Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 646

Episode 646: Hillbillies come to Seoul. (2)

Although there was some controversy, the town allowed professors from European universities to visit.

The next day, Huhu called Giovanni and informed him of the fragrance’s decision. After hearing the story, Giovanni expressed his gratitude with a bright smile.

“I am truly grateful that Your Majesty made that decision.”

“Then when and how many people will come?”

Giovanni thought about it for a moment and answered Huhu’s question.

“If you consider the time to go back, the time to prepare, and the time to come back, I think it will come around fall. And the number of people…”

Giovanni, who stopped talking there, looked embarrassed and continued.

“To be honest, I don’t know how many people will come. “There are people coming from all over Europe to participate.”

“huh? Are there that many universities in Europe?”

“It’s not a lot. And since people who were studying at the monastery also came to visit…”

“But wouldn’t it be possible to roughly estimate how many people there would be?”

Giovanni did the math again and answered with an approximate number.

“I think there will be about 100 people.”

“Most? at least?”

“maybe?”

Heohu sighed at Giovanni’s uncertain answer.

“Whoa~. Just in case, I’ll report back with an estimate of 150 people.”

“Thank you so much!”

After sending away the happy Giovanni, Huhu grumbled while choking on his appetite.

“Tsk! What kind of bastard is doing this! If he were an official of our court, he would have heard, ‘He who mixes black bean tea with tonics!’

* * *

The year that started like that went smoothly. There were no floods or droughts, and thankfully no plagues occurred. Outbreaks of water-borne infectious diseases were reported in several places, but doctors and nurses who were already prepared were mobilized to prevent them from spreading significantly. Farming was also recording an average harvest thanks to the consistently maintained flood control facilities. As the food situation stabilized, the market also stabilized, and those engaged in commerce and industry also worked hard at their jobs.

Meanwhile, a happy event occurred in the imperial family.

The Crown Princess had retired.

People who saw the room posted on the bulletin boards of government offices across the country were filled with anticipation and talked about it.

“How many more days will there be added this year?”

* * *

Meanwhile, after the Mid-Autumn Festival, a ship full of Europeans arrived at Mokpo’s trading port.

The ship docked at the dock where the quarantine station was located, and nearly 200 Europeans disembarked through the railing.

“This is an inspection team from Europe. Here is a permit issued by the Empire, a certificate of identity personally granted by Gonfaloniere of Florence, and a directory.”

The official at the quarantine station, who accepted the directory Giovanni presented, looked at the Europeans camped behind Giovanni. The official looked slightly tired of the situation being crowded with people who looked unusual at first glance, and looked at Giovanni.

“We need to compare it with the directory, so I would like to ask for your cooperation.”

“Sure.”

After getting off the ship, the European professors were guided to their lodgings after the directory was checked.

* * *

The place Giovanni and the professors headed to was the quarantine center’s luxurious waiting room. Since it was a place where envoys from distant countries mainly waited, the facilities in the waiting room were quite high-end.

“You can use these buildings. Are there any ingredients that are religiously prohibited?”

“There is none.”

After confirming that there were no restrictions such as Islamic halal, the official guided the professors inside the building.

The official who selected the rooms for the professors to stay in then guided them to the facilities.

“This is a bathhouse. “Here, each person can carry one basket containing Bizou and loofah towels.”

Several professors asked in slightly frightened voices at the official’s words.

“Do I really have to take a bath?”

The official answered the professors’ questions firmly.

“You must do this to remove salt from your body while on the beach. And in the Empire, regular bathing is a must for public hygiene.”

“I see…”

The official carefully observed the professors’ reactions.

‘That’s interesting. The reaction was divided in two.’

The professors’ reactions were divided in two. One side was showing curiosity with an expression that it was no big deal, and the other side was showing no interest at all.

* * *

In fact, in medieval Europe, ideas about bathing were divided into two. Northern Europe, such as Norway, and Southern Europe, such as the Iberian Peninsula, had less aversion to bathing. However, in Central Europe, such as France, there was considerable aversion to bathing.

This was due to the bathing custom that had come down from Roman times and the Black Death. Although it is said to be the Dark Ages of the Middle Ages, there were public bathhouses used by many people. Although the facilities were inferior compared to ancient Rome, public bathhouses were in operation.

However, these public bathhouses were used more as places for prostitution than for cleaning the body.

Because of this, religious people criticized it fiercely, and as a result, public bathhouses gradually disappeared.

The bathhouses that disappeared like this reappeared after the Crusades, but had to disappear again as the Black Death swept through Europe.

This was because there was a rumor that the hot water and air in public bathhouses carried the Black Death.

* * *

The official who introduced the bathhouse led the professors to the next location.

“You can relieve yourself here.”

“huh?”

At the official’s introduction, the professors’ eyes began to sparkle fearfully.

Imperial toilets were not unfamiliar items to them either. Among the products sold by the empire to Europe, toilet seats made of porcelain proudly occupied a place.

Of course, it was an expensive item that most ordinary people could not even dream of.

However, the European upper class, who learned of the existence and convenience of toilet seats through letters sent by monks, willingly purchased toilet seats.

What the professors were really curious about was a rather minor issue.

“How do we fill the empire with water?”

In Europe, whenever a toilet was used, a servant or maid with a bucket of water would wait outside the toilet. Because this was quite a hassle, the use of flush toilets naturally became a symbol of the upper class. Servants and maids had no choice but to use traditional toilets or outside toilets.

In the end, the professors, unable to overcome their curiosity, asked questions to the officials.

“How do you fill the water tank after using the toilet?”

The administrator answered the professors’ questions with an expression that said it was no big deal.

“It fills itself.”

“It will be filled on its own? how?”

Seeing the professors’ expressions, the official pushed down the handle on the water tank.

Shoot~.

As soon as I pressed the handle, water poured out with a loud noise. As soon as the water drained, the sound of water filling up began to be heard in the tank.

After some time, the sound of water stopped and the official looked at the professors.

“It’s all filled.”

“I can’t believe it!”

One of the professors screamed and pressed the toilet handle.

Then cool water poured out of the toilet again.

“How?”

“There is a large tank outside and that is where the water comes from.”

“Besides, by what principle does a toilet fill itself with water?”

The official answered the professor’s question with a perplexed expression.

“For that part, I am neither a researcher at the research institute nor a craftsman…”

“This was not mentioned in the letter they sent!”

The professors all nodded.

This was Hyang’s work. The letter sent by the monks contained a story related to this. However, the scent that censored the correspondence at the time immediately erased it.

“There are more than one principle behind this simple device. And if you are in a hurry, they will fill in the blanks.”

It was the result of a mixture of justification and spite.

“Can I open it?”

“yes.”

After receiving permission from management, the professors removed the toilet tank lids and inspected the inside of the tanks.

“Hmm…”

The professors who were looking inside the tank pressed the toilet handle.

Shoot~.

The professors who watched the water drain and then refill all exclaimed in exclamation.

“Oh oh! “What a clever move!”

“How can you think like this!”

* * *

The professors, who were amazed by the process of supplying water to the toilet tank, talked to the officials and examined the large tank that supplies water to the toilet.

“This is the fish tank.”

The professors’ eyes all turned upward at the official’s introduction.

A large wooden tank was located on top of a steel structure approximately 7 to 8 cubits (approximately 3.5 m to 4 m) high. And the pipes extending from the bottom of the side of the tank were heading toward the surrounding buildings, and a thick pipe was connected to the top of the side.

“The upper pipe is the pipe that supplies water to that large tank, and the lower pipes are the pipes that supply water to the bathrooms and bathhouses of nearby buildings.”

“How do we get the water up to that tank?”

In response to the professors’ questions, the official pointed to a large circular structure installed on the ground next to the water tank.

“I use that water pump.”

The official answered briefly and called the servants nearby.

“Look.”

“Yes, Nari.”

“Please show these people how to use a water pump.”

“Yes, Nari.”

The servants who received the order from the manager latched onto the handles on both sides of the water pump one by one and began to turn the handles.

“If you turn it like that, water will enter the tank.”

“Can you see the structure?”

The official responded to the professors’ request with a perplexed expression.

“Only those in charge of maintenance can open and close the water pump. And those people are on land.”

“I really want to see it….”

“If you go to the laboratory’s exhibition hall in Seoul, you will be able to see the structure.”

“is it?”

The professors, who were trying to control their disappointment, soon asked questions to resolve other questions.

“How do you know when to fill that tank?”

“I go up to the tank twice every morning and evening to check the remaining water.”

“What if usage suddenly increases and becomes empty sooner than expected?”

“A device similar to the one attached to a toilet tank sounds an alarm. Then just come and fill it up.”

“Oh, I see.”

* * *

Almost a day passed like that, explaining and viewing toilets.

After taking a bath and changing into clean clothes according to the quarantine rules set by the empire, the professors gathered in the banquet hall to eat and chat.

“Huh~. When I was young, I visited Byzantium and Cairo Edirne. “Those places were truly developed, but this place is even more so.”

When one of the professors who was enjoying the coffee tea shared his impressions, all the professors around him nodded.

Similar sentiments came from many places.

“I can’t believe the facilities of a quarantine center, not even the capital, are like this! “This makes me look forward to Seoul more and more!”

“Now that I think about it, I can finally see the iron horse and the railroad! “I have high expectations for this!”

“If you arrive in Seoul, won’t you have a chance to meet the emperor? “It is said that many of the objects that surprised us came from the emperor’s thoughts, so I would like to meet and discuss!”

“That’s right!”

The professors, full of anticipation, looked forward to the moment when they would be able to leave quarantine.

As a side note, quite a number of professors flushed toilets overnight to learn more about the water supply system in toilet tanks.

Thanks to this, the alarm bell rang three times that night, and the servants had to turn the handle of the water pump to exhaustion to fill the water tank.

“Shit! “These guys just eat and poop!”

And the next morning, lawmakers, wary of the possible outbreak of an infectious disease, flocked to the waiting area.