Another World Metal Factory

Chapter 9

It had almost been a month since Illia started living at the factory.

Illia’s first task upon waking up in the morning was to wash her face and prepare breakfast. While the rice in the electric rice cooker, reserved the night before, was cooking, she arranged the side dishes from the refrigerator that the Factory Manager had bought.

Initially amazed by each appliance, thinking they were magic, Illia had now become quite adept at using them.

While the rice was cooking, Illia put the bread from the basket into the microwave. It was bread for Illia and Channing.

While Illia sometimes ate rice with the Factory Manager, Channing insisted on bread, saying rice didn’t agree with him.

Illia also wasn’t used to rice and spicy side dishes yet, so she ate bread with Channing.

Meanwhile, Channing came down the stairs.

“Yaaawn… Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. Did you sleep well?”

Entering the kitchen located in a corner of the factory, Channing greeted Illia, patted her head, and took a gulp of water from the refrigerator.

“Use a cup, Oppa.”

“I didn’t touch it with my mouth.”

Channing retorted at Illia’s scolding and placed the water bottle on the table.

Although initially a bit distant with Illia, perhaps due to discomfort, Channing had become close to her due to her friendly behavior, and they now exchanged jokes.

The Factory Manager also came down the stairs and entered the kitchen.

“Is everyone up?”

“Good morning.”

“Good morning.”

Illia and Channing greeted the Factory Manager as he entered the kitchen.

At that moment.

The rice cooker started to release steam, and the microwave dinged, signaling that the bread was ready. Everyone sat around and started their meal.

Illia carefully took a bite of the bread after spreading butter and jam on it and looked at the Factory Manager eating rice with various side dishes.

Illia, who still didn’t know what those side dishes tasted like, looked at the Factory Manager with a slightly admiring gaze.

The Factory Manager picked up some kimchi with his chopsticks and asked Channing,

“What do we have to finish today?”

“Uh… There’s a friend who asked us to fix his broken armor yesterday, and Oscar from the Red Rooster pub ordered 30 stainless steel beer mugs.”

“The same as the sample we made before?”

“Yes. And Popper also asked us to make blades for hunting knives. Four of them.”

“Damn it. That Popper, he thinks we’re his subcontractors.”

While the Factory Manager and Channing talked about work, Illia quietly listened and chewed on her bread.

******

After finishing their meal, the Factory Manager and Channing went to the factory to check the machinery and start their day’s work. From then on, Illia’s day also began in earnest.

First, she cleaned up after breakfast and washed the dishes.

Initially, Illia didn’t know what soap was for, but after doing it every day, she realized that it removed grease and grime, leaving the dishes sparkling clean.

The squeaky-clean dishes made Illia feel good.

“Channing. You know how to make cups, so why don’t you try making them? I’ll take care of the armor repair.”

“Really? Can I make them all?”

“You know how to do it, don’t you?”

As Illia finished washing the dishes and came outside, Channing’s delighted voice reached her ears.

After that, Illia gathered the Factory Manager and Channing’s work clothes. It was time to do laundry.

The Factory Manager told her to just throw them in the washing machine, but Illia felt that they wouldn’t be properly cleaned that way, so she pre-washed them before putting them in the machine.

Before pre-washing, Illia hung the clothes on the clothesline and beat them with a wooden stick.

Thump! Thump!

A cheerful sound echoed as the wooden stick hit the clothes. This was to remove all the dust, iron powder, and metal fragments stuck to the clothes. It was a habit she developed after getting pricked by a small piece of metal when she thoughtlessly washed them directly.

The Factory Manager’s clothes, separated into a jacket and pants, were easy, but Channing’s one-piece work clothes were quite tiring to beat with the stick.

After thoroughly dusting the clothes, Illia put them in a large rubber basin and filled it with water from the faucet.

Illia thought the faucet, which produced water with a simple turn of the handle without needing a well, was amazing.

Once the basin was adequately filled, she sprinkled powdered laundry detergent and, lifting her skirt, stepped into the basin and started stomping.

Splash, splash! The white foam gradually turned black.

“Oh dear… It seems like I do laundry quite often, but it’s like this every time.”

Illia grumbled, poured out the dirty water from the basin, and filled it with fresh water again.

******

After finishing the pre-wash by changing the water several times, Illia briefly drained the water from the work clothes at the faucet, put them in a basket, and carried it with a grunt. The work clothes were heavier when soaked with water.

Entering the boiler room in a corner of the factory, Illia put the work clothes into the drum washing machine located in the corner, added detergent, and skillfully operated the buttons.

With that, her morning tasks were complete.

The Factory Manager told her to relax and work at her own pace, but Illia felt self-conscious around him and Channing. Even though no one pressured her, she felt that way internally.

So, she subtly observed the two working in the factory and waited for the laundry to finish, occasionally bringing them drinks or cleaning up.

******

Illia went out to the factory and first looked at the Factory Manager. He was wearing a protective mask and welding the torn part of a breastplate.

A bright flash erupted, and Illia quickly turned her head and closed her eyes tightly. The Factory Manager had told her that looking at the light would damage her eyes.

The sizzling sound of welding reached Illia’s ears. She kept her eyes tightly shut. After a while, she heard the welding machine switch off, so she carefully opened her eyes again.

The Factory Manager was examining the welded breastplate from various angles.

“I don’t understand why they bring these broken armors to be patched up instead of just melting them down and making new ones.”

“It can’t be helped. Armor is expensive. They say they like our repairs because the patched parts are sturdy and clean.”

“Of course ours is stronger compared to those who just slap on metal pieces and hammer them or patch them with zinc or lead. Welding melts and fuses the metals together.”

The Factory Manager placed the breastplate on the workbench, secured it in a vise, and ground the welded area with a hand grinder. It was a process to smoothen out the rough areas for a clean finish.

Illia knew she shouldn’t go near him when he was doing that kind of work.

She knew that even if she tried to help, being only 9 years old, she wouldn’t be of much assistance, and getting hurt would be more of a burden.

Illia carefully followed the Factory Manager’s hand movements as he changed the hand grinder’s discs and polished the breastplate. She thought the Factory Manager was a magician.

Whenever she saw him effortlessly using those magical tools in the workshop filled with various mysterious machines and transforming broken metal into something new, she felt like she was witnessing a legend.

“Ah, it’s done. I should tell them to take it easy next time they come. What are they thinking, getting a 30cm tear?”

“Ah, that was torn because of the sword you made, Factory Manager.”

As Channing spoke while cutting a stainless steel plate with a hydraulic cutter, the Factory Manager was startled and looked at him.

“What? Did they fight with real swords?”

“It seems they had a practice match, and the knight wielding the longsword you made swung it down with force, breaking the opponent’s sword and tearing through the armor before stopping.”

“Was that person okay?”

The Factory Manager asked with a slightly agitated tone, and Channing scratched his head and replied.

“Yes, he suffered some bruises, but he wasn’t seriously injured. It seems the young man quickly adjusted his strength. You know how much trouble I had refusing that knight when he came here begging for a sword while you were at Popper’s? Even accepting the armor repair was half-forced.”

The Factory Manager sighed at Channing’s explanation.

“Ah, that’s why I didn’t want to make swords. I don’t really want to make weapons that kill people.”

“That’s why I refused them all.”

“Good job, Channing. Next time someone comes, don’t say you can’t make it. Just quote them an exorbitant price. Like 100 gold coins.”

“Ah, that’s a good idea.”

Channing pushed the stainless steel plate into the press and started cutting. With a click, the press moved, and a round stainless steel plate popped out from below.

After making several round plates, Channing gathered them to one side, turned off the press, and started changing the mold.

“Ugh… Factory Manager, this is too heavy. Can you help me a little?”

Channing grunted while trying to lift the mold and shouted, and the Factory Manager approached him and supported the mold.

“Oh dear. You should have called me before trying!”

“I thought I could do it… Ugh, this is really heavy.”

Channing replied to the Factory Manager’s scolding and forcefully inserted the mold into the press.

“Huff… This is tiring.”

“Of course it is. Do you know how heavy that mold is?”

“Can’t we just cut the steel plate, bend it, and weld it?”

The Factory Manager clicked his tongue and looked at Channing at his words.

“That would be even more difficult, you fool.”

Channing grinned and scratched his head at the Factory Manager’s scolding. He brought back the round stainless steel plates he had gathered, and the Factory Manager returned to his work.

Channing inserted the stainless steel plate into the press and pressed the button. The press slowly descended and pressed the stainless steel plate.

When the machine rose again, a long, cup-shaped object emerged. Channing inserted the remaining stainless steel plates one by one, shaping them into cups.

Seeing the perfectly identical cups lined up, Channing felt pleased.

“They look nice lined up like this.”

“Good job.”

The Factory Manager said while grinding a roughly cut steel plate with a belt sander, and Channing grinned and scratched his head.

“It’s been a while since I started working here. This is easy.”

“Oh, praise him a little and he’ll fly to the sky! Hurry up and finish and weld them!”

Channing smiled brightly.

******

Channing rolled a narrow, long strip of stainless steel plate with a bending machine. This was to attach the handle, which was a half-moon shaped rolled stainless steel plate.

After bending the ends, Channing placed it on the cup he had made earlier and welded the handle with a spot welder.

“Have a drink.”

Illia approached Channing with a tray, and he reached out and grabbed a paper cup from the tray and drank it straight.

The cool orange juice quenched Channing’s thirst.

“Ah! That’s refreshing. Thank you.”

“Is that welding too?”

Channing glanced at the spot welder at Illia’s question.

“Yes.”

“It doesn’t flash brightly like the other one.”

“Yeah. I guess it’s a different type.”

Channing lifted the welder again.

After fixing the handle and the cup with a clamp, Channing inserted the cup into the wooden frame on the workbench and brought the spot welder’s tips close.

Holding the welder’s tip in his left hand to position it, he brought the tip in his right hand next to it and pressed the button. With a sizzling sound and electric sparks, two points were welded together.

“That’s amazing.”

“How’s it going?”

While Illia was watching, the Factory Manager also approached and observed Channing’s work.

“It’s going well.”

“Good. Spot welding is easy, you just press with electricity. Illia, Richel will be here soon, so start preparing lunch.”

“Yes, sir.”

Illia headed to the kitchen.