The best territory designer ever - Episode 23
23fury. beasts of the underworld (1)
It was a sunny spring day.
This year, the weather was particularly pleasant compared to other years..
Is it because of that?.
Construction of the Barony of Frontera went smoothly..
The construction of the ondol room, which had been in progress for a long time, continued step by step..
The penetration rate of ondol rooms for the coming winter has already exceeded 30%..
Mine development work, which recently began, also showed good progress every day..
Accident-free days continued thanks to the shielding method..
The workers were anxious at first..
But now I feel relieved.
I devoted myself to work.
The territory was full of vitality..
Farmers' work has become busy.
Soldiers deployed to the engineering corps sweated ceaselessly..
The hands of the women carrying Saecham to them were also diligent..
Even the children became busy.
Around this time, they were little pranksters running around catching frogs..
However, this year, the frogs in Frontera territory were able to enjoy unprecedented peace..
The kids didn't catch the frog.
Instead, I wandered around the mine development site..
The kids had only one purpose..
The phantom monsters and bells that Lloyd mobilized for this construction were a sight to behold..
“wow! It came out!”
The children who had been chatting around the construction site all day started shouting excitedly when they happened to see Bell. Then, the fan service(?) of Bang Bang, who came out of the tunnel to take a break, continued as usual..
“Bell! Drop drops!”
I deliberately took a big bite of the dirt near the shelter..
They shook the bells noisily and performed a show of releasing steel bells..
Every time that happened, the children's cheers grew louder..
Workers resting outside the mine continued to yell..
“Uh-huh, these guys! Do you want to keep coming near the construction site and making a fuss? How many times have I told you it's dangerous here?!”
“Isn't it dangerous? It's okay?”
“These guys? If you continue to disobey adults, beast ants as big as wolves will come and grab you.?”
“Where in the world is there an ant like that??”
“Where is it? How many of those beasts are there in the eastern wilderness beyond the mountains?.”
“Still, it’s not here..”
“Uh-huh, Inum answered until the end.!”
As expected, it was the Frontera estate where everyone was spending their days full of energy..
no, not everyone.
There were exceptions.
It was Podong..
“Podong… … Podo-dong…….”
I'm bored.
Thinking like that, Podong opened his mouth wide and yawned..
I guess I overslept today too.
No, did you wake up briefly in the morning and then fall asleep again?.
“Podo-dong…….”
In fact, even if I wake up early, there is nothing to do..
It's always been like that lately.
Lloyd did not take himself to work on the mine..
Instead, he left himself in the mansion like this, saying, 'I'm a little surprised while taking a long break.'.
The reason was simple.
‘sorry. Because I don't have enough sunflower seeds. I don't think it would be enough just to use it on Bangul..’
To be mobilized for construction work, you must eat red sunflower seeds. You have to grow that big..
However, there was a limit to the quantity of the transformation sunflower seed set..
red and blue.
It was said that 1 RP is only used to purchase one of each..
So Podong remained in the mansion..
This was because Baulgi would be better for digging tunnels safely..
‘I'm worried that you might be in danger. I think the tunnel might be a bit narrow for you. If it collapses, you could get seriously injured. got it?’
……Lloyd was soothing himself by saying,.
I was a little disappointed.
But I couldn't complain.
It was because he knew that Lloyd's concern for him was sincere..
After that, Podong was enjoying the unemployed life he had never had before..
“Podong… … Podo-dong…….”
Rolling this way.
Rolling over there.
It was comfortable to rest.
But I was so bored.
no one played with him.
All I did was roll around once to the left and once to the right all day long..
But after the 20th day, I couldn't do it anymore.!
“……Podong! Podododododo!”
Podong shook his round head..
Cheeks that were as plump as rice cakes were fluttering..
Suddenly, I thought this wasn't right..
“Podong!”
something has to be done.
I think I'm going to die of boredom at this rate..
So let's go outside first.
Podongi made up his mind, kicked off his handkerchief and stood up..
I went down the leg of the Yeongcha Yeongcha table..
I ran to the entrance door..
I climbed up the door..
I yanked the doorknob..
click.
the door opened.
I went out into the hallway.
“Podong?”
It was Podong’s first time coming out here alone without Lloyd..
When I saw the long hallway, I felt a sense of adventure and curiosity rather than fear..
“Podong!”
Let's go somewhere first.
Podongi ran along the hallway..
When I came across the stairs, I went down, and when the maids passed by, I followed them..
How long did you shoot like that?.
Before we knew it, Podong had come out into the courtyard of the mansion..
“Podoong…….”
the sun was warm.
I liked the smell of grass in the gently blowing wind..
The sweet scent of flowers came from somewhere..
Podong’s steps followed the scent of flowers..
Then I finally made eye contact with someone..
“oh?”
A sweet voice coming from above.
Podongi raised his head..
I confirmed the owner of the voice.
And then I made eye contact with Baroness Frontera..
“……mouse?”
“Podong?”
“It's not a mouse?”
“Podong!”
Podong’s head nods.
Baroness Frontera took off her soiled gloves as she tended to the flower garden..
“Now you know. You are the big beast my son summoned. Is that right??”
“Podong!”
“But how did you end up in the flower field??”
“Podo-dong? Podong.”
“Um, I'm sorry, but I can't understand what you're saying. Then maybe… … Are you here to help me??”
“Podong?”
“I see Was it really like that??”
“Podo-dong?”
Podong tilted his head..
A happy smile appeared on the Baroness's lips..
“I am so grateful. I was worried because a few mice kept ruining my flower garden these days..”
“Podong?”
“you are related to them?”
“Podo-dong? Podong?”
“If possible, could you please visit them? Please do me a favor and ask those kids not to ruin the flower garden..”
“Podong?”
“can you do it?”
“……Podong!”
Podong nodded his head in confusion..
In fact, they are not related to mice.
Maybe we can communicate when we meet.
But the voice of the Baroness smiling at him was so warm..
And first of all, I thought I wouldn't be bored for a while if I did that favor.!
“Podo-dong! Podong!”
Podong stood up proudly on both feet..
As if telling me to trust only him, he pounded my chest with his rice-like palm..
Podong, who accepted the Baroness's quest(?), ran vigorously toward the grass..
♣
Doo doo doo doo!
“push!”
Kugooggeukgeukgeuk!
A powerful command rang out..
The men were busy moving around..
The sweaty muscles of the engineers were reflected in the dim torchlight of the tunnel..
Earthworm-like tendons were carved into the muscles..
The steel shield slowly advanced..
As the shield advanced, a wall made of rebar remained in the space vacated..
The plate walls supported the load of the freshly dug shaft..
How many times has this wall been erected?.
they couldn't know.
Because I just followed the instructions and moved smoothly..
Lloyd's order was given to the blacksmiths and engineers who were catching their breath..
“Well, good job. rotation!”
“rotation!”
“Move quickly. Get some rest. Next workers deployed!”
“input!”
A group of blacksmiths and engineers retreated behind the shield..
Other groups of blacksmiths and engineers filled the vacant positions..
“Lloyd, are you okay??”
A blacksmith asked.
Lloyd chuckled..
“why? I'm worried?”
“Of course…….”
“are you okay. I'm not really working as hard as you guys..”
“Still, if you stay this hot and the air is stale,…….”
“Oh my, thank you to the point of tears. That's it. Let's start work.”
Lloyd waved his hand..
The blacksmith who was looking at us worriedly looked away..
Actually it's not that good.
‘It's so hot it's driving me crazy.’
It was hot inside the tunnel..
It wasn't just hot..
I felt like I was in a sauna all day..
Moreover, even the air was extremely stale..
It was obvious.
This was the end of the tunnel where excavation was taking place..
Because it was underground, the temperature was basically higher than outside..
Heat from the workers’ bodies also accumulated..
Moreover, smooth ventilation was not even a dream..
‘If there had been more technology, the ventilation system could have been implemented properly..’
Ventilation was important in tunnel construction..
It was a problem directly related to the safety of workers..
Breathing in a lot of dust was not good, but above all, oxygen deficiency due to a hypoxic environment could be life-threatening..
In this construction, Lloyd was solving the problem with forced ventilation..
“hey! Don't step on the air pipe!”
Lloyd shouted loudly..
One of the engineers was startled and retreated..
There was an iron pipe the size of your forearm lying where the engineer was stepping..
This was the only breathing hole that allowed outside air into this curtain..
‘I can hold on because I have that..’
The other side of the pipe leads outside the mine shaft..
There must have been several workers working hard to turn the handle..
Then, a large pinwheel connected to the handle rotated and forced air into the pipe, which then entered the pipe and supplied oxygen..
“What are you going to do if there is a hole in the pipe connection? It may not be noticeable here, but if you go further down, there will be an air leak in the middle. New air isn't coming in properly until the very end. okay? be careful.”
“sorry, sorry.”
“Tsk. That's it. Let's focus.”
“yep!”
I felt like my nerves were sharp because it was hot and tiring..
But that didn't mean I couldn't go outside and rest as often as other workers..
‘You need to check the situation in real time.’
There was a lot to check on my own..
First of all, it was the path of the mine shaft..
It was necessary to check in real time whether the excavation was progressing properly toward the coal seam, that is, the layer where the coal was buried..
‘At least this is thanks to the previous lord’s meticulous records..’
Thankfully, the previous lord brought in three expensive wizards and repeatedly conducted geological surveys. Detailed records were kept of the coal seams discovered at that time..
Thanks to this, it was easy to get directions..
But there were many other dangerous factors underground..
‘There are many dangers lurking ahead unseen. Groundwater or something. Methane gas layer.’
If the groundwater was touched incorrectly, the excavated tunnel could be submerged..
In addition, a layer of methane gas was added..
Because it is a flammable gas, a huge explosion occurs..
‘Then it's just over, it's over.’
This was the scariest thing about coal mine development..
Coal is home to methane-producing bacteria that produce methane gas using its own chemical compounds, MACs (methoxylated aromatic compounds), as food. It was inevitable that methane gas layers would lurk throughout the coal veins due to the methane produced by those microorganisms..
‘So you can't let your guard down even for a moment.’
You had to use the surveying skill at least three times a day..
I had to keep checking what was within 5 meters in front of where I was currently digging..
In addition, the tail void subsidence phenomenon that occurs between the advancing shield and the remaining plate wall was also a subject of caution..
‘Because the shield is larger in diameter than the plate wall..’
Diameter of advancing shield.
Diameter of the plate walls assembled inside the shield.
Of course there was a subtle difference between the two..
Therefore, after the shield advanced, the ground had no choice but to sink slightly in proportion to the difference in diameter between the two objects..
Minor collapse of only a few centimeters.
If something seems trivial and is handled with care, it could result in a catastrophe where everyone is buried alive, hand in hand, and in privacy..
‘Do you think I'd end up like that?.’
swelter.
stale air.
In the meantime, Lloyd struggled not to lose concentration..
I endured the heat with my top off..
When I felt dizzy, I put my face to the pipe and took a few sips of fresh air..
A few more days of work continued like that..
The tunnel got longer and longer..
That much closer to the target coal seam..
‘Let's cheer up a little more.’
As I suffered from heat and stale air every day, my fatigue did not go away easily..
Every morning, I barely opened my eyes with difficulty..
But it was all I had to endure..
Fortunately(?) this experience was not unfamiliar to Lloyd..
‘I used to do more than this!’
Compared to the time I lived in a gosiwon, it feels like heaven now..
I couldn't sleep properly at the time..
I had a nosebleed in the classroom during the day..
I had a nosebleed while working part-time from evening to night..
And that wasn't the end.
I had to make time for it somehow..
Only then could I handle the oncoming tasks..
The easiest time to split was sleep time..
I reduced my sleep again and again..
Chronic fatigue was inevitable.
Those were the days when I kept studying and working like a zombie while feeling like I was going to collapse at any moment..
‘But now? It's only difficult during construction, but in the mansion you can eat well and sleep well.?’
Even the food was incomparably better than the gosiwon days..
‘At goshiwon, all they provided was free rice and kimchi.!’
When I thought like that, a spirit that wasn't there before flared up..
I never wanted to go back to those days again..
Sunfeng's desire to further enrich this territory in the future arose..
Thanks to that will and motivation, construction did not stop..
Baeulgi and the workers also became more proficient at their work..
Construction also gained momentum..
And finally, the coal seam at the target point was captured by Lloyd's surveying skills..
‘It finally came out.’
5 meters in front of the cliff seen with intermediate surveying skills.
I could see a black coal seam there..
It was high-grade ginseng and bituminous coal underground..
“Well, the end is in sight! let's go!”
“Let's go!”
“Bell!”
Lloyd gave a shout of joy..
The workers and the bells shouted in unison..
Even Javiel, who had been calm the whole time, let out a shout..
everyone had a hunch.
The end of a long and difficult construction period has come..
Finally, the moment of completion is shining before our eyes..
“Drop drops!”
The bell ate the last mouthful of dirt towards the bituminous coal seam..
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