Chapter 124
“Master, we’re almost there.”
The voice of an escort knight called from outside the carriage.
At the sound, the royal dwarven master craftsman, Wells Cogidus, opened his wrinkled eyes and turned his gaze out the window.
A strange landscape came into view.
It was the destination of this journey—the Frontera Estate.
‘Truly the countryside.’
There weren’t many proper buildings.
Only scattered fields here and there.
But Cogidus found that to his liking.
‘It’s been a while since I could really breathe.’
Had it already been forty years since he began working as a master craftsman in the capital?
And how many times had he left the capital in all those years?
‘So few I could count them on my fingers. The last time I went outside the capital was fifteen years ago.’
As a result, he had grown used to the tall, densely packed buildings of the capital.
He had grown accustomed to the crowds everywhere he went.
Perhaps that was why the quiet, natural scenery here felt so refreshingly new.
‘Well, of course, I didn’t come all this way just for a holiday.’
Master Cogidus recalled something from a few nights ago.
It had been late at night when the Queen summoned him to the palace.
It was unusual.
He had served three monarchs as a master craftsman, and the young Queen always treated him with courtesy and formality.
For example, she would never suddenly call for him past midnight.
So even as he entered the palace, he thought—
There must be something special going on.
‘And I was right.’
As soon as the audience began, the Queen asked something unexpected.
“What’s the largest thing you’ve ever built?”
“The suspension bridge we constructed last summer, Your Majesty.”
“Would you be interested in building something even larger?”
“Larger than the suspension bridge, Your Majesty? What do you mean exactly?”
“For example… a city.”
“……”
A city?
He had no idea what she meant at first.
And then she explained—
‘Lloyd Frontera. That sharp, cocky, yet skilled brat. She wanted me to help him build a new city.’
He didn’t have to think twice.
He nodded immediately.
The reason was simple.
It would be a chance to make many things he had never built before.
So he packed for the journey.
He selected twenty dwarven craftsmen from the royal forge.
And after two busy weeks of travel, here they were.
“Whew… my back is killing me.”
Cogidus grumbled.
The young dwarven craftsman sitting opposite him in the carriage smiled.
“You’re telling me, Master. I didn’t expect such a relentless journey either.”
“Right? Sitting in a rattling carriage all day is hard labor in its own right.”
His whole body ached.
His joints creaked.
For the first time, he felt he understood how goods felt being shipped in a crate for days.
But even upon arriving and stepping down from the carriage, he couldn’t quite savor the relief.
“You’re here! I’ve been waiting endlessly for you.”
Before he could enjoy his freedom, a greeting flew his way.
Cogidus twitched his bushy eyebrows and turned toward the voice.
Upon seeing who it was, he immediately barked in irritation.
“Endlessly waiting, my foot. I don’t believe a word you say, you brat.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“Of course.”
Lloyd smiled as if he had come out to greet them.
The dwarven master snorted at him.
“You call this waiting? You’re here all alone? Be honest—you just happened to see us passing by, didn’t you?”
“Oh? When did you learn mind reading?”
“Mind reading, my ass. It’s obvious.”
“Haha. If I’d known, I would have hung a banner at the estate gates. Maybe prepared some flowers too.”
“Cut it out, brat. You trying to tickle me to death?”
“That’s why I didn’t prepare them—out of humanistic kindness and consideration.”
“Kindness, my foot. I’m so moved I could cry.”
“Exactly. I could cry too, seeing you here, Master.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Honestly, I’ve been waiting so long. Which is why—”
Lloyd slipped him a bundle of papers.
Cogidus’ eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“What’s this?”
“You’ll see.”
“……”
About twenty rolled-up sheets.
He took them and unrolled them.
Lloyd’s sly voice came from beside him.
“These are the blueprints I refined with my burning, endless anticipation for your arrival. Who needs banners or flowers? I figured this would be more to your taste, Master.”
“This? My taste?”
“Yes.”
“And what makes you say that?”
“Your nostrils flared when you opened the blueprints.”
“……”
“Come on, you like it.”
“……”
“You’re honestly happy to be welcomed with blueprints, aren’t you?”
Lloyd’s voice grew more insistent.
In the end, Cogidus chuckled.
“Fine, brat. I came to see these. Satisfied?”
“Yes. So take your time.”
“Heh. But what if I just look and leave? What makes you so confident?”
“Well… have you ever seen blueprints like these before?”
“What?”
“If you walk away after seeing them, you won’t be able to sleep.”
“Me? Why?”
Lloyd smiled.
“Because you’ll want to build it. You’ll picture it every time you close your eyes. Ah, I want to forge it, hammer it, shape it, see it come to life and working. Little things like that.”
“What nonsense are you—”
“And every night, you’ll kick your blanket in regret, thinking, I should have built it, I wish I could turn back time. Your poor blanket won’t get a chance to heal before you beat it up again.”
“Why would I—”
“So, are you not going to make it?”
“……”
“You’d enjoy it. You’d feel that renewed sense of life’s purpose. You could brag about it endlessly later. Don’t you think?”
“Tsk. Enjoyment, purpose, bragging—my foot. You build because you build, not for all that talk.”
“So you’ll build it?”
Lloyd’s eyes lit up.
Cogidus grumbled.
“I need to know what it’s for first, brat.”
Flick, flick.
The dwarven craftsman flipped through the pages.
“All right, explain. This open cylinder here, and the big drum it connects to—what are they for?”
“Oh, that’s a mixer.”
“A mixer?”
“Yes, a cement mixer cart.”
Lloyd nodded.
A construction vehicle used to mix and transport ready-mix cement.
Everyone had seen them at least once on the road—a truck with a big rotating drum in the back.
“That’s what it looks like to me. Just a giant hamster wheel, right?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Exactly?”
“Yes. Ppodong will power it.”
“……”
Cogidus was speechless.
Lloyd continued explaining.
“The principle is simple. Ppodong runs in the wheel, the axle transmits the power, and the mixer drum rotates.”
“And this spiral structure inside the drum?”
“It mixes the cement and keeps it from setting.”
It kept the cement from hardening, prevented foreign materials like rainwater from mixing in, and ensured an even consistency.
“It’s called the Brazil Nut Effect. Preventing it is key.”
“Brazil… nut?”
Cogidus tilted his head.
“It’s when a mix of large and small particles settles so that the smaller ones sink.”
“I see… I’ve noticed that when working with charcoal and sand.”
“Exactly.”
In concrete, the large particles float upward, small ones sink.
If poured in that state, the structure would crack and crumble over time.
This project made it even more critical to avoid that.
‘An apartment is different from the marine foundation in Cremo or the suspension bridge tower base in the capital.’
Those had been massive and simple structures—just pour in the cement.
But an apartment had many small, intricate forms: floors, walls, ceilings, stairs.
The molds would be smaller and more complex, requiring careful, slower pours.
‘If left in the mixer-less, the cement will harden or separate before we finish pouring.’
That’s why they needed this mixer.
“Oh, and this is the pump for pouring the cement.”
“A pump?”
“Yes. It connects to the mixer and lifts the cement to the higher floors.”
“Hmm… based on an Archimedes screw, I see.”
“Exactly. We’ll make it manual-powered.”
“Good. Simple enough.”
“So, can you build it?”
“Are you doubting my skill, brat?”
“Of course not.”
Lloyd grinned.
“Tsk.”
This kid always managed to pull him along.
“You already had these drawn up before I came, didn’t you? Feels like I’m the one always losing out.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Shameless.”
“So how long will it take?”
“Tsk, I’ll let you know after we start. Show me the worksite first.”
“Of course.”
Lloyd led the way.
Ten days later—
Royal craftsmen truly worked differently, especially under Master Cogidus’ command.
Using the stockpiled Bangul-brand steel ingots,
They produced a twenty-meter-diameter hamster wheel, plus a massive axle and mixer drum.
A structure so large the local smiths wouldn’t even attempt it.
But Cogidus and his team completed it in just ten days.
It worked perfectly.
“Ppodong!”
Rumble…
After eating a red sunflower seed, Ppodong climbed into the wheel.
The massive twenty-meter wheel began to turn heavily.
“Ppodong?”
A smile bloomed on his face.
It was his first time on a wheel, and it was far more fun than expected.
His run grew faster, and the wheel spun harder.
Whirrrrr!
Powered by a full Ppodong-force, the rotation flowed through the axle to the mixer.
Vwoooom!
The heavy mixer rotated, the cement inside sloshing like it was dancing.
Lloyd’s hopes swelled with each churn.
‘Perfect. It’s working flawlessly.’
Thanks to the royal dwarves, the key construction equipment was complete.
Now, it was time to begin full-scale apartment construction.