"Yeah, I'll build you a stone ice storage."
Whiiiish.
A gust of wind swept across the wasteland.
Sand particles rode the wind right up to his eyes.
Lloyd narrowed his eyes against the onslaught.
He examined the gently sloped clearing from every angle.
"What's a stone ice storage?"
Just as he expected, Haviel piped up with a question.
Lloyd couldn't help but chuckle.
"Bingo."
"Pardon?"
"Nah, not that. Have you ever heard of an ice house?"
"No, I haven't."
"Yeah, figured as much."
Stone ice storage.
Ice house.
Both were facilities from history used to store ice through the hot seasons.
Stone ice storages were from Joseon, ice houses from Europe.
Even in the Yazd region of the Middle East, the ancient Moayedi ice storage facilities still stood intact to this day.
In short, facilities for preserving ice had existed all over the world since ancient times.
But on the Laura continent, the setting of the novel Iron-Blooded Knight?
The situation was a bit different.
'Magic stunted the development of those kinds of facilities.'
Anyone seeking ice in summer was from the wealthy class anyway.
And in this world, mages abounded who were eager to serve the rich.
One spell in the scorching heat, and you could enjoy sangria floating with ice cubes.
"That's why. I'm gonna make the first one in this land's history."
"For the orcs?"
"Yeah."
Lloyd nodded.
The sloped ground looked perfect for a stone ice storage.
He roughly calculated the number of tribe members in the orc village, their food consumption, and the average size of game they brought back from hunts. He gauged the storage's area accordingly.
'Definitely bigger than the Joseon-era ones.'
As he relied on his surveying and design skills, a recent memory suddenly resurfaced.
♣
"Instead of leg workouts, I'll build you a cool food preservation storage. Recognize me as a warrior, and it's yours."
"Kuik?"
Chief Akuysh's first reaction was to raise his thick eyelids high.
"A food preservation storage, kuik?"
"That's right. A warehouse to preserve food."
"What'll change if we build that, kuik?"
"It will change. A lot."
"How so, kuik?"
"Hunted meat won't spoil so easily."
"Kuik? Is that even possible, kuik?"
"Of course."
Akuysh furrowed his brow in disbelief.
Lloyd flashed him a grin.
Confidence was key in moments like this.
With that in mind, he pressed on.
"Picture this. You hunt a massive monster with all your might, but you can't even finish half before it starts rotting. The tragedy of tossing out that fresh, wild protein."
"...Kuuuik! That pisses me off, kuik!"
"Right?"
"Yeah, kuik!"
"But imagine keeping it fresh, eating every last bit without waste. All that tender meat sliding down your throat, turning into nutrients, building muscle. Sounds awesome, doesn't it?"
Puhung!
Chief Akuysh snorted roughly instead of answering.
Just imagining it was thrilling.
"Is that for real, kuik?"
"Absolutely. Who am I?"
"Our benefactor, kuik!"
"Exactly."
"Yeah, kuuik!"
"Great. Thanks for trusting me. Now, let's draw up a construction contract first."
"Construction... contract, kuik?"
"Yes. Contracts are crucial for this sort of thing. Haviel?"
Lloyd turned around.
Haviel, now quite accustomed to these situations, promptly handed over paper and pen.
Lloyd scribbled a simple contract form on the paper.
"That's how it's done. Starting construction on a whim always leads to messy disputes over rights. What kind of relationship would that be? It'd just make us both sad, right?"
"...Uh, I don't get what you're saying, but it sounds right, kuik."
"Good thinking. Wise as ever. Here."
"Kuik?"
"Sign at the bottom."
"Sign, kuik?"
"It's the great chief's mark of agreement with the terms."
"Mark? I like that! Good stuff, kuik!"
Akuysh raised a fist the size of a basketball.
He slammed it down onto the contract.
Kua-ang!
The contract embedded itself into the rock.
Ten centimeters deep.
'Whoa.'
A monster.
A different kind of monster from Haviel.
Lloyd was struck anew by just how powerful an orc chief was.
'Makes sense. In the original story, even Haviel struggled to take him down.'
Haviel at that time had just reached swordmaster level.
Meaning this muscle-bound orc chief had combat prowess somewhere between advanced sword expert and swordmaster.
'And that's pure physical strength. He doesn't even know mana.'
The more he thought about it, the more terrifying the power seemed.
But there was no need to fear now.
This muscle monster was on his side.
Lloyd grinned.
"Thanks for the wise decision, Chief. Just trust me from here on out."
"Of course! I, Akuysh, trust the human Lloyd, kuuik!"
"You got it."
Lloyd added his own signature to the embedded contract.
The terms were roughly as follows.
[Lloyd Frontera will build a stone ice storage for the orc tribe.]
[The orc tribe will recognize Lloyd Frontera as a warrior and pay the construction fee.]
[The fee will be covered by the exercise equipment currently in use at the village.]
[Lloyd Frontera will provide new stone-processed equipment of equivalent weight in exchange.]
...That was it.
A contract where neither side lost out.
'No, not just no loss—it's a win-win.'
The valuables and gold coins used as exercise equipment were useless to the orcs anyway.
In exchange for picking those up?
Providing more convenient stone equipment would benefit them too.
Plus, they'd get a massive refrigerator in the form of the stone ice storage. A true mutual gain.
"...So that's why we gotta keep the trust. Gotta build it right. Alright, entrance here seems good."
Lloyd spoke as he surveyed on one hand.
And reminisced about recent events on the other.
Truth be told, he fully intended to build this stone ice storage properly.
It went without saying.
'Reputation is everything in this business.'
Don't assume someone's a pushover just because they seem simple.
Cut corners for short-term gain, and you'll bleed later.
Especially against muscle monsters like these.
'Keeping trust now is a long-term win.'
The orc tribe was a formidable force.
Each warrior's combat ability was insane.
And in war, dozens of villages in the area would unite in an instant.
Forming an army rivaling any nation's elite legions.
'So now's the time to rack up points properly.'
He might even earn RP from them.
With that in mind, Lloyd poured his all into surveying and designing the stone ice storage.
'Entrance to the south. Main ice and food chamber to the cool north.'
He based it on traditional Joseon stone ice storages.
He'd joined a traditional architecture club as a freshman in college.
That experience was paying off big now.
'Man, it's dry here.'
This was a parched wasteland.
The efficiency would surpass even Joseon-era ones.
He meticulously checked and arranged countless elements to ensure functionality.
'Vent hot air upward first.'
The overall structure was semi-subterranean.
Half buried underground.
The other half bulged aboveground.
He curved the ceiling into an arch.
He didn't forget the structure for final heat escape.
'The vaulted brickwork in the rounded ceiling needs concave-convex spaces. Trap hot air there. Add vents at the center of each dip. That'll cleanly exhaust the heat outside. Caps over the vents to block sun and rain... perfect.'
Tzutzutzutzu...!
A holographic 3D design screen appeared only in his vision.
The ceiling structure took shape within it.
He also sloped the interior floor.
'Otherwise, water from melting ice pools up, accelerating the rest.'
Higher at the south entrance, lower toward the north main chamber.
A drainage ditch at the north end.
He fussed over every detail for heat expulsion and cold retention.
Retaining walls ran north-south beside the entrance.
To guide chilly winter winds from the mountains into the storage.
Ample space for insulation too.
Four days later.
The design was complete.
"Phew, blueprints good to go."
Using the intermediate design skill's option, he printed clean blueprints.
Next step for construction: securing materials.
'Clay and lime for the ceiling waterproofing from here. Rice husks, straw, sawdust for insulation—send ten engineering corps soldiers back to the territory to fetch. Grass for the outer cover: substitute with local thorny grass. Only issue is granite.'
Lloyd's gaze turned west.
The Eastern Mountains between Frontera territory and this wasteland.
Their eastern slopes gleamed in the morning sun.
Exposed granite outcrops.
'Need that granite for the stone ice storage.'
Granite formed from slowly cooling sialic magma.
Hence, hard and uniform.
No grain in the structure, so it resisted warping or cracking.
'That's why modern industries use it for precision semiconductor and measurement equipment bases.'
Granite was tough and deformation-resistant.
Ideal for long-lasting structures.
Especially ones like stone ice storages demanding insulation and waterproofing over ages.
But granite wasn't all upsides.
'Processing it is a nightmare.'
As hard as it was, breaking it was tough.
No cleavage, so couldn't split it neatly.
Quarrying or shaping to spec was brutally difficult.
'That's why old Korean Buddha statues look so rough.'
Granite-dominated Korean peninsula.
Ancestors had to chisel it bit by bit.
A long, grueling process.
Lloyd had zero intention of that.
This wasn't even his land—it was the orc village.
No desire to waste time on someone else's turf.
That's why.
He turned, solution in mind, to the silver-haired knight guarding silently behind.
"Hey, Haviel?"
"You called?"
"Yeah. Got a question."
"Speak."
"Can you cut rocks with your sword?"
"Yes."
"How much?"
"I've managed about a meter with one swing."
"A one-meter rock?"
"Yes."
Haviel nodded nonchalantly.
Incredible.
Even a steel sword was just a few kilos of edged metal.
Yet slicing a ton-plus boulder clean through in one go?
But Lloyd snorted at Haviel.
"That all? Kinda underwhelming."
"..."
"I figured one swing would shred meters of rock, punch holes, total chaos. Tsk."
"...That level would challenge most swordmasters."
"Reaaally?"
"Yes."
"You're not just making excuses 'cause you can't?"
"No."
"Nah?"
"Yes."
"For real?"
"It is."
Maybe thinking Lloyd was nagging, Haviel's tone chilled a notch.
"I don't know what you're plotting with these questions, Lord Lloyd, but if you're abusing your position for impossible demands, I politely decline in advance."
"Oh ho. Strike threat?"
"I'm simply stating I can't fulfill what exceeds my ability. Ignoring that would make us both miserable."
"Both miserable?"
"Yes."
"What if I force it anyway?"
"Same. May I be frank?"
"Go ahead."
"You're building this stone ice storage and need stone."
"Yeah."
"And you plan to use me for it. Have me cut rock with my sword. That's why I said it upfront."
"So you refuse to play quarryman outta the blue?"
"It's impossible with a sword to begin with."
"Tsk, cheeky."
"Thank you."
Haviel bowed slightly.
Probably thought he'd won this round.
Lloyd curled his lip.
He tossed a meaningful smile at the confident Haviel.
"What if I make it possible?"
"Pardon?"
"What if I teach you a technique to punch meters-deep holes in rock and blast it apart with one sword? You'd do it then?"
"What are you..."
Haviel trailed off.
Lloyd grinned.
His mind already held a destructive technique Haviel perfected mid-novel in Iron-Blooded Knight.
He planned to give Haviel an early lesson in it.
(End of Chapter 33)
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