. A sense of commonality was formed among them, the rage against the viscount binding them as one.
It would be a waste if Lloyd missed this time. No, he would be a fool if he did. Lloyd went out of the baron’s office right away, exited the estate, and stood in front of the people.
He didn’t give a speech filled with unnecessary flowery words. Without any words, his actions revealed to everyone what would come next. He raised a metal shovel in front of everyone. It meant only one thing. The start of the construction!
The human villagers and orc miners. Everyone lifted their shovels as high as they could.
They followed Lloyd, walking across the fiefdom. No, they weren’t walking, they were marching. Lloyd pointed at a spot and they got to work right away. Lloyd had already finished surveying and designing the area they were in the night before. Lloyd brought out Ppodong first. He fed a red sunflower seed to him.
“Hey, Ppodong.”
“Ppodong?”
“Time to eat.”
“Ppo-do-dong!”
Ppodong grew thirty feet. The people cheered at the appearance of the most reliable heavy equipment, the summon partner. Basking in the cheers and praise, Ppodong began to burrow the ground.
“Ppo-do-do-dong!”
His chubby fat wriggled, each time bringing his huge forearms to move like the wind. The ground was excavated in huge scoops. The dirt explosively splattered in all directions and about thirty minutes later…The empty lot formed a rectangular pit whose width, length, and depth were 164 feet, 328 feet, and eight feet, respectively. It looked like a swimming pool. Lloyd gave out his next instructions.
“Alright, the first group of civil engineers will refine the pit Ppodong has dug. Flatten the surface and shape the corners at a right angle. Let’s go!”
“Yes!”
The soldiers in group one threw away their shirts and jumped into the pit. Lloyd’s gaze traveled to the ordinary residents in groups.
“Alright, group two and everyone else. Find flat rocks and bring them here! The larger and wider, the better. Do you see this? Rocks flat as these are the best. Make sure you don’t get hurt. Don’t overdo it. Okay?!”
“Yes, Young Master!” everyone shouted.
The people began to move around. The work wasn’t divided by gender or even occupation.
Old farmers, young woodcutters, shepherd boys, and hunter girls spread around in search of flat rocks. One brought a rock as large as a dining table, while another brought a pile of palm-sized rocks. Even the small, waddling children brought tiny stones in their little hands, their other hand holding their mother’s. Lloyd joined them to collect and gather the rocks.
About two hours later, thanks to everyone’s efforts, a large pile of rocks was stacked beside the rectangular pit.
“Great. Groups one and two, and the villagers should take a break. Group three and the plaster workers, transfer the rocks into the pit and carpet it on the ground and the sides. Let’s go!”
“Yes!”
Group three and the plaster workers moved. They laid the flat rocks as though they were laying tiles in a swimming pool. They laid the rocks and they plastered them with mortar.
Of course, the job wasn’t done haphazardly.
“Over there! Too high! Lower it! Maintain the slope!” Lloyd instructed.
This facility was meant to be used as a temporary reservoir. It was the place to store potable water for everyone and for hygiene’s sake, the water needed to get drained.
As such, Lloyd made a slope in the ground. It was the same when he instructed the others to lay down the rocks and make a drain where the water would travel outside through the reservoir.
It’s obvious. Otherwise, the water will stagnate.
Stagnated water would rot. It wasn’t an exaggeration. Moreover, the rotten water would fester with various bacteria and algae. Anybody who thoughtlessly drank from it had a good chance of contracting all sorts of diseases. That was why the importance of the drain system of the reservoir could not be driven home enough.
“Alright. Orcs, bring in the rock for the sluice gate!”
“I have been waiting for this moment, oink!”
Lloyd shouted after creating the drain. The orcs, who had been dying to get to work, yelled back. Three orcs walked in, carrying a huge rock the size of an elevator. They set it down at the area that connected the reservoir and drain. The size of the rock fit just right with the drain, like the cork cap to a wine bottle. This rock would serve as a cap that keeps the water locked in the reservoir. When the water in it had to be drawn out, Lloyd could allure these gym rat orcs to slightly lift the rock up. With that, the 184 by 328 feet swimming pool, no, the temporary reservoir was completed. The construction had kicked off in the morning, but it took only half a day for it to be finished.
Woah. The speed of construction is unreal.
The residents hollered. Lloyd clucked his tongue amid the excited cheers. However, he still had more work to do. Now that the reservoir had been made, it was time to fill up the empty space.
“So, wait here, everyone. Oh, right. You might get stomped by Hamang if you’re too close to the reservoir. So take a couple of steps back. Javier?”
“Yes.”
“Come draw some water with me. Bring the horse.”
“Understood.”
Lloyd hopped on the horse Javier was on. They galloped south, following the river branch of the Prona River that divided the fiefdom north and south. They passed the reclaimed Maritz land and the Lacona viscounty. Eventually, they arrived upstream where the river water wasn’t contaminated. Lloyd placed Hamang down in the clear river.
“Alright, Hamang. You know what to do, don’t you?”
“Hamang!”
Hamang’s eyes were shining the moment he laid his eyes on the flowing river. He shook his butt in excitement. He looked like a puppy about to go on a stroll he had been waiting all day. He was super ready to jump right into the river. Lloyd gave exactly what Hamang so badly wanted.
“Okay, take it in one shot!”
“Hamang!”
Hamang threw his fist-sized body into the river but he didn’t flow down the river with its current. Instead of him, it was the water level that started to go down.
“Hamamamamang!”
He quite literally devoured the water. Sucking in the river water, Hamang grew gigantic in real time. He grew to an incredible size, going over his previous 160-foot height record. He was ninety-five feet tall now.
Good. His one-shot skill has improved more as he reclaimed the Maritz Wetland.
Hamang’s one-shot skill level was three. It increased by two levels. His previous maximum height was one hundred and sixty feet, but now, it was one hundred and ninety-five feet. Specifically, this meant that he was able to store almost twice as much water in his mouth.
“If you’re done, let’s move! Off we go!”
Lloyd tapped Javier, who was sitting in the front saddle, on the shoulder. Javier spurred his horse. She gave a neigh and galloped at full speed. Behind them, Hamang followed as he rolled and smashed everything in his way with his body.
“Hamamamamang!”
The 195-foot tall living water balloon rolling forward was a terrifying sight. Perhaps that was why Javier’s horse ran at full speed and Lloyd learned what it would be like if his pelvis got dislocated and smashed on the saddle. A strong impulse swept over Lloyd at one point.
I want to make Hamang charge right into the viscounty.
He wanted to go into the viscounty with his blood ally, the Sand and Steel orc tribe. However, he fought against the idea. The bad guy was Viscount Laconat and the people living in the viscounty were innocent. So Lloyd didn’t want to unnecessarily harm them out of anger. Besides, realistically speaking, such behavior could bring about disastrous results. It would obviously be the case legally or financially.
“Alright, this way!” Lloyd instructed the way to go as he clutched Javier’s shoulder from the back of the saddle.
Unlike the road he had taken coming up here, this route took a detour around the viscounty.
At last, they safely arrived at the barony. The people cheered and shouted for joy at Hamang’s grand appearance. When the water Hamang spewed out of his mouth filled up the reservoir in one go, overfilling it to be exact, the cheer developed into a roar. They roared because they now had enough clean water for the foreseeable future. Of course, this is just a temporary measure. Countless people roared in excitement.
Lloyd didn’t allow himself to be carried away and lose his composed expression. Instead, the work he would soon have to do flashed through his mind.
I was able to finish building the reservoir because more people joined the project than I expected. It’s good but not enough. Temporary measures have a limit.
Building a reservoir and mobilizing Hamang to fill it up with clean water looked like a good solution at first glance. But. it had a flaw and that was that this required him and Hamang.
Hamang only listens to me because he’s a summoning partner. It’s not an understatement to say no one can control him. This would mean that Hamang and I must regularly go up to fill the water in there.
In other words, he wouldn’t be able to vacate the fiefdom for more than a few days. If something happened to him or Hamang and the reservoir didn’t get the water it needed as a consequence? Everyone would suffer from headaches after drinking the contaminated water again. That’s why this method is a temporary solution. I must build the water supply quickly. Time wasn’t on his side and he didn’t have the luxury to idle around.
So, Lloyd began preparing for the water supply system construction the following day. First, he began by surveying the site. He climbed the eastern range of the land with Javier.
Their destination was clear.
“We are going all the way up to Lake Kapua,” Lloyd said as he climbed the uneven mountain road.
The lake sat in the mountain, and it was located halfway up to the eastern range. Javier cocked his head as he trailed behind Lloyd. “I see Lake Kapua. But I have a question, Young Master.”
“A question? What is it?”
“Out of all the lakes, why did you choose Lake Kapua?”
“What do you mean by that? Is there a problem?” asked Lloyd.
“Yes, there is,” said Javier gravely. “Have you ever heard of King Storma?”
“King Storma? Of course, I did. I heard he’s a very strong and ferocious monster.”
“Then, do you also know that the lake is in the monster’s territory?”
“Yeah.” Lloyd nodded his head.
He added, “I also know that King Storma is currently in hibernation.”
“Hibernation?”
“Yeah, he’ll probably be sleeping for the next fifty years or so,” said Lloyd.
“How do you know that?”
“The knight of blood and iron told me,”
“The knight of blood and iron…?” Javier’s eyebrow arched a little.
“Yes.”
“Who is that?”
Well, who else? You, the main protagonist in the novel.
Instead of replying, Lloyd smiled. And he recalled the story in the novel.
It probably was around the time Lloyd dies in the novel and when Javier leaves the fiefdom.
It must have been around then. At the time, Javier was a wanted man.
It happens right after the baron and baroness die. At their funeral, Javier slays the two loan sharks.
It was only some time after the loan sharks’ corruption was revealed that he was found to have been loyal. He was cleared of all the charges. At least at the point when Lloyd died in the story, Javier was a wanted man. He was one even while he dug a grave for Lloyd. The guards barged into the cemetery and threw themselves at him to arrest him.
Of course, Javier overpowered them without causing any harm. To avoid the search group, Javier hid in the eastern mountain range. That hiding place was no other than Lake Kapua.
And I think he says something like this to himself, “What a relief it is that King Stoma is currently in hibernation.”
Proving his words right, Javier was able to safely hide in the lake for a month. He eventually lost the chasing guards and crossed over the range.
“Anyway, Lake Kapua is the best intake station. Thanks to the permanent snow in the peak that melts regularly, the water level is consistent all throughout the year. The water is clear, and the turbidity is low. Plus, the foundation to install water pipes from the lake to the fiefdom is stable and straight.”
Lloyd was now taking a break and sitting on the edge of a rock. Wiping his sweat off, Lloyd looked around the land. Just like he had said, the mountain slope was mostly straight and easy except for one place. Javier pointed at the very area. A look of doubt played across his face.
“Then how do you plan on putting the pipe in that area?”
The silver-haired knight pointed to a valley that seemed to sharply disconnect the terrain from the others. The valley was about two hundred and sixty feet wide, sitting between two towering cliffs that faced each other. Lloyd motioned with his fingers and drew the route of the water pipe, so it went over one cliff to the next.
Javier grew curious. He’s going to make the water pipe go over the valley? How? He couldn’t wrap his head around this and questioned if it was even possible. However, he didn’t doubt Lloyd. After all, his young master had shown extremely mysterious and amazing methods of construction multiple times. From the heated flooring system, paved road, mine, seokbinggo, and the Maritz land. Lloyd produced unbelievable results. So this time as well…
“Do you have anything planned?”
Javier thought that he probably had and his assumption was proven right when he heard the following answer from his young master, the former hooligan, Lloyd.
“Of course. I’m going to build an aqueduct.”
“What is an aqueduct?”
“There’s something like that. The siphon effect isn’t going to be enough to pull the water from here across the valley anyway.”
The corners of Lloyd’s lips rose slightly. The method to overcome the mountain valley’s geography and stably place the water pipes over the stream…It was no other than the arched Roman aqueduct, the gift and legacy of the brilliant Roman Empire that once existed on earth.