197 – Preparing for the big picture
“Thank you. “If it were not for you, our Isilian Kingdom would not have escaped a catastrophic disaster.”
Kesilov II, the leader of the Gryphon Riders, lowered his head to 90 degrees.
This is a thank you for protecting the griffon from the gargoyle attack.
Ed said as he released the suit.
“Not much to say. “I just did what I had to do.”
Charralalalalak─.
Ed emerges from the open chute and greets Prince Kesilov.
The soldiers around the prince looked at Ed’s suit in shock.
Is this the technological power of the empire led by Edgar Fix?
“Isn’t there something that needs to be discussed more seriously than that? “Let’s go inside and talk.”
However, Ed immediately started talking about his business, as if it was no big deal that he had saved the Isilian Kingdom and was looked upon with envy by his soldiers.
The only thing that is important to him is strengthening the northern defenses in preparation for Lilith’s invasion.
In order to do so, we had to borrow their main unit.
“hahahaha. Yes. Then, I will take you to the palace.”
Prince Kesilov took the lead and said he would guide them to the palace.
And Ed and the prince talked about many things as they walked along the road leading to the palace.
It was mainly about business or about banquets and events prepared by the Isilian Kingdom for Ed.
However, Ed had different interests.
“It’s cold.”
Exceptionally cold weather.
Even considering that the kingdom was built in a mountainous area, it was abnormally cold.
This was explained to Prince Kesilov as follows.
“···This cycle comes once in a while. It is the deadly cold that comes once every 200 years. Fortunately, thanks to the Great War eight years ago, we had enough funds— Oh, sorry. “I made a mistake.”
Prince Kesilov talks about the great war from 8 years ago, but immediately shuts his mouth.
This is because the Isilian Kingdom was the enemy of the empire in the great war eight years ago.
8 Years ago, although the Empire had great military power, it was swayed by the guerrillas of the Kingdom of Klendor and the Gryphon Riders of the Kingdom of Isilian, and ultimately lost the war.
A huge amount of compensation was paid and an agreement to end the war was signed.
And at that time, the kingdom that benefited greatly from the compensation was the Isilian Kingdom.
“It’s okay. I understand that everyone has their own circumstances. From the Isilian Kingdom’s perspective, it would have been a definite advantage to join the Allied Kingdom. “It’s a wise choice.”
However, Ed didn’t really care about that fact.
In fact, Ed has no particular sense of belonging to the Empire, and simply aims to ‘unify all kingdoms to save humanity’, so he does not care about Prince Kesilov’s slip of the tongue, which may be insulting to the Empire. .
“Anyway, putting the past aside, what is the current situation in the kingdom? “I don’t think it would be easy to do outdoor activities if it’s this cold.”
So Ed returned to the main topic and asked what the effects of the cold were.
Prince Kesilov said with a dark expression.
“To be honest, the situation is bleak. Due to the bad weather, tea farming will be completely impossible, and the animals in the area will also enter a long hibernation period, making hunting difficult. Above all, although technology has advanced, the biggest concern is about verbs. “How many people will freeze during this cold season…”
Ed nodded.
It was certainly this cold that many people froze even inside their homes.
Even civilized empires had difficulty preparing for winter, but the Isilian Kingdom, which remained in the early Middle Ages, could not have properly prepared for the cold.
‘There is no way a house like that can provide proper preparation.’
Above all, it is a house where commoners live.
The house was nothing more than a wooden frame smeared with mud and topped with straw.
It is a residential area with a harsh environment, worse than thatched houses during the Joseon Dynasty.
“Can I stop by that house?”
Ed suddenly became curious about what the family environment was like.
It looks like a house that doesn’t seem to be properly protected against cold weather, but I was curious about how the people who actually live inside feel like it.
“Ah, are you okay? “It’s just a commoner’s house, so there won’t be much to see.”
“It’s okay. “I also come from a commoner background.”
“······.”
Prince Kesilov suddenly remembered that Edgar was a commoner.
He was so imbued with the etiquette and atmosphere of an aristocrat that I had forgotten that he was a commoner.
“···Yes, then shall we take a look?”
Did he recall the time when he was a commoner?
I couldn’t understand why he wanted to enter such a house, but Prince Kesilov obediently led Ed to a commoner’s house.
Soon, the soldier accompanying the prince entered the house first and informed the owner of the house that the prince wanted to see this place.
Then a middle-aged couple in their 40s rushed out, greeted the prince and told him to look around at any time.
“Then please excuse me.”
Ed entered the house, bowing to an old couple in their 40s.
As expected, the interior was dark and the walls, which were not properly insulated, were extremely cold.
The cold coming up from the walls and floor was all over the house, and every time I took a breath, I felt like my bones were being frozen by the penetrating cold.
“It’s very cold.”
“···Yes. But if you turn this on, things will feel a little better.”
Prince Kesilov said this and turned on the lantern-like thing in the center of the house.
When it was turned on, the lantern began to generate high-temperature heat and heat the air.
“This is a ‘heat dissipating lantern’ independently developed by our kingdom. “We limit it to four hours a day, but as long as it’s running, we’re free from the effects of the cold.”
‘Heat dissipating lantern’ developed independently by the Isilian Kingdom.
Honestly, it was trash.
At least by Ed’s standards, it didn’t meet the passing score at all.
However, I couldn’t throw cold water on the face of the prince who was proudly explaining this device, so I immediately asked the next question.
“So this device is all you need to prepare for winter?”
“Well… This device is the key. But there are many other preparations as well. “
The prince said so and explained the winter preparations of the Isilian Kingdom.
However, after listening to the whole story, Ed could sense that all the activities were not particularly useful.
Of course, it is not meaningless, but it was just a contrast to ‘not freeze to death’.
‘We have to live in this harsh environment for three years?’
The weather is extremely cold, with temperatures likely reaching -50 degrees Celsius.
The only thing you can rely on is the poor heat generating device provided by the government, a crudely made fireplace, and fur clothes.
“···It is a time when we have no choice but to endure it.”
At that time, Prince Kesilov, reading Ed’s expression, smiled bitterly and said that.
And then, looking at the owner’s intimidated expression, he continued his next words.
“The best we can do is just get through this time well. ······But fortunately, Lord Fix visited our kingdom. If the contract is successfully concluded through mutual agreement, the Kingdom will be able to secure funds to overcome these difficult times. Ha ha ha ha ha. “Then, shall we talk about the rental of the Gryphon Rider?”
Prince Kesilov ended the story on a positive note and urged Ed to now talk about the contract.
However, Ed was thinking about another business.
“Wait a minute. Do you have any plans to proceed further by signing another contract?”
And he set out to proceed with his newly conceived business.
The prince immediately showed curiosity.
“Another contract?”
“Yes. “I would like to help the Isilian Kingdom get through the winter.”
“······!”
The prince’s face lit up.
That great Edgar Fix is helping the kingdom get through the winter!
“Can I hear your story in detail?”
So the prince immediately asked Ed about his plan.
Soon, Ed looked around the commoner’s house and said,
“I plan to tear down the house itself and build a new one.”
“···A house?”
“Yes. “We are building new houses for all the commoners living in the kingdom.”
“······.”
The prince’s expression hardened.
Building new houses for all the commoners.
Is that even possible?
“···No matter how small our kingdom is, realistically, such large-scale construction would be difficult. They’re building all new houses. “After all, it is a kingdom with 800,000 people.”
Although it is classified as a small country in the alpine region, its population alone is a whopping 800,000.
No matter how great Edgar Fix was, it was thought to be impossible to build a house to accommodate 800,000 people.
There was one more problem left.
“And even if your words were possible, where in our kingdom would we have the money to cover such a large-scale construction project?”
It’s money.
There is no money to buy a building built with Edgar Fix’s technology.
But at that moment.
“It’s okay. “If it were money, I wouldn’t accept it.”
Unbelievable words came out of Edgar Fix’s mouth.
He declared that he would not accept money.
“···Yes?”
“Instead, I would like to receive it through labor.”
Instead, Ed said he would receive it through labor.
In other words, instead of providing a comfortable living environment for the Isilian people, they were asked to pay for it with labor.
“Isn’t it almost impossible to engage in outdoor activities during the three years of winter anyway? “I want to take that three-year gap.”
“······.”
The prince swallowed dry saliva.
What Edgar Fix wants is a large number of workers.
I thought that maybe, as he said, the kingdom and his interests might coincide.
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“Uh, how much do you need?”
“Both men and women between the ages of 17 and 50 in good health can participate.”
17 To 50 years old.
In other words, the population is 320,000.
Edgar Fix wants as many as 320,000 workers.
“···How long will the construction period take?”
“With the technical skills I have from the Corps of Engineers, I can complete the construction within four months.”
Ed’s engineering corps has accumulated tremendous skills by building various structures under Ed’s instructions.
Currently, they were spending money on various construction projects, such as remodeling the interior to a modern style or building a public bathhouse, by receiving orders from various nobles within the empire.
In the process, civil engineering and construction technology using ‘skills’ and ‘construction robots’ is developing day by day.
“Of course, just because the construction period is short, we will not build it roughly. “Look here.”
Ed said that and launched a hologram.
The hologram showed the townhouse that Ed was planning.
“It is a housing complex that can accommodate approximately 10,000 people. They are all entry-level models with the same structure and interior, but they have everything you need. “It is a house that prevents water leaks, blocks monsoon winds, has cross-ventilation, faces south, and has a boiler.”
Prince Kesilov nodded his head.
I didn’t understand a single word of what was being said, but anyway, I can understand that there are many good things about it.
In fact, the inside of the room seen through the hologram looked as clean and comfortable as any noble house.
“Well, if you want, I can show you the house in actual use. “Shouldn’t you know what kind of house it is?”
And Ed didn’t stop there, he said he would let us experience the actual house he lived in.
After Prince Kesilov answered that he would understand, he went straight to the royal palace and delivered this news to the king.
“···So, please allow me to open the portal?”
“Yes. In order to allow the people to work in the empire, a large portal must be built…”
“Then wouldn’t that mean breaking the policy of national isolation that our ancestors followed? Son, think carefully why our kingdom has not been conquered for hundreds of years.”
“···But father. The world is changing every day. The Kingdom of France was taken over by the Cravel Revolutionaries and became a republic, and thanks to the technological prowess of Count Cromwell, it was armed with steel chariots. Because of this, neighboring countries are also responding by importing the technology.”
“······.”
“We must also accept external technology. “I think this is a great opportunity.”
“···If we break a long-standing tradition, our ancestors who ascended to heaven might be angry…”
“Then how about coming and seeing it in person? “Lord Fix is introducing a building within his domain, so he can see it for himself and make a decision.”
“······.”
The king of the Isilian Kingdom, who values history and tradition more than anything else.
However, he reluctantly nodded his head.
If you want to empower the prince who will become the next king, it is difficult to unilaterally ignore his opinions.
In the end, the king decided to pretend to follow the prince’s will, thinking that one day the prince would understand his ancestor’s deep intentions.
In that way, the king and prince crossed over to Ed’s territory through the ‘temporary portal’.
“Shall we relax first?”
And Ed guided them to the ‘hot spring spa’.
The interior of the modern-style building was filled with steaming natural hot spring water.
The view of the estate seen through the glass wall was also overwhelming.
“Ohhh!!!”
Soon, the king and prince, soaking in the hot spring water, moaned.
The warm hot spring water gently melts their bodies soaked in the cold.
-uuu…
And ‘massage water pressure’ was gushing out from behind.
My muscles, which had been tight due to the cold and tension, began to relax and I began to feel drowsy.
“Let’s go after sweating a little.”
After warming up once, Ed took them to the sauna.
The king and prince lay on their backs on the warm floor of the sauna and enjoyed the tired sensation of their whole bodies being pounded.
The king even snored.
“Let’s go to the red clay sauna.”
However, the beauty of a sauna is that it is a room with several themes.
Ed took them to the red clay sauna and sat them down.
The tremendous heat that they had never felt while living in a cold region all their lives made them suffer.
But the moment they withstood the pain of the hellfire and came out, they were able to enjoy the air of heaven.
“Ah!”
Refreshing air!
A fever sensation felt throughout the body!
Ed didn’t stop there and gave them a can of sikhye and a boiled egg.
However, the King, who was suspicious of the unfamiliar appearance of sikhye, forgot the boiled eggs he was familiar with.
As expected, I felt like my throat was choking due to the dry texture.
‘I thought it would be a little more special because it was an egg given by Lord Fix, but it’s not so good.’
In the end, the king had no choice but to open the sikhye container and drink it down.
After sweating a lot in the red clay room, I was thirsty and wanted to get rid of the egg that was stuck in my throat.
“Oh!?”
The moment when sikhye and the egg in your mouth come together.
Reborn with a new taste of a completely different dimension.
The chewy texture of eggs melts into sikhye and becomes soft, and the sweet taste of sikhye and the unique taste of eggs combine to create a heavenly taste.
“aaa…”
It was heaven.
How happy would you be if you could spend your golden years in a state-of-the-art sauna and hot spring spa every day?
“You seem to like this place. “If you open the portal, I will build you this building.”
But at that moment.
An angel appeared to make that dream come true.
Edgar Fix.
A bright smile spread across King Isilian’s face.
“I’ll open it right away!!!”
***
King Isilian, who had tasted the greatness of civilization, accepted my proposal.
I promised to open a large-scale portal connecting my territory and the Isilian Kingdom.
‘Through this, we secured 320,000 workers.’
Thanks to this, I was able to secure workers in addition to acting as a ‘Gryphon Rider’.
As many as 320,000 foreign workers can now be employed at 20% of the standard salary.
However, at first glance, it seems like I am losing more by providing a house that can accommodate 800,000 people, but surprisingly, I am gaining more.
The technology of my engineering corps has already reached a high level, and since construction is done using construction robots, the efficiency is ridiculously high.
In short, the three beats of uniform standards, mass production, and systemized technology are aligned, so atomic savings and labor efficiency increase to ridiculous levels.
‘Now it’s time to move on to the next step.’
Anyway, having secured 320,000 foreign workers, I planned the next step.
So, the ‘Noah’s Ark’ project looked further than just building a northern defense line.