The Red Lands

Demon beast slayer

Chu raised his head as he surveyed the wide treadwheel towering to nearly the rafters. Glancing at the large doors of the warehouse, he breathed a sigh of relief. Like an upturned wagon, the pair of wheels hovered on a platform while joined by a thick wooden shaft.

At their center, cogs of different sizes connected on axles of iron to a large drum and a series of raised levers.

"We tried to place it on wheels, but the movement proved limited. After breaking a few wheels, we decided to use the transport wagon."

"Bon has also been playing with the iron pulleys and found a configuration that makes lifting the loads easier. For the life of me, I don't know how someone has not yet discovered how to use pulleys in this manner."

Halter continued. Waving two of his assistants over, he then pointed to treadwheels. The two young men climbed into the cylinder and began half-climbing the threads. With a groan, the wheels overcame the resistance and began to turn.

Chu looked at the actions of the two men. Somehow, the picture of a hamster running inside a wheel popped into his head.

"The wheels are initially hard to turn because of the large wooden shaft at their axle. From what I see, we will require a few men to aid in the rotation. Once it begins, however, it becomes easy. We attached a log as the load. It takes them quite some time to walk for the rope drum to make a complete revolution."

Looking on, Chu noticed how slowly the cogs rotated the rope drum. The efforts of the two men were rewarded, however, as the log inched upwards from the ground. The sight of the crude-looking machine, in action, boiled his blood.

"Since we don't know how the raised crane would handle the load, we used thick logs. By auguring and using iron bolts, it's simple to replace if damaged under the strain. My son Pine is adamant, we drag it out to some nearby stones, and test its capabilities."

Leading him around the machine, Halter pointed to a lever.

"When we raise the load, we can hold it in place by chucking this lever. I first tried to place it near the rope drum, but the weight of the load broke it like a twig. Locking the load at the treadwheels turns out to be much more efficient."

"If you climb up here, you can notice all pieces of the machine are secured by large iron rivets or pin bolts like the type invented in the caged wagon. The rope drum is secured with thick planks because it's one of the parts under the most strain."

"My main concern is the rope, however, since I don't know if it can stand up to the strain. With the help of Stavia and my wife, we braided the rope into a thicker but stronger product. The drawback to this is that we require larger pulleys to handle the thickness."

Halter circled the machine like the proud owner of a limited edition Rolls-Royce. Chu gifted him a thumbs-up when the demonstration ended. Pine joined them when his old man completed his boasting.

"Boss, I want to schedule a day to work on this crane. The faster we sort out the problems, the sooner we can build more. If I can place these cranes on rollers on both sides of the wall, the speed of construction will more than double. Dareck already wants to help design a base similar to the one we made for the multishots."

Chu also agreed with the idea. The multishot weapons were placed on a rotating base powered by a hand-wheeled gear. It allowed them to aim and fire from all platforms in a full circle. The idea of his Project Manager in requesting movable cranes proved justifiable.

Walking over to the doors, Chu hovered around the low wagon built with thick planks. The eye-catching feature of this innovation lay in the small but wide, cylindrical wheels. Four pairs of wheels supported the long tray while the single pair at the front had modified steering.

Chu ran his hand over the hollow, wooden wheels suited to handle heavy loads. This bad boy transport consisted of a yoke and harness, to enable a maximum of eight horses to power its mobility. It also came with metal rings at the front and rear in the event that human assistance proved necessary. He couldn't wait to see how it performed.

"I'll talk to Clod during lunch and see what we can do for tomorrow."

Leaving the warehouse, he walked to the windmill. The creaking vanes circled lazily above as they harnessed the grassland wind. Instead of entering, he headed to where the shaft exited the structure to power the bellows of the nearby forge. A hastily constructed shed covered part of the shaft before it entered the smithy. Wrapping his scarf tightly around his face, Chu rapped on the door.

A white-bearded man whose face seemed powdered opened the door. From the inside, Chu spotted the large wooden hammers, plated with iron, smashing down into large mortars. When he returned from the forest, the periodical thumping originated from this shed. A cloud of limestone dust assailed him before the door closed.

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"Old Hodge, you can't be breathing in this air, you know. It's not good for you."

Coughing, the old man shut the door.

"Haha, I know, Boss. I only entered to record the rate of progress. The mortar and pestle work, but I don't think it's feasible. Not only are the conditions harsh in its production, but the rate and quality leave much to be desired. If I could only pass this through the mill like corn and grind it into flour."

"Don't overwork your old bones because of this. In failure, we strive higher. Follow me, you just provided me with an alternative."

Leading the dusty elder to the forge, Chu entered and searched for help. A towering figure approached him, dwarfing his teenage body. In the glow from the embers, a wild, bearded face with a menacing scar glowered down at him. The oven-like conditions in the building matted the man's long hair, which dripped like a leaking faucet.

A heavy growl questioned his presence.

"Boss, what are you doing here? Don't tell me you came to chew me out because I missed your meeting yesterday?"

"Pshh! Tapper, do you take me for that narrow-minded idiot who's out traveling? Are there any smiths who have a little free time at the moment? Old Hodge and I require some assistance."

"I have some time, Boss. Dareck is currently using the forge."

Chu waved him outside. Unlike the blacksmiths who revel in the sauna-like conditions, he could only bear it so much. The welcome cold on the outside never felt so good. He switched to business immediately.

"What's the status of our iron stockpile?"

"We have a third remaining. The amount of material for heavy machinery is staggering, even if it's framed out of wood. Master Bon says he would raise the issue during the dinner meeting tonight."

Stroking his chin, Chu made a note of it.

"It is imperative we begin manufacturing the powdered limestones before the wall begins. Do you recall the rollers in the threshing machine Dareck made?"

"Yes?"

The muscled man answered while raising a brow.

"I want you to forge a pair of heavy iron rollers from a cast. About four feet in length should suffice. The process for the limestone will be simple. Make the rollers so they have grooves that interlock when they meet, similar to cogs. The diameter should be around one foot since we lack iron."

Chu paused to allow the pair to process his idea. Naturally, Old Hodge picked up on it at once.

"Boss, you want to crush the stones between the iron cogs? I think the heavier the weight of the cog, the better the result. Hmm... if we forge another pair of smooth rollers, we can crush the product even further. Halter wouldn't complain if we hand over to him a consistently fine powder. Genius!"

"Elder Hodge, we can even go further and use the windmill to drive your machine. This way, you only need to concentrate labor on finding and transporting the limestone rocks."

Tapper added.

"Alright, you two discuss it and then make the arrangements. Don't forget to also stress to Bon and Dareck about its importance. The smithy is the ideal place to dry the finished powder."

Chu expected nothing less from the resident of the farm who introduced gears to the world. Their sharp minds clicked around anything pertaining to the simple machine.

Waving goodbye, he headed towards the farm. Hearing the sound of the bell, a stomach growled. Why did his rounds today remind him of the earth...

***

After lunch, Chu called Jim over.

"Are you heading to the forest this evening?"

"I'm leaving in a minute, Boss. Rind and Root are resting in the dormitory so they can relieve me before nightfall."

"Great. Deliver a message to the Goblin Elder in the camp for me. I require a special trip of more than double the amount of iron. Find out how soon they can provide it and the cost. If he decides to send a message to the cave, inform Dyna to provide an escort since this is a top priority. Talk to Ms. May and have her hand over a casket of pickles. Butter up the little geezer for me so we can get this done."

Chu ordered.

Striding to a table, he wrote his instructions on paper and rolled them into a wooden tube. With the high literacy on the farm, Jim could read the message in case he failed to recollect it. Jim left to find his wife while Chu searched for Clod.

"Clod, Halter wants to test his machines out. We'll require manpower to load and unload the crane onto the modified transport wagon. Discuss the plan with him and push to have it done tomorrow.

"No problem, Chu, most of the folks are keen to see it in action. I'll write it down to bring up at the dinner meeting. Where are you off to?"

"I'm heading out to the village. There are a few things I need to discuss at the Trading Post."

Chu replied.

Clod thought for a minute while stroking his beard. Recalling something, he then spoke.

"Toll and Rugol are leaving in a while to collect a barrel of ale from the tavern. Apparently, last night, they had Rind teach the goblins about squaring the cut logs. It turns out the little guys can operate the saws and jack planes with skill. Tonight they plan on holding a little celebration out in the camp."

"Those bastards. Don't they know I'm paying the goblins by the day? Who knows if those green tykes can hold their liquor? Next thing tomorrow, I'll be expecting a wave of sick leave. Thank heavens Jim is not spending the night because we all know he can't hold his liquor."

"I think they probably envisioned losing a day to gain specialized help. With the goblins squaring the lumber, it sheds most of the tedious work from our hands."

Chu tapped his forehead with a finger.

"Well, I suppose you're right. Besides, by the time the lumber begins to warp, we will have already used it. We can always dry some of it by pressing it under the weight of the iron billets."

Notifying the guards of his plan, Chu hitched a ride with Toll. Since he exited the barn in the morning, he always wore his full combat gear. Rugol sat on the tray behind them as they rolled to the village.

"Boss, we plan on holding a little celebration with the goblins in the camp tonight. Last night, Toll and I went out on patrol and encouraged Rind to teach them how to square the logs. You wouldn't believe how good they are at it. With a little push, we hope to have them assist us in preparing the lumber."

"I heard it from Clod. He suggested that it sounded like a good gesture, and it would boost efficiency, so I agreed. Make sure that you don't go overboard tonight. The continued assistance of the goblins is vital to our plan."

Chatting, the wagon soon approached the south gate of the village. Chu and Rugol jumped out while Toll led the horse and wagon to the Trading Post outlet. Glancing at Rugol while walking to the closed gate, Chu now realized his towering companion clutched a wooden spear.

Smirking on recollecting the words from the gatekeeper and Ming, he turned to the tall but embarrassed man.

"So, how much of a cut did that idiot give you for this? Demon. Beast. Slayer."