Another World Metal Factory

Chapter 43

After Timothy left, the Factory Manager, still unable to contain his anger, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and kicked a stone on the ground.

Seeing this, Shellen gently grabbed the Factory Manager’s arm and said,

“Don’t worry about it… I thought this might happen someday.”

The Factory Manager, angrily puffing on his cigarette, fumed, unable to calm down.

“That guy, the lord of this region or whatever he is, came in the morning and just spouted nonsense!”

“There’s nothing we can do. After my husband died, I couldn’t pay the taxes.”

“Don’t worry! I’ll figure something out!”

The Factory Manager threw away the cigarette butt and shouted for Channing and Tehez to pack their things.

“Mom… Are we losing our inn?”

Marsha, who had appeared from a corner of the inn, ran over with worried eyes, grabbed Shellen’s hand, and asked.

Shellen smiled and stroked Marsha’s hair.

“Don’t worry. If it really doesn’t work out, we’ll go to your aunt’s. Actually, that’s why we went to her place last time.”

Marsha hugged Shellen and said,

“I like our inn.”

Shellen patted Marsha’s back.

******

The Factory Manager, who had called Kapuntar through Richel, talked about various things with him.

After hearing the Factory Manager’s story, Kapuntar pounded his chest and said,

“We owe a debt to this inn, so of course we have to help!”

“As expected! You’re a man of loyalty! To save this inn, we definitely need the help of the Orcs in your village.”

The Factory Manager told Kapuntar the plan he had in mind.

Kapuntar, who was nodding along as he listened, tilted his head and replied,

“Will that really be alright?”

“Trust me on this one.”

The Factory Manager patted Kapuntar’s shoulder and approached Shellen.

“Shellen! I’ll make this inn a good place by next month, so don’t worry.”

Looking into the Factory Manager’s eyes, Shellen smiled faintly.

“Yes. Give it a try.”

The Factory Manager urged Channing and Tehez to start packing. There wasn’t enough time to make all the items he had in mind in one month.

***

Returning to the workshop, the Factory Manager immediately started designing various things.

After crumpling up several sheets of design paper, the Factory Manager finally seemed to have designed something he liked and called Channing.

“Channing!”

“Yes! What is it?”

Channing, who was welding, lifted his welding mask and approached, and the Factory Manager gave him instructions.

“Go and order the biggest wagon wheels. 10 of them.”

“Wagon wheels?! Why suddenly?”

“Just do as you’re told!”

Channing, who was questioning him, flinched at the Factory Manager’s roar and went out the back door, and the Factory Manager placed the blueprints on the workbench and started gathering various things.

“What are you going to make?”

Tehez, who was grinding the parts Channing had welded, came over and asked, and the Factory Manager handed her the blueprints.

Suddenly presented with the paper, Tehez was slightly startled and took a step back.

“Whoa! What’s this?”

“I almost forgot. Take this and go with Channing to Wagner. He’ll make it if you ask him to.”

Tehez accepted the paper with an awkward expression and ran out of the workshop.

******

After Tehez left, the Factory Manager started heating a metal pipe with a torch.

After heating the middle part of the pipe red hot, the Factory Manager inserted it into the bending machine and bent it.

After bending the other side as well, making the pipe into a U-shape, the Factory Manager picked up another pipe. And he started bending it the same way.

After making several of the same items, the Factory Manager lit a cigarette.

“Honestly, leaving all the work to me!”

“No, I’m sorry… Ouch, ouch, ouch… It hurts!”

While the Factory Manager was taking a drag of his cigarette, Channing and Tehez entered the workshop. Tehez, looking quite angry, was grabbing Channing’s ear, and Channing was being dragged in behind her.

Seeing this, the Factory Manager asked,

“What happened again? What did Channing do this time?”

“Factory Manager-nim, you think I always cause trouble… Ow, ow, ow!”

Channing tried to complain, but Tehez twisted his ear, making him scream in pain.

Looking at Channing like that, Tehez spoke.

“While we were going to the wagon workshop together, Channing disappeared. So I went to the workshop first and told them about the blueprints Master gave me and about making the wagon wheels, and when I came out, I found him playing dice behind the building.”

“Ouch, ouch, ouch. No, well, that Parker guy there asked me to play dice just once… Ouch, ouch, ouch!”

Tehez pulled Channing’s ear hard, and the Factory Manager chuckled and lightly kicked Channing’s butt.

Surprised by the sudden attack, Channing straightened his waist and twisted his body.

“Whoa!”

“You punk, you’ve been slacking off lately, thinking you’re all that.”

“Ouch, ouch! Factory Manager-nim! Ouch! Alright, alright!”

At Channing’s scream, Tehez let go of his ear, and Channing quickly covered his ear with his hand and ran forward.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch… I thought my ear was going to fall off.”

“Hahaha! Channing’s ears are long, so they must be easy to grab.”

The Factory Manager burst into laughter, and Tehez sighed.

“He did the same thing last time. I don’t know why he likes gambling so much.”

“Playing dice isn’t gambling. It’s just a game.”

“It’s gambling if you bet money!”

Tehez shouted at Channing’s excuse, and Channing awkwardly scratched his head.

“Channing, you punk. Tehez is right. You have to gamble in moderation. You’ll end up losing everything.”

“Yes…”

When even the Factory Manager said that, Channing couldn’t help but lower his head.

“Alright. Then let’s get back to work. Channing and Tehez, continue what you were doing.”

Everyone returned to their work.

Channing and Tehez started making the ordered items, and the Factory Manager started processing the spring steel he had obtained in bulk last time.

He started cutting the long spring steel into appropriate lengths and heating and bending them one by one.

While the Factory Manager was working, Channing put the finished items into a plastic box and shouted,

“Factory Manager-nim, I’ve finished making the ordered items. When are they coming to pick them up?”

“They’ll come to pick up the wall decorations tomorrow, so stack them on one side. And Channing! Tehez! Do you remember the gas lamps I made last time?”

When the Factory Manager asked, Tehez raised her hand and nodded.

“Ah! That? Yes. I helped you with it.”

“Didn’t I help too? I did the welding.”

“Cut it out! Can you make a few more of those?”

The Factory Manager shouted at the bickering Channing and Tehez and asked, and they both nodded.

“It’s not a difficult item to make. The welding is a bit bothersome though.”

“Do we have any valves left? How many do we have to make, Master?”

“We need to make at least 10. You guys make those first, and there are other things to make after that, so prepare in advance.”

Channing sighed and went to the corner of the workshop to get a steel plate.

“Factory Manager-nim, you’re really going to fix up that inn properly.”

“Yeah… Is it some kind of craftsman’s pride?”

Tehez, who had followed to get tools, replied to Channing’s mutterings.

Channing shook his head at Tehez’s words.

“He’s got a thing for the inn lady, that’s all.”

“Master? Not you, Channing. He’s not the type to be like that with women. Besides, when he goes to the inn, he doesn’t really talk to the lady much.”

Channing, who was attaching a lifting magnet to the steel plate, replied to Tehez’s words.

“Even if he doesn’t talk, you can feel that he likes her. Have you ever seen the Factory Manager-nim, who usually avoids troublesome tasks, take the initiative like this?”

Tehez lifted the valve box and nodded.

“That’s true…”

“That’s how it is.”

Channing said so and moved the steel plate with the hoist.

“By the way, do we have any of the glass left over from the glass workshop?”

“Master got a lot of it last time, so I put it in that box over there. I’ll get it.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Channing moved first with the steel plate. Then, using the press, he cut the steel plate into a circular shape.

“I’ll put the glass here.”

“Okay. Tehez, can you make something to fix the glass?”

Channing asked Tehez, who had brought the glass, and Tehez nodded and went to get the tools.

Meanwhile, Channing took the circular steel plate and changed the mold of the press machine, inserted the circular steel plate, and pressed it. The circular steel plate was stamped into a bowl-like shape.

After stamping 10 of them, Channing inserted a different steel plate and pressed it. A shallower bowl was made than the first one.

“Are the bowls all done?”

At Tehez’s question, Channing nodded and removed the mold that was attached to the press machine.

“Now I have to make the threads.”

“I’m done with mine, so I’ll help you.”

Tehez said, placing the item she had made on the workbench. It was made by welding a slightly thick wire and was in the shape of a cage.

Channing said, changing the mold.

“Then, if I press it and take it out, can you weld it?”

“Okay.”

Tehez replied and watched Channing’s work. Channing inserted the stamped bowl into the changed mold and operated the press again.

With a click, the metal was stamped, and Channing took it out and examined it. A screw thread was made on the top of the metal bowl to be screwed on.

Channing handed the bowl to Tehez, and Tehez took it to the welding machine.

Tehez took a prepared small metal ring, the size of a thumbnail, and welded it to the side of the bowl using the welding machine. Two rings were welded per bowl.

“I’m done stamping the bottom part.”

“Okay. Leave it there.”

Channing said, putting down the finished bowl, and Tehez replied while welding.

This time, Channing stamped the shallow bowl with the newly inserted mold. The screw thread was stamped out the same way.

He took it and slowly screwed it onto the bowl Tehez had welded. The two screw threads perfectly matched and were tightly locked in.

“Good. It fits perfectly.”

“If it fits well, quickly stamp the rest and help me with the welding.”

Tehez said at Channing’s admiration.

Channing nodded and proceeded with the rest of the work.

******

Channing and Tehez’s work continued.

After completing the inner container, they assembled the remaining parts. They drilled a hole in the lid, inserted the valve, fixed the lock nut from the inside, and connected the part where the glass is inserted on top of it.

When Tehez handed it over after loosely fixing it, Channing used pliers to tighten it firmly.

“Making 10 of these is quite tiring.”

“Tell me about it.”

Channing said, tightening the last item firmly, and Tehez replied, fitting the glass and the cage-shaped fixing iron they had made earlier.

The glass, which narrowed as it went up like a gourd bottle, was inserted into the cage-shaped fixing iron, and the bent part at the bottom of the fixing iron was inserted and fixed into the hole of the support on top of the valve.

Due to the elasticity of the wire, the glass was fixed quite firmly. After that, a long wire was woven into the welded rings to make a handle, and the lamp was complete.

“Are you almost done?”

The Factory Manager, who had come to see their work, asked, and Tehez lifted the lamp, which had just been fitted with the glass.

“Here you go.”

“Oh. You made it well. I can leave the workshop to you now.”

Tehez smiled brightly at the Factory Manager’s praise, and Channing shrugged.

“So, is work over for today?”

At Channing’s question, the Factory Manager looked at his watch for a moment. It was not yet 5 o’clock.

“Hmm… Yeah. We’re done with the urgent stuff, so let’s call it a day.”

“Yay!”

Channing cheered and jumped up from his seat, and the Factory Manager gestured to him.

“Hey, you punk. You have to pack all these lamps. Wrap them well with the newspaper over there and put them in the cardboard boxes.”

“Yes, yes. Tehez, let’s finish quickly. I have an appointment.”

Channing answered and ran to get a bundle of newspapers, and Tehez sighed.

“He’s probably going to drink again.”

The Factory Manager burst into laughter at Tehez’s sigh.

“That’s not new for him. It’s a relief that he doesn’t cause any trouble when he’s drunk and crawls into his room to sleep. Tehez, you too, finish quickly, wash up, and rest. Have dinner with Illia.”

The Factory Manager took off his gloves and headed for the back door, and Tehez asked while folding the cardboard boxes.

“Where are you going, Master?”

The Factory Manager looked back slightly, smiled, and put his hand to his mouth.

“I’m going for a drink too. Popper said he’d buy me a drink.”

“Oh dear… You’re no different from Channing.”

Tehez replied with a chuckle, and the Factory Manager waved his hand and walked outside.