Chapter 263
Sauna.
A space beloved by almost everyone in South Korea.
The magical place where one can bite into a chewy, fluffy steamed egg, coughing as it goes down, then wash away all worries and fatigue with a sip of chilled sweet rice drink, floating with ice.
Lloyd had been to a sauna in South Korea.
Just once.
“It was when I was frantically working construction sites, hitting them one after another.”
There had been a time when he was particularly lucky with work.
He was hopping from one site to another daily without a break.
The money was rolling in, and it felt great.
But, his physical condition got worse by the day.
“I had no time to relieve my fatigue. Even when I went back to my dorm after work, I couldn’t rest. I had to study.”
Although he was taking a break from school due to tuition fees for the next semester,
He was free from the pressure of assignments,
But he couldn’t afford to just chill and relax.
He had a goal.
To graduate, obtain a professional certification, land a decent job,
Escape the suffocating cycle of poverty,
And finally, to lead a normal life free from major concerns or hardships.
That was his biggest life goal during his time in South Korea.
A goal so mundane and simple for others,
But for him, it was desperately critical.
He hadn’t had a proper rest day for it.
He was nosebleeding seven days a week.
And during all this, his nutritional status wasn’t great either.
Most of his meals relied on the free rice, ramen toppings, and kimchi provided by the dorm,
Naturally, his complexion was always pale.
Maybe that was why,
On a day when fatigue was particularly crushing,
Dragging his heavy body from the site back to his dorm,
A co-worker called out to him.
“Suho, do you wanna hit the sauna after work?”
Naturally, he shook his head.
He intended to refuse.
He couldn’t afford such luxuries.
To him, spending money on a sauna was unthinkable luxury.
Better to buy some ramen or canned tuna with that money, he thought.
So, he laughed it off awkwardly.
Too embarrassed to admit he didn’t have the money.
Saying he was busy today.
Telling him to go alone.
He indirectly refused.
But then, the co-worker bluntly responded.
“Man, you’ll get sick living like that. I’ll pay. Let’s go, you bastard.”
For free.
…Nice.
That first sauna visit was shocking.
The mud sauna.
The diamond salt sauna.
And all sorts of concept saunas were beyond his imagination.
The place was beyond anything he could have imagined.
And how delicious and nutty was the boiled egg he tasted there.
It made him question if it was the same type of egg he knew.
And the sweet rice drink, combined with the egg,
Brought tears to his eyes at the first sip.
For someone who had only been drinking tepid water from a questionable purifier in the dorm, it was the sweetest nectar.
“It was truly great.”
As he left the sauna, relaxing his muscles, he made a promise to himself.
If he got a job and started earning,
If he started living like a human being,
He vowed to visit the sauna at least once a week.
He made this solemn yet eager promise to himself.
But, he never got to keep that promise.
“Got a job and all. Before even trying, I ended up here.”
Lloyd stored away the memory with a bitter smile on his lips.
Then, he looked around.
There, by his side, were the new connections he had made here.
Javier, raising an eyebrow elegantly like a painting,
And Rotolua, tilting his head curiously towards him.
Both of them were looking this way with puzzled eyes.
Lloyd’s bitter smile deepened.
“Ah, both of them must have never heard of a sauna before.”
Considering it, that made sense.
Lloyd cleared his throat.
“Ahem, the sauna… Mr. Rotolua, you must be unfamiliar with it, right?”
“Yes. What is it… that makes you so confident that building it here will be a hit? Moreover, what does building it here have to do with locating a treasure site?”
“Well, to answer both your questions simply, yes, I’d like to say.”
“What exactly is a sauna?”
“It’s warming your body with hot water, steam, or air.”
“You mean, to steam?”
“Ah, not like steaming fish, of course.”
Lloyd chuckled lightly.
The explanation continued.
“It’s about heating your body with just the right amount of warmth so your muscles relax and the tension eases.”
“Hm, if it’s steaming you’re talking about, I know it too. We merfolk do enjoy steaming ourselves, after all.”
“Is that so?”
“Indeed. Though, it’s technically illegal.”
“Illegal, you say?”
Lloyd inquired.
Rotolua explained.
“Literally. You seem to have thought of saunas looking at those hydrothermal vents, but in truth, we merfolk enjoy steaming at those vents secretly.”
“Secretly?”
“Yes, because it’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous…”
“The water there is too hot. If you maintain the right distance and find the right spot, it’s a suitable temperature for steaming, but it’s not easy.”
“I see.”
“Yes. But the bigger problem is that the water there isn’t clear.”
“Do you mean it contains toxic substances?”
“Toxic substances, yes. If you inhale that water wrongly, it makes you dizzy. You can’t breathe, and you can lose consciousness in an instant. Then it becomes very dangerous.”
“Um… Floating unconscious next to a place spewing hot water would indeed be dangerous.”
“Exactly. Severe burns are common. If you’re unlucky, you could die. That’s why steaming at those vents is forbidden here.”
Doubt was evident in Rotolua’s eyes as they shifted back to Lloyd.
He asked,
“But planning to build a facility here for steaming. The queen won’t allow it. Even if she does, overcoming the merfolk’s fear and aversion to steaming won’t be easy. Have you considered that?”
“Yes.”
Lloyd nodded confidently.
His answer was straightforward.
“Your point is valid. Controlling the appropriate level of heat and preventing toxic substances from entering the sauna facility will be crucial to this sauna construction project.”
“So, you have a way to manage that?”
“Of course.”
Lloyd replied with confidence.
Truly, he meant it.
“Of course. This isn’t a joke. Wouldn’t bother advancing this with a half-baked plan.”
There was no second chance.
Minimizing time and effort waste while searching for the treasure site was crucial.
Based on the designs found at the site, the treasure needed to be restored.
Afterward, finding a way to stop the restoration phenomenon of fate was essential.
Considering how much time and effort that would take,
Not a single step or process could be wasted.
That was why.
“The thought that merfolk would simply enjoy and respond positively to a sauna? If that’s all the depth to the plan, it would be better to give up.”
He had already planned every detail meticulously.
Safety measures for the sauna.
Aspects that would appeal to merfolk.
How to get them addicted to the sauna.
How to use that addiction to cast a net.
And finally, what kind of labor contracts to present to the merfolk caught in that net.
Lloyd truly had a plan.
“So, shall we start with a tour?”
“A tour? To where?”
“Is there a nearby underwater cave or something similar?”
“There is.”
“How far is it?”
“Hmm, about the length of five Gigatitans.”
“Five Gigatitans… That would be just over 400 meters.”
“That sounds about right in human measurements. Do you want to be guided there?”
“Yes.”
Rotolua looked at Lloyd with an odd gaze, pondering.
This land human is quite peculiar.
Or rather, strange.
First, he stormed into the merfolk city claiming to search for the Truth Gem.
Welcomed by this side,
Then, as soon as doubts were cleared,
He suddenly wanted to build a sauna here, acting as if it would solve everything.
And…
‘The silver-haired human by this land human’s side. His attitude is curious too.’
Rotolua’s gaze shifted to Javier.
Seemingly a subordinate of land human Lloyd, the silver-haired human.
He didn’t stop any of Lloyd’s actions.
Didn’t express any doubts.
Even towards the bizarre idea of building a sauna, he remained composed.
As if, following Lloyd’s plan would indeed solve everything.
‘Hmm.’
Rotolua swallowed quietly.
Feeling somewhat uneasy.
Could these land humans be deceiving and using him?
Rumors had it that land humans were cunning.
Easily dazzled by gold or money, they wouldn’t hesitate to commit vile acts.
‘But…’
He shook his head.
Never before had he met someone so determined to find the gem.
And on one hand, he too was somewhat weary of the gem search.
‘It was daunting.’
He had been on it for over 20 years.
Yet, no sign of success.
That fact occasionally brought suffocating anxiety.
Could it end up being a fruitless endeavor, dying old, digging at the ocean floor?
Like his many ancestors.
Like his grandfather and father.
Leaving only a will to ‘find the gem at all costs’ to his son before dying abruptly.
‘I don’t want that.’
It was frightening.
He detested such a futile life.
But if he continued this way?
It seemed like it would end just like that.
However, today, he had unexpectedly met a potential ally.
‘Maybe such an opportunity won’t come again.’
The first gem searcher he met besides himself.
Rotolua decided to pin his hopes on this fact.
Resolving his heart, he nodded towards Lloyd.
“Alright. To the underwater cave, then. I’ll guide you. Follow me.”
Leading the way, Rotolua took them to the underwater cave promptly.
“Wow.”
Lloyd’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the cave entrance.
‘This is great.’
Better than expected.
The entrance was impressively large.
With a width of at least 7 meters and a height of about 10 meters.
‘What about the inside?’
Using Javier’s aura as a lantern, he entered the cave.
The interior exceeded expectations.
‘Wow, this is practically asking to be a karaoke room.’
The cave stretched approximately 250 meters in total.
A main corridor ran almost straight from the entrance to the opposite exit.
Along this main corridor, large and small rooms branched out in all directions, three-dimensionally.
The smallest ones resembled college dorm rooms.
The largest room seemed about the size of a school auditorium.
‘Jackpot. Perfect.’
Thump-thump, his heart raced as he surveyed the inside of the cave.
The general layout he had in mind for the sauna fitted perfectly with the spatial arrangement here.
‘With this, the major construction work is virtually done. Foundation work? Hardly needed. Just smooth out the rough patches. Clearly define the areas for the different sauna concepts. Then, set up the thermal water supply lines. Add various amenities and finish up with some interior work.’
It seemed he could finish the construction quickly without much effort.
That day marked the beginning.
Lloyd immediately started preparing for construction.
He spent about four days going in and out of the cave, measuring the entire internal structure.
At the same time, he delved into designing.
Identifying places that needed repairs.
Areas that required reinforcement.
Locations that had to be blocked and spots that needed opening.
Routes for the thermal water to flow in and out.
He pondered, planned, and designed all these elements.
Meanwhile, he also kept Javier busy.
“Hey, Javier.”
“What task do you have for me now?”
“Ha. Now you guess just by me calling your name?”
“You’ve worked me hard enough to know.”
A bitter smile hung on Javier’s lips.
“At this point, I’m not sure if my primary role is Lloyd’s knight or just a convenient piece of construction equipment.”
“Really? Still can’t tell?”
“Could it be…”
“You’re a knight. Have some pride. Did you really think I’d treat you openly as construction equipment?”
“…Is that really sincere?”
“Of course. You are a knight. The honorable Knight Javier Asrahan, aren’t you?”
“Hmm.”
“Why? Why do you look so skeptical even when I’m saying nice things?”
“Because I suspect there might be ulterior motives.”
“Ulterior motives? None of that here.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. Why, Sir Asrahan, is proper knightly treatment unfamiliar to you, by any chance?”
“That’s not the case.”
“Not at all?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s get to work.”
“…”
“Do you remember that thermal vent we saw earlier? There should be long, bamboo-like clams around there.”
“…”
“They’re called deep-sea vent clams. Gather their shells for me. As many as possible, only the ones thicker than your thigh circumference. Carefully sort out any cracked or broken ones.”
“…”
“Do you dislike the task, Sir Asrahan?”
“…”
Tsk.
In the end, sweet words but treating him like construction equipment.
‘Sigh. Really, as if Lloyd himself wasn’t enough.’
Javier, suppressing a sour taste in his mouth, headed towards the thermal vent.
Fueling his task with a burning sense of injustice (?), he aggressively collected the deep-sea vent clam shells.
Meanwhile, Lloyd continued to focus on designing the underwater cave sauna.
This design incorporated the principles of water supply and distribution engineering.
Determining pipe thickness, routing, branching methods for the water supply, calculating exposed areas, and embedding methods.
He applied all his knowledge to ensure the construction would be feasible even in the deep-sea underwater environment.
Staring intensely at the design, Lloyd’s eyes filled with determination.
As Javier became more proficient in collecting clam shells,
Five more days passed.
And finally.
‘Good.’
Lloyd looked at the completed design with satisfaction.
The moment to bring the merfolk to the negotiating table for labor contracts through the unprecedented underwater sauna was drawing near.
