Chapter 105: Chapter 105

The man’s name was Dan Sang-woon, and his wife’s name was Chae-yun.

Though it wasn’t clear when he was babbling earlier, the two appeared to be a young couple barely past thirty. They showed a slight wariness at Jang Geon abruptly offering silver coins, but their faces quickly turned excited upon learning he was a warrior and traveler.

Dan Sang-woon, who said he was heading home after buying goods in the village, offered to give him a ride on his horse-drawn carriage. Seeing as how Jang Geon had been wandering without a destination anyway, he naturally followed along.

During the journey, Dan Sang-woon did not stop talking for even a moment.

“What I used earlier is called a washer. It’s a ring made of leather or soft metal, inserted between iron parts to seal small gaps. Since it prevents water or air from leaking out, it’s very useful when making things like the Pillar Well.”

“Is it easy to make?”

“If made of leather or copper, it’s not too difficult. But if the pressure gets a bit high, leather quickly rots and copper deforms, making them unusable. So recently, I’ve been experimenting with a new material obtained from native merchants.”

“Material?”

“Yes. Tree sap!”

Dan Sang-woon slammed his knee and continued:

Jang Geon had merely asked a brief question about how it couldn’t have been easy to make, yet Dan Sang-woon, getting excited all by himself, kept babbling without even properly watching the reins he held.

“···It’s the sap of that tree, and through changes in heat and cold or mixing with other materials, it turns into a substance with a unique texture. It’s extremely elastic yet doesn’t tear easily—a material far superior to simple leather! The unfortunate part is that even native merchants said they acquired it from the far south, so the quantity is too small. If only there were plenty, with a bit more research···”

Jang Geon observed Dan Sang-woon babbling in excitement with a very peculiar gaze. Judging solely by the description, the material he was speaking of was rubber. In original history, a substance that would take several more centuries before finding its proper use. Watching him babble enthusiastically, Jang Geon abruptly interjected among the deluge of endless words:

“Do you happen to have other things as well?”

Even though his words had been interrupted in the middle, Dan Sang-woon did not seem angry at all, beaming brightly.

“Other things? Of course! Naturally, I have other research items too! Ah, you aren’t just an ordinary traveler! It seems Warrior Jang also likes exploring phenomena and matter?”

Jang Geon silently nodded. At that, Dan Sang-woon let out a loud ‘Uhehe’ laugh.

“Man, this is great. Truth be told, I had no intention of coming out to the village this morning. Normally I don’t like crowded or troublesome things··· but didn’t my wife insist that we must go to the general store today? She nagged me constantly saying the ordered cotton and silk would have arrived···”

At those words, the wife sitting in the carriage leaned her body out toward the driver’s seat and glared fierce daggers at Dan Sang-woon. He subtly dodged her gaze and continued:

“···So I was going to say how fortunate it was. Didn’t I meet Warrior Jang thanks to that? Come, let’s hurry. I must show you my warehouse.”

Afterward, Dan Sang-woon babbled on about how in the space people call the void, there is actually something invisible—meaning that besides what is simply called natural qi, substantial matter exists very faintly—or how liquids like water or oil can exert unimaginable power depending on temperature and pressure.

And Jang Geon offered reasonable responses to those stories while observing him with a curious gaze. That look was as if trying to find some hidden aspect within Dan Sang-woon as he babbled on.

The couple in the cargo carriage and the pair of wandering man and horse thus arrived at a farm after a short while, chatting somewhat noisily. It was a sturdy farm enclosed by a wide fence on a bright open field, equipped with a house, warehouse, and stables.

As the cargo carriage crossed the fence, his wife Chae-yun spoke to Jang Geon:

“Have you eaten lunch? We have eggs and some smoked pork. If you’re hungry, I’ll prepare something for you right now.”

“Hmm. Then I shall trouble you.”

At Jang Geon’s response, she dismounted from the carriage first carrying the cotton fabric. As he watched her leading the way into the house, Dan Sang-woon called out to Jang Geon:

“The stable is over here.”

He opened the stable door and put away the cargo carriage and horses inside. Jang Geon also unfastened Jojo’s saddle and reins, putting him into the stall. As soon as Jojo entered, he immediately flopped onto his side and rubbed his body against the ground.

“···A fascinating creature.”

“Too fascinating, that’s the problem.”

Dan Sang-woon closed the stable door and walked ahead toward the house, saying:

“That warehouse is my laboratory. Since there are all sorts of iron pieces inside, I don’t let the kids in. If you wish, I’ll introduce you to the interior later.”

“It seems you have children.”

He turned to Jang Geon and grinned.

“A daughter and a son. I don’t know who they took after, but they’re very smart.”

Wiping their shoes and stepping inside, the children he mentioned came running over to greet their father. Receiving their greeting, Dan Sang-woon introduced Jang Geon to the children. The two children, who seemed barely five or six years old, looked up at Jang Geon with sparkling eyes, curious about the stranger. When Jang Geon greeted them with a ‘Hello’, the kids giggled and fled into another room.

“Ah, well this is··· My apologies. The children lack some manners. They haven’t seen many strangers, and the only adult they see often besides us is Master···”

“Master?”

He guided Jang Geon toward the kitchen and answered:

“The person who taught me martial arts in my youth. Though I lacked talent so I didn’t learn much. He lives nearby and comes by occasionally to see the children.”

“You learned martial arts?”

Dan Sang-woon gave a subtle smile.

“Doesn’t show, right? I’m barely third-rate at best. I just learned it for health.”

Stepping into the kitchen, Chae-yun had already prepared a meal on the dining table. Seeing her husband and Jang Geon entering the kitchen, she walked up briskly before them. She then extended both palms toward Jang Geon.

Gazing at them for a moment, Jang Geon assumed she was asking for money and tried to pull out silver coins from his waist to hand over. However, she lightly slapped the back of his hand and said:

“Hand over your coat and that sword. I won’t allow wearing swords in a house with children.”

Embarrassment showed on Dan Sang-woon’s face. Asking a martial artist to hand over his weapon recklessly was an action that could lead to a blade fight depending on the opponent’s temper. So he quickly tried to soothe him, but surprisingly, Jang Geon submissively handed over his scabbard and bamboo hat to her.

“···I’ve drawn water, so wash your hands and eat.”

Chae-yun herself was slightly surprised at Jang Geon entrusting his sword without a single word of complaint, speaking in a softened tone. She then took the sword, bamboo hat, and coat and trotted toward the front entrance of the house. Dan Sang-woon swallowed hard seeing Jang Geon casually washing his hands in the basin poured beside him.

“Well··· my apologies. My wife has many unnecessary worries··· I’ll go fetch them back right now.”

“It’s fine. There’s no reason to wear a sword inside a house. If children run around, they might get caught on it and injured.”

Washing his hands, Jang Geon smiled gently as he spoke. Seeing that smile, Dan Sang-woon soon let out a loud ‘Ahaha’ laugh himself.

“Thank you for understanding.”

The food laid out on the table consisted of fried eggs, thinly sliced smoked meat, and white steamed dumplings. While eating that for a moment, Chae-yun, who had stepped out earlier, re-entered and began boiling tea water on one side. Sensing a subtle gaze, he turned to the kitchen doorway and saw the children poking their heads out to peek at him. Jang Geon chewed his food, unconsciously taking in the scene of the kitchen at a glance.

Sunlight poured in through one window, illuminating the house. It was a modest scene without grand splendor, yet oddly peaceful.

A short while later, Chae-yun, having brewed the tea, set the teapot down on the table. Dan Sang-woon poured the tea, drank it, smacked his lips, and broached the conversation:

“Where are you heading, Warrior Jang? There aren’t many people passing around this area.”

“Well. I have no particular destination.”

At Jang Geon’s reply, Dan Sang-woon opened his eyes wide. He set down the teacup he held, stared quietly at Jang Geon, then gave a small nod and continued:

“Heh. Traveling following the wind and clouds. Brother Jang lives a splendid life. Ah, may I call you Brother Jang?”

Jang Geon chuckled softly at his friendly demeanor and nodded. It didn’t seem like there was much age difference between Dan Sang-woon and himself. The only difference was that Dan Sang-woon had a wife, children, and his own farm, while Jang Geon was a wanderer.

A moment later, having finished his meal, Jang Geon set down his teacup and asked Dan Sang-woon:

“Can I take a look at that laboratory now?”

“···Of course you can!”

He stood up with an extremely joyful look. He then immediately took the lead, guiding Jang Geon toward the warehouse.

Leaving the house, crossing the yard, and arriving before the warehouse door, Dan Sang-woon searched for the key at his waist while unlocking the padlock, saying:

“Something I’ve been researching heavily recently involves utilizing steam. When water boils, steam rises, doesn’t it? If we can condense and utilize that rising force well, we can operate mechanisms. To put it simply, the lever of the Pillar Well you saw earlier would move up and down on its own. Can you imagine what work that would make possible?”

He chatter endlessly while removing the lock and stepping inside. Jang Geon slowly followed behind, looking around the interior. Inside the spacious area, metal pieces, wooden blocks, and rods of various sizes were strewn about, and in one corner, tools like hoes and pickaxes were neatly gathered.

Two more iron pillars like the one Dan Sang-woon named the Pillar Well were lying around. While Jang Geon scanned the interior, Dan Sang-woon rummaged inside and approached him holding something.

“I made this as well. Even if the hearth embers go out, with this you can light a fire again in no time. I named it the Fire Canister.”

What he brought was a short iron cylinder. When he opened and separated its upper part, a protruding wick and a small flint beside it could be seen. Dan Sang-woon struck the detached head against the flint with a tap-tap to ignite embers. Soon, a small flame flickered from the wick.

“Isn’t it amazing? Actually, there’s nothing grand to it. It’s just putting cotton inside, soaking it thoroughly with oil, and pulling out a wick above it. Of course, if you don’t close this cap properly, the oil evaporates quickly, but if handled well, it seems it could be made even smaller.”

He showed that small flame in front of Jang Geon, then snapped the lid shut with a click as if for Jang Geon to see, putting out the fire of the Fire Canister. Handing it to Jang Geon, he walked to one side of the warehouse and pulled off a cloth covering something, revealing the mechanism beneath.

“This is the mechanism I’m building now. Using boiling water and its steam, creating something that moves on its own without human hands is my current goal.”

The shape of that mechanism was fundamentally not much different from the Pillar Well. The only differences were legs attached beneath the iron cylinder to create a space for lighting a fire below, and that the lower part was shaped like a large, round gourd vessel.

“How this operates is that water is poured inside and boiled, and with that steam, this top part moves up and down. As the rising steam pushes this top part upward and spews out through this hole, the heavy top part falls back down. In fact, the principle itself isn’t much different from a boiling kettle rattling. It’s merely a matter of size···”

Dan Sang-woon got excited by himself again, babbling at length about what trial and error he experienced in making this. Watching him, Jang Geon could feel that he genuinely enjoyed the process of trial and error itself. There was no particular irritation or frustration on his speaking face. Rather, it seemed as though those failures and the experience gained from them were immensely fun.

Only then did Jang Geon realize that his suspicion had been wrong.

Insight unbelievable for an ordinary farmer, manual pumps, a primitive steam engine, and though large, a clear oil lighter. It was clearly the appearance of a visionary out of sync with his era, so Jang Geon had wondered if he might be someone similar to himself. He wondered if he might be someone who remembered a previous life like he did.

However, on the face of this excited man right now, there was only the zeal and curiosity of a young inventor, and the joy of having someone to share it with. No distinct goal or concrete grand scheme could be felt.

Jang Geon unconsciously offered a slightly bitter smile, idly touching the mechanism before him. Unaware of his expression, Dan Sang-woon kept babbling.

At that moment, Jang Geon’s hand fidgeting with the iron pillar stiffened.

“···So if I increase the weight of this top part a bit more, or reshape this structure entirely··· Why are you doing that?”

Seeing Jang Geon’s gaze turn toward the outside of the warehouse, Dan Sang-woon asked in bewilderment. But Jang Geon did not answer, slowly walking out of the warehouse. Dan Sang-woon tilted his head and followed behind.

Stepping outside the warehouse, an old man standing in the middle of the yard caught Jang Geon’s eyes. With a long beard and flowing Taoist robes, he was an old man projecting an unearthly aura. That old man was staring at Jang Geon with a sternly hardened face.

Emerging from behind Jang Geon, Dan Sang-woon spotted the old man and said:

“Master? What brings you here?”