Miguel was sitting in his office, watching the soft glow of the flames in the fireplace. The comforting warmth seemed in total contrast to the brutal cold outside. He took one last sip of wine, the warm liquid sliding down his throat, before setting the glass aside and staring at the sheet of paper in front of him. He had to do something to protect the people of Drakmoor from the relentless cold, especially after seeing that family who had died from the ice.
He picked up a quill, dipped it in ink, and began to scribble the first lines of what would be an emergency project for the city: a chimney made of bricks and clay, simple, cheap, and efficient, which could be quickly installed in homes.
The base of the chimney would be made of bricks, the same ones being mass-produced for road construction and other projects. This would speed up construction since the material was readily available. He sketched the foundation, forming a compact square that would serve as the main structure. Miguel wanted the project to be modular—something that could be adapted for different house sizes without losing efficiency.
The inner walls of the chimney would be lined with clay. He knew that clay had excellent heat retention and distribution properties, which would help keep houses warm for longer. It would also withstand the high temperatures that burning wood could generate, preventing cracks and ensuring the system's durability. At the top, a simple iron grate system would be installed to prevent sparks or embers from escaping and causing fires.
Miguel made a detailed sketch of the most important part: the ventilation duct. This duct would allow smoke to exhaust but also be designed to permit some heat circulation throughout the house. He recalled some rudimentary solutions he had seen on Earth, where chimneys were built to heat not only the room they were in but also the hallways and other rooms. He drew the duct with a clever incline, ensuring that heat would spread through as many areas as possible before being expelled by the chimney.
On the outside, the top of the chimney would have a small stone or metal canopy to prevent snow and rain from entering and extinguishing the fire. The canopy would be simple but efficient, something that could be quickly made by the city's blacksmiths.
Additionally, Miguel wanted to ensure the chimney would be easy to maintain. He designed a cleaning opening at the base, allowing ashes to be removed without dismantling the structure.
Satisfied with the progress of the project, Miguel added one final detail: a modular installation system. Each house would have a reinforced brick base allowing for the quick installation of the chimney. This would ensure that the city's workers could install several chimneys in a single day without making significant changes to the homes.
Miguel looked at the finished drawing. It was simple, practical, and most importantly, it could save lives. The chimney would be a temporary solution; he knew that. In his mind, he was already planning a complete overhaul of the houses with better, more advanced heating systems. But for now, this would be enough to prevent further tragedies.
With a satisfied sigh, Miguel set the quill aside and looked at the sketch in front of him. A faint sense of pride washed over him, and he allowed himself a smile. Grabbing the wine bottle, he refilled his glass and took a sip, getting up to walk toward the window.
Outside, the snow still fell in silence, covering the city with a white blanket. The cold remained intense, but Miguel knew he was doing everything he could to protect his people. He looked at the sleeping city, feeling that, little by little, he was building something bigger—something that could truly change the fate of Drakmoor.
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Miguel was stunned. The news of another person's death due to the cold hit him like a blow. An elderly man, alone in his home, unable to withstand the freezing temperatures, had passed away the night before. Miguel felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. He knew something needed to be done, and fast.
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Rising from his chair in the office, he looked at Ricardo and asked him to come along. "It's time to put the chimney project into action," Miguel said, determination in his voice. He couldn’t allow more lives to be lost to the harsh winter.
A week passed, and the first chimney prototype was finally ready. Miguel was eager to see the result. He, Ricardo, and a few soldiers loaded the chimney onto a cart and took it to the home of a soldier who had volunteered to test the installation. The soldier lived with his wife and young daughter, and Miguel knew this test could make a difference for many other families in Drakmoor.
Upon arriving at the house, the team began working immediately. First, they unloaded the chimney components made of bricks and clay. Miguel, watching every detail closely, saw how the structure was carefully brought inside the house. Then, the team began preparing the spot where the chimney would be installed. They marked the spot on the ceiling where an opening needed to be made for the chimney pipe to pass through. The soldiers worked together to open the roof, being meticulous to avoid causing structural damage to the house.
After the opening was made, the clay pipe was carefully inserted and adjusted. The bricks were stacked to form the base and walls of the chimney, and the clay was used to seal the joints, ensuring that the heat wouldn’t escape and that the structure was firm. Miguel observed every step with attention, seeing how the project he had designed was coming to life. The soldiers continued working, placing the canopy on top of the chimney to protect against snow and rain, as Miguel had planned.
After several hours of meticulous work, the installation was complete. Now it was time to test the chimney. With the wood ready, one of the soldiers lit the fire in the house’s fireplace. Slowly, the smoke began to rise through the pipe, exiting through the chimney top, while the heat spread throughout the house. Miguel and Ricardo exchanged looks of satisfaction.
The soldier’s young daughter, curious, ran to her father, who stood near the fire. With a smile on her face, she hugged him, feeling the comforting warmth that now filled the house. The soldier’s wife also approached, embracing him and thanking Miguel with her eyes. The soldier, emotional, looked at Miguel and, with a voice full of gratitude, said, “Thank you, my king... you saved my family.”
Miguel, touched by the scene, humbly replied, “I did nothing but my duty as king. That is my responsibility.”
Ricardo, standing nearby, watched the scene with admiration. Miguel, still moved, turned to him and said, “We’re ready to begin production for the other houses in the city. We can’t waste any more time.” He knew this was just the first of many chimneys that would need to be installed to protect the people from the cold. And as he watched the smoke rise from the chimney, he was already thinking about how to distribute these structures to the distant villages in the kingdom.
The fight against the winter had only begun, but with each chimney, Miguel felt he was one step closer to protecting his people.
The week that followed was intense and full of challenges for Miguel and his team. After the success of the first chimney prototype, he quickly organized large-scale production. He knew time was a cruel enemy. The temperatures continued to drop, and the number of deaths from the cold was becoming alarming.
Miguel gathered nearly all the resources at his disposal. The production of chimneys became an absolute priority. Bricks, clay, and iron, which had been used for other projects, were redirected to the manufacturing of the structures. The scarcity of materials was noticeable, but Miguel knew that saving lives was more urgent than anything else. He allocated dozens of men to work exclusively on chimney production, from blacksmiths to carpenters to bricklayers, all collaborating to ensure as many homes as possible were equipped before more tragedies occurred.
The sound of hammers striking bricks, the heat from the furnaces where the clay was molded, and the collective effort of the workers filled the air with an atmosphere of urgency. Miguel frequently passed through the makeshift workshops, overseeing progress and ensuring everything was running efficiently. He barely rested. If he wasn’t checking production, he was coordinating the soldiers, who were now actively involved in chimney installations across the city.
The soldiers, who had once been in combat, now found themselves on a new mission: saving lives in another way. They carried the chimneys to the homes, installing them with the same determination with which they would fight in a war. Each chimney installed was a victory. One less home vulnerable to the relentless cold. Miguel felt a small sense of satisfaction seeing the progress, but that feeling was quickly crushed by new grim news.
At the end of the week, Miguel received another blow. One of the soldiers, with a serious face and a heavy voice, came to him with a new report of victims. "Another couple, sir. Young, no children yet… And an elderly couple also couldn’t withstand the cold." Miguel felt his heart tighten. He knew that each death was a failure, a life he couldn’t save in time. Every time these reports arrived, he blamed himself, feeling he could have acted faster, organized resources better, anticipated this tragedy more thoroughly.
He isolated himself for a few moments after the news, pacing in circles in his office, his mind racing for a solution to accelerate production even further. But materials were limited, and the city was at risk.
With a deep breath, Miguel returned to reality. He knew that, as painful as it was, he couldn’t allow himself to be defeated. There were more homes to equip, more lives to save. He ordered the soldiers to redouble their efforts, to work day and night if necessary, so that no one else would perish from the cold.
The winter was giving no respite, but Miguel was determined not to leave his people at the mercy of the deadly temperatures. More chimneys were built, more homes protected. But the battle against the cold was far from over.