I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 81 Lookout

With the cider successfully made, Luc instructed several people to learn his method and try to brew another bottle, and then began to build the watchtower.

At this time, there was still some time before the autumn plowing and the arrival of the caravan. Except for a part of the people who were left to continue the reclamation, all the others were gathered together by Luke, ready to tackle this relatively large project.

Luc stood at the front of the crowd, shielding his forehead from the sunlight with his hand, and looking at the top of the mountain. Why did he choose this mountain? In addition to being close to the manor, there was a special place. In the middle of the mountain, there was a sunken dirt road, which seemed to be a path made by nature. There were not many trees blocking the way, making it very suitable for hiking back and forth.

Luc only needs to simply organize the road. The real difficulty lies in clearing out a piece of land on the top of the mountain and building a lookout tower.

It's not that the construction itself is difficult, but that everyone has to climb up the mountain to build it, and then return down the mountain at night. In addition, they have to find food and do many other tasks, which makes this a long process.

It would be great if Luc could build a prototype before trading with the caravan.

Luc waved back and the crowd immediately headed up the mountain.

Little Charlie took the lead and ran faster than anyone else. Two farm women lit mugwort to smoke out mosquitoes. Ryan and Jill held axes and chopped down any branches that blocked their way and threw them aside, picking them up again as firewood when they went down the mountain.

Everyone followed the trail to the top of the mountain. Luc and Old Eike found a relatively flat place and looked down at the mountain.

The location of Luc's manor is actually very good. The Agate River serves as a barrier to the south, the north is an area that Luc defends tightly, and the west is this high mountain. The lookout tower only needs to look at the mountain road in the southwest and the east, which is mostly flat grassland with few obstacles.

As for whether the location of the forest will be exposed because of the lookout tower, to be honest, if the other party can see the lookout tower, it means that they are not far from the forest.

Luc had a good view of the surroundings. Although some treetops blocked his view, these would not be obstacles as long as the observation tower was built.

"The terrain is good, let's build it here!"

"We use local materials. We don't need to peel the bark of the trees we cut down here. We can build the house with the bark on, and try to blend the color with the surrounding trees."

"Okay sir!"

Following Luke's order, everyone officially started working.

First, they dug the foundation in the selected open space. Several people worked together with hoes and shovels, but their progress was far behind Luc's. When they got tired, another group would take over. They worked until noon, when Luc asked everyone to stop. He took out the bread and water bags that they brought up the mountain and shared them with everyone. They avoided the scorching midday heat and continued to dig the ground until dusk. The foundation was roughly dug, but it was late and everyone had to go down the mountain slowly.

The next day, after climbing up the mountain, we started cutting down trees. The construction of the lookout tower is not complicated. It mainly needs to be as high as possible, and the lower structure needs to be built. Stable wooden boards that can accommodate two or three people standing on top are enough. Finally, a roof is built to provide shade and shelter from the rain, and a tall wooden ladder is erected. The entire lookout tower is completed.

It's simple to say, but if you want a sturdy support, you must combine pillars and beams. Luke was not idle and took the lead in cutting down trees. This time he only needed to keep cutting and cutting, and others would take care of the subsequent steps.

Old Eike was a man with experience in building houses. He asked the others to tamp the ground next to the foundation and place the transported wood on it.

The top of the mountain is flat only in relative terms. Compared with the ground, there is still some slope, so the trees below are slightly higher. Four pieces of wood are erected. One-eyed Gil takes off his clothes, steps on the tree trunk with his bare chest, and rubs the wood saw with his arms. The beams are sawed off one by one. In order to ensure that the length of the beams is roughly the same, Amy stretches out the vine as a ruler.

These beams would be placed between pairs of wooden stakes to provide additional stability, and the gaps between the four logs would be connected with cross beams. Ryan had learned the mortise and tenon joints from Luc, so the connections were not difficult. Of course, for added security, layers of rattan rope were tied tightly around the joints. The group spent some time searching for food, so the entire process took half a month, but not even a third of the work was completed.

Because only one base frame is not enough. If you want to see farther and not be restricted by the surrounding tree canopies, you must build another layer.

Of course, it can't be too high, otherwise it would be dangerous, so half of the second-floor columns were sawed off.

Also use the beam as a cache point to connect the two wooden stakes, but before that, you need to build a ladder.

Having experience in building wooden ladders, Ryan called a few helpers and made the ladder in half a day. Ryan bravely climbed up and took the rope tied to the wood. With the concerted efforts of everyone, he laboriously built the second level and repeated the previous steps to completely build the base frame. However, it was the day when the caravan would arrive as Old Ek had expected.

"Whoo~"

Luc wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the lookout tower, which still lacked a roof, guardrails, and standing planks. He called Ryan, "Ryan, the next thing is up to you. Remember to make the planks as sturdy as possible, build a gap in the guardrail where the wooden ladder is, and after the roof is built, lay a layer of branches on the outermost layer to make the entire lookout tower blend into the forest as much as possible."

"Don't worry, sir!"

Ryan nodded. This time, Luke would not take Ryan with him when he went out.

As the son of a carpenter, he needs to complete the follow-up work in the valley. Secondly, the forest also needs someone he can trust to stay behind. Although Ryan is young, he has accumulated prestige and ability after several fights and beheadings of Martin, and is qualified for the job.

"Old Eike, you and Jill, come with me to trade with the caravan tomorrow."

These two people are people who often come into contact with the caravan, so it is just right for them to continue to use the identity of Ward Village.

"I understand, sir." Old Eck nodded slightly.

That afternoon, everyone returned to the cabin and packed up. The next morning, Luc, Old Ek, and One-Eyed Gil were ready to meet the caravan.

Old Eike once said that in order to reduce the exploitation by Baron Berry of Cooper Castle, the caravan had an unspoken rule with sellers from all over the place. Before entering Cooper Castle, they would stay for half a day at a place called Telf Bridge in the east of Cooper Castle. The destination this time was Telf Bridge.

Luc led out the well-cared-for warhorse, and brought the knight's sword, bow and arrows, and chain mail as well. After thinking for a while, Luc took out the coat of arms seized from Henry for the first time, tucked it into his waist, and put on the chain mail and helmet. The warhorse could still bear the weight of more than 20 pounds.

Ryan's leather armor was given to Old Eck, but there was no suitable weapon. The mattock was too short, so Gil, wearing cotton armor and holding a long-handled blade, could only use it as a secondary weapon. So Luc had to give one of his flails to Old Eck. To increase the lethality, Luc searched through boxes and cabinets, found the last three or four iron nails, and embedded them in the top of the flail. In addition, Old Eck would carry Carl's broad shield.

The black donkey had to stay at home to plow the fields, so the two men could only follow on foot. The bear skin that had been prepared was tied to the horse's tail, and the three jars of cider were not easy to carry. Sensing that the supplies for this transaction would not be small, Luke thought about it, took out the wheelbarrow, then spread the bear skin on it, wrapped the jars of cider, and put the dry food and water bags in it, and let young Jill push it forward.

Luc finally took out a five-pound coin, and the three of them set out for the caravan in the morning dew.

(End of this chapter)