The Greatest Estate Developer - Chapter 39: Friend of the Orcs (1)

The black magician was dead.

Of course, Lloyd didn’t stick around to witness the scene himself.

Deep inside, he was still Kim Suho from South Korea.

Watching someone die wasn’t something he had any desire to experience again.

“*Once is enough.*”

Unbidden, the last image of his parents surfaced in his mind.

He scrunched his nose, pushing the memory aside, and returned to the present.

“Hey, hey! Everyone, watch your step! Don’t let your attention wander, and keep an eye on the ground so you don’t trip over any rocks!”

“Understood!”

The soldiers, weakened by captivity and starvation, trudged forward carefully.

Even leading them out of the dungeon was no easy task.

Magical traps still lingered within.

It took hours of careful maneuvering to get everyone out safely.

Afterward, Lloyd had Javier retrieve all the items from the magician’s lab.

This included the insulation materials the magician had stockpiled in one corner for his experiments.

But the ordeal wasn’t over yet.

The soldiers were utterly drained, their condition at rock bottom.

“*Sheesh, these guys are barely hanging on. This is a real problem.*”

“Hey, give that to me.”

“What? My lord?”

“You heard me. Hand it over.”

One of the soldiers, staggering under the weight of the straw bundles meant for insulation, blinked in confusion as Lloyd approached and casually took the load from him.

“But, my lord! I should be carrying that. How could someone as esteemed as you…”

“Right, and if you collapse, who do you think that’ll slow down?”

“I won’t collapse!”

“Says who?”

“…”

“Just look at you. Your face is pale as a ghost.”

“Well, that’s…”

“Enough. You lot already delayed the construction by showing up late. If you collapse here, you’ll slow us down even more. Understand?”

“…”

“Don’t get any ideas. I’m not doing this because I like you or anything. Got it?”

“I-I understand.”

“Good. Now don’t fall behind. Let’s move!”

With that, Lloyd hefted the straw bundle over his shoulder and moved to the back of the group.

He matched pace with the slowest soldier, berating him as they walked.

“Why do you keep sneaking glances at me while walking?”

“I’m not, sir.”

“Yeah, right. I can see you stealing glances.”

“S-sorry, sir.”

“Will apologizing fix your march?”

“No, sir.”

“Is this outside or a barracks?”

“…”

“*Sigh.* If I keep this up, you’ll probably start crying. Forget it. Let’s just keep walking.”

Though he nagged endlessly, Lloyd didn’t hesitate to shoulder the burden of the weary soldiers throughout the trek over the mountains.

This pattern repeated over the following days.

“*Huff. Today’s march went a little smoother, thanks to Lloyd.*”

“Right? I thought the same yesterday.”

“Yeah, me too. He’s really been helping.”

By nightfall, the soldiers gathered at the temporary campsite, speaking in hushed voices around the fire.

“Do you think Lord Lloyd really came all this way just to save us?”

“Seems like it.”

“Maybe he also wanted to get the insulation materials back, but still.”

“Either way, he came for us. I really thought I was going to die back there.”

“Same here.”

The soldiers’ gratitude toward Lloyd grew deeper.

That gratitude solidified when Javier spoke up, having overheard their conversation.

“You shouldn’t just feel grateful. You owe Lord Lloyd your lives. Forever.”

“Sir Javier?”

The soldiers froze as Javier, his face as impassive as ever, stepped into their circle.

He continued in a calm but firm tone.

“I suggested to Lord Lloyd that we prepare more thoroughly before attacking the black magician. But he ignored my advice. He feared you wouldn’t survive the delay, so he threw himself into that dungeon with me, just the two of us.”

“…”

“Had he not made that decision, you’d have either starved to death in that dungeon or been sacrificed as part of the magician’s experiments. Remember that for the rest of your lives.”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers were moved to the core.

Javier Asrahan wasn’t one to exaggerate or flatter.

His reputation for honesty and fairness gave his words immense weight.

“*Lord Lloyd risked his life for us…*”

The soldiers felt a pang of guilt for the countless times they had badmouthed Lloyd behind his back, calling him a wastrel and worse.

Yet here he was, risking his life to save mere soldiers.

Moved to tears, the soldiers wiped their eyes, blaming the campfire smoke for their emotions.

They silently vowed to carry their gratitude for Lloyd deep in their hearts.

At that moment, a notification appeared before Lloyd.

*Ding!*

[The rescued engineering corps soldiers are deeply moved by your actions.]
[While only they are aware of your deeds now, their stories will spread upon your return to the estate, contributing to your social reputation.]

“*Well, well…*”

Lloyd grinned internally.

He had managed to save the soldiers, acquire valuable magical materials, and recover the insulation for the ice storage.

Returning to the orc village, he dove straight into completing the ice storage construction.

“*Delays in construction are the absolute worst!*”

Construction was a race against time.

The longer a project dragged on, the higher the costs soared.

“So let’s pick up the pace, everyone! You all had a nice break while I was gone, didn’t you?”

He rallied the engineering corps soldiers who had remained at the orc village, working alongside them with his shirt off under the sun.

They mixed clay with lime, adding husks, straw, and sawdust in the right proportions to create a thick, insulating paste.

“*This’ll do.*”

Lloyd packed the natural insulation tightly between the granite blocks and the ground, ensuring there were no gaps.

He covered the arched ceiling the same way, layering the insulating mixture thickly over the top.

Then, he added another layer of lime-mixed clay, creating a waterproof seal to prevent moisture from seeping in from the ground.

Finally, he topped it all with a mound of soil, shaping it into a dome-like hill.

At the peak, the ventilation chimney rose just above the surface, covered with a stone cap for protection.

Lloyd scattered wild thorny grass seeds across the mound.

“*This will help block the sun’s heat and retain moisture.*”

The roots would absorb water, while the leaves provided a natural shield against solar radiation.

“*And here’s the last of the thorny grass.*”

Lloyd placed the final clump of grass on the mound and tamped it down gently with his shovel. He added a bit of water to help the roots take hold.

With that final touch, the ice storage was complete.

But the job wasn’t entirely over.

“*Squeak?* Our savior finished the ice storage, but it’s not as cool as we heard it’d be, squeak!”

The news of the completed ice storage spread quickly, prompting Arosh, the orc youth, to come barreling in, nostrils flaring with excitement.

A place to store food for long periods using cool air? His chest swelled with anticipation at the thought.

But upon stepping inside the ice storage, his expectations deflated.

Instead of being cool and refreshing, the inside was only mildly cooler than the scorching summer heat outside.

“What’s going on? It’s not very cool in here, squeak,” Arosh said, scratching his head.

“Exactly. It’s a bit better than the unbearable heat outside, but I’m sure you’re wondering what’s up with this, right?” Lloyd responded.

“That’s right. It’s cooler than outside, but there’s not much difference, squeak,” Arosh replied, a bit disappointed but still trusting Lloyd. The human had always come up with strange but effective ideas before. Surely this was no different.

As if reading Arosh’s thoughts, Lloyd nodded. “Yeah, it’s not very cool yet.”

“Not yet, squeak?”

“Right. Because it’s ice storage. And guess what? We haven’t put any ice in yet.”

“Ice? So, you need to fill this with ice to make it cold, squeak?”

“Of course. Even the best-designed ice storage can’t stay cool without ice. Just like an icebox doesn’t work without ice in it.”

“Ice…box, squeak?”

“Yeah, think of it like that,” Lloyd said, though Arosh looked more confused than enlightened.

“But where are you planning to get ice from? It’s summer, squeak!” Arosh’s nostrils flared as he thought about the blistering sun outside. Streams were drying up—it was absurd to even think of finding ice.

Lloyd grinned. “I’m not going to find ice. I’m going to make it.”

“Make ice? How, squeak?”

“How else? By doing it right.”

Since it was the peak of summer, there was no natural ice to be found. Neither could they summon a mage skilled in ice magic. The only option left was to create ice themselves.

And Lloyd had a plan.

“*I have the Asrahan Heart Technique.*”

By adapting the technique, he believed he could produce ice.

—

First, Lloyd enlisted the help of Ppodong. Feeding the creature some red sunflower seeds, he watched as Ppodong grew larger.

“Hey, Ppodong?”

“Ppo-dong?”

“You know the stream at the base of the mountain?”

“Ppodong!”

“Yeah, that one. Can you go there and bring back some water?”

“Ppodong?”

“Fill both your cheek pouches completely. Can you do that?”

“Ppodong! Ppodong!”

“Great. Oh, take Bangul with you. Bangul, here’s some seeds for you too.”

“Bangul!”

*Poof!*

Bangul grew as well after eating the red sunflower seeds. Ppodong then carried Bangul on its back.

“Bangul, you bring back a lot of water too. Just don’t turn it into steel goo. Hold it in, even if it’s hard, okay?”

“Bangul!”

The two fantastical creatures waddled off, their enormous forms shaking the ground with every step.

Before long, they returned with an enormous quantity of stream water, their cheek pouches and stomachs bulging.

“Great job. Now, can you spit it out here?”

“Pphhwwtt! Blehh—”

“Bangul! Blehhh—”

Water gushed out of the two creatures into the stone molds Lloyd had prepared in advance. The molds, carved from leftover granite, resembled massive versions of the ice trays found in refrigerators back in Korea.

—

The filled molds were then carried into the ice storage by the soldiers, who carefully placed them inside before leaving. Lloyd shut the storage doors behind them, staying inside alone.

“*Alright, time to start.*”

He retrieved straw bundles he had set aside and began layering them inside the molds. Thick, well-placed straw would ensure that the ice wouldn’t crack or stick when frozen.

Once every mold was lined with straw, Lloyd moved on to the next step.

He sat cross-legged in front of the water-filled molds, rolling up his sleeves.

Placing his hands into the cool water, he calmed his breathing and focused his mind.

“*Let’s do this.*”

He activated the Asrahan Heart Technique.

*Whirrrrrr…*

The mana circles around his heart began spinning like an engine starting up.

As they rotated, they drew mana through his bloodstream, extending the flow from his heart to his shoulders, arms, and fingertips.

At this point, the process mirrored his usual use of the technique.

But this time, Lloyd made a deliberate adjustment.

“*I’ll filter for warm mana only.*”

Instead of absorbing all the surrounding mana, he carefully focused on pulling in the heat-like essence of the mana.

It wasn’t easy.

The unfamiliar process caused the mana circles to falter occasionally.

Still, Lloyd persisted, painstakingly refining his control with each attempt.

Over the course of an hour, then two, then three, his efforts began to pay off.

*Tszz… Tszzzzz…*

The water in the molds grew colder as its warmth was gradually siphoned away. A thin layer of frost formed, slowly thickening into ice.

Finally, a notification sounded in his mind.

*Ding!*

[You have developed a new application of the Asrahan Heart Technique.]
[This innovative approach has increased the skill level of the Asrahan Heart Technique.]

With the completion of the ice, the ice storage was now truly functional.

Lloyd’s experimentation with the technique had not only fulfilled the practical need but also propelled the growth of his abilities.