A little more sleep later, Marcus still didn't feel much better.
He had woken up to sore muscles and a headache.
It was already afternoon, and his legs still felt like crap. He would have loved to remain in bed, but he received a report that the stonemasons had completed the task he gave them yesterday.
Also, he had received a miserly ten achievement points out of nowhere. Marcus quickly connected it to the cement.
Marcus groaned silently as he walked to where they were working.
Just by his stables…
Before Marcus was a wooden bucket filled with grey substance, cement.
"Lord Governor!" The stonemasons greeted enthusiastically.
The young lord had given them directions yesterday, and since then, many of them couldn't sleep.
They all wanted to be useful.
Was the task difficult?
Not exactly, apart from having to source and crush a few materials, as well as taking precise measurements; everything was smoothly done.
Though they had no idea what thing could truly be used for, they were optimistic.
Marcus grabbed a handful of the cement and felt its texture.
Most of it had been crushed into fine powder, but there was still some graininess to it.
It's not perfect, but it should do. This is just the first successful batch.
"Good work gentlemen, seeing this fills me with hope."
"It's our pleasure, Lord Governor." They responded.
"Lord Governor, if I may… Can we know what this could be used for?" A seasoned stonemason asked, unable to contain his curiosity anymore.
Tall with lean muscles that showed his years of work. He had his long black hair packed into a rough ponytail.
He was called Havard, the most experienced stonemason amongst the ones Bradley managed to hire. Yesterday, Marcus made him the leader of the stonemasons.
Havard would have run a test on it but he dared not do anything before Marcus had seen their work.
"What do you think?" Marcus responded, trying to probe the man's intelligence.
Havard scratched his head, "Seeing as every other skilled worker was given tasks that match their profession, this should be something that is tied to our expertise."
"Correct," Marcus said.
"But to make this thing, we had to seek help from the blacksmiths, using their furnace and a few other items…" Havard paused.
"So you feel like I'm just looking for something to give you guys so you don't remain idle?"
"...Is that not it, Lord Governor?" Havard laughed nervously as he scratched his head some more.
Grains of sand fell from his head as he did this.
"If I wanted to do that, there are many other things I could have had you do. But that's not the case."
As soon as Marcus said this, the hearts of the four other stonemasons settled. They were truly worried about this.
"In fact, in the next few months, you all might come to hate me due to the amount of work I have in store for you all."
"Huh?"
"Come let's begin testing this thing," Marcus said.
"Milord, what is it called?" Another stonemason, Turlip, asked.
"This… It's called cement."
Marcus directed them, telling them how to use cement.
While he was explaining its uses and advantages, the stonemasons couldn't believe what he was saying.
The young lord claimed that this cement could be used to make roads that do not sink under heavy rain.
It could also be used to build houses that could withstand their hammers.
He even claimed that it might take them hours to be able to break a portion of it with just their hammers.
Almost every claim Marcus made was doubted by the stonemasons.
And it was almost obvious as they reacted with awkward stares.
But Marcus didn't blame them.
This work of theirs had always been difficult, requiring a lot of labour.
It was physically taxing.
For what they knew to be done so easily just because of cement…
After mixing sand and water with cement, Marcus asked them to spread it finely on the ground and wait for it to dry.
While they were waiting for it to dry, Marcus went to a work table, borrowing a pen and some paper.
He proceeded to draw the blueprint he had bought yesterday.
The blueprint of a simple home with three rooms, a kitchen, a store, a parlor, and bathrooms.
This concept of bathrooms was a bit foreign to him, however, he was expectant of its uses.
The blueprint came with other aspects that he couldn't understand yet, but he still made sure to include them.
After a while, he finished what he was doing.
Marcus raised the paper to block the sunlight from his face, while cross-checking his work.
He groaned slightly as his head still throbbed.
"Lord Governor, the cement has settled a bit and solidified. The way it's looking, if we leave it to continue settling, it will become stronger. Should we still test its durability?"
Havard reported.
"Yes, we don't have to wait for long. I just want you guys to know and understand the type of material you'll be working with for a while."
Marcus lowered the paper in his hand, revealing its contents to Havard.
What is this? A blueprint?
The man only took a glance, but he was quickly able to tell what it was in general.
How can the young lord be capable of drawing something so detailed and intricate? This is artistic brilliance. Is he blessed with the mind of a sage?
Havard thought ludicrously.
Marcus didn't mind the man peeping at his work, after all, he was going to leave it with them.
But before that. He noticed a problem that even Dorian had noticed.
A standard of measurements. What he drew and jotted down was written in units of measurement that were foreign to this world.
The first few houses might not be built accurately, but that wouldn't be a problem once I create tools for measurement and teach it to them.
"Bring your hammers and try to break this slab of concrete," Marcus ordered.
A stonemason walked forward with a long-handle mallet. He was in a rush to denounce the claims Marcus made about cement.
If such a thing does exist, then what was their use? Wouldn't their jobs be taken over?
He raised his mallet high and struck downwards.
A loud thud, as well as dust rose from the ground upon impact.
The slab of concrete shook on the ground, shifting a few centimeters off its previous station.
And that was all.
Not a single crack could be seen.
The stonemason had a smug look on his face until he looked closer.
How was it that this slab could withstand his mallet when he had used said mallet to break rocks?
"Hit it again," Marcus said.
This was a slab of concrete without any skeleton, he wanted to see how durable it was.
The man struck down again, and this time hairline fractures appeared on its surface.
Then again, and again.
Thud!
Finally, a chunk of the slab broke off.
Everyone looked at it with mixed feelings.
Some of them crouched before the slab.
"If this was stone, it would have shattered with fewer strikes." The masons exchange uneasy glances.
They understood well enough that if this was used to coat stone or even clay bricks, it would have been harder to break through it.
"So, what do you guys think of it?" Marcus asked, but he was met with silence.
"Lord Governor, are we truly going to build roads with this?" Havard asked, silently giving up his doubt.
"Not only roads, but sewages, and other structures. This should make your work easier."
"Yes, but we will also need clay bricks or stone bricks if we are to build houses."
"Why would you need that when you have a stronger material here? Just create a mold of what you need and fill it with a cement mixture. Once they harden, they will be stronger than clay." Marcus pushed all the papers in his hands to Havard.
"Here, study these while making the cement bricks. Directions on how to dig and make sewages can be found in it. I will have the carpenters join you guys as you will need their assistance."
Havard was about to speak, but Marcus beat him to it.
"I will also be hiring help, men who will dig and carry for you. All you guys need to do is study the contents of these papers and bring them to life by directing and supervising. Is that understood?"
Havard hesitated as he was beginning to feel overwhelmed, but he hid it.
This was no longer simple masonry work.
It felt as though the young lord was asking them to build an entirely new world.
"Yes, Lord Governor." He uttered lightly.