Is this cheat code from Bika? Just do it!

The building has a front door and a back door. The front door is wide and bright, and was originally designed for transporting wine and beverages, making it convenient for servants to carry wine and beverages in and out and to move goods. The back door is much narrower, only allowing one person to pass through at a time, and it faces the back door of the city lord's mansion.

In the game's setting, the previous city lord's hobby was drinking, and he often sneaked out through the back door to steal drinks.

Now, this back door has become a convenient passage for Hannah to come and go daily.

Normally, the area around this workshop is deserted and very quiet.

Link also specially increased the number of guards to protect the area, thus keeping out all factors that might interfere with Hannah's research.

As soon as Link stepped into the workshop, he saw Hannah calmly directing more than a dozen soldiers to work.

Two soldiers were working together to push the stone mill, grinding various materials into fine powder; two other soldiers were holding flour sieves, intently sifting through the fine materials; and several other soldiers were carefully building a brick kiln with bricks, all of them showing seriousness and focus.

The author says:

Author's Note: PS: I'm still going for a 10000+ word update today, but to secure a spot on the recommendation list, I'll be updating less frequently in the next few days. Please vote with your monthly tickets or give me some 2500-word urging messages! Thank you all!

49. Cement completed

These soldiers were all Eleguroa heavy armor shieldmen that Link had specifically assigned to Hannah.

They are loyal and reliable. With them assisting Hannah, Link is naturally at ease and has absolutely no worries about any confidential information being leaked.

"Hannah, are you satisfied with this place as your workshop?" Link asked with a smile.

Hannah looked up, her eyes sparkling with excitement, and quickly replied, "Yes, Lord Link, it's so quiet here, just what I needed. By the way, I've already purchased all the materials needed to make the cement, and I'm currently working on making a sample."

"Oh? It's already started?" Link raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

“That’s right, I planned to make some samples first, and then report back to you in detail after confirming that the plan is feasible. I didn’t expect you to come to the workshop first,” Hannah said confidently.

Link nodded slightly, his expression grave. "The cement is of utmost importance, Hannah. The entire transformation of Winterfell will depend on it."

Hannah pondered for a moment, then said seriously, "Then you must ensure a large supply of materials. If we really want to use cement to build Winter City, the required quantity will be enormous. If we simply rely on purchasing from merchants, the cost will be too high, and I'm afraid it will be unbearable."

“You’re right. We must firmly control the key raw materials ourselves,” Lin Ke said, agreeing wholeheartedly.

"Another major issue is the labor force. From the firing of raw materials to grinding and screening, without machinery, mass production of cement requires a significant investment of manpower at every stage," Hannah added.

Link nodded slightly, not in a hurry to leave. Instead, he found a place where he wouldn't get in the way of everyone's work and sat down quietly, watching the soldiers' busy figures while pondering future plans.

Obviously, when large-scale cement production begins, the required investment will be substantial.

As a result, the issue of funding sources has become increasingly urgent.

Winter City urgently needs to have industries that can stand alone and generate substantial profits in order to earn funds and lay a solid foundation for future development!

Link knew the importance of this matter, so he took the initiative to bring it up with Hannah, wanting to hear if she had any unique insights or ideas.

"If you ask me, in this era, the wealth of the nobility is undoubtedly the easiest to earn. Those luxurious and exquisite handicrafts and fragrant perfumes can surely fetch a satisfactory high price in the aristocratic circle."

After a moment's thought, Hannah offered her suggestion.

"After all, ordinary people are the targets of exploitation by those nobles, and they have very little property at their disposal."

After saying that, she gently stroked her chin and fell into deep thought.

After a moment, her gaze finally settled on Fiora, who had been silent beside Link. Then, as if she had thought of something, she looked at Link with a firm gaze and said confidently, "Lord Link, you can rest assured to leave this matter to me! I have thought of a brilliant idea that will definitely open up a stable source of income for Winterfell!"

What exactly is the method?

The answer is—packaging!

On this continent, the elves have always hidden themselves deep within the dark and mysterious forests of magical beasts, and humans rarely have the opportunity to encounter them, let alone engage in trade with them.

The nobles would carefully treasure any elven artifacts they occasionally acquired.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Elf race is rare and exceptional.

And now, the elf Fiora resides in Winterfell!

Why doesn't Winterfell seize this opportunity to turn Fiora into a "golden brand" for its products, just like how celebrities endorsed products in the past, to announce to the world: this is a unique masterpiece crafted by the hands of elves.

Once this highly attractive gimmick is publicized, how could those nobles who are keen on comparing and showing off not take the bait!

"Okay! Let's do it this way!"

Link realized that this was indeed a good idea!

As long as we ensure the quality of our products, and with Fiora as our living advertisement, we won't have to worry about not making money!

As for whether the real elves would know?

They live deep within the Monster Forest and never come out; who can truly know what's real and what's fake?

"Soap and perfume can be packaged well, and we can say that this is a unique craft of the Elven race, and that Winterfell has reached a business cooperation with the Elven race, making it unique in the entire human kingdom. We can even sell goods worth one gold coin for ten gold coins," Hannah said even more maliciously.

Is this the brand premium of the otherworld version?

Perfect! Absolutely perfect!

......

It wasn't until the afternoon that Hannah raised her hand to wipe the fine beads of sweat from her forehead and called out to Link.

"Sir, the cement is ready!"

She pointed to the center of the field, where a soldier was holding an iron shovel and diligently stirring cement powder in a stone trough.

"Quickly, bring the river sand over here!"

Hannah turned and directed the other two soldiers to mix cement mortar according to the ratio of three parts cement powder to one part river sand.

Because no iron powder was added to the raw materials, the cement slurry produced was light in color, not the deep gray-black of the cement powder from the previous life, but more grayish-white.

50. Cement Success

Unable to contain his eagerness, Link grabbed a shovel, scooped up a shovelful of cement slurry, and poured it steadily onto a stone brick. Then he picked up another stone brick and placed it on top of the brick with a perfect fit.

He then tapped the stone bricks with his hand to confirm that the two bricks were firmly bonded together.

“The cement will set in about 6 to 8 hours. However, considering this is a prototype and its stability is not yet certain, Lord Link, let’s wait until tomorrow to see the results,” Hannah said after a moment’s thought.

“Okay, I’ll come again first thing tomorrow morning. The cement is done, aren’t you going home to rest for a while, Hannah?” Link asked with concern.

“I’m also planning to tinker with some other things. For example, firing blue bricks, and the large amount of animal fat left over from the previous battle, I think we can use it to make soap. Aren’t you trying to make money as soon as possible? I need to prepare myself, there’s just too much to do, I can go back later.” Hannah replied enthusiastically.

"Okay, then remember to come back early for dinner tonight, don't stay up too late," Link said with a smile.

......

After dinner, Link, just like the night before, headed straight for Agnes's room.

It's not that he's fickle or easily bored; if we're really talking about it, Olivia's place in his heart is simply incomparable to Agnes'.

Even strictly speaking, Olivia could not be considered a "former love" in his heart.

After all, she was just a slave's wife.

Agnes was different from everyone else to him.

Not only is she more capable and occupies an irreplaceable position in Link's heart, but at this moment, she is experiencing love for the first time, just like a delicate and beautiful flower in its first bloom, making her all the more endearing.

Under such circumstances, Link naturally needs to show more tenderness and care.

However, Agnes was no ordinary weak woman. As a martial artist with extraordinary strength, this "minor situation" after the initial breakthrough was nothing to her.

By evening, Agnes had fully recovered from the minor injury and felt no discomfort whatsoever.

As the two lay in bed, deeply in love and intimately connected, sharing a passionate lovemaking, she completely lost her usual cold and aloof demeanor. On the contrary, she stubbornly refused to be pinned down by Link, insisting on taking the initiative and straddling him before she would be satisfied.

It has to be a position where the man is on top and the man is on top.

This situation makes it really hard to tell who is the dominant one and who is the submissive one.

Or rather, matters of love are inherently difficult to categorize as top or bottom, and in this ambiguous and alluring atmosphere, the boundaries are even more blurred.

Meanwhile, poor Olivia was once again tormented by the endless, plaintive moans from next door all night long.

The voice, as if possessed by magic, pierced through the walls, entered her ears, and stirred her heartstrings, yet filled her with bitterness.

That night, she tossed and turned in endless torment and pain, unable to fall asleep. Every minute and every second felt incredibly long, as if she were in the deepest hell, suffering terribly.

......

The next morning, not long after dawn, Link finished breakfast and hurriedly took Agnes and Fiora to Hannah's experimental workshop.

As soon as the door was pushed open, Link's eyes were immediately drawn to the scene before him.

The cement had solidified, tightly bonded to the two stone bricks, fitting together perfectly and forming a seamless whole.

However, the solidified surface is not smooth, but rather somewhat uneven.

With anticipation in his heart, Link slowly squatted down, stretched out his finger, and gently pressed the hardened cement.

The moment his fingertips touched the cement surface, the solid feel filled him with joy, and a surprised smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

The cement surface is very hard, completely different from the soft, slightly granular feel of compacted soil.

Curious, he couldn't resist scratching at the cement with his fingernails. But even though he tried his best and his fingernails ached, the cement surface remained unmoved, without leaving a single mark.

Link didn't give up. He stood up and looked at the stone brick that was stuck to the cement.

"I wonder if it's possible to break off that stone brick on top separately?"

Without hesitation, Link gripped the edge of the top stone brick tightly with both hands, trying to break it off on its own.

However, the two stone bricks were stuck together tightly, and no matter how he tried to pry them apart, they remained firmly attached and did not budge.

Unwilling to give up, he kicked the other man several more times from the side.

Each step was delivered with tremendous force.

With a few muffled thuds, the stone bricks finally gave way to the powerful force, and a crack appeared in the middle.

Even so, the two stone bricks remained firmly bonded together.

Finally, Link drew his knight's sword from his waist, gripped the hilt with both hands, raised it high, and then forcefully struck the joint between the stone bricks and cement.

Even so, he only chipped off a small corner piece; the cement and brick joint still looked intact overall.

"It's done!" Link shouted excitedly, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

At this level, it would be very difficult to break through using ordinary human power.

51. High-proof liquor and alcohol

"Is this the effect of cement?"

Fiora immediately realized the immense power of this thing, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"Incredible! Yesterday it was as soft and mushy as mud, but overnight it became as hard as rock. With this magical substance, as long as there are enough stones, building walls and houses could be done incredibly quickly! This speed is practically like magic!"

Link smiled and nodded, his eyes full of anticipation.

"That's right, this is just the beginning. When we are able to smelt steel in the future, we can insert steel bars into these cements before they solidify, making them even stronger. Cement houses built with reinforced concrete will not be at risk of collapsing for decades, or even centuries. At that time, we will have indestructible buildings and will no longer have to worry about the ravages of storms and the flames of war."

Technology is the primary productive force; this is not just a casual saying.

It is like a magic key that can unlock the door to prosperity and power, leading the world into a new era.

I'm so glad I was able to get Hannah!

Upon hearing Hannah's name, Link immediately turned to the soldier beside him and asked, "Where's Hannah? Why hasn't she arrived yet?"

Indeed, so much time has passed, and Link still hasn't seen Hannah.

Logically speaking, she should be more concerned about this matter than anyone else.

"My lord, Miss Hannah didn't return to the city lord's mansion at all last night. We brought her dinner and supper. She stayed up all night in the workshop, and only fell asleep at the table around midnight when she couldn't stay awake any longer."

As the soldier spoke, he pointed towards a small hut deep inside the workshop and reported to Link in a low voice.

Link quietly pushed open the door, and sure enough, Hannah, who hadn't slept all night, was sleeping soundly on the table, her hair disheveled and scattered around her cheeks.

Link looked around the room and saw all sorts of bottles and jars scattered about. The air was filled with a rich and mellow aroma of liquor. It seemed that Hannah was distilling the liquor.

Looking at these peculiar devices cleverly constructed from bottles and jars, Link instantly recalled the distillation equipment he used in his past chemistry lab classes. Those sophisticated instruments and complex operating procedures bore a striking resemblance to these simple yet ingenious devices before him.

"Is this for making high-proof liquor and alcohol?" Link muttered to himself.