Chapter 229 Cheers to a Hot Bath

The bathhouse needed to heat up a large amount of hot water.

In this era, humans used fire for heating and boiling water. Commoners used firewood, while nobles used charcoal. There were no records of coal being used, which was likely not a product of dragons, as it was neither metallic nor a gemstone. It seemed that humans had yet to discover this mineral, at least in the Grand Duchy of Sapphire.

Other fossil fuels like petroleum and natural gas also had no recorded usage.

According to Liszt's speculation, since saltpeter mines existed and volcanoes could spew basalt, there was no reason why coal, oil, or natural gas shouldn't exist.

But it was uncertain.

After all, all metal ores came from dragons, with no naturally occurring metal ores. Therefore, it wasn't surprising that there were no naturally occurring coal or oil deposits either.

In summary, firewood and charcoal were the primary fuels.

Firewood consisted of dry branches and straw, while charcoal was made by incompletely burning wood to remove moisture and impurities, leaving behind a solid fuel. Firewood burned with smoke due to its moisture content and did not burn efficiently; charcoal, on the other hand, burned without smoke, more thoroughly, and was lighter in weight.

However, firewood was cheap, while charcoal was expensive.

After cutting down trees on Thorns Ridge, Flower Town stockpiled a large amount of timber. Besides the wood used for construction, many defective pieces were used to make charcoal, exclusively for the castle. The commoners collected plenty of dry firewood to use at home for cooking. Since the public bathhouse catered to the commoners, it couldn't afford to use charcoal.

Therefore, before any other options were available, they had to use firewood. But heating a large pool of water and maintaining its temperature would consume a significant amount of firewood.

It was labor-intensive, resource-consuming, and environmentally damaging.

After acquiring a small magic dragon, Liszt decided to build a "magic bathhouse" directly. It was natural, pollution-free, energy-saving, and required minimal human resources, with 24-hour continuous operation.

He designed the men's bath pool primarily in the shape of a hot pot, with a barrier in the middle for the magic dragon to heat the water, surrounded by a water area for people to bathe.

With Hiddleston's rock pillars, the construction of the bath pool was not difficult.

They dug a pit, lined it with stones, and sealed it with wooden boards to prevent water leakage, quickly completing the bath pool. Next, they filled it with water, and Liszt personally released the magic dragon, continuously adjusting the amount of magic. Eventually, he determined that a bucket-sized magic dragon was needed to heat the water to forty degrees Celsius.

Thus, the bathhouse was completed.

A wooden house was built around the bath pool, and the two bathhouses were finished within five days. On December 16th, they officially opened for trial operations, offering free service from 6 PM to midnight, with a maximum soaking time of five minutes. From 8 AM to 6 PM, it operated on a paid basis, charging one copper coin per person with no time limit.

Liszt had his own hot spring bathtub and didn't need to visit the public bathhouse.

However, Gort and others had been eagerly anticipating the bathhouse. Such a facility for bathing was only found in major cities. Coral City barely qualified as a large city but was far from being a metropolis, so it lacked a bathhouse. Ordinary bathhouses that burned firewood were prohibitively expensive.

"Ah, so comfortable, it feels good to the bone," Gort sat in the hot pot-shaped bath pool, immersed in warm water, groaning in pleasure, almost wanting to shout out loud.

Bathing in cold weather was truly a top-tier luxury.

The men's bathhouse was located in the commercial district, with a prominent sign: "Public Male Bathhouse of Flower Town."

The women's bathhouse was situated between the residential area and the administrative office, also with a prominent sign: "Public Female Bathhouse of Flower Town." They specifically recruited several female patrol officers to ensure the safety and security of the bathhouse, preventing peeping toms from spying on the bathing women.

At that moment, Parris was lying in the bath pool with her sister Maggie, enjoying the warmth of the water.

"So comfortable, sister."

"Indeed, it's very comfortable. I never expected such a pleasant hot bath in a rural town," she rubbed the dirt off her body contentedly, having not had a proper bath during their long journey, "Being able to eat delicious food every day, having an easy job, enjoying a hot bath, and living in a clean and tidy house, Maggie, I've fallen in love with this place."

"Me too, I like Flower Town," Maggie swam in the bath pool and then came over to help her sister scrub her back, chanting all the while, "Praise the lord, praise the noble lord of Flower Town!"

Enjoying the sensation of the back rub, Parris closed her eyes, feeling so relaxed that she wanted to sleep, and responded, "The Baron, the noble Baron, is indeed extraordinary."

Under Liszt's deliberate concealment, no one asked how the large pool of water was heated.

On the first day of the trial operation, not many people came to bathe during the daytime.

Commoners were accustomed to not bathing, and some even went an entire winter without a bath. Moreover, paying a copper coin for a bath was not a wise choice. With that money, they could boil water at home to wipe their bodies and save enough to buy four loaves of black bread, which would last for several days.

However, after 6 PM, people came in droves.

Laborers returning from construction sites and fields formed long queues, unwilling to miss the free opportunity. Fortunately, the pools were large enough, and the five-minute rule ensured everyone got a chance. After just one round, the water turned black with a thick layer of dirt floating on top.

The serfs didn't mind, laughing and enjoying the warm water.

A worker called out loudly, "This is the great lord's welfare for the commoners. You can enjoy such happiness because of the lord!"

The serfs responded in chorus, "Praise the lord!"

After finishing their baths, another worker announced, "The great lord has bestowed you with hot water!"

"Praise the lord!"

"The lord is too great."

"The great lord, the great Flower Town."

Various slogans were repeatedly chanted by the serfs, including the newly arrived ones who stammered in their native tongue, "Praise the lord."

This idea was conceived by Gort, a crude form of brainwashing propaganda.

Liszt did not object, believing that the commoners should rightfully thank him. In all of Coral Island, only Flower Town had a bathhouse open to freemen and serfs.

Although his initial intention was to complete the smog task, doing good deeds deserved praise and gratitude.

Didn't it?

...

During the evening banquet, after a refreshing bath and a satisfying meal, Parris couldn't help but praise, "The public bathhouse of Flower Town is a remarkable achievement, Baron."

Liszt cut into his steak and responded calmly, "I provide my people with food, cotton clothes, copper coins, and jobs, as well as hot baths. No one is more suited to be a lord than I am."

Gort immediately stood up, raised his wine glass, and shouted loudly, "To the hot baths, to Flower Town, here's to Baron Liszt, the great lord!"

"To Baron Liszt, the great lord!"

Seeing everyone raise their glasses, Parris could not remain seated either and lifted her glass as well, "To Baron Liszt, the great lord."

Liszt raised his glass, smiling at his followers and subordinates, "I am with you all."

Every time such a scene unfolded at a banquet, it lifted his spirits. This was also why he favored Gort as the town advisor; at least in leading the praise, Gort's performance deserved extra points.

However, too much flattery was not good.

Being a rational adult, he took a slight sip of red wine and thought to himself, "I need a loyal and honest minister."

For ten consecutive days, Lao Bai had not begged for votes. Now, with the new book monthly vote ranking unstable, he requests everyone who has votes to give them to Lao Bai, to secure his position in the top ten of the monthly votes!