I Became the illegitimate son of a duke

88 – Bourgeois (4)

“Your Majesty, there is still a lot of work left to do with the water supply to the water source and the sewer to the outlet, but the installation of the water and sewage systems for the newly built city is coming soon. It will end.”

“Really? Faster than I thought.”

I had been busy with so much work that I forgot about the good thing about shift work, but just in time, a vicious bureaucrat gave his opinion on shift work, so I was able to recall that there was such a wonderful method.

At this point, I wanted to apply shift work to other government offices or factories, but I had no choice but to give up because I could only use candles as the light source indoors. I forgot about it for a while because I use candles like I use water, but these are surprisingly expensive.

I would have made a mistake if the officials hadn’t knelt down and begged for the candles to be withdrawn because they were expensive. When there was no electricity, I didn’t stop working when the sun went down.

Ah, of course, there is no such difficulty outdoors, where the light source can be replaced with a torch, so 2 teams and 2 shifts were enforced for outdoor work.

Of course, no matter how many torches there are, it’s darker than daytime, and it’s dangerous to do construction in such a situation. Performance sure.

“In the water supply and sewage system, except for the part where the torrent is strong due to design, all of the water pipes were installed using mud stones—”

From nob le mtl dot com

Mud stone means concrete.

What a surprise I was when I saw that one of the professors of magic alchemy had made primitive cement.

It was made and used even in the ancient Roman era, so obviously there would be cement in this world where the level of civilization was clearly more developed than back then, but I couldn’t help but be surprised that it was made by handicraft without any industrial facilities.

Anyway, the professor’s cement was modified to be easily mass-produced by adding lime heating, slaked lime production, and a firing process, and then distributed to the construction site. Although the professor complained of remodeling at will, he could not help it because he could not use the professor’s method as it was due to production problems.

It’s not made by reconsidering chemical ingredients one by one like the modern process, so the performance will be lacking a lot, but since it’s generally similar, that should be enough.

“Now, after the copper pipes that will be made in the foundry are inserted into the rapids, and the seams are closed with mud stones, the work of installing the city’s water and sewage systems is complete.”

“Hmm… Got it.”

‘I can’t help it because metal is expensive… But I can’t help but feel sorry for it.’

I wanted to lay all the water and sewage lines with metal such as copper or iron, but considering the length of the water and sewage lines was too long, and the construction time and materials, such a thing was impossible.

In the end, we compromised with reality and had no choice but to install copper pipes only in the parts of the underground water supply and sewage that were expected to be severely worn, and to make all the rest out of stone.

Well, looking at the fact that water and sewage systems made of stones in the Roman era endured until the present day, if they are made well, there should be no problem with durability, but it is still very disappointing.

[How about lead?]

[No. Yes, at this point, the use of lead in all cooking utensils and utensils is prohibited by law. The reason is… Yes, it’s a munitions item.]

A few people asked how about using lead, which is easy to process and much cheaper, but of course I cut it with a single knife and refused.

In ancient Rome, it is said that water and sewage systems were made of lead for the same reason. Of course, it was only good when it was first made, but as time passed and the dangers of lead became widely known, it terrified the Romans. Do.

However, I was the only one who knew why lead was dangerous, and the others didn’t know at all.

Since there is no evidence, I can’t clearly explain why lead is dangerous. Of course, lead is very heavy, so it’s hard to make it into a cold weapon, but what are you guys saying when I say that?

“In preparation for the city’s growth, tell them to close the city’s water supply and sewage system to make it easier to expand, and it’s pointless to do any more shift work, so let’s stop now. Continue with the construction of water and sewage systems that go out of the city.”

Even now, water is becoming more and more rare, and the population of Dijon will continue to increase in the future, so at least two aqueducts must be built to bring water from other sources. No matter how many rivers there are, they are insignificant compared to rivers in other large cities, and a few wells are not enough.

“I will tell you that.”

The official’s face strangely brightens after hearing my order. Are you happy about quitting the 2nd shift?

It was not at my mercy that I had to quit, but the officials don’t seem to think so. Well, think about it

‘I don’t have to work shifts anymore, or it would be more accurate to say that I can’t.’

To make a sewage system leading to the downstream river and a water supply system leading to the water source upstream, it is not necessary to simply dig the ground. This time, it was possible to do tiki-taka by digging the ground at night and installing water pipes made in the morning at an angle so that water could flow, but you can’t do that for the construction of water and sewage systems that lead outside the city.

Like Rome’s aqueduct bridge, it must be designed so that water can flow smoothly over a very long distance using only gravity, so it must be made with all kinds of knowledge, such as civil engineering and architecture. If you do dangerous work like this at night, you’ll have an accident.

“Oh, and start the work of connecting the water pipes to the inside of the castle. At best, I made water pipes, but can’t I use them only for the people outside the castle? There will be many buildings that will be demolished due to reconstruction, so fortunately the work will be easier.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

The bureaucrat’s expression, which had been bright just a moment ago, turned dark again in an instant.

Seeing that he flinched a little as soon as he said that it would be convenient to rip out the city floor and install water and sewage systems, he seems a little angry. I’m the water owner, shouldn’t you put up with it?

…………

“A privilege?”

“Yes, in the future, those who work at the court and those who cooperate with the court will be able to get a reduction in rent when living within the city walls.”

“That’s nice, but… What’s the point of having that privilege?”

“That’s-“

Why, they’re trying to hold the house hostage so that the slaves don’t run away due to severe work robbery.

“—-I don’t know either. Wouldn’t it be Your Majesty’s favor? I’ve decided to be happy to receive Your Majesty’s favor.”

“Hmm… I see. As a servant, I should be happy to receive your Majesty’s favor.”

Whew, I barely managed to hold back the nonsense.

The fact that privilege came about for that reason, not only me but also a few others noticed, but it’s not a good thing to brag about.

“And… Keuhmm, you must be having a hard time at work?”

“Yes…?”

“Ah, the complexion on her face and the moisture on her lips have dried up. I’m sorry if I meddle too presumptuously.”

“Ahahahaha… Thank you for your concern. I have a lot of work these days.”

Pretending to be worried…

“Certainly, war, factories, money, universities, etc., Were so many that it could be said that the work was hard. Since there were not just one or two places to put the money, the accounting work must have been tremendous. There was no time to rest, so fatigue was You must have accumulated over and over again… Yes!”

I’m sure it was here somewhere—- I found it.

“What is this?”

“It’s a fatigue reliever. Even I, who is simply playing the role of a vault keeper, was tired from a lot of work these days, but I felt so much better after taking this. It’s made by combining ginger, honey, and other herbs.”

“That… You want me to eat?”

When I handed over the well-sealed pottery, the face of the clerk who received it was strangely distorted.

Until just a moment ago, it had the appearance of a tired member of society, but now it is the face of someone who is wary of sudden favors.

Tsk… Annoying—- No, I should rather say thank you for revealing my feelings so openly.

Above all, I would have been disappointed if I hadn’t been careful. Because it wouldn’t be worth cooperating with someone who is soft-spoken.

“Of course it’s not free. You have to pay for it.”

“The price… You mean money. Didn’t you say vault keeper?”

“Yes, I have a lot of money, so I would like to receive cooperation in exchange for money.”

“…Don’t cheat.”

“Of course, of course there is no corruption. All I want is to know a little faster than others when a certain policy is decided. In return, I’ll give you this.”

“Haaa, it’s not a corruption, but I did that…?”

You noticed, be fast too.

As the clerk picked up the handed pottery, a question appeared on the face of the clerk, and that question quickly turned into astonishment.

Because inside the pottery was a yellow potion to relieve fatigue that applied equally to everyone.

“Fatigue recovery, is it enough?”

I just need to lower my body a little while emphasizing my chest here… That’s it.

“…Did you say Elizabeth?”

“Yes. Elisabeth de Rothschild, you can call me Elise.”

It’s over, those eyes are clearly the eyes of a man stained with greed and lust.

Well, an ordinary person wouldn’t think that giving away non-confidential information is corruption. So, didn’t the rumors spread before the policy on gate tolls was even implemented? It’s easy when you throw gold and women on that kind of moral relief.

I wondered if it would be difficult since he said he worked in Dijon for a long time, but he wasn’t too bad. Really, there is no man who does not fall for gold and women.