Clang! Clang! The sound of the shovel rang out clearly. The blade shone in the spring sunlight every time it moved. The shovel pounded the notice down with a loud metal clanking. Clang! The sign was finally planted deep into the earth. Lloyd wiped the sweat flowing down his forehead. "Whew."
A warm breeze quickly dried the beads of sweat. The sunshine put him in a good mood. The sign in front of him made him grin.
"Hey, what do you think?" Lloyd turned around as he spoke, looking at the silver-haired knight standing behind him.
Javier, the silver-haired knight, threw a cynical look at Lloyd. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.
"Well, this." Lloyd pointed at the notice. Javier looked at it. It was a wooden plank that had the following words painted large on it:
"Bituminous Coal Construction Here: No Farming Without Permission. Lloyd Frontera."
"Notices like these need to be installed in advance. Otherwise, things get complicated," Lloyd explained.
"How so?" Javier asked.
"They'll turn this place into a field of peppers and cabbages and whatnot." Lloyd smiled bitterly.
"I mean the old and young women alike. They're so industrious in their farm work that they'll rush to plant all sorts of veggies when they chance upon good land. Can you imagine what would happen if the land was originally meant for construction?"
It was a frequent occurrence in South Korea. When people did this, it would be bulldozed over by the construction companies, and penalties would be imposed on those who used the land without permission. It was a pitiful thing. Lloyd had no plans to make people go through the same thing here.
"Can you imagine what would happen if I plowed over the fields to build something?" Lloyd wondered. "People would bludgeon me for destroying their land. Some would even say that I'm a tyrant. And the good public image I've worked hard to build would go away like a dragon soaring high in the sky. Goodbye forever."
"In short… You would be faced with severe criticism," Javier replied.
"Yeah, that's what I mean." Lloyd smiled brightly. He had been receiving quite a lot of trust from people these days, and he wasn't going to lose it over a tiny dispute.
"Anyway, the construction will begin soon. I'll dig the land here to turn it into a mine so we can extract coal."
"By that, do you mean coal, sir?" Javier asked.
"Yeah, exactly. You know about it?"
"A little bit," Javier nodded.
"Coal is a small rock that is formed underground. I heard it is a great source of fire but much softer than firewood."
"Yup, correct. That's what we'll be mining here."
"Do you mean that coal is buried down here?" Javier asked.
"Yes." Lloyd chuckled. "I found a record that claimed the previous lords tried twice to construct a mine but failed. The mine collapsed because the ground was weak." Lloyd knew this because he had read it in the Knight of Blood and Tron, and he had just remembered it.
In the novel, Lloyd's father killed himself when crushing debt became too much of a burden. Right before his unfortunate death, he cried his heart out about how today's tragedy could have been avoided had his father, Mattias Frontera, succeeded in building the mine.
That part of the novel was as clear as day in his head. Ever since then, he decided to develop these lands. He counted this mine as one of the most important parts of his agenda. But he didn't forget to check the site for himself, and his intermediate skills greatly helped him. The surveying skill allowed him to scan as deep as ten feet beneath the ground. He could study its rock formation, underground waterway, and body of ore.
Although it would be nice if he could see deeper, he decided this place was the best option after scanning several viable candidates. That's why he laid out the paved road nearby. Transferring coal from the mine would be a breeze. "Coal mining will become our golden goose for the time being. It's going to be the most efficient method to solve the firewood shortage that will surely come this winter."
"Firewood shortage?" Javier asked.
"Yes. Firewood will be in serious shortage because of the heated floors I'm installing. I'm not guessing here. It's bound to happen. I'm sure."
Lloyd shrugged and continued explaining. "That's the way it is with the heated floors. They warm you up. But you need a lot of firewood since you're heating up the floor of the entire house, not just the kitchen or a small area like with a furnace. This could use up all the resources in the forest! In other words, the mountain will become bare in a few years."
"Because people cut down too many trees for firewood?" Javier asked.
"Yes."
"Then…" Javier paused.
"Did I see it coming? Of course, I did." Lloyd's smile became slightly more sinister. "You know me. I designed the heated flooring system. Of course, I saw this coming. By the time we're in mid-winter, everyone will start to feel that the firewood in their backyard isn't enough."
"Then you deceived everyone?" Javier asked.
"Me?" Lloyd replied, feigning innocence.
"Yes." Javier's voice was cold.
"They replaced their furnaces with your system because they trusted you. But if the firewood runs short, they will be spending half the winter shivering in the cold."
"You are correct," Lloyd admitted.
"Then…" Javier pressed.
"I will be selling coal," Lloyd stated confidently.
"For the people here?" Javier asked.
"Totally. Coal is superior to wood. They'll be begging me to sell it to them." That was Lloyd's plan. Stage one was to supply the heated flooring system to people. As more people installed it in their homes, firewood would run short. They would start to notice a flaw in the floor: its huge consumption of firewood. That was when he would sell them the coal he had been hoarding.
"And I'll expand my business to neighboring fiefdoms, eventually exporting coal to them as well."
Heated floors and coal—these two would become the cash cows that contributed to paying off the fiefdom's debt. The mere thought raised the corners of his mouth further.
On the other hand, Javier's expression turned grim. "Please do not tell me that you had planned all this when you began."
"Yes," Lloyd replied.
"Since when?" Javier asked.
"Since day one. Since we visited the bar owner to apologize and got the first contract. If you have something to say, say it. Don't look at me like that."
"May I?" Javier asked.
"Go ahead."
Javier did not hold back. "You are a wicked man."
"Well, that's better than being naive," Lloyd retorted.
"That's what I hate about you," Javier said.
"Me?" Lloyd feigned surprise.
"Yes."
"You're forgetting something," Lloyd said.
"What do you mean?" Javier asked.
"The person you hate sends you to dreamland every night. So, do you hate my lullaby service too? Ha-ha. You don't have to think so hard. Look at you, just sweating over it. It's so obvious. You stare into space like that right after what I said. Open your eyes, man. I won't tease you anymore. Relieved now, huh? So cute."
"I'm not a puppy!!!" Javier almost shouted back at his young master.
Before those words had the chance of slipping out of Javier's mouth, Lloyd spoke first. "Well, I get why you're reacting that way. You think that I'm fooling and using everyone for my benefit, and you find that side of me deceitful. I know. I won't deny it. But what else can I do? I need to save our fiefdom before anything else."
The vicious smile on Lloyd's face turned slightly bitter. "You know what? Honestly, I thought that money wasn't everything when I was young. But I realized that I was mistaken when I grew up. Nothing beats money. It turned out to be way better than my childish thoughts could ever fathom."
"Master Lloyd…" Javier began.
"Yeah, yeah. Money can't buy happiness. But you can be happier if you have money. So, allow me to be underhanded and cunning for a while until I make some money. Let's try to start paying off the debt in the fiefdom, okay?"
Javier closed his mouth. The sense of disgust that swirled in his heart vanished as soon as he heard Lloyd's plan. His young master was calling himself a cheat and laughing about it. Though he didn't say it out loud, his look seemed to say, I'm going to bear all the blame. The criticism. The finger-pointing… I'll take them alone, so don't say anything. Just follow me.
This guy… He was nothing but a good-for-nothing hooligan. But recently he had surprised Javier from time to time. The same thing was happening now. But Javier didn't dislike it. His methods were dubious, but…
In the many experiences Javier had with his young master, Lloyd was right most of the time. Lloyd had helped him finish the Asrahan Core Technique. He had exposed Sir Neumann. And so, Javier considered that it was possible that his young master was laying the foundation for projects that would advance the fiefdom further.
"Yes." Javier found himself chuckling. "I will permit you." He spoke from his heart. Master Lloyd… Javier gazed meaningfully at his young master, the person he must guard and protect.
Lloyd returned the look and cocked his head to one side. "Permit me? Wait, you're permitting my plan?"
"Yes."
"I think you're confused right now."
"Pardon?" Javier asked.
"I never asked for your permission," Lloyd said. "You see… I'm the baron's son. I don't need your permission to dig a mine… So, enough with your misunderstandings, and move aside. I need to do some surveying."
Javier's elegant face crumpled. Lloyd chuckled out loud like a naughty child. Oh, how fun. Javier. You're so fun to tease.
****
Ever since that day, Lloyd confined himself to the mine construction site. He surveyed the surroundings and analyzed the environment. There had been two previous attempts to dig a mine. Both of them had failed. Lloyd studied those cases and planned his own construction.
The traditional method of drilling through the rocks wouldn't work. It took too much time, and more than that, it was too dangerous.
As luck would have it, he discovered records of the failed construction attempts in his estate study. He went over them and found out they had tried to drill the rocks to construct a mine.
Splitting the rocks to pieces by heating and cooling them off and going deeper and deeper… That was the traditional method of doing things back then. When the workers hit a large rock, they set fire to it. And then they poured cold water on it. The sudden change in temperature created a crack, making the rock easier for them to break into pieces.
That's how they did it at first. But they dug 100 feet. The mine collapsed. Twice.
And unfortunately, everyone in the mine lost their lives.
That's why his grandfather, Mattias Frontera, gave up on his plan of building the mine.
What happened back then is simple. The place collapsed because of the weak ground.
Accidents were bound to happen if you failed to properly understand the geographical characteristics. After further surveying, Lloyd learned that the earth on this mountain was weak, containing a mix of rock and soil. He needed to employ a technique specific to this environment.
"I'm thinking of using the shield method," Lloyd announced.
"Shield method?" Javier asked.
This was at dinner time. Lloyd slid a slip of paper toward the baron from his seat at the dining table.
"I have been thinking about it, and if you look here, you'll see a concept illustration of the shield method."
"Shield method…" The baron looked at the illustration.
Lloyd continued to explain. "To put it simply, a shield refers to a large circular frame made of steel. The workers would get inside there and dig out the soil and rocks. The shield would protect the place from crumbling down as it will bear the pressure of the mine."
"Hmm," the baron mused. "It literally is a shield that supports the whole area."
"Yes. Have you ever heard of shipworms?" Lloyd asked.
"Ship… worms?" the baron replied.
"Yes."
"Do explain."
"It's a distant relative of a squid or snail. The little guy is quite harmful because of how it eats up ship hulls and burrows holes in them," Lloyd explained.
"What does it have to do with this construction project?" the baron asked.
"This fellow is what inspired me to come up with the shield method," Lloyd said. He smiled. It was true. In the mid-1800s, the Thames Tunnel was constructed in the following way, right beneath the River Thames in London, England. Marc Isambard Brunel, who constructed the Thames Tunnel, developed this method after drawing inspiration from shipworms.
"Shipworms burrow holes in the bottom of boats with their shield-like shell. But the wood expands when it gets soaked in water. That narrows the hole they burrowed, leading some of them to get squeezed to death. To prevent that, they paste their secretions as they burrow a hole. The secretions prevent the wood from expanding. The same goes for this shield method." Lloyd pointed at the illustration and continued to explain.
"The shield acts as the shell of the shipworms. It protects the workers. And it would burrow a hole at the forefront. People will be divided into groups. Some will dig, while some will install real-time facilities that will prevent the mine from collapsing."
"Just like how the shipworm's secretions prevent the holes from being damaged?" asked the baron.
"Yes."
"So, the whole process will be slow and steady. Burrowing and repairing all at the same time," the baron concluded.
"That is almost perfectly correct." Lloyd then explained more details of the construction while the baron remained still, listening to his son. The baron was intrigued. Coal was an excellent source of fire. Digging it up would naturally translate to profit. Under the pressure of crippling debt, the baron couldn't help but be intrigued.
At last, the baron approved the construction. "This is great, but I have one condition."
"What is it?" Lloyd asked.
"I do not want you in the mine while the construction is happening," the baron said.
"Because it could be dangerous?" Lloyd asked.
"Of course," the baron said. His voice was firm.
"I know this is a new method, but we cannot guarantee its safety."
"But I can't promise you that," Lloyd reasoned. "If I don't go in, no workers would trust my method and do the work. Moreover, I need to actively observe any changes in the mine's condition or surroundings. That's the only way I can prevent accidents."
"But…" the baron started.
"It will be safe. I give you my word," Lloyd insisted.
"Hahaha." The two went back and forth. But Lloyd was the stubborn one. In the end, the baron gave in to his stubbornness and approved the construction of the mine.
But Lloyd didn't get to it right away. He had another task to tackle first. He waited for night to come. When it did, he put Javier to sleep. Then he walked out to the training hall behind his estate. Late at night, he opened the system window and clicked on the random summon game.
"I can't use Podong for this job. He's too big to burrow a mine. But it's also too time-consuming for humans to do the job."
The longer the construction time, the more expensive it became. The shield method only guaranteed everyone's safety. It didn't shorten the construction period. So, Lloyd needed a capable worker who could shorten the construction period and save some money.
"It'd be best if this summon had some skills related to digging." Lloyd then activated the random game. He still had enough RP left even after all of his upgrading.
[Cost of 2nd Random Summon Game = 70 RP. Current RP: 119.]
[Would you like to start the random summon game?]
[YES / NO]
He chose "YES."
[The random summon game is starting.]
Fwoosh!
A bright light enveloped the area. A complex magic circle formed in the air, and the space rumbled. A hazy silhouette gradually appeared in the rumbling space, slowly revealing itself.
Lloyd's eyes widened when he finally met the summon.
Translator: https://bettertranslation9.wordpress.com