"Master, there are already these planks, why make new ones?"
Alicia looked at the wood brought here from the warehouse of the manor and said doubtfully.
I shook my head:
"The grain of the wood has been destroyed by sawing. If it is used as a roofing material, it only takes a year or two for the planks to rot and cause the roof to leak."
Saying that, I started to laugh sinisterly:
"As a strong knight, shouldn't you consider the long-term interests of the weak?"
Alicia didn't continue to say anything, but picked up the ax on the ground, and started chopping wood.
I stood by, then set the firewood on the stand, and pointed to the grain of the firewood section:
"If you want to chop wood, you need to follow this texture. Only by not destroying this texture can the wood planks produced be durable enough."
The firewood is very thick, and when I chop it, I feel very labored. I often cannot split the firewood completely at one time. I often need to beat the firewood stuck on the ax to the ground to split the firewood into two pieces with the help of reaction force. This is because my lack of strength would cause the ax to get stuck in the middle of the logs.
However, such an approach would cause me to be unable to guarantee the accuracy of my movements. Often in the process of beating the firewood, the texture of the firewood will be destroyed.
That's why I turned to Alicia for help. Because she is about the same age as me, but her strength has reached the level of a senior swordsman.
In this novel world, the profession of swordsman is divided into five levels: junior swordsman, intermediate swordsman, advanced swordsman, master swordsman, and swordsman.
Many young people like me, even if they have practiced swordsmanship since childhood, they can only reach the level of junior swordsmen. So actually Alicia is a complete swordsmanship genius. It's just that she grew up in this country place, so she couldn't realize that she was actually a genius.
If she was born in the capital of this kingdom, with her strength, she can definitely become the head of the knight order! After all, in the kingdom I am in now, only the sword master is the strongest. Just one level above Alicia.
I sat nearby, rested, and watched Alicia chop wood with an axe.
In fact, I also have a selfish purpose, which is to peek at Alicia's breasts. Because Alicia will wear convenient clothes when she is working.
And her elastic breasts, when they lose their restraint, will start to shake violently with Alicia's slashing movements, like two big white rabbits wrapped in clothes.
However, I am very careful. Because Alicia's strength made it easy for her to detect hostility and sight. If she catches me peeking at her breasts, maybe the ax in her hand will use my head as firewood...
She chops quickly, from swinging the ax to splitting the wood completely, and Alicia encounters no obstacles in the whole process.
Alicia's actions gave me the feeling of a machine in a factory, very efficient and concise. Moreover, I picked up a few planks cut by Alicia and compared them in size, and found that the size errors of the planks were all within an acceptable range.
Therefore, I found that to be able to become an advanced swordsman, in addition to sufficient strength, he also needs sufficient control.
Seeing that Alicia was surrounded by wooden boards of similar size, I stood up from the ground, and then piled stones next to it to form a fire-burning hearth.
I stuffed some dried straw into the stovetop and lit the dried straw with a match. Then, I put those planks on the stovetop to bake.
My behavior has made the residents' discussions louder. I seem to hear things like 'the house is going to be burned down', 'dynamite is being made', 'a ritual of black magic'.
This embarrassed me, and at the same time, I admired the imagination of these residents. However, I have no intention of driving them away, because I just need them to watch my works.
In just a day or two, this home with underfloor heating is ready to go. Just let the tavernkeep try it out, and other people will believe me when they see the tavernkeep in action.
At that time, I can completely promote my products on the spot, let these people sign commercial contracts with me, and then pay the deposit. And I can use this part of the deposit to repay the family's debts.
When I think of a bright future, I feel empowered all over my body.
While I've heard of carbonation, I haven't really practiced it while working part-time. So I ruined a few boards because of my inexperience.
However, in the process of failing, I found that as long as the board stays for about 5 minutes, it is enough to completely carbonize both sides of the board without being destroyed.
Because of the baking process, the water content of the wood board is reduced, so the carbonized wood board becomes light and strong.
I then put these planks one by one along the timber frame of the roof. At the same time, I also filled the gaps between the planks with a mixture of straw and soil. This is to prevent rainwater from seeping through these gaps when it rains.
Finally, apply a layer of turpentine evenly on the surface of these wooden boards, and all the waterproofing work can be completed!
When the whole roof was laid, I descended from the roof by a ladder, went inside the house, and lit the wood in the hearth.
After a while, I touched the floor with my hands, and after feeling enough warmth, I smiled subconsciously:
"Finally completed my first commercial order."
I turned my head and yelled to Alicia outside the house:
"Alicia, let the tavern owner come over!"
To be honest, I'm looking forward to the client's reaction.
…
"Why is the floor warm?"
A wrinkled hand strokes the floor of the house.
It may be that it feels magical. The old woman walks around, and then constantly feels the temperature of the floor with the palms and backs of her hands.
Then, a look of surprise appeared on the old woman's face:
"Not just the floor here, but the floor there is equally warm, how the hell is that possible?"
The old woman bent down slowly, sat on the floor, felt the heat from her buttocks, and then lay directly on the floor.
The warm floor continuously transmits the heat to the old woman's waist, which made her always ache in the waist, and finally it no longer hurts, and it is even very comfortable.
The old woman lay on the ground, stretched her hands and feet, closed her eyes and felt for a while, and then showed a satisfied smile:
"It's really good, I never knew there was such a good thing. It's so much warmer than a fireplace."
The tavern owner standing next to him also showed a happy expression when he saw his mother's performance.
He looked at me with a smile:
"Mom, she likes this house very much, Master Aaron."
Seeing that fear and vigilance are no longer in his smile, I feel full of satisfaction.
"Is my suggestion good? A house like this is very suitable for the elderly."
The outside of the house is like a cold winter, but the inside of the house is warm, which makes people feel safe.
The tavern owner even took off his coat to keep out the cold, and then lay down on the floor with an expression of enjoyment.
"Let me clarify, if you're going to warm the floor, you need to have a fire inside the stove. If it's not hot enough, add some wood or charcoal to it."
"I see, master..."
The tavern owner had a strange expression on his face, and he didn't dare to look me in the eye:
"Master Aaron, can I tell the truth?"
"Is there anything you don't like?"
"No! My mother and I are very satisfied. It's just that I thought this contract was just a tool for you to deceive people."
"I saw your expression at that time, and I can probably guess your thoughts..."
This is what I expected. Because in the novel, Aaron is a jerk. He's never done anything helpful other than destroying stuff and causing a lot of trouble.
Therefore, it is normal for the tavern owner not to believe me.
"However, I hope you will forgive me for my rudeness. I never thought that you really made such a good house. I never thought that the floor could be warmed."
The tone of the tavern owner was crying:
"Thank you very much!"
The sincere attitude of the tavern owner made me feel very uncomfortable:
"It's a deal, you don't have to take it so seriously."
Yes, in the beginning I made this house with underfloor heating just to compensate the tavern owner for the loss.
"However, I think the value of this house has already exceeded my loss at that time...Master, wait a moment."