The Greatest Estate Developer - Chapter 55: The Continent's First Achievement (2)

“Dig, lay, cut, carry, refine, and bury. This is what you’ll be doing from now on.”

“Chirp, chirp!”

Beneath a spring deep within the mountains, Lloyd stood atop a small rock. His speech began amidst the chirping of mountain birds.

Gathered before him were human soldiers of the engineering corps and rugged orc miners, their gazes all fixed on Lloyd as he gave what was both a speech and a work briefing.

“As you all know, this place isn’t exactly safe. We’re in the eastern mountain range. So, what should we be careful of?”

“Wild animal attacks!”

“We have to watch out for monsters too!”

“And it’s a disaster if we get hungry, squawk!”

The engineering corps and orc miners shouted their responses, making Lloyd smile in satisfaction.

“Correct. All of you are right. Wild animals and monsters could appear at any time. That’s why you’ll move in teams of 20, each composed of 10 humans and 10 orcs. Make sure you know which team you belong to.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Got it, squawk!”

“Great. Now, let’s go over your assigned roles. What are teams 1 through 6 responsible for?”

“Cutting and preparing the giant bamboo!”

“Okay. Teams 7, 8, and 9?”

“Transporting the processed bamboo to the pipe installation site!”

“And teams 10, 11, and 12?”

“Preparing the pipeline installation area!”

As Lloyd asked questions and received answers, everything moved smoothly. Seeing this, Lloyd’s smile grew wider.

‘I trained them well.’

He recalled the time when he first mobilized the estate’s soldiers for transporting soil during the heated floor room construction. Back then, they were no more than an ordinary town militia, young men who could be found in any village. Now, they were entirely different.

‘At this point, they’d adapt quickly to any construction site in Korea.’

Gone were the days of naive young recruits. Their once pale faces were now sun-kissed and bronzed. Squinting slightly under the glare of the sun, their weathered expressions spoke of experience. Even their work clothes, though simple, carried personal touches—embroidered badges on their left chests symbolizing their achievements.

One badge depicted heated stones for the heated floor project. Another showed a flat surface for paved roads. Others had a deep pit for the coal mine or a rectangular chamber for the ice storage facility. Most wore badges depicting the Marez reclamation project levees. These badges were their pride, proof of their participation in numerous construction projects.

‘On top of that, their stamina is through the roof.’

While they didn’t look like bodybuilders, their strength was formidable, surpassing that of any soldiers from other estates. They had spent countless days lifting bricks, soil, and various materials, swinging hammers, sawing wood, and shoveling. Every bit of labor had transformed them into tireless veterans of manual work.

‘They could walk into any construction site and take charge like seasoned foremen.’

“But don’t let your guard down or get cocky. The first to get injured on a site is always the overconfident veteran. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Then, everyone except the engineering corps’ 13th team, move out with a cheer!”

“Wooaaah!”

Twelve teams, composed of 120 engineering corps members and 120 orcs, raised their tools—saws, axes, and more—and rushed toward their assigned work areas.

Teams 1 through 6 headed to the nearby forest, home to a grove of giant bamboo thicker than an orc warrior’s torso. Humans and orcs worked together, their tools gleaming as they tackled the massive bamboo.

“Let’s start cutting from this side!”

“Good axe work, squawk!”

“This is great exercise, squawk!”

‘Saw! Saw! Crack! Thud!’

Human engineers wielded logging saws while orc miners swung their massive great axes with ease. In no time, the towering bamboo grove fell to their relentless efforts.

Simultaneously, the harvested bamboo was trimmed to specific lengths and smoothed both inside and out. Smaller engineers climbed inside the bamboo, shaving and hollowing it to perfection. The processed bamboo was transformed into pipe sections, ready for transport.

At this point, it became the responsibility of teams 7, 8, and 9.

“Alright, lift together on my count. One, two!”

“Huup!”

“Squawk!”

The human engineers and orc miners worked in unison to carry the massive bamboo pipes. They traversed rugged mountain paths, streams, and rocky terrain, sometimes driving away growling wild beasts or fending off drooling monsters. The bamboo pipes were transported to the pipeline installation site.

There, teams 10, 11, and 12 took over. With the help of Bangul and the blacksmiths, they reinforced the bamboo pipes with steel rings to prevent bursting under water pressure.

“Bangul, give it your all!”

‘Jingle jingle!’

Bangul, after swallowing a bit of soil, wagged her plump tail vigorously, the bell at its tip jingling loudly. Her tail stiffened, and from her rear emerged glowing red steel, hot and malleable. The blacksmiths quickly shaped the freshly produced steel into rings, securing them around the bamboo pipes.

Meanwhile, Ppodong excavated trenches for the pipes with incredible precision, following Lloyd’s markings and specifications to the letter. The trenches were meticulously measured, accounting for ground pressure, load, seismic impact, and water pressure.

“Flatten the base!”

“On it, squawk!”

The workers smoothed and reinforced the trench bottoms, laid stones, and coated them with lime-mixed mud. The bamboo pipes were placed, sealed with lime mud, and covered with firmly compacted soil.

Each segment was completed with precision before they moved on to the next.

Meanwhile, Lloyd directly supervised the engineering corps’ 13th team, consisting of 60 members, as they began constructing an aqueduct bridge over a mountain ravine. Leading the effort was Javier.

“Javier, you know what to do, right?”

“Of course. Blow up the marked spots with confined blasting, correct?”

“Exactly. You’ve been at this long enough to know the drill.”

“And you’re about to warn me not to get crushed under collapsing rocks, right?”

“Nope.”

“Then what?”

“If you get crushed, I’ll put up a gravestone for you myself.”

“…I’ll be back.”

Nearby the planned aqueduct construction site, an exposed limestone bedrock stood prominently. Javier approached it, drawing his sword and aiming for the marked spot indicated by Lloyd.

“Hup.”

‘Swish! Swish! Swish!’

In the blink of an eye, Javier’s silver blade moved dozens of times at a speed that rendered it invisible, channeling explosive power from the mana circle into precise strikes.

‘Boom!’

The limestone bedrock, which had withstood hundreds of thousands of years, cracked as explosions erupted from within. The tremendous force shattered the solid bedrock into massive chunks, some as large as dice.

With the debris ready, the stonemasons and the engineering corps’ 13th team swarmed forward with chisels and hammers.

“Alright, no daydreaming! Be careful of flying debris! Protect your eyes!” Lloyd called out, directing them.

Following the markings Lloyd provided, the workers broke the large rocks into smaller, usable pieces. The tranquil valley quickly turned into a field littered with limestone fragments.

Meanwhile, the carpenters worked tirelessly. They had been given the aqueduct’s blueprints by Lloyd and were tasked with crafting wooden arch supports, crucial for shaping the stone arches.

‘Clang! Clang!’

With their tools striking rhythmically, they constructed sturdy, rainbow-shaped wooden scaffolds. The limestone blocks were then laid on these supports, locking tightly together to form arches. Once an arch was completed, the scaffolds were disassembled and moved to the next section to repeat the process.

While one group felled and processed giant bamboo for pipelines, another team constructed a three-tiered limestone aqueduct. Standing 17 meters tall and spanning 82 meters, it loomed impressively over the valley. Every drop of sweat saw another segment of the pipeline buried, and every command added a limestone block to the growing structure.

—

Finally, after nearly two months of relentless effort, the two projects converged under the drizzling late-autumn rain.

“Careful, careful! Slowly! Make sure it’s secure!”

Lloyd, with a tool belt strapped to his waist, climbed the completed aqueduct. He took charge of the final step: laying the last bamboo pipeline. At 17 meters above ground, the aqueduct’s narrow, rain-slicked top was treacherous. A single misstep could result in a fatal fall.

Lloyd deliberately positioned himself at the most dangerous spot.

‘If I don’t take the lead here, the crew might lose their focus.’

No matter how many bonuses or rewards workers were promised, dangerous tasks always carried a psychological toll. Forcing laborers to risk their lives while the leadership stayed safe would only sow resentment on-site. Lloyd knew that firsthand.

‘It’s a terrible feeling to think your life is worth no more than the money they pay you. I’ve been there.’

He had no desire for his crew to feel like expendable tools. To prevent that, he personally led the perilous task atop the aqueduct.

With him were the strongest members of the crew.

“Watch your footing. Javier, Sir Bayern, Arosh, get in position. Call out the counts.”

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three, squawk!”

“Now!”

‘Thud!’

Lloyd, along with Javier, Sir Bayern, and Arosh, carefully maneuvered the bamboo pipe sections into place, securing and connecting them. Finally, the last pipe was laid, and the waterway was complete.

But the work wasn’t over yet.

‘The final step is checking everything.’

Simply laying the pipes wasn’t enough. Lloyd needed to confirm that water would flow properly through the entire system. He climbed to Lake Capua, where the intake facility awaited. Reaching the valve on the intake gate, he gave it a turn.

‘Screech!’

The steel gate opened, allowing water from the lake to flow through a filter made of interwoven bamboo. The water entered the pipeline, its movement closely scrutinized by Lloyd.

‘The flow rate is perfect. Just as designed.’

Lloyd had calculated the velocity to stay within 0.5 to 3.0 m/s across the entire pipeline, from Lake Capua to the estate below. A slower flow would cause sediment to settle, blocking the pipes. A faster flow would increase pressure, potentially damaging the system. The current velocity stayed within the safe range.

‘Good. No concerns there.’

He continued monitoring the flow while waiting for confirmation from downstream.

‘It should be any moment now.’

As the tension mounted, Lloyd bit his lower lip in anticipation.

—

“…It’s flowing!”

“…The water is flowing perfectly!”

From the estate below, voices began to echo up the mountain. The engineering corps members stationed along the pipeline relayed the good news from one to the next, their shouts growing louder and clearer with each passing moment.

“No leaks! The water is flowing perfectly!”

“The water is flowing perfectly into the estate’s purification facility! No leaks along the way!”

The cheers from the workers were deafening as the fruits of their labor finally bore success. Smiling faces exchanged looks of satisfaction, and fists were raised in triumph. The entire site erupted in celebration.

Everyone except Lloyd, who let out a sigh of relief.

“Well, that’s done. Time to collect payment.”

‘Tap.’

As casually as if he were heading to a neighborhood PC café, Lloyd patted Javier’s shoulder and grinned mischievously.

“Wait… payment? Collecting what?” Javier asked, confused.