The greenhouse still needed human intervention, so Lucian taught Goblin how to clean the reservoir, which was hidden inside the makeshift hill.
It used a water clock system to water the plants every day at dawn (once water filled a small container, it would trigger a release that would send water through glazed ceramic pipes).
Lucian opened a hidden door to the hill. After lighting up the torches along the walls, he climbed up a large tank filled with water.
Goblin followed behind.
"We are still looking into a filter system, but until then, we need to clean the tank at least once every two months," Lucian pointed to the water. "Check the smell and color. If it's clean and clear, then it's fine. Cold water could shock the plants and kill them off, so also check its temperature, whether it needs some heating..."
Goblin nodded in understanding.
"Good. Now, let's move on to the next step. We need to add some nutrients to the water. I developed them myself, and they help to promote healthy plant growth," Lucian explained, "I have them stored in this barrel over here."
He let Goblin pour the nutrients into the tank and use a long, narrow stick to stir the mixture.
"When there is no sun, we use the back-up fireplace to heat the stones," Lucian explained as he led Goblin to the second heating system beside the solar one.
There was another water tank with a fireplace placed under it, which was used to distribute heat through pipes underneath the ground. This one was insulated and had a thick lid to prevent steam from escaping.
"I barely use it here, but cities further north would require them more often," Lucian said, "I call it a boiler system. It works by having hot water run through the pipes to transfer heat. It runs on both coal and wood."
He then showed Goblin how to control the humidity levels in the greenhouse, "If the humidity is too high, the plants will start to rot. If it's too low, the plants will dry out and die."
He used a long staff with a hook to open one of the window panels, which was three meters above them. "One vent is placed above and the other below," he opened another panel close to the ground, "This is to allow air circulation."
The greenhouse was divided into two zones. The plants that were more sensitive to temperature and light were placed closer to the artificial heat sources, while the hardier ones were placed further away.
There were many misses and errors, which were corrected and improved upon over time. Things broke down, were fixed, and broken again, so the storage room had many replacement parts just in case.
"You can leave the pest control to the house's gardeners. They should know how to handle them," Lucian added, "But the operation of the greenhouse is something that only we can do. That includes repairs."
They moved back to the entrance to the hill, where Lucian stopped Goblin from moving forth.
Goblin's eyes widened in amazement as the water clock activated and water began to flow through the pipes, sprinkling the plants in the greenhouse. It was a beautiful sight.
"Wow," he whispered.
"I call them sprinklers," Lucian said, watching the droplets of water gently fall on the leaves. He then looked at Goblin and saw the wonder in his eyes. "What do you think?"
"It looks amazing," Goblin answered truthfully, "Can I really be in charge of this?"
"Yes," Lucian replied without hesitation, "This is your new home now. I've hired a few gardeners to assist you in your duties."
The young boy blinked, tears starting to form in his eyes as he nodded vigorously. "I will make sure that everything runs smoothly here."
Lucian smiled and ruffled his hair.
"You can start with scrubbing the reservoir once it empties, then filling it back up," he said, pointing at the well outside. He found these tasks to be wasting his valuable time, so he always hired temporary workers for this.
It was pointless to hire full-time gardeners when the greenhouse had barely been finished a year ago. The greenhouse currently housed the more resilient and easier to care for plants.
Lucian spent most of his time collecting seeds and making sure the system worked.
He needed his gardeners to be on the move. Not only would they have to take care of multiple greenhouses at once, his distribution services also needed a workforce to function.
"It's time to make big money," Lucian rolled up his sleeves, ready to unload the wagon. "The new batch of employees should arrive soon enough."
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The new batch of employees arrived in two days, and Lucian wasted no time in getting them to work. Some were given the task of planting new plants, and others were put on the task of maintaining the already planted ones.
Lucian was everywhere, supervising every aspect of the greenhouse, "Hey! Be careful with that! It's a living thing!"
"Sorry, sir," one of the gardeners replied, looking down at the plant he had just buried under a careless heap of soil. "I'm used to working with trees and bushes. This is the first time I'm working with delicate stuff like this."
It was a rare variety of flower, which would grow to bear large leaves resembling the wings of a dragonfly.
Lucian leaned down to examine the sapling in the ground. It was a bit battered and bruised, but nothing that wouldn't heal in time. "Switch with someone else, you will take care of the fruit trees and shrubs."
"Understood," the gardener said, quickly leaving to change his position.
The rest of the workers seemed to have learned from that situation and started handling the flowers and plants with more care. Their pay was based on their experience and skill, and that one, who had just lied about his experience, had his pay cut.
Running around, Goblin supervised the work in silence, his expression serious. The gardeners were no locals, so beyond cleaning the greenhouse, he was also responsible for arranging their meals and lodgings, as well as making sure they did their job, and reporting everything to Lucian once he came back.
"I will leave them in your care," Lucian said, patting the boy on his head, "I need to go and get the goods to sell to my clients in the south."