Chapter One-Hundred Forty-Nine

Chapter One-Hundred Forty-Nine

Coda

The Architect scion finds it difficult to focus, despite how excited he is! Probably because of how excited he is, honestly. The Foremans idea, this concrete, the very concept sings to his soul! The kinds of things he could create with it

The bat shakes his head, refusing to get too far ahead of himself. He and the others have only just started, and there is so much to figure out! The Foreman has only vague guidance for them, but Coda knows theyre on the right general track, as does Queen.

Its always a bit awkward trying to talk with her about most things, but with this, its like they both speak the same language. Forces, mixtures, ratios, reactions there is so much more going on with the ugly-looking mixtures than meets the eyes!The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.

They have already created their first tests of the concrete, attempting to just follow the sparse instructions from the Foreman to just get an idea of what theyre working with. All of them, even Foreman Thedeim, know it wont be very strong, but even failures teach how to reach success.

The drying process takes enough time for them to get some testing devices created, too. Queens lab was starting to get a bit cramped, until the Foreman had mercy and created a secret workshop for the process. Thankfully, the actual testing equipment is very simple. The first is to test compression: a small divot in the floor with four steel posts around it, and a plate that will slide down the posts. The sample is placed in the divots, the plate placed over the sample, and weights added until the sample fails.

The next is a simple hole in the wall, which a sample can be placed into, several inches left to hang in the air. Weights can be hung from the end, and get its strength from that kind of force. And lastly: a threaded hole in the ceiling. The samples will have to be carved slightly (with Slashs help) to thread the samples like giant bolts, and weights can be suspended from that, too, until it breaks.

It was such a strange thing to learn, when he was first being directed how to build and carve the stone of the underground, that things have different strengths in different directions. The beautiful slopes and arches the Foreman required were not simply artistic, but carefully designed. Stone is stronger when pressed, and weak when pulled, like the opposite of a rope. Pull a rope, and it will resist. Push a rope, and it wont resist at all.

If they can get this concrete to work properly, it should be very strong no matter the direction! Yes, it will still be strongest when pressed, but should stand up to pulling and even attempts to bend it, like what will be tested with the hole in the wall!

He shakes his head again, trying to focus on the paper before him, and the charcoal stick in his grasp. The concrete samples should be ready by now, and theyve received several blocks of various stone to be able to test with, too. Slash has already manipulated them to the dimensions needed, so the testing can begin.

Most of the process isnt especially interesting, but getting numbers is important to actually knowing theyre making progress. The only real surprise in the first round of testing is that granite is stronger than what they can bring to bear on the test, but more than fifty weights is still a number to keep in mind.

The bending tests go quicker, as everything breaks before they run out of weights, and the pulling test is similar. Then comes the test with the first batch of concrete. Unsurprisingly, its weaker than the other samples in all tests. While it did at least set and seemed to be like any other stone, it crumbled pretty easily under the various loads.

Not stretch silk? comes the reply of the first one he asks, looking at him like hes asked her to walk on only one leg.

Yes, I need it to not have any give at all, or at least as little as possible.

The aranea looks askance at him, but calls over a couple others to discuss this strange new idea.

But bad socks!

Help strange job?

What can do?

They take a few more minutes before they seem to get an idea, and the first one Coda talked to returns to him. Not us. Them, states the aranea and points at one of the widows. Bad sock silk. Good you silk?

Huh maybe? Hed still prefer to have the aranea make the silk, as theyre the experts. Then again, if the experts are pointing at a widow, he should at least give it a shot. He flaps over to stop one before she can go out to patrol, and she regards him with eight curious eyes.

Can you make silk that doesnt stretch? he asks, and her pedipalps twitch as she considers that. Without a word, she weaves a short segment of thread and offers it to him, and he can feel the attention of the Foreman upon them both.

Dragline. Strong.

The two concepts drift through the bond, and Coda is encouraged. He accepts it with a small bow. Thank you. Ill test this and get back to you. He swiftly returns to the workshop, eager to see just how stretchy this silk is, or isnt. He has a good feeling about this, just as hes getting a good feeling of the limestone down in the smelters. He doesnt think these two pieces will be the full solution, but they feel like two of the proper steps to take for this.

Hes heard Tiny say that every journey starts with one step. If he can start this one off with two, hell be on a very nice pace.