Another World Metal Factory

Chapter 44

A few days later, a wagon from the wagon workshop arrived in the backyard of the factory.

“Hey! Channing! I brought everything you ordered.”

“Wow. It’s quite big. Parker, did you come alone?”

As Channing greeted Parker, who was pulling the wagon, Parker jumped off the wagon and said,

“Yeah. Our workshop is busy too. Help me unload this!”

Channing nodded and brought two angle pipes, fitting them securely to the back of the wagon.

Then, together with Parker, he used the angle pipes to slide the items loaded in the wagon’s cargo bed carefully down to the backyard.

Channing, who had prepared a hand pallet truck beforehand, used it to lift and move the items, placing them on wooden blocks.

After unloading everything and tidying up, Parker got back on the wagon. Channing, who was also cleaning up, approached Parker to say goodbye.

“Ah, Channing! Take this!”

Parker, who was preparing to drive the wagon, seemed to have remembered something and rummaged through his pockets before tossing something to Channing.

Channing reflexively caught the object and opened his hand to examine it. It was a silver coin.

“What’s this?”

“Huh? Don’t you remember? Oh well. I shouldn’t have given it to you. It’s from the dice game last time when you didn’t have money!”

Channing clapped his hands and smiled as he remembered.

“Oh yeah! I’m lucky today! Thanks! I completely forgot.”

“I won’t lose next time.”

Parker drove the wagon away, and at that moment, the Factory Manager and Tehez walked out of the factory.

Tehez looked around at the object set up in the factory backyard and spoke.

“This is… a small wagon. I’ve never seen one shaped like this before.”

Tehez expressed her thoughts after seeing the unloaded object. It was a small wagon. Although the wheels weren’t attached yet, anyone could tell it was a wagon. However, its shape was peculiar.

“This looks more like a long sofa than a wagon. A very comfortable-looking sofa.”

Tehez sat on it.

“Hmm. It’s definitely soft and fluffy. This is good, isn’t it? Did you pay quite a bit for it?”

“Yeah. You know the metal mold for wagon wheels? The one you put around the outside of the wheel.”

The Factory Manager responded to Tehez’s question, and Channing’s face turned pale as he looked at the Factory Manager.

“Uh… uh… you don’t mean…?”

“I agreed to make 1000 of those.”

“Uwaaaaaaaa!”

Channing screamed.

“Th… a thousand?! By when?”

“Ah, don’t worry too much, Channing. Even I can’t make 1000 at once. I wouldn’t be able to take any other orders if I did.”

Channing breathed a sigh of relief, and the Factory Manager took out a cigarette and replied,

“I agreed to make 100 per month.”

Channing’s jaw dropped at the Factory Manager’s answer. Tehez also widened her eyes in surprise after hearing that.

“100 per month? Oh my…”

“No, Factory Manager-nim. Even though it’s not a difficult item to make, you know how hard it is to make 100 per month.”

“Ah, well, that’s fine. Let’s finish this one first. Bring one inside.”

The Factory Manager ignored Channing’s grumbling, threw his cigarette away, and went inside the factory. Channing sighed deeply and brought the hand pallet truck, inserting it under the wagon and operating the handle.

As he pumped the handle, the lower part of the hand pallet truck rose, lifting the wagon.

“Tehez! Please take care of the wooden blocks supporting it!”

Channing asked Tehez for help and secured the wagon to the hand pallet truck with a ratchet strap that had a tightening gear on a wide nylon belt.

As Channing struggled to pull it inside the factory, the Factory Manager, who had prepared the pre-made U-shaped handles, leaf springs, wheels, and other tools, pointed out the location.

Channing pulled the hand pallet truck to the designated spot, received the wooden blocks from Tehez, placed them on the floor, and carefully lowered the wagon onto them.

“Good. Now we’ll attach the handles, leaf springs, and wheels here.”

“Understood. Do we attach all four wheels?”

“No. Two. Channing, insert these on both ends and pull it up higher with the hoist to work on it.”

The Factory Manager handed Channing a nylon strap with a hook and moved to the wagon.

“Two wheels. It’s a small wagon, so it should be fine. But if you attach this thing, how are you going to tie a horse or Aspur to it?”

This time, Tehez asked, and the Factory Manager, who was attaching the hook to the wagon and hooking the strap onto the hoist, replied,

“This isn’t meant to be pulled by a horse or Aspur.”

“Huh? Then who will pull the wagon?”

“A person.”

Tehez and Channing looked at the Factory Manager in surprise.

In the case of cargo carts, there were instances where people pulled them. However, those were very small in size and not meant for people to ride.

But Channing and Tehez couldn’t understand the idea of a person pulling a proper wagon with a sofa attached.

“No… that’s a bit strange…”

“I agree.”

Channing and Tehez expressed their curiosity, and the Factory Manager raised the drill and shouted,

“Why are you so worried! Channing! Bring the leaf spring! Tehez! Prepare for bolting!”

Channing and Tehez flinched at the Factory Manager’s shout and followed his orders.

Channing brought the leaf spring and placed it where the Factory Manager instructed, and Tehez fastened the bolts in that position. Like when making a wagon, they used square bolts shaped like a ‘ㄷ’ to create a gap.

While they were connecting the pipe that would be used as the wagon axle, the Factory Manager brought the wagon wheels.

“Alright, Channing! This wheel has built-in ball bearings, so try fitting it on the other side.”

The Factory Manager rolled one wheel to Channing and fitted the wheel onto the axle. Tehez came over and tightened the bolts.

As they rotated the wagon wheel suspended in the air, the wheels began to roll smoothly with the rattling sound of the ball bearings turning.

“Good! Channing! Attach this part to the marked area on the opposite side!”

The Factory Manager tossed a cylindrical part to Channing. Channing received the object and looked it over. It appeared to be a circular pipe part with a wing protruding from the bottom with holes drilled in it.

Assuming it was probably attached by bolting it to the wing, Channing asked the Factory Manager,

“What is this?”

“It’s the part where you attach the wagon handle. Drill holes in the marked area and fix it firmly with bolts. Tehez! Tehez, I’ve marked this part, so attach it there.”

The Factory Manager also handed a part to Tehez, who was finishing up the wagon wheel next to him. It was a part shaped like three pipes bundled together and spread out in a fan shape.

“Can I use the new drill we bought last time?”

“Yeah, use it!”

Tehez grinned and ran to one side, bringing a plastic box.

It was the drill that the Factory Manager had bought after Tehez had shown interest in it while looking through the tool catalog and asking him various questions.

Tehez hummed as she connected the battery to the drill.

“As expected, Xsh*t drills are the best!”

Seeing Tehez taking out the drill with a smile, Channing grumbled.

“K*X is good too!”

“Shut up, you guys! Dr*lt is the best!”

At the Factory Manager’s shout, Channing and Tehez burst into laughter and began drilling holes in the wagon with their respective drills. The sound of drills echoed throughout the factory.

“Have some snacks while you work!”

Meanwhile, Illia shouted from the kitchen, bringing a tray. On the tray were cups filled with juice and some snacks.

“Let’s eat and work.”

At the Factory Manager’s call, everyone put down their drills, gathered, and raised their cups.

“Is it a wagon?”

Illia asked, looking at the object being made, and Channing nodded, stuffing snacks into his mouth.

“It’s a wagon, but a wagon pulled by people.”

“Hee. That sounds interesting.”

Illia carefully examined the wagon.

“How many people can ride it?”

“Two adults.”

The Factory Manager answered and put down his empty cup.

“Alright. Then Channing! You attach this handle. Tehez, let’s attach this together.”

As the Factory Manager started moving, Channing and Tehez hurriedly finished their snacks and drinks and got up from their seats.

Channing attached the U-shaped iron bar that the Factory Manager had made earlier to the pipe attached to the wagon to create a handle.

Since the iron bar already had holes drilled in it, it could be securely fastened by inserting bolts into the pipe.

After firmly fixing the iron bar, Channing looked at the Factory Manager and Tehez.

“Alright. Be careful and fit it in there properly!”

“We’re done!”

Tehez and the Factory Manager worked together to lift the roof onto the wagon.

They were attaching a U-shaped iron bar to the fan-shaped pipe attached to the wagon, and thick fabric was attached to this iron bar.

The U-shaped iron bar looked like a V when viewed from the side. Channing thought it was quite a unique shape.

After attaching all three U-shaped iron bars, the Factory Manager folded and unfolded the iron bars to check how they moved. When unfolded, it created a roof, and when folded back, it became an open-top style.

“Alright! We’re done!”

The Factory Manager said so and operated the hoist.

As the wagon wheels touched the ground, the Factory Manager and Channing removed the nylon straps that were tied. As the wagon tilted forward, the handle supported it.

“Good. It’s usable. We should paint it, though. It looks a bit plain just being made of wood. Should we paint it red?”

“Red? The sofa is red. How about yellow?”

Channing replied as the Factory Manager looked at the wagon and spoke. The Factory Manager stroked his chin and nodded at Channing’s suggestion.

“Yellow would be nice too. Yellow for the wagon, red for the wheels would look quite good.”

“That’s right. I think that would be nice.”

While the Factory Manager and Channing were having that conversation, Illia and Tehez were looking at the completed wagon.

Illia touched the red leather sofa and looked inside, and Tehez walked around the wagon, taking notes in her notebook.

“You said it’s pulled by people, right? Then should we call this a wagon or a human-powered cart?”

Tehez asked, and the Factory Manager took out a cigarette and replied,

“We used to call it a rickshaw. It means a cart powered by human strength. Tehez! Get on with Illia.”

“Okay.”

Tehez and Illia got on the rickshaw sofa and sat down.

“Uh oh… It’s a bit uncomfortable because it tilts forward, isn’t it?”

“It feels like we’ll fall.”

Hearing Tehez and Illia’s words, the Factory Manager reached out and lifted the rickshaw handle upwards. As it leveled somewhat, Tehez and Illia were able to sit comfortably.

“Wow. So this is what it feels like.”

“The sofa is comfortable.”

The Factory Manager called Channing with a gesture while listening to Tehez and Illia’s conversation.

“Why?”

“Come here and get inside.”

Channing entered between the handle and the rickshaw with a sullen expression and grabbed the handle as the Factory Manager gestured.

As the Factory Manager let go of the handle, the weight suddenly shifted onto him, surprising Channing.

“Whoa! That startled me.”

“Alright. Then try going outside.”

“Huh?! I have to pull it?”

The Factory Manager strode over and opened the back door shutter, beckoning to Channing.

“Come on out. You have to actually move it to see if there’s anything that needs fixing.”

“Sigh… Alright.”

Channing sighed deeply and started pulling the rickshaw. He figured there was no point in resisting.

Thus, the rickshaw that emerged into the backyard went out onto the streets.

Clatter, clatter.

It was the common sound of wagon wheels rolling on the road, but passersby looked at the scene with surprised eyes.

“It feels quite different from a wagon.”

“It’s a little fun.”

“Hey! It’s fun for you guys… I’m dying of embarrassment!”

Channing shouted after hearing Tehez and Illia’s conversation, and Tehez and Illia burst into laughter.

“Hey, Channing! When did you change your job to a wagon-pulling horse?”

“Ah! Richel! Yahoo!”

Richel, who was sweeping in front of the restaurant, shouted, and Tehez waved and greeted her.

“Did the Factory Manager-nim make this again?”

“Yes! Richel, want to ride?”

“Hey!”

Channing shouted, but Richel laughed and squeezed herself inside the handle, climbing onto the rickshaw.

“Isn’t it a bit cramped?”

“I can just hold Illia. Illia, come here.”

At Richel’s words, Tehez took Illia onto her lap.

“Okay! Channing, let’s go!”

“Sigh… Alright, alright…”

At Richel’s shout, Channing sighed and, seemingly resigned, started pushing the rickshaw.

Watching the rickshaw pass by again, the Factory Manager took out a cigarette, and blacksmith Popper walked up next to him.

“You made another interesting thing.”

“Yeah. Looks usable, right?”

“A human-powered wagon! Hahaha! That’s an interesting thing. So, who ordered that one?”

The Factory Manager exhaled cigarette smoke and looked at Popper.

“Popper. There’s something I need help with. I might need to ask the people in this town for help too.”

Popper looked at the Factory Manager for a moment and then slapped him hard on the shoulder.

The Factory Manager, suddenly hit on the shoulder, rubbed it with his hand and looked at Popper, who burst into hearty laughter and spoke.

“Tell me anything! We’re all neighbors! The others will help too.”

“Damn! Thanks a lot.”

“Buy me a drink next time. But tell me first. What do you need help with?”

“Let’s talk over a beer at the Red Rooster.”

The Factory Manager and Popper entered the pub while talking.

******

It was more than 30 minutes later when Channing pulled the rickshaw, carrying the three people, back to the factory.

“Damn it… No wonder I was lucky today…”

Behind the three who were chattering about how fun it was,

Channing, exhausted and drenched in sweat, collapsed onto the floor.