Chapter 40: 40
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Back in Brine City, Chris was showing off his latest work to Mia.
All the blueprints were spread out on his work table, and Mia was looking at them with great interest. She loves to read and discover new things, and what she was seeing now was something entirely new. There was absolutely nothing like it in the old kingdom. And the designer was right next to her, eagerly waiting for her questions.
"If I understand right, this 'pump' will push water up a tube and into the 'water tower'?" She asked after looking at the blueprints and listening to Chris' general explanations. "How does it do that?"
This was the moment Chris was waiting for. "The screw inside the cylindrical tube will rotate and move the water along its spindle." But Chris knew that just explaining like this would not work on someone who had never seen the principle in effect. "Wait right here! I have something prepared to help explain it. It was originally meant for Rinat, but it will help my explanation."
Chris hurried to his secret stash underneath his bed and took out two little wooden devices he had carved himself. This was something he was quite good at, as he had to build many prototypes in his past job. In his hurry, he failed to notice that he also displaced a few scrolls from the secret stash.
The first wooden device was an accurate 1/15 scale model of the screw pump; it was simply a 2cm in diameter wooden tube with a crudely carved wooden screw inside. He plunged the end of the tube into his water cup and turned a small crank directly connected to the screw. As it rotated, water rose in the tube. Mia covered her mouth as she let out an excited shriek when the water spilled over from the top.
"It works!" She shouted.
"It sure does! And this is a small model; the real one will be roughly fifteen times bigger. We can scale it up or add new ones connected to the same water tower if it's not enough." He said proudly.
After this he explained the point of the water tower, how it acted as a buffer and how it created pressure, allowing water to move faster in the pipes, and of course how he was planning on distributing the water.
"This is a faucet." He showed her the other wooden device. "Unfortunately, I can not show you how it works yet, but this will be connected at the end of the pipes. Anyone can let water flow by turning this knob and stop it by turning it back the other way. We can add as many as we want in the camp. For now, we will have to install them in public places. But in the end, everyone will have one of these in their own home. And that's why we need the water tower. if there is not enough pressure, barely any water will flow if many people open the faucets at the same time."
Mia's eyes were sparkling. "One of these in every home? You mean there will be no need to carry water from the wells and nearby rivers?"
Chris was a little surprised, after all, this was such a regular part of his past life, and he was still taking it for granted even now, after a few weeks in this new world.
"This will improve people's lives so much! Did you prepare other incredib-" She stopped as she turned her head toward his secret stash and finally noticed what was on those other leather scrolls. Or more precisely what was drawn on the one on the top of the pile. She immediately picked the pile up before Chris could react.
The first one was a drawing of her in a librarian outfit. Strangely, there wasn't much to change from her current black outfit. But she was wearing thick glasses for some reason.
The second one was a drawing of her in what she could only guess was a nurse outfit, her hair was tied up in a ponytail. She kept switching from scroll to scroll, and similar things were drawn on the next five scrolls.
"This...This… What are you doing with our precious leather scrolls?!" She finally roared. "I noticed you requested quite a lot of these, but to think…"
"W-wait. I have a valid reason." Pleaded Chris. "See how cute you look?! Almost as good as in real life!"
And then something incredible happened. For the first time in years, Mia lost it and prepared to rip apart the portraits. "Gyaa!" She shouted as she grabbed one with her two hands and started pulling.
"My precious!" Shouted Chris as tried to grab as many scrolls as he could to protect them.
The guards outside heard the commotions but played dumb. [What if this was an elaborate play?] They thought. They wouldn't dare interrupt their lord's good time. Who knew what kind of punishment would await them.
Unfortunately, both Mia and Chris were academic types. Mia didn't have the strength to rip apart thick leather scrolls and Chris' stamina was tragically low. It was a very sad battle, with lots of flailing arms and running around.
After a very short commotion they were both gasping for air.
"Haa… Haa…" Mia was sitting on his bed as she tried to catch her breath. "From now on, you have to request leather scrolls directly from me. They take a long time to make you know."
"Haa… Haa.. Haa.." Chris was also panting on his side. He was covered in sweat already, the heat certainly didn't help, but he clearly needed a bit of exercise. "You mean like an allowance? Haa... I am not a child!"
"Huhu. I am not so sure." She said as she again checked the still intact portrait in her hand. "I have a ponytail in this one. I noticed that too in a few of the others. How come?"
"I like ponytails. They are cute." He said, but he added quickly. "Ah but I prefer your current style. The side bun is even cuter!"
Mia sighed and her usual calm expression was back on her face. Only a few drops of sweat on her pretty face betrayed her previous state. "The heat is hard on everyone. The water rationing is too hard on people, and it will only get worse with the new arrivals. How long will it take for the new water project?"
"I'd say a week, maybe even less with the right workforce. Most of the work can be done in parallel. Aiden can work on the water tower, while our workers dig the trenches to bury the wooden pipes. And the carpenters can work on the pipes and faucets in the meantime."
"The most complicated part is the screw pump, but with Rinat's skills there is nothing to worry about. She is very smart and loves this kind of stuff. Haha, she might even finish before all the others." Joked Chris.
"Good." Said Mia. "The sooner the better."
"Then I'll give the orders." Chris quickly stood up, picked up the blueprints now spread everywhere on the ground, grabbed his two small-scale models and took the chance to flee.
Mia stopped him just as he was about to leave the tent. "Rinat, she is the tall muscular one with the ponytail right?"
"That's right…" Answered a confused Chris. And then he escaped.
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Back in Brine City, Chris was showing off his latest work to Mia.
All the blueprints were spread out on his work table, and Mia was looking at them with great interest. She loves to read and discover new things, and what she was seeing now was something entirely new. There was absolutely nothing like it in the old kingdom. And the designer was right next to her, eagerly waiting for her questions.
"If I understand right, this 'pump' will push water up a tube and into the 'water tower'?" She asked after looking at the blueprints and listening to Chris' general explanations. "How does it do that?"
This was the moment Chris was waiting for. "The screw inside the cylindrical tube will rotate and move the water along its spindle." But Chris knew that just explaining like this would not work on someone who had never seen the principle in effect. "Wait right here! I have something prepared to help explain it. It was originally meant for Rinat, but it will help my explanation."
Chris hurried to his secret stash underneath his bed and took out two little wooden devices he had carved himself. This was something he was quite good at, as he had to build many prototypes in his past job. In his hurry, he failed to notice that he also displaced a few scrolls from the secret stash.
The first wooden device was an accurate 1/15 scale model of the screw pump; it was simply a 2cm in diameter wooden tube with a crudely carved wooden screw inside. He plunged the end of the tube into his water cup and turned a small crank directly connected to the screw. As it rotated, water rose in the tube. Mia covered her mouth as she let out an excited shriek when the water spilled over from the top.
"It works!" She shouted.
"It sure does! And this is a small model; the real one will be roughly fifteen times bigger. We can scale it up or add new ones connected to the same water tower if it's not enough." He said proudly.
After this he explained the point of the water tower, how it acted as a buffer and how it created pressure, allowing water to move faster in the pipes, and of course how he was planning on distributing the water.
"This is a faucet." He showed her the other wooden device. "Unfortunately, I can not show you how it works yet, but this will be connected at the end of the pipes. Anyone can let water flow by turning this knob and stop it by turning it back the other way. We can add as many as we want in the camp. For now, we will have to install them in public places. But in the end, everyone will have one of these in their own home. And that's why we need the water tower. if there is not enough pressure, barely any water will flow if many people open the faucets at the same time."
Mia's eyes were sparkling. "One of these in every home? You mean there will be no need to carry water from the wells and nearby rivers?"
Chris was a little surprised, after all, this was such a regular part of his past life, and he was still taking it for granted even now, after a few weeks in this new world.
"This will improve people's lives so much! Did you prepare other incredib-" She stopped as she turned her head toward his secret stash and finally noticed what was on those other leather scrolls. Or more precisely what was drawn on the one on the top of the pile. She immediately picked the pile up before Chris could react.
The first one was a drawing of her in a librarian outfit. Strangely, there wasn't much to change from her current black outfit. But she was wearing thick glasses for some reason.
The second one was a drawing of her in what she could only guess was a nurse outfit, her hair was tied up in a ponytail. She kept switching from scroll to scroll, and similar things were drawn on the next five scrolls.
"This...This… What are you doing with our precious leather scrolls?!" She finally roared. "I noticed you requested quite a lot of these, but to think…"
"W-wait. I have a valid reason." Pleaded Chris. "See how cute you look?! Almost as good as in real life!"
And then something incredible happened. For the first time in years, Mia lost it and prepared to rip apart the portraits. "Gyaa!" She shouted as she grabbed one with her two hands and started pulling.
"My precious!" Shouted Chris as tried to grab as many scrolls as he could to protect them.
The guards outside heard the commotions but played dumb. [What if this was an elaborate play?] They thought. They wouldn't dare interrupt their lord's good time. Who knew what kind of punishment would await them.
Unfortunately, both Mia and Chris were academic types. Mia didn't have the strength to rip apart thick leather scrolls and Chris' stamina was tragically low. It was a very sad battle, with lots of flailing arms and running around.
After a very short commotion they were both gasping for air.
"Haa… Haa…" Mia was sitting on his bed as she tried to catch her breath. "From now on, you have to request leather scrolls directly from me. They take a long time to make you know."
"Haa… Haa.. Haa.." Chris was also panting on his side. He was covered in sweat already, the heat certainly didn't help, but he clearly needed a bit of exercise. "You mean like an allowance? Haa... I am not a child!"
"Huhu. I am not so sure." She said as she again checked the still intact portrait in her hand. "I have a ponytail in this one. I noticed that too in a few of the others. How come?"
"I like ponytails. They are cute." He said, but he added quickly. "Ah but I prefer your current style. The side bun is even cuter!"
Mia sighed and her usual calm expression was back on her face. Only a few drops of sweat on her pretty face betrayed her previous state. "The heat is hard on everyone. The water rationing is too hard on people, and it will only get worse with the new arrivals. How long will it take for the new water project?"
"I'd say a week, maybe even less with the right workforce. Most of the work can be done in parallel. Aiden can work on the water tower, while our workers dig the trenches to bury the wooden pipes. And the carpenters can work on the pipes and faucets in the meantime."
"The most complicated part is the screw pump, but with Rinat's skills there is nothing to worry about. She is very smart and loves this kind of stuff. Haha, she might even finish before all the others." Joked Chris.
"Good." Said Mia. "The sooner the better."
"Then I'll give the orders." Chris quickly stood up, picked up the blueprints now spread everywhere on the ground, grabbed his two small-scale models and took the chance to flee.
Mia stopped him just as he was about to leave the tent. "Rinat, she is the tall muscular one with the ponytail right?"
"That's right…" Answered a confused Chris. And then he escaped.
Back in Brine City, Chris was showing off his latest work to Mia.All the blueprints were spread out on his work table, and Mia was looking at them with great interest. She loves to read and discover new things, and what she was seeing now was something entirely new. There was absolutely nothing like it in the old kingdom. And the designer was right next to her, eagerly waiting for her questions."If I understand right, this 'pump' will push water up a tube and into the 'water tower'?" She asked after looking at the blueprints and listening to Chris' general explanations. "How does it do that?"This was the moment Chris was waiting for. "The screw inside the cylindrical tube will rotate and move the water along its spindle." But Chris knew that just explaining like this would not work on someone who had never seen the principle in effect. "Wait right here! I have something prepared to help explain it. It was originally meant for Rinat, but it will help my explanation."Chris hurried to his secret stash underneath his bed and took out two little wooden devices he had carved himself. This was something he was quite good at, as he had to build many prototypes in his past job. In his hurry, he failed to notice that he also displaced a few scrolls from the secret stash.The first wooden device was an accurate 1/15 scale model of the screw pump; it was simply a 2cm in diameter wooden tube with a crudely carved wooden screw inside. He plunged the end of the tube into his water cup and turned a small crank directly connected to the screw. As it rotated, water rose in the tube. Mia covered her mouth as she let out an excited shriek when the water spilled over from the top."It works!" She shouted."It sure does! And this is a small model; the real one will be roughly fifteen times bigger. We can scale it up or add new ones connected to the same water tower if it's not enough." He said proudly.After this he explained the point of the water tower, how it acted as a buffer and how it created pressure, allowing water to move faster in the pipes, and of course how he was planning on distributing the water."This is a faucet." He showed her the other wooden device. "Unfortunately, I can not show you how it works yet, but this will be connected at the end of the pipes. Anyone can let water flow by turning this knob and stop it by turning it back the other way. We can add as many as we want in the camp. For now, we will have to install them in public places. But in the end, everyone will have one of these in their own home. And that's why we need the water tower. if there is not enough pressure, barely any water will flow if many people open the faucets at the same time."Mia's eyes were sparkling. "One of these in every home? You mean there will be no need to carry water from the wells and nearby rivers?"Chris was a little surprised, after all, this was such a regular part of his past life, and he was still taking it for granted even now, after a few weeks in this new world."This will improve people's lives so much! Did you prepare other incredib-" She stopped as she turned her head toward his secret stash and finally noticed what was on those other leather scrolls. Or more precisely what was drawn on the one on the top of the pile. She immediately picked the pile up before Chris could react.The first one was a drawing of her in a librarian outfit. Strangely, there wasn't much to change from her current black outfit. But she was wearing thick glasses for some reason.The second one was a drawing of her in what she could only guess was a nurse outfit, her hair was tied up in a ponytail. She kept switching from scroll to scroll, and similar things were drawn on the next five scrolls."This...This What are you doing with our precious leather scrolls?!" She finally roared. "I noticed you requested quite a lot of these, but to think""W-wait. I have a valid reason." Pleaded Chris. "See how cute you look?! Almost as good as in real life!"And then something incredible happened. For the first time in years, Mia lost it and prepared to rip apart the portraits. "Gyaa!" She shouted as she grabbed one with her two hands and started pulling."My precious!" Shouted Chris as tried to grab as many scrolls as he could to protect them.The guards outside heard the commotions but played dumb. What if this was an elaborate play? They thought. They wouldn't dare interrupt their lord's good time. Who knew what kind of punishment would await them.Unfortunately, both Mia and Chris were academic types. Mia didn't have the strength to rip apart thick leather scrolls and Chris' stamina was tragically low. It was a very sad battle, with lots of flailing arms and running around.After a very short commotion they were both gasping for air."Haa Haa" Mia was sitting on his bed as she tried to catch her breath. "From now on, you have to request leather scrolls directly from me. They take a long time to make you know.""Haa Haa.. Haa.." Chris was also panting on his side. He was covered in sweat already, the heat certainly didn't help, but he clearly needed a bit of exercise. "You mean like an allowance? Haa... I am not a child!""Huhu. I am not so sure." She said as she again checked the still intact portrait in her hand. "I have a ponytail in this one. I noticed that too in a few of the others. How come?""I like ponytails. They are cute." He said, but he added quickly. "Ah but I prefer your current style. The side bun is even cuter!"Mia sighed and her usual calm expression was back on her face. Only a few drops of sweat on her pretty face betrayed her previous state. "The heat is hard on everyone. The water rationing is too hard on people, and it will only get worse with the new arrivals. How long will it take for the new water project?""I'd say a week, maybe even less with the right workforce. Most of the work can be done in parallel. Aiden can work on the water tower, while our workers dig the trenches to bury the wooden pipes. And the carpenters can work on the pipes and faucets in the meantime.""The most complicated part is the screw pump, but with Rinat's skills there is nothing to worry about. She is very smart and loves this kind of stuff. Haha, she might even finish before all the others." Joked Chris."Good." Said Mia. "The sooner the better.""Then I'll give the orders." Chris quickly stood up, picked up the blueprints now spread everywhere on the ground, grabbed his two small-scale models and took the chance to flee.Mia stopped him just as he was about to leave the tent. "Rinat, she is the tall muscular one with the ponytail right?""That's right" Answered a confused Chris. And then he escaped.
