"Thump, thump," Ed struck two fired bricks together in his hands, and the bricks made a dull sound.
Judging from the sound, he felt that the brick was only so-so; a good brick would make a crisp "ding-ding" sound.
However, in Roderick's eyes, the bricks were very well fired, far better than anything he had ever fired before. Watching Ed tapping two bricks together without them breaking, he felt that what he had fired before was utter garbage.
"We probably still need to build a kiln to fire it, otherwise there will still be some problems!" Ed thought to himself.
Because everyone needs some experience in building brick walls, Ed decided to build the toilets first. This would allow everyone to gain some experience with bricks before building the blast furnace, since the blast furnace isn't a one-time project; it will affect future steelmaking and cement calcination.
On an open space in Taoyuan Village, a simple foundation had been dug. Roderick was directing people to apply lime mortar to the bricks and lay them one by one in a staggered manner in the dug trench.
Ed didn't know what was added to that lime mortar, but it was definitely better than plain lime.
This area is about five meters long and three meters wide, divided in the middle, one half for men and one half for women. There are probably three or four stalls on each side.
Ed's toilet design prioritizes comfort, ensuring that even large individuals won't feel cramped, while smaller individuals will enjoy a truly regal experience. No matter which position you choose, you'll find ample room, making squatting as refreshing as drinking water. The walls are three meters high, with only a few small ventilation and lighting windows at the top, ensuring complete privacy.
Ed is quite satisfied with his toilet design, but it's a dry toilet that needs regular cleaning, and this is the only type of toilet Ed can build right now.
The large pit behind the toilet wasn't finished yet, and some people were digging there. Because Ed was worried that sewage would pollute the water source through the ground, the toilet wouldn't be put into use until the cement was laid.
He wanted to plaster the area around the large pit with cement before using it, and then cover it with several cement slabs.
At this stage, the main work on the toilet is completing the outer walls and the inner pit. The toilet isn't very big, and with Ed's guidance, the basic structure was finished in no time.
Roderick and his team also gained some understanding of how to use bricks.
Ed's toilet plan currently includes five toilets: one near the Rabbit Hut, one in Red Iron Village, one near the Peace Hotel, and a smaller one will be built in Peach Blossom Village in addition to the one there. This will greatly improve the sanitation situation.
But Ed still hasn't had time to make the paper. This problem gives him a headache. The toilets are almost finished, but there's still no sign of paper. He needs to get the paper out as soon as possible.
"Roderick, come here for a second," Ed said, looking at Roderick who was busy at work.
"My lord, is there anything I can help you with?" Roderick asked, wiping his brow.
"How about this brick? Which is better, it or a stone?"
"My lord, these bricks are much better than stones. Stones are difficult to mine, but these bricks are much easier to fire than stones. Building this wall is also easier than with stones; one person can do it, although sometimes larger stones require several people."
Roderick grew more and more excited as he spoke. He was very satisfied with the brick; it was even better than he had imagined. "My lord is truly amazing!"
"Yes, from now on, we'll use these bricks to build houses throughout the territory."
Ed was quite satisfied. Although only a toilet had been built so far, Roderick and his men had done a good job using the bricks, and he could start thinking about rebuilding his castle.
"Roderick, a blast furnace for iron smelting is to be built in Hematite Village. It will be built with these bricks. Smith knows what it should look like and how it should be built. Go to Hematite Village tomorrow to build that blast furnace."
"Yes, my lord."