Chapter 170 – Let’s Do Our Best! (4)
Ghislain and Galbarik clasped hands, locking eyes with a fiery intensity.
Both of them wanted to create something. Both were brimming with enthusiasm. It was a situation that couldn’t get any better.
Unable to hold back any longer, Galbarik bombarded Ghislain with questions.
“So, where do we start? Should I overhaul the cosmetics equipment for you? Or should we get to work on those shared housing projects first? Since the harvest season is approaching, what about agricultural tools? Just say the word, and we’ll get it all done within the timeframe you want!”
“Wow, just hearing that is reassuring. Of course, we need to do all of those things. But there’s something even more urgent we need to tackle right now.”
“And what would that be?”
“We’re going to build something that flies.”
“Pardon? What did you just say?”
“I said we’re going to build something that can fly.”
A brief silence passed before Galbarik, his voice trembling, asked, “Have you perhaps gotten your hands on the legendary airship schematics from the ancient empire?”
“No, nothing that grand. Isn’t that just a myth, anyway?”
“Then how do you plan to make something fly?”
Galbarik clicked his tongue, dumbfounded.
The ability to fly was exclusive to creatures with wings and those who could defy natural laws.
While an Archmage wielding immense magical power might be able to make something float, calling that a “flying device” would be a stretch.
“We’re not exactly in a position to summon an Archmage. Well, let’s hear it, then.”
As Galbarik and the dwarves wore skeptical expressions, Ghislain instructed a servant to light a small bonfire.
“Watch closely.”
Ghislain tossed a piece of paper into the fire. Naturally, the paper quickly burned to ash.
As Galbarik watched blankly, silence fell again. Scratching his head, he finally asked, “What exactly are we supposed to be seeing here?”
“Watch how the ash rises as the paper burns.”
As he spoke, Ghislain picked up another piece of paper and tossed it into the flames.
Sure enough, as the paper burned, tiny fragments of ash briefly floated upward.
Still confused, Galbarik asked, “And that... means what? Isn’t that just the wind blowing it up a little?”
“Then why does it rise upward?”
“Well... because it’s... uh, light?”
Ghislain shook his head, his expression one of smug satisfaction as he continued.
“I showed you this to make the concept easier to understand. Hot air rises. That hot air can lift lightweight objects.”
“...?”
Hearing this unfamiliar and strange explanation, the dwarves tilted their heads in bewilderment.
They had often handled fire and had indeed witnessed such phenomena on occasion.
However, they had never given it much thought or attached any significance to it.
With a doubtful expression, Galbarik asked again, “Why does hot air rise? Are you certain about this?”
‘How would I know why it happens? Why does it rise, anyway?’
What Ghislain was attempting to create was a hot air balloon, a device developed in his previous life.
The hot air balloon, which used heated air to lift a large envelope into the sky, was often employed for military reconnaissance in his past life.
Of course, Ghislain didn’t know the detailed theory behind why heating air caused the balloon to rise. He had only overheard a passing explanation. If Galbarik kept pressing with such questions, it was honestly becoming troublesome.
“Ahem, well, that’s just the way the laws of the world work. Things are made that way. It’s like throwing an apple—nobody knows why it falls to the ground, right? It’s just the natural law of the world, isn’t it?”
At this, Galbarik gave him a look that seemed to say, What nonsense are you spouting? Then he spoke.
The scale of the order was larger than expected, but the dwarves nodded. It might be tough, but for these master craftsmen, it wasn’t an impossible task.
“Understood! We’ll begin with the hot air balloon and the cosmetics facility upgrades! We’ll finish them as quickly as possible!”
As Galbarik confidently turned to leave, Ghislain grabbed him by the shoulder.
“Where are you going? I’m not done talking yet.”
“Hmm?”
“You said you could improve the communal housing, right? Work with the mages stationed at the construction sites to research that as well. You’ll have to collaborate with the mages when testing the hot air balloon anyway. Build another village as quickly as possible.”
“Ah... Uh, improving housing...”
“That’s right. When it comes to construction, who else but dwarves?”
If the dwarves got involved in construction, the speed of building residential areas would skyrocket.
They were renowned for digging into mountains to create homes or even building underground cities. With such exceptional construction skills, it was a widely known fact that no one could match their efficiency.
Faced with this logic, Galbarik begrudgingly nodded.
“Grr, fine. Add that to the list...”
But Ghislain wasn’t done yet.
“Oh, right. The harvest season is coming up soon, isn’t it? Creating magically-operated tools might be too much, but at least make some more regular farming equipment. We need to replace all the wooden tools still in use across the region with iron ones.”
“Can’t the estate’s blacksmiths handle that much?”
“There are barely any blacksmiths in the estate, so it’s a struggle. That’s why I brought in so many dwarves! Besides, if we’re making tools, we might as well make them high-quality, right?”
“Uh, hmm... Fine, I get it.”
Sweat began to bead on the dwarves’ backs.
The list of tasks was growing far too long. Yet, having spoken so confidently, they couldn’t back out now—it would wound their pride.
“Well then, we’ll get started on the work right away...”
Galbarik tried to steer the conversation, a veiled plea to stop adding tasks so they could begin.
But Ghislain still had plenty more to say.
“Ah, and we have the leather from the Blood Python. Use it to make under-armor for the knights to wear beneath their armor... And, we’re short on weapons too, so we’ll need to make those as well...”
Ghislain’s demands seemed endless. The dwarves turned pale, groaning under the weight of it all.
“To do all that right now... It might be too much for us,” one of them finally admitted.
Ghislain tilted his head, puzzled.
“Why? You said you’d work hard. I even promised to free you as commoners in ten years. Didn’t you say you’d even become actual slaves if it meant learning the craft? You work hard, learn the skills, and even get a new status. Who could resist that deal?”
“Well, t-that’s true, but isn’t this too much work right from the start?”
“This much is normal in our estate.”
Ghislain’s mind was teeming with plans to utilize the dwarves as effectively as possible.
The estate was already running at a frantic pace with more work than anyone could handle. With time running short and tasks piling up like mountains, the dwarves’ arrival was perfectly timed. He intended to push them to their limits to get results.
If he didn’t, everyone really might die.
Galbarik, oblivious to Ghislain’s inner thoughts, took a deep breath and cautiously asked, “Then... what’s the timeline? Three months? No, at least six months? Honestly, we’d need a year. With a year, we can handle everything.”
The overwhelming workload had inadvertently made his tone much more polite.
The timeline was critical. If they had enough time, they could manage. Working day and night, they could probably finish in about three months. But to eat, sleep, and avoid collapsing, they needed more leeway—so he estimated a year.
Ghislain, however, widened his eyes in disbelief at Galbarik’s suggestion. Then, letting out a dry chuckle, he began to berate him.
“What are you talking about? A year? We don’t have that kind of time.”
“What? Then... how much time are you giving us?”
Ghislain placed both hands firmly on Galbarik’s shoulders and smiled gently.
“One month. I can’t give you more than that.”