When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist

After the pump was put into use, the issue of brine which was limiting the efficiency of salted fish production immediately vanished, and there was even an excess of brine.

The mass-produced peat from the alchemical assembly line, coupled with the spring gear-driven pump, along with an extremely rich variety of fish, made the boiling salt process the only limitation on the salted fish production line.

However, Horn did not intend to blindly expand production, as having enough salt to eat was sufficient. Being surrounded by swamps and mountains in Daze Village, they couldn't sell it anyway.

Now the Mountain Copper Workshop, Mortar Workshop, and even the reconstruction of the small town all needed manpower.

After solving the food problem, the second issue was the housing in the small town.

Sitting in the study of the side hall, Horn lowered his head to review the report submitted by Vite on the desk, occasionally making notes.

A gesticulating Vite stood at the desk, passionately explaining his urban planning to Horn.

"...Regarding the residents' housing issue, since the foundations on the ruins of Autumn Dusk Island are mostly done, I suggest repair rather than rebuilding..."

"...Currently, we may need to settle about 11,000 people in the small town, about 5,000 in the barracks, about 4,000 in the farms and farmhouses outside the town, and temporary residency for some 3 to 4,000 townspeople in the Beastman Village..."

"...In the residential areas that can be repaired, I find Insula the most cost-effective, as compared to the larger Doms, Insula can house more people and is easier to repair..."

"...Regarding heating in winter, we could set up chimneys in each room, converting the shops and animal pens on the ground floor into warehouses, dining halls, public toilets, water rooms, and baths, so that the heating from the baths and dining halls can warm the rooms through the chimneys..."

"Hold on." Horn tapped the report with a quill pen, "These are all old houses, won't such renovations cause Insula to collapse?"

"No, these were built using the finest stone from El City, just need to add a few load-bearing walls to carve out bedrooms and such." Vite chuckled.

Horn asked, "Can this be completed before the snowfall?"

Vite thought for a moment and said, "Aren't we using mortar? It should resist winter moisture better, right? With mortar, we should be able to make it, as it dries relatively fast."

"You know something about mortar?"

Vite chuckled, "I have many genius ideas about mortar construction that I haven't had the chance to try. Here, there's no restriction, it suits my intentions perfectly."

"Don't end up with a jerry-built project." Horn quickly advised, "I'll give you a chance to test your genius ideas later, but first, let's ensure housing is ready for occupancy."

"Rest assured." Vite pounded his rib-like chest, making a hollow sound, "I have it all in my mind."

"...Then continue." But Horn had already decided to assign a member of the Child Soldiers to assist Vite, to prevent him from causing any issues.

"...Of course, following your hygiene requirements, a dung cart will transport waste every two days, and nearby Insula will be tasked with cleaning street filth..."

"...An Insula can house about 40 to 60 people, perfectly accommodating your 'ten households' system. Nine Insula make up a small district, capable of housing one hundred households..."

"By this calculation, roughly 200 Insula across 22 districts will meet your needs. We have over ten thousand experienced laborers, so there's still a chance to repair these 200 Insula before the snowfall."

When it came to specific timelines, Vite's language became vague, as if dodging responsibility.

As the contractor, Horn immediately questioned, "What are the odds of that chance? Let me tell you, if it's not completed before the snow, I will not hand over the architectural knowledge inherited from Ancient Aier."

Upon hearing this, Vite immediately complained, "Mr. Horn, oh no, my respected and great His Holiness the Pope.

This demand is unreasonable. You might not know the risks involved in constructing a great building. Initially, Saint Berel's Cathedral was projected to finish in 20 years, but it burned down after 200 years of construction by the Norn people."

"That's not my concern." Horn retrieved a small booklet from the drawer and tossed it in front of him, "Here's the deposit, the most basic mechanical analysis. If you do well, there will be another volume. Do you understand?"

Vite eagerly picked up the booklet, losing himself in its contents without replying.

"Do you understand? Hey, I'm asking if you understood?"

Seeing Vite's obsession, Horn couldn't help but smile, knowing that Vite wouldn't respond to anything at the moment.

Horn stood up and left the study to Vite, walking out alone.

Upon exiting the side hall, Horn saw the array of work sheds erected in the Mechanical Palace courtyard.

In the few days following Horn and his team's arrival, the residents and soldiers of the Salvation Army embarked on a massive cleaning operation in the entire Mechanical Palace, removing large quantities of rotten wood, trash, and wild grass.

Replaced by flat land and orderly work sheds, dozens of blacksmiths struggled to roll gun barrels under the sheds.

This was the fine gun barrel forging method discovered through research by the dwarf Brock.

Before results from Haimodin came in, Horn's spring guns were not yet formally decided, so he divided the artisans into 20 groups, each creating control groups for experiments.

Groups included those of lengths 30 cm, 40 cm, 50 cm, and calibers 25 mm, 20 mm, and 15 mm.

Walking to the edge of the work shed, Horn carefully observed the actions of these blacksmiths.

The blacksmiths first took a strip of iron, clamped it with pliers, and placed it into a heated chemical vat.

A cylindrical steel core of varying lengths, roughly matching calibers, was placed on their workbench.

Once the iron strip softened, the blacksmith pressed it onto the steel core, hammering it continually, causing the edges of the iron strip to gradually curve.

Yet, the artisans did not hammer it into a round tube but instead wrapped it around the steel core in a slightly overlapping spiral.

Horn picked up an unfinished spiral gun barrel, noting its resemblance to a spiral sword, except it was of uniform thickness.

This was not a process that took place in one fell swoop; the artisans had to keep a basin of cold water by their side, repeatedly extracting the steel core to cool in the water during the rolling process.

Otherwise, the iron tube might bond with the steel core, and a finished gun barrel's wall thickness was approximately 0.8 to 1 cm.

At this point, it was Jeanne's turn to step in. She stood next to the anvil, also passing a steel core through the spiral iron pipe.

Squinting her eyes, Jeanne released subtle lightning from her hands, welding along each spiral seam.

While she welded, others sprinkled white copper powder on the weld joints to make them more robust, preventing instances of weak welding or fractures.

After welding was completed, it was handed back to the artisans to soften in the chemical vat, followed by hammering into final shape with the steel core inserted, thus completing the spring gun barrel.

Horn tapped a finished spring gun barrel, producing a clear ring sound as he extracted it from the cold water.

At that moment, Horn could almost envision the scene where thousands of spring gun bullets knocked the knights to the ground.

However, Horn's daydreams quickly dispersed, as thoughts of resolving equipment, housing, and food issues faded, leaving only the task of ideological education.

"Little Duvalon, come, let's go find Armand."