Black Coal Mine

Black Coal Mine
Purpose	Mining of bituminous coal
Construction
Duration	Episode 9 - 13 (Webtoon) Chapter 20 - 29 (Novel)
Key Materials	Tunneling shield Oxygen pipe Steel tunnel supports
Workers	Bangul Frontera County
Attributions
Designer	Lloyd Frontera
Clientele	Frontera County

I have the benefit of modern excavation technology... the "shield tunneling method"!
— Lloyd Frontera

The Black Coal Mine was a construction project devised by Lloyd Frontera in order to provide for the growing number of ondol floors requiring fuel.

The main mineshaft was excavated with the use of a tunneling shield containing Bangul at the helm.

Conception

Due to the astronomical amount of fuel required to maintain an ondol system, Lloyd Frontera set his sights on using black coal as their main source of fuel. After looking into the failed attempts of the previous barons to start a mine, he determined that it would be most effective to use a shield tunneling method due to the area's weak bedrock.

Construction

After surveying the base of the mountain with his own eyes, Lloyd determined that the mineshaft must be dug out as quickly as possible and would not be completed with human power alone. Ppodong was unable to assist after falling sick from overexertion and would have been too large to safely navigate the mine even if he was healthy, leading Lloyd to summon Bangul and task her with her very first construction project.

The excavation of the mine was carried out in four distinct steps: First, Bangul would sit at the helm of the tunneling shield and make use of her Chomping Dirt skill to quickly dig out the space in front of her. Secondly, she would make use of her Accelerated Dirt Digestion and Steel Dung Launcher skills to convert this dirt into rods of steel. Thirdly, Javier Asrahan would use his swordsmanship to cut these expulsions into uniform lengths. Fourthly, assorted workers from the Frontera Estate would hammer out these pieces in order to create segments that would support the earth around them. During this process, a metal pipe was carried along the floor in order to transport fresh air from outside.

Step One: Bangul digs out and eats dirt

Step Two: Bangul expels steel dung

Step Three: Javier slices them into uniform lengths

Step Four: The pieces are turned into supports

Before reaching the coal they were searching for, the workers were caught off guard by a colony of Wild Ants living that had dug through the other side of the tunnel and burst into the mineshaft. Lloyd quickly ordered for all of the workers to evacuate before staying to fend them off with Javier. Utilizing his Surveying ability, Lloyd was able to expose and ignite a layer of methane within the ants' tunnels and cause a large explosion that both killed the ants and caused the mineshaft to collapse on either side of them.

With Javier injured after shielding his master from the explosion, Lloyd was left as the only conscious one among the three and took it upon himself to dig an exit for them. He made use of all of his available RP and used it to acquire two circles of the Asrahan Core Technique as well as makes use of two other skills, Energizer and Latent Power Surge, though was ultimately unable to dig through all of the dirt before running out of oxygen and succumbing to his exhaustion.

Just as he was about to lose consciousness, however, Ppodong arrived and was able to dig through the last bit of dirt needed to connect Lloyd's area with the rest of the tunnel and provide a flow of oxygen. Lloyd found enough energy to finish digging an exit and carried Javier's body out with him until he was able to meet with his father, Arcos Frontera, who took care of them afterwards. Construction of the mine was able to continue and reach a successful completion after the two recovered safely.

Reception

After news of the incident spread throughout the estate, Lloyd gained a substantial amount of respect from the townsfolk and an undying loyalty from the mine's workers due to his selflessness in saving them. Javier, who was beside him the entire time, was left still unsure of how exactly to perceive Lloyd, though ultimately developed more respect for him and his integrity as well.