Ch.25 Plumbing and Water Treatment (Patreon)

A few days later, Carter and his workers begrudgingly returned to work, building the pipes and creating new piercing rods and lathes to handle the necessary work. Each pipe had threading that allowed the two pipes to screw together before applying a sealant. It was time-consuming work, but it gradually sped up until they started producing a hundred pipes a day.

Over the following week, I recruited blacksmiths from the territory and beyond who were willing to work under the internationally renowned Carter Phobes. Naturally, we received applications from all across Novena.

While countries usually wouldn't appreciate other countries poaching their tradespeople, every country was more than willing to send their citizens to learn how to make steel. Therefore, we established a ten-year minimum contract for living and working in Sundell, even if they were fired. It was still a great deal for countries who knew that in ten years, they would have access to valuable technological secrets.

I would have highly skilled workers.

They would gain outdated knowledge and technology.

It was perfect—

—for me.

Kings couldn't begin to comprehend what they were up against. They could send as many people as they wanted, but those individuals would only know how to operate machinery they couldn’t recreate. In a modernized society, 99% of the things people use, from phones to refrigerators, are a mystery to them, but they know how to use them. Everyone was about to learn that the hard way.

And so, over the next few weeks, we imported over 200 blacksmiths, with 100 assigned to Carter and the remaining hundred distributed among various guilds.

Carpenters, concrete makers, and steel workers collaborated to construct larger steel manufacturing plants to handle the enormous workload.

Soon, our biggest concern was acquiring iron ore. Fortunately, the Aurelian Empire was surrounded by the Tomald Mountains, making them and Ironfall major iron exporters. Since we had good trade relations with Seraphin, we could import countless tons of raw iron ore in exchange for surreal quantities of steel products. It puzzled them, but they didn't ask questions and instead began hiring more miners to extract the ores and other minerals we would soon require, including saltpeter, nitrate ore, sulfur, gypsum, and various other minerals.

With the pipe construction underway, it was time to build plumbing systems for the city.

"Will you show me what we've accomplished this year?" I asked Mayor Alderic, sitting on the opposite side of the table in city hall.

"Show you?" he gulped.

"Yeah, show me," I smiled. "I have griffins waiting outside."

Mayor Alderic gave me a sheepish smile. "I knew it would be that kind of show."

***

Griffins weren't beasts that a person could casually ride like a horse unless they were skilled and rode on the beast's neck. Otherwise, they stood ten feet tall and were twice as wide as a bull moose. They could ram a semi and send it rolling or pick up an SUV with their claws. They were truly magnificent, beastly creatures that terrified the timid man beside me.

Luckily, griffins had a carriage box on their backs, and Thea’s cute excitement coaxed the man to board before it took flight at high speeds, causing him to panic as we soared through the air.

From above, we could see the progress we had made as a city. A series of inns for travelers already lined the city entrance from the Crimsonwood Forest. Adventurers' Guilds had emerged, and a complete economic district housed hundreds of homes for the commoners on the north side.

A ten-mile-long wall encircled the city, fortified with cannons and ballistae to defend against invaders from all directions.

Construction of Lockheart Castle, the new capital of our city, was underway. Reinforced concrete was the primary building material for the outer walls, followed by sturdy steel support beams. However, the exterior was adorned with stone because... well, I'm a king. What king would want to live in a modern building?

A dedicated farming district of 25,000 acres sprawled out with proper irrigation. I named it the Elysian Fields because why not? The commoner housing area was called the Proletariat District for accuracy, and the garden botanists were cultivating behind Castle was dubbed Avalon. Ultimately, these were just words to Solaticians, but to me, it was a god-like power to do whatever the hell I wanted.

I loved it.

Since everything was steam-powered, we no longer built structures on the waterfront, leaving only grain silos, farming operations, and Timothy's Woodworks since he used the river for lumber transport.

"That's the water treatment plant we've constructed," Mayor Alderic stated, pointing to a large dam that redirected the Solsa River, separating Sundell from Goldenspire. "We have already completed all the necessary elements."

"So, they've finished the settling tanks and basins?" I asked.

"That's correct," he confirmed.

"Good, that's a promising start," I replied.

Water filtration primarily relies on coagulation and sedimentation principles.

Coagulation is a fancy word for clumping together organic waste, dirt, and some bacteria from sewer water. It works similarly to making sugar: lime is added, causing the larger particles to sink to the bottom, leaving mostly water to flow through.

We were already using numerous substances besides calcium hydroxide, including alum, a mineral we would eventually utilize to make aluminum. Alum attracts and neutralizes negatively charged particles, causing them to sink.

Translation: Adding certain minerals makes particles become magnets, snapping together until they’re big enough to sink to the bottom.

The first step is allowing water to coagulate in basins before filtering it into concrete tanks, known as settling tanks, for sedimentation. This process allows the water to get rid of the coagulated particles, leaving clean water on top.

"Have they completed the baffles and weirs?" I asked.

Mayor Alderic shook his head. "They are trying, but your designs are proving challenging to implement."

"That's to be expected," I frowned. I took for granted that Carter had worked with me for over half a decade, allowing him to become accustomed to my drawings and putting them into practice with the tools he had built. Others didn't have the same experience, and I asked them to do something relatively difficult.

Baffles are vertical plates that slow down water flow, creating a longer path and breaking up flow patterns, which reduces turbulence and prevents the coagulated particles from stirring up.

Translation: They make the water still so that the sludge can settle.

Weirs are horizontal structures placed near the top to capture the cleanest water outright.

These structures weren't difficult to build but challenging to make work. So having difficulties was completely understandable.

"Is the infrastructure ready for sludge removal?" I asked.

Mayor Alderic nodded. "They are just waiting for the pipes."

The larger particles settle at the bottom, forming a disgusting sludge. It is periodically removed through a system of pipes that Carter is constructing.

"What about the gravel and cloth filtration network?" I pressed.

"Built," he replied. "We're just waiting for the water."

The filtration process begins once the plant separates the sludge from the sewer water. The water passes through coarse and fine gravel to remove additional sediment before passing through tightly woven linen, which acts like a water bottle filter.

"And the disinfection coldrons and chambers?" I asked.

He looked at me sheepishly. “Yeah, they built them, but whether they did it correctly is for you to determine. No one has a clue what you want aside from boiling the water."

To kill bacteria, we would boil the water and then pass it through a network of glass pipes to expose it to UV radiation from sunlight, killing more bacteria over time.

That’s about all we can do until I start making real disinfectants at scale. However, there’s only so much that we can do until we produce bleach which—yet again—requires electrolysis. It’s so obnoxious. Still, not only is it unnecessary compared to a steam engine, modern weapons, water filtration, and obtaining the ridiculous income necessary to fund these operations, but having electricity doesn’t build motors, generators, batteries, transformers, electrical networks, or anything else we need.

Naturally, I could create electricity for small-scale needs, but I was working at scale, so hobbyist generators wouldn’t help us produce enough bleach to clean our water, let alone create chemical weapons… ahem.

In case anyone’s wondering, using lightning spells for electricity is like trying to hammer jelly to a wall during a hurricane. Electricity turbines work at ultra-precise speeds to ensure that electrical products don’t short-circuit or explode, and electrolysis needs ultra-precise and controlled electricity output.

In short, lightning spells murder people; they don’t produce electricity. They’ll make some killer magnets, though.

“Good work,” I said. “Let’s see the discharge points and mains."

We flew around, observing the network that would carry flushed sewer water and discharge it into a river for another round of water treatment cyclically. Then we inspected the water main pipes that new homes and businesses could connect to in order to access water for their buildings.

Everything was progressing smoothly. Now, it was a waiting game for Carter to finish the pipes and for us to construct a water pump for a gravity-powered water tower to create feed the plumbing system water.

-



-

"Very good," I said, patting the nervous man's shoulders. "Now, get some rest," I added, taking out a small bottle.

---

Mayor Alderic stared at the ground, sweating from his fear of heights. The anxiety was amplified when King Everwood produced a small bottle containing brown liquid. "W-What is that?"

"It's valerian root extract in tincture form," King Everwood replied. "It's a concentrated sleep aid that isn't addictive or magical. It should help you sleep."

His eyes widened, and he took the bottle with trembling hands, finding it hard to believe. It was a profound gesture from a renowned miracle worker. Lost in his reverie, he lost his balance and bumped into the side of the carriage on a turn, accidentally dropping a bottle out of the open window.

The look of dread on his face couldn’t get more extreme as he turned to King Everwood, confused why neither he nor Lady Lockheart caught the bottle with their superhuman reflexes. He was also overwhelmed and extremely apologetic. "I-I'm..."

King Everwood smiled, pulled out a bag, reached inside, and retrieved a handful of small bottles. "I've made you a year's supply," he chuckled. "So don't worry about it."

Mayor Alderic's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes filled with slight tears.

"If you cry, I'll toss all of these out the window," King Everwood declared abruptly, breaking his train of thought and flooding him with adrenaline. However, he quickly nodded, uttered a dozen thank-yous, and clutched the bag tightly to his chest for the remainder of the journey.

Anyone who has experienced insomnia knows the detrimental impact it has on every aspect of life. Sleep is crucial for basic functioning, and functioning is necessary for practically everything. So, having a glimmer of hope meant more to the caffeine-addicted man than he could ever imagine.

Once he dismounted from the griffin, he finally entered his office and swallowed hard, gazing at the bottles. "If this helps me sleep, King Everwood will make me work twice as hard," he chuckled with a wry smile. "But... if it works, I'll endure it until the end of time. He'll have my loyalty."

After an emotionally charged period locked in the room, he returned home and used a rudimentary glass dropper to place it on his tongue. True to King Everwood's word, he finally experienced a good night’s rest.

---

The next day, I received a letter from Goldenspire.

—

King Everwood,

You are under investigation for heresy in the Solaran Church. We invite you to defend yourself in the High Court.

Priest Aelius

—

I grinned upon reading the note and immediately wrote a response.

—

Priest Aelius,

Investigating me for heresy without first contacting me is a breach of international decorum and evidence of your attempts to wield the Solaran religion against me for technological gain.

This is the second time you have threatened me with heresy, the first being through Duke Revington as he attempted to steal my technology, tried assaulting one of my women, and ordered his guards to kill me.

Your actions are tantamount to a declaration of war. I suggest you offer an apology and reparations or face the consequences.

Until you make a decision, I am suspending all trade with Goldenspire and banning any merchant who sells my kingdom's products to you.

King Everwood

—

"Is this really okay?" Thea asked as she wrote my dictated letter in my room.

"Of course," I grinned. "Priest Aelius has violated international decorum twice. That's something every kingdom understands. He has put himself in a difficult position and justified war."

Her eyes widened. "Does this mean you want to go to war now?"

I shook my head. "While we could easily conquer their kingdom, holding onto it is a different matter. If Priest Aelius declares war, we will give them time to form alliances and prepare an army. Then, we will strike at the end of their preparations."

Thea's gaze glided to the left. "That sounds..."

"Counterproductive? Stupid? Insane?" I chuckled, shaking my head. "Trust me, Thea. If Priest Aelius foolishly decides to declare war, I will teach him a profound lesson in modern warfare. The trading ban alone will send him into a panic."

Having strong firepower and well-trained soldiers is only a small part of modern warfare. The critical aspect is developing supply chains to sustain, pay, and heal the soldiers, transport food and water, and move weaponry and equipment.

The requirements are so extreme that countless cities have been built during extended wartime campaigns. Examples include Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great in his conquest of Egypt in 332 BCE; Constantinople, constructed by the Romans for the Sassanian Wars and Crusades; and St. Petersburg, established by Peter the Great in 1703 to secure access to the sea conflicts like the Great Northern War.

Translation: economic factors are so important that kingdoms have built entire cities during war campaigns for millennia!

However, while Valeria doesn't have modern accounting techniques, let alone economic theory, and thus cannot understand how I crippled their economy, I have a firm grasp of modern economics and warfare. Since I have the firepower and soldiers to win a land war against Goldenspire, I can teach people how profoundly ineffective their antiquated systems truly are.

Priest Aelius is about to get a taste of the ban. After all, steel products were about to take the world by storm with our new machining equipment, and they'd be barred from all of it.

“Soooooooooooooooo, in other words, you want war,” Thea giggled, seeing my megalomaniacal face and overbearing confidence. "You know, to further your quest for modernization?"

I frowned, seeing her giving me a playful smile that would horrify people. She was so cute, but she was talking about warfare and death like I was playing hardball with the student council!

"I…" My face turned serious and slightly depressed. I wasn't supposed to look forward to war or conquest, let alone promote it so enthusiastically—even if it were for a good cause. My decisions would determine who lived and died and could bring hardships to millions if I failed.

Thea saw my face, got up, walked around the table, and wrapped her gentle hands around my cheeks. "You're a king, Ryker," she said. "This is what kings do."

I averted my gaze. "Even if it results in countless deaths?"

"As opposed to Goldenspire stealing your technology and using it to oppress us?" she asked.

My eyes widened, and I looked into her teal eyes.

"Ryker, you're living in a world where every king thinks this way," Thea reasoned. "The difference between rulers is in their intentions and their abilities to carry out their vision. I know you can."

I gave her a wry smile because I knew that I could. It was just a matter of what was right.

"Your people believe in you, Ryker," Thea continued. "They'll gladly lay down their lives for you like Priest Aelius' people will lay down their lives for him. In warfare, the soldiers know what they're doing. You don't need to concern yourself over people's ability to make decisions."

I smiled wryly and took a deep breath before hugging her. "If I ever stray from my path of modernization, bring me back," I requested. "Only you can do it."

"I'll do it," Thea smiled, squeezing me with a surreal force that would snap the spine of a camel.

"What are you doing?" I asked. "You have abnormal physical strength, so this is uncomfortable."

"I'm just reminding you that I'm strong enough to do it!" Thea said, resolve in her voice as she squeezed me. "So don't make me use force."

I smiled and ruffled her hair from behind.

Thea is the best.

***

Thea brought me breakfast the next day as usual, and we enjoyed the silence as we ate. "What are you doing today?" she asked.

My gaze glided to the left. "I'm meeting with Seraphin. He's bringing more books, and I have a surprise for him."

Her eyes lit up. "I can't wait to see his face when he sees what you've done!"

I grinned. "I'm sure his reaction will range from extreme surprise to a minor heart attack."

***

In the noble district stood an inn called the Ellington. This upscale establishment also functioned as an auction house, making it a highly sought-after location for nobles traveling to Sundell to acquire the latest products that hadn't yet reached Silverbrook.

Thea and I met Seraphin there for breakfast and announced my ban on Goldenspire. It made him cringe, but it wasn't a huge loss since the ban only pertained to selling my products, not trading with them normally. They could twist the narrative however they wanted. Nevertheless, tension still lingered.

"Come see Sundell," I smiled. "Let me show you the future. It will ease your mind about the strength of my ban in mitigating war."

I gave him a tour of Sundell, shocking him senseless. Despite 80% of the buildings being uninhabitable, requiring walls and floors after the plumbing was set up, the city's overall appearance looked complete.

Furthermore, when he saw the large stacks of pipes, and I explained what we were doing, he was left dumbfounded.

"You're telling me that people will be able to have fresh water wherever they are in the city just by turning a nozzle?" Seraphin asked in a haze.

"Yes. People will have access to clean water for cooking, drinking, and doing their dishes," I confirmed. "Not just necessities—hot water for bathing as well. Well, eventually."

I took a sip of my morning coffee. "It’ll also be significantly cleaner than what's in the river."

Seraphin turned and took a deep breath. He wanted to deny it, but I had just shown him the steelworks building where steam-powered machines effortlessly hammered red-hot ingots. He also witnessed woodcutters using power saws and observed the peculiar architecture. The irrigation systems were unfamiliar yet effective, and the fields were more productive compared to Goldenspire beyond the Solsa River, proving our superiority.

If I said there would soon be water on tap, I meant it.

"I see..." Seraphin said. "I look forward to seeing it and working with you to bring it to the Aurelian Empire once you're done."

"Likewise," I smiled.

After concluding the tour, we returned to my mansion, the first building within massive anti-blast walls that would soon become Lockheart Castle.

Seraphin began unloading dozens of books onto a large wooden table in my office.

"I've brought you three hundred books," Seraphin said as he laid them out. "There might be redundant material, but I thought I'd let you choose which ones you'd like."

My eyes lit up, and I went through each book one by one, reading the ones written in languages I knew. Most were in different languages, but the illustrations alone depicted knowledge of plants, history, and, most importantly—alchemy.

This time, I asked him the price for all of them, and he provided a breakdown of each book and its cost. When he finished, he gave me a total: "50,000 gold."

I reached into a spatial bag, pulled out five bags with 10,000 gold each, and placed them on the table, shocking him. "I tasked you with finding quality books quickly, and you have delivered. Since you've been reasonable, I won't haggle."

Seraphin's eyes sparkled like stars, but he maintained a stiff expression. "It has been a pleasure, as always," he bowed. "Now, what would you like me to sell? I sense mischievousness in your eyes."

I gave him a wry grin, partially twisted to show that I knew I was caught but smiling because foreknowledge wouldn't make a difference. With a fluid motion, I placed large rolled bundles resembling packaged artwork on the table with a resounding thud. After opening one, I pulled out a large piece of high-quality paper.

Seraphin's eyes widened in shock. "T-This is..."

"Waterwheel technology for grain milling," I said.

"Is this for me?" he asked, puzzled as he looked at the stack.

"No, I’m giving you technology on utilizing a wheel to power multiple machines," I explained. "This is basic information that I'm selling to you for two silvers each, with a price cap of five silvers for you."

Seraphin's eyes shot open. "F-Five silvers?! This piece of paper is worth more than five silvers!"

“No, it doesn’t,” I mocked, highlighting the absurdity of him dictating the price to me. "After costs, you'll make two silvers per sale, and they will sell in the thousands. That also includes these posters, which I'm selling for one silver each, with a price cap of two."

He couldn't believe my words until he saw the Skylandish alphabet, alphabets for a dozen other languages, and posters displaying Roman numerals that were only present in my territory. "I don't understand."

"Trade," I replied. "The more educated people are, the more inclined they are to innovate and trade with you. It’s easier to negotiate and communicate. There are countless benefits to educating the world."

"I can acquire the alphabets, but the technology? There are even irrigation and farming techniques!" Seraphin exclaimed, exasperated.

"You've just witnessed machines forging steel, and yet you're concerned about a wheel grinding grains?" I taunted.

"Let's set aside the absurdity of your pricing," Seraphin requested. "If I and others distribute these materials cheaply, even this much will create political tension with barons, farmers, tutors, and millers. Don't tell me you plan on transcribing and printing the books I give you. If you post spells, governments will immediately declare war."

"No, I'm not distributing spells," I replied. "But I will transcribe books on botany, mining, ironworking, and other trades."

Seraphin closed his eyes. "King Everwood, if you plan to do this, I must stop selling books to you. And it won't just be me—everyone will withdraw the moment they see you mass-disseminating books. After millennia of the powerful retaining exclusive control over knowledge, giving it away so cheaply will throw this world into chaos."

"Even if they’re not combat-related? No one will sell me books?" I asked.

"That's correct," he replied.

After a minute of silence, I clapped my hands. "Okay, then. I have another task for you. Summon every expert you have and bring them here. I'll give you 1,000 gold for each expert who comes and signs a contract with me."

Seraphin watched in a daze as I pulled out a stack of papers with names like "botanist, herbalist, alchemist, historian, tutor," and the like.

"I'll pay you 3,000 gold for every expert with knowledge of magic," I stated. "For now, I'll hold off on mass printing the books. However, you must agree to release my educational materials as well. It's non-negotiable."

His lips quivered. "King Everwood, aren’t implying that... you're going to create your own library, are you?"

"That's precisely what I plan to do," I smiled. "Naturally, I intend to monopolize and exploit strategic information. However, I will educate my people with most of it."

"I…." Seraphin opened and closed his mouth. This was worse! So much worse! I was planning to siphon trade secrets from every country!

"This is what every kingdom does, yes?" I taunted. "Besides, I'm giving the same order to every merchant I interact with. You can't be blamed for earning tax revenue for your kingdom through something every country is doing."

He returned a wry smile before grabbing one of the stacks of paper as a gesture. "I won’t fully understand what you said until I speak with King Emeric. However, I will distribute the posters, starting with the Aurelian Empire. I'm certain King Emeric wants to be the first to possess them and won't miss this opportunity."

I smiled. "Smart man."

After an awkward dinner, he returned to the Ellington to prepare for his journey back and to spread my educational materials like wildfire.

***

One week later.

Seraphin wasn't the only person I reached out to. True to my word, I gave large stacks of posters to every merchant for widespread dissemination. I warned them about my ban on Goldenspire merchants and instructed them to bring experts to me for 250 gold each or 500 gold for experts in specific fields.

Common merchants would do it for even less. However, I wanted their greed to prioritize my requests, and it immediately worked. Over the next week, I found myself with botanists, herbalists, alchemists, tutors, miners, and every other profession on my list.

Once they arrived, I sat them down with scribes who worked tirelessly, taking extensive notes and consuming an incredible amount of paper to capture every detail without exception.

I hired artists to accompany others on expeditions through the Crimsonwood Forest to draw stones with magical properties and document the names of creatures.

It didn't take long for kingdoms to realize what was happening, but they couldn't act immediately. It could take weeks to travel somewhere in medieval times, so wars, technology, and news traveled slowly. It could take months for the word to spread and for official instructions to reach all traders. Even then, people would continue trading until enforcement measures were implemented by their respective kingdoms.

Besides, we supplied them with metal goods, cosmetics, chocolate, woodwork, soap, ink, and canned food. If they stopped trading with me, it could tank their economy!

In short, my information was spreading like the plague, and governments couldn't slow it down without making overt declarations of war and risking economic collapse. Therefore, I didn't worry too much about it.

Goldenspire was still months away from considering war and wouldn't attack until the following summer. So, I wrote them off for now.

***

Three weeks later

Over the next few weeks, Carter produced large quantities of pipes, and I worked with quarry workers to create linseed oil putty as a sealant for the pipes.

To make the traditional joint-sealing material, we ground flaxseed, extracted the oil, and mixed it with powdered limestone, creating a thick paste. We applied this paste to the pipe threads before screwing them together.

For the main pipe that connected to the others to deliver water, we spitballed by using the joint sealant, screwing the large pipes together, and then sealing the gaps with molten carbon steel.

Would that work? I didn’t know!

In modern times, welders used electricity, heat, and pressure to melt and fuse steel pieces together while adding filler material. Whether the molten metal would hold in this case was uncertain. I could only hope and pray.

Ultimately, we were operating in a political and technological equivalent of the 11th century. Everything we were doing, even if poorly executed, was a Christmas miracle. So I tried not to let my obsession with what’s right overtake the need to do enough. People relied upon me now, and they couldn’t give two shits about how much better technology could be, so long as they had clean water!

Once we had the main pipe set up, we created a sewer system using large pipes made from rolled metal sheets. They were relatively easy to manufacture since they didn't require pressure, just proper drainage. Ours, anyway. I also oversaw the creation of traps to trap gasses and valves to release built-up gases. An obnoxious level of technical work went into these things in practice. However, we’d just have to pray that we did it correctly and then fix it over and over until we perfected it.

***

One Month Later.

Another month flew by. Merchants came and went, making unbelievable profits by returning with experts in their wagons. I housed these experts, paying a comical sum of 20 silvers per page of high-quality content. Everyone was happy.

“King Everwood,” a merchant said, hiding behind a hood. “There’s gonna be a war councils, I hear, I do. Goldenspire’s been sweatin’ and gettin’ th’ kingdoms to make laws and announcements and things. Watch yourself.”

"I will, Halberd," I smiled, patting him on the shoulder as his caravan departed with a metric ton of pots, pans, utensils, wheels, and pipes. Once he was gone, I smiled to myself. "When someone sells metal at 50% less with ten times the quality, it's hard to go to war with them."

I turned to observe the concrete workers creating floors for each home and the quarry workers producing drywall. We mixed gypsum with sand to create traditional drywall, but we added paper fibers to enhance its strength, as well as potato starch to bind the particles and magnesium oxide from crushed rocks as a fire retardant. Once we completed the water tower and perfected the process, we would have water for the winter.

I looked out into the fall-time fields and saw everyone donning heavier clothing. “There’s another two and a half months until the onset of winter. We’ll need to have plumbing and our water filtration plant done before then.”

I gazed up at the cloudy sky with a slight grin.

A real war loomed on the horizon, but modern civilization would come first.

How exciting.