Another World Metal Factory

Chapter 32

Once the materials were prepared, the Factory Manager first marked the bowls in a circle. This was to remove the bottom.

The Factory Manager drilled a hole in the center of the plate, fixed a pen and screw connected with a thread into the hole, drew a precise circle on two bowls, and then replaced the oxygen welding torch tip. He changed the tip because it was for cutting, not welding.

After that, he attached a unique accessory to the torch. It was a long frame with something like a sharp nail welded to it. He roughly attached the accessory, checked the length of the front tip, tightened the bolt to fix it when it reached the appropriate length.

Since the preparation was complete, the Factory Manager put on a fireproof apron, welding gloves, and a protective mask.

“What are you making?”

Tehez approached the Factory Manager, who had just finished preparing for work, and asked a question.

“A venturi.”

“What’s that?”

Tehez looked on with curious eyes, and the Factory Manager waved his hand to send Tehez away and lit the torch.

The fire burst out, and Tehez was momentarily surprised and stepped back further.

The Factory Manager manipulated the valve, and the fire turned blue and became smaller. Then, when the nail connected to the torch was inserted into the hole in the center of the bowl, the Factory Manager skillfully began to draw a circle.

The nail fixed in the hole acted as an axis, and the torch began to rotate in a circle.

“Oh! I didn’t know there was such a method!”

Tehez exclaimed in admiration, and the Factory Manager cut one and then picked up another bowl and made a hole in the same way. In an instant, two bowls with circular holes were created.

Looking at the bowls, the Factory Manager measured and marked them with a tape measure and a pen and handed three bowls to Tehez.

“Drill holes where it’s marked.”

“Okay. But what’s a venturi?”

Tehez, holding the bowls, asked again, and the Factory Manager took a tin bucket out of the wagon and began to drill the same circular hole in the bottom.

“I’ll explain later, so drill the holes first.”

Tehez nodded and lifted the drill while wearing safety glasses.

The Factory Manager, who had removed the bottom of the bucket, took out a long bolt from the toolbox. It was a long bolt that looked to be about 20cm long.

He drilled a hole in the bottom of the bucket, inserted the bolt into it, and fixed a total of three bolts to the bottom of the bucket in that manner. Long bolts protruded from the bottom of the bucket like three legs.

Finally, the Factory Manager changed the torch tip and welded the bolts to the bucket with a welder. The bolts were firmly attached.

“I’ve drilled all the holes here.”

When Tehez handed over the bowl with the holes drilled, the Factory Manager lifted the bowl and put it on the bolt. Since he had put a nut on the bolt beforehand and put the bowl on top of it, the bowl stopped at an appropriate height.

“A venturi, you see, is also called a ventilator. It’s like a ventilator that forcibly extracts air.”

The Factory Manager explained while tightening the nut to fix the bowl. Tehez looked at the Factory Manager’s hand and asked a question.

“It’s supposed to forcibly extract air, but you make it with a bowl like this? How do you extract it with this?”

The Factory Manager answered while measuring the length with a tape measure, turning the nut.

“It’s possible because of the law discovered by that certain person. When the wind blows, the wind speed slows down on top of the bowl and speeds up below, right? Then the wind escapes downwards. And that’s how it pulls the air inside out.”

Tehez started to write down the Factory Manager’s explanation in her notebook.

“That’s a fascinating method. Is that because of the shape?”

“Yeah. That’s what happens when the wind blows on a round top. As I always say, I’m not a scholar, so I don’t know the details, but…”

“Anyway, you know that much.”

While Tehez was writing in her notebook, the Factory Manager fixed the next bowl. Then, after covering the last bowl, the ventilator was completed.

It looked like three plates stacked on top of each other, but thanks to the bolts, they were slightly apart.

“Is this the only shape? Is there no other way?”

While the Factory Manager was examining the completed ventilator, Tehez asked again, and the Factory Manager spoke while grinding the sharp parts with a file.

“There are various shapes. There are ones with blades that rotate, ones with covers, ones that move according to the wind direction.”

“Wow… That’s quite diverse.”

The Factory Manager answered the question and ground off all the sharp parts, and put the ventilator down again. Then, he got up and said.

“Now all that’s left is to fix this on top of the chimney.”

“Cleaning’s done.”

At the same time, Channing came next to the Factory Manager and said, collapsing. Ashes flew all around Channing. The Factory Manager and Tehez waved their hands to blow away the ashes and frowned.

“Ugh! Go and dust yourself off!”

“I’m tired! Going up and down the roof cleaning the chimney is so tiring!”

Channing retorted to Tehez’s complaint and took off the goggles and mask he was wearing. Only the parts of his face where he had worn the goggles and mask had turned white, so Richel burst out laughing.

“Ahahaha! Channing, your face is so funny!”

“Funny! Who made it this way! Sigh.”

Channing complained to Richel, who burst out laughing, and snatched the wet towel from Richel’s hand and wiped his face. Meanwhile, the Factory Manager packed up the drill and some equipment and got up.

“Alright. Channing! Take that and follow me. We’re going to put it on the chimney.”

“Let’s take a break, take a break!”

Channing lay down on the floor and waved his hand. Seeing that, Tehez sighed and lifted the ventilator.

When the Factory Manager first approached the kitchen chimney and climbed onto the roof using the ladder that had been brought for cleaning the chimney, Tehez followed below.

The Factory Manager first approached the chimney, checked the condition here and there, and shouted.

“Tehez! Tie the venturi here!”

The Factory Manager lowered the rope tied around his waist.

Tehez, holding the rope that came down, tied the ventilator well, and the Factory Manager pulled the rope to pull up the ventilator.

After covering the brick chimney with the ventilator, the Factory Manager hammered the bucket to fit the shape of the chimney and fixed it firmly with a drill and screws.

The Factory Manager, who drilled holes using a drill, inserted plastic anchors into them.

Carl plugs, made of plastic resin with protrusions, were accessories used to fix screws by first inserting them into holes in bricks or concrete.

After inserting the anchors into the holes and pushing them in firmly by hitting them like a hammer with the bottom part of the impact drill, the Factory Manager fixed the bucket part of the ventilator firmly with long screws.

After fixing a total of six parts, the Factory Manager looked down the ladder and shouted.

“Channing!”

“Yes?!”

Channing, who was standing under the building, answered, and the Factory Manager pointed to the well and shouted.

“Go to the well and scoop up a bucket of mud and come up!”

“Huh? Mud? Why?”

“Just bring it, you punk!”

At the Factory Manager’s roar, Channing grumbled, took a bucket, went to the well, and scooped up mud. Then he slowly climbed up the ladder and put the bucket down.

“Why mud?”

“We need to seal the gaps properly. Come and help. Fill all the gaps between the bucket and the chimney with mud.”

“Yes.”

The Factory Manager scooped up a handful of mud from the bucket, and Channing also scooped up mud with his gloved hands and meticulously filled the gaps.

5.

Only after the chimney was cleaned did Shellen light the fire under the pot again.

She set fire to the dry straw, then to the dry branches, and when the fire rose to a certain extent, Shellen put coal in the furnace.

Smoke billowed for a while, and then the coal caught fire.

“It’s amazing how the smoke goes straight up.”

Shellen said in admiration, and the Factory Manager, who was sitting at the table drinking tea, smiled faintly.

“I told you the Factory Manager is amazing.”

Richel replied to Shellen’s praise, and Shellen smiled and placed a bread basket and a plate containing cheese, butter, and ham in front of the Factory Manager.

“I’m sorry, this is all I have for now. I’ll go to the village to do some shopping, so look forward to dinner.”

The Factory Manager looked at the plate with a slightly awkward expression, then forced a smile and expressed his gratitude. Seeing that, Illia handed something to the Factory Manager.

“Factory Manager-nim. This…”

In Illia’s hand was a cup of ramen. It was something the Factory Manager had brought just in case.

The Factory Manager, whose inner thoughts were revealed by Illia, smiled awkwardly, stroked Illia’s head, and lifted the bread and cheese.

“Thank you, but this isn’t bad either, so let’s eat this today. Bread is okay sometimes.”

Illia nodded and ran off with the cup ramen, and the Factory Manager sighed and tore the bread and spread butter on it.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll make some soup for you.”

Hearing Shellen’s voice coming from the kitchen, the Factory Manager chewed the bread with a sullen expression, and Richel and Tehez, who were sitting together, burst out laughing.

“Factory Manager-nim, you said bread is a snack, not a meal.”

“Damn it. What else can I do here? She prepared it for me. This is so greasy…”

The Factory Manager responded to Channing’s words, lifted the teacup, took a sip of the tea, and frowned.

“What is this! Why is there toothpaste water?”

“Hahahaha! Your expression is so funny, mister.”

Richel burst into laughter at the Factory Manager’s expression, and Channing and Tehez also turned their heads and burst out laughing.

“It’s peppermint, so it’s a bit spicy, but isn’t it delicious because of that?”

“It’s said to clear your mind, so alchemists have always liked this tea.”

The Factory Manager took another sip while listening to Richel and Tehez’s stories. Still feeling the strong taste of toothpaste water, the Factory Manager frowned again.

“Coffee is the best for clearing your mind. With lots of sugar.”

The Factory Manager put down the cup, said that, and chewed the bread again.

Richel, seeing the Factory Manager still chewing the bread with a frown, held out the ceramic bowl in front of her.

“Here, mister. Have this with it.”

“What is it?”

The Factory Manager opened the lid of the ceramic bowl. Inside, there was something orange and viscous in a gel form.

Judging from the sweet smell, the Factory Manager thought it was some kind of jam.

“Is it jam?”

“It’s marmalade. It’s delicious.”

The Factory Manager scooped up the marmalade with the flat, long wooden spoon attached to the ceramic bowl, spread it on the bread, and put it in his mouth.

The sweet and fragrant orange taste and aroma neutralized the slightly hard and sour taste of the rye bread.

“This is good. Definitely.”

“Give me some too.”

Seeing the Factory Manager’s expression, Channing also reached out and took the marmalade, and everyone spread the marmalade on their bread and ate it deliciously.

Illia also seemed to like the marmalade, spreading it wide and chewing it.

“Here. Here’s the soup.”

Meanwhile, Shellen came out of the kitchen with a tray of soup and distributed the plates to each person.

“This metal plate is really nice. I’ll use it well.”

Shellen said with a smile as she placed the plate in front of the Factory Manager, and the Factory Manager also smiled and nodded.

“Well, I’m glad you like it.”

The Factory Manager scooped up the soup with a spoon. The slightly clear soup was quite delicious.

“This is quite delicious.”

“I’m glad you like it. It’s a soup made with lots of cabbage and onions. Enjoy your meal.”

At Shellen’s words, the Factory Manager scooped up the soup with a spoon and chewed the bread with marmalade.

“Wow. The soup is delicious. Thank you for the food.”

Channing also dipped the bread in the soup and said, and the others also started their meal while chatting.