Otherworld Metal Factory

Chapter 79

The man was surprised by the coolness of the office and was surprised again by the ice in the iced coffee.

In the meantime, Ilia, Tehez, and Channing, who had quickly changed their clothes, came into the office. Ilia and Tehez had towels wrapped around their heads.

"I'm sorry. Are your clothes okay?"

"Haha. They're okay. They dried quickly because the weather was nice."

When Tehez apologized, the man smiled and answered.

"Yeah. What did you come to order?"

When the Factory Manager asked directly, the man stroked his beard and opened his mouth.

"Can you make me a helmet?"

"A helmet?"

The man nodded.

"I need more than one, not just one. I heard that this place is good at that kind of thing, so I came here."

"It's a group order... It's not like I can't do it, but if it's a complicated shape, it's a bit difficult..."

When the Factory Manager trailed off, the man shook his head.

"Ah. I'm not saying you have to make it like this. I have to make 100 of them, so the workshop manager can make them easily."

"Well, if that's okay... Hmm... What about the budget? It depends on the budget."

The man quickly pulled out the pocket on his waist and placed the money on the table.

"Three Holy Gold Coins and nine regular gold coins."

The Factory Manager nodded at the expression on the man's face as he held out the gold coins.

"You must have had a hard time collecting them."

"Haha. I guess so. It took 10 years. I saved money by saving and saving."

"With that kind of money, I'm making 100 helmets... If you don't mind, let me hear your reasoning."

The man nodded with a smile and began to speak.

"My name is Aleng. I am a senior guard in the guard unit guarding the southern gate. You can think of it as a position that takes care of the guard unit's household under the Captain of the Guard. And I will be retiring next month, when I am of age."

The Factory Manager nodded silently. He knew how it felt when the word retirement came out of the mouth of a man of similar age.

"I've been a senior guard for 10 years. During that time, I saved and saved the operating funds I received from the Lord every year and made this money. When I reported to the Captain of the Guard, he told me to use it to buy things that I thought were absolutely necessary for the unit."

"That was a helmet."

"A few years ago, our guards were mobilized for the war and we were very exhausted. Armor was definitely necessary, so I managed to get enough to fit the number of people, but helmets weren't urgent, so I kept putting them off. Now, we're short on numbers, so half of the soldiers just wear hats during training."

Looking at Aleng speaking a little bitterly, the Factory Manager took out a cigarette and lit it.

Looking at the Factory Manager, who was lost in thought as he lit it and took a deep breath, Aleng added.

"I know we're short on money, but I have a favor to ask. I'll give you all the old helmets from the unit. There are about 60 of them."

"Hmm. How long will it take?"

As the Factory Manager spoke while blowing out cigarette smoke, Aleng smiled brightly and clenched his fist.

"Thank you! I'll leave the delivery to the manufacturer!"

"Then let the guard know when it's done. Tehez, bring some paper and write down what I say."

"Yes. I understand."

Tehez quickly brought out A4 paper and a pen and wrote down what the Factory Manager said. The content was that Jinwoo Metal would deliver 100 helmets to the South Gate Guard.

At the end, the Factory Manager, who signed his name, handed Aleng a pen.

"The contract. Since it's for the guard, it'd be better to be precise."

"I was going to ask you, but thank you for doing it first."

While Aleng was signing, Tehez wrote another contract with the same content.

After all the other contracts were signed, the Factory Manager placed the two contracts parallel to each other and stamped a large seal in the middle of them.

"Then take one and I'll let you know as soon as the work is done."

"Thank you, Workshop Manager."

Aleng expressed his gratitude and shook hands with the Factory Manager.

***

After Aleng left, the Factory Manager started rummaging through a corner of the factory.

After a while, the Factory Manager came back and placed something on the table.

"Will this work?"

It was a steel pot. The part where the wall and the bottom met was gently curved, and there were handles on both sides.

"It's a pot?"

"It's a pot."

When Channing and Tehez asked, the Factory Manager lifted the pot and put it over Channing's head.

"Look. It's the perfect size to use as a helmet."

"Of course, but it's a pot."

Channing asked as he took the pot off his head.

"Even if it's a pot, if it's stamped out of stainless steel, it'll be quite sturdy. It won't rust, so the soldiers will like it. Our factory knives are also made of stainless steel."

Tehez said, taking the pot from Channing. Channing nodded.

"Well... That's true."

"First, we make a pot without handles, and then weld a ring on it to attach the chin strap."

"How about adding a brim?"

Channing added to the Factory Manager's explanation.

The Factory Manager looked at Channing.

"A brim? How?"

"Like this, on the side. About 10cm? That way, it would block some sunlight, wouldn't it?"

The Factory Manager looked at the pot for a moment and then drew a picture on the paper. When he drew a brim around the square pot, it looked like a plausible helmet.

"Hmm. It looks good. Okay. Let's make a sample first."

Channing and Tehez got up from their seats and put on their work clothes.

The Factory Manager and Channing first replaced the mold of the press machine. Meanwhile, Tehez cut a stainless steel plate with another press.

When Tehez brought the round plate, the Factory Manager put the plate in the press and operated it. When the round steel plate was caught in the mold, it popped out in the shape of a pot.

"If we do it like this, we can make 100 in no time."

"The work after that will take a long time. And the problem is how to make the brim... Hmm..."

The Factory Manager started calculating with a pencil on the paper.

"So... Pi is... uh..."

"The inner circle should be bigger than the pot."

"Ah. That's right. I didn't think of that. Hmm."

The Factory Manager nodded at Tehez's words and continued his calculations. Then he replaced the mold on the press and cut the stainless steel plate again.

After doing that twice, the stainless steel plate was cut into a donut shape.

"Okay. Channing! How do we give this an angle?"

"Uh... Should we press it again?"

Channing said to the sudden question. The Factory Manager shook his head.

"Tehez! What about you?"

"We can cut a part of it and weld the cut surface."

The Factory Manager nodded and patted Tehez on the shoulder.

"As expected, Tehez is smart. Channing! You did this last time when you made the gas lamp shade."

"That was a long time ago. I'll prepare the welder."

Channing laughed off the Factory Manager's scolding and walked to the welder. The Factory Manager also laughed and measured the donut-shaped steel plate with a tape measure, drew lines, and cut it with a press cutter.

Channing brought the welder and finished setting it up. The Factory Manager put on a protective mask and gloves and held the donut-shaped steel plate, aligning the cut surfaces.

"Channing! Tack weld it!"

Channing quickly welded the cut surface as if he were making dots.

The Factory Manager put down the finished brim and placed the pot on top of it.

"It doesn't fit perfectly."

"We'll adjust it while welding. Channing, try welding the brim and the top part well."

"Yes! I understand. I'm great at welding."

"You're good at it? Don't undercut it like last time! How many times do I have to tell you not to use high voltage just to do it fast!"

The Factory Manager slapped Channing on the back with a loud clap. Channing smiled and took off his protective mask and started welding.

Since it couldn't be done in one go, he welded it by rotating it around, first making dots.

The Factory Manager moved to the workbench with Tehez.

"Tehez. You don't just wear a helmet, do you?"

Tehez thought for a moment and opened her mouth.

"No. First, you wear a thick cloth hood, then a chainmail hood, and then you wear the helmet. Even if you don't wear the chainmail hood, you always wear a thick cloth hood."

"I see. But we can't just use the pot as it is. We need something to support the inside, right?"

The Factory Manager said, cutting the paper with scissors and shaping it.

"Like this. We overlap two long steel plates in a cross shape, wrap another long steel plate around it to fit the head, and then attach it to the pot, wouldn't that be good?"

The Factory Manager put the model he made by pasting paper with glue on his head.

Tehez adjusted her glasses and pondered.

"Hmm. It's good, but wouldn't it be better if there was something inside made of leather or cloth to support the head?"

Tehez took off the towel around her neck, folded it a few times, and put it on her head.

"If we make a cylindrical cloth like this and make it so that it can be closed by pulling the string like a pouch, and attach the closed part to the top of the head and wear it inside out, it would be more comfortable to wear with what you made, Factory Manager."

The Factory Manager clapped at Tehez's words.

"As expected! We should try making it. Tehez, try sewing and making one."

"Yes. Please wait a moment. Ilia! Do you have any cloth you're not using?"

While the Factory Manager and Tehez were busy moving around, Channing continued welding.

******

After a while, the Factory Manager, Channing, and Tehez gathered at the workbench again.

Tehez cut up an old work uniform that Ilia had given her and made a hood, Channing finished welding the helmet, and the Factory Manager made the parts to be attached inside the helmet.

"Factory Manager. The shape is a little different from what you said earlier."

When Tehez asked, the Factory Manager nodded.

"When I made it in a semicircle like before and put it in the pot, it wobbled too much. So I bent a small steel plate at the part where the head goes in so that it touches the pot exactly. I'll drill holes in it and fix it with rivets. And here at the top too."

The Factory Manager handed the inner parts to Tehez and received the helmet from Channing.

"I haven't polished the welded parts yet."

"Well, this is just a sample. Tehez, try attaching what you made there while I drill holes here."

"Yes, I understand."

Tehez put the hood on the parts and started sewing.

The Factory Manager first drilled a hole in the center of the bottom of the pot, which would be the crown of the helmet. And he drilled four more holes in the part where the head goes in.

Tehez handed the parts she made by roughly sewing the hood to the Factory Manager.

"Master. Should I make all the hoods when we actually make them?"

"Huh? The hoods? When will you make them all? We should leave it to someone else. Should we leave it to a clothing workshop?"

At the Factory Manager's words, Ilia, who was sweeping a corner of the factory, shouted.

"How about leaving it to the neighborhood ladies?! There are many ladies who earn pocket money by sewing!"

"Hmm. That would work. Okay. Tehez, give me that."

The Factory Manager received the hood parts and pushed them into the helmet.

The Factory Manager, who had riveted the hole in the crown with a rivet gun, put the pot helmet on his head.

"How is it?"

"Oh! The shape is good, isn't it?"

"Did I make it too big?"

The Factory Manager said, turning his head at Channing's admiration.

Tehez also took the helmet from the Factory Manager, put it on, and shook her head. The helmet wobbled on Tehez's small head.

"Wouldn't it be okay since we'll be wearing a thick hood?"

The Factory Manager nodded at Tehez's words.

Channing took the helmet off Tehez's head.

"Okay. Then, if we weld the ring for the chin strap and trim the welded surface, it'll be roughly finished."

"Right. Now we have to make 100 of these."

The Factory Manager said, taking the helmet from Channing.