Chapter 91 - Chapter 90: Strengthening the Territory ④ Mass Production of Crossbows
The mine development that began in the Lestio Mountains, located at the northern edge of the Arqvist territory, was progressing smoothly, thanks in part to Noein's prior arrangements in various directions.
At the foot of the Lestio Mountains, houses for engineers, laborers, and slaves were being built, along with facilities to support their lives; it was beginning to function not only as a base for mine development but also gradually as a village.
In this mine development, a great achievement had been reached with the discovery of iron ore and copper ore veins. With these two types of ores, which could be called necessities in a civilized society, now being produced within the territory, the industrial production capacity of the Arqvist territory had improved significantly.
The one benefiting most particularly was Damian, the head blacksmith of the Arqvist territory.
Having taken in blacksmiths who had flowed into the Arqvist territory as refugees as his subordinates and expanded the scale of his workshop by securing a number of labor slaves, Damian was working on the development and mass production of iron products as he pleased. This was only possible because iron could now be obtained cheaply and in large quantities within the territory.
"—And so, I've improved each part so that assembly becomes easier and malfunctions become fewer! What do you think!?"
What Damian was explaining to Noein with such enthusiasm was the latest prototype Ballista.
The Ballista, which had been deployed in actual combat at the last moment during the battle with the bandits and demonstrated overwhelming power by easily splitting heavily armored bandits in two, had its effectiveness recognized by Noein as a siege weapon and a defensive weapon against large monsters.
Since then, Damian had continued to make improvements to turn this Ballista into a more refined weapon.
"Yes, in terms of performance, it's flawless... Let's call it finished for now. You've done a great job getting it this far, thank you for your hard work."
"Finished!? Really!? Yessssss!"
Upon hearing Noein's words, Damian expressed his joy with all his might. It was already a familiar sight for him to shout like this whenever he accomplished something.
"For now, I'd like you to make about three of them—some as weapons for monster countermeasures, and others to showcase as samples to the nobles of the Northwestern faction. After that, we'll mass produce them by taking orders from the territorial armies of each region... It seems it would be better to increase the manpower again."
"You're right, I think I'll create a dedicated team for manufacturing Ballistas... Please introduce any blacksmiths who come as immigrants to me, along with additional slaves!"
"Understood, I'll do that."
Manufacturing a Ballista requires more skill than a Crossbow. Since duplicating it based on a sample doesn't happen overnight, the Arqvist territory will likely handle the manufacturing for the Northwestern faction for a while.
"Is there any problem with the mass production of the Crossbows?"
"Absolutely no problem! Incorporating Christy's idea was a big part of it!"
Noein wanted to provide one Crossbow to every adult citizen of the Arqvist territory if possible.
However, after selling several Crossbows to the nobles of the Northwestern faction, and with the territory's population continuing to increase, it was not easy to make the number of Crossbows keep pace with the population. Damian and his team's production couldn't keep up.
It was then that Christy offered an unexpected helping hand.
Both Damian and Christy had been given private rooms in the residence of the Arqvist Baronet family, where they slept and woke. They often encountered each other and exchanged words in the dining hall and other places.
Having heard that Damian was worrying about the efficiency of Crossbow mass production and learning that the biggest reason for the time consumption lay in the manufacture of iron parts, Christy apparently said,
"In that case... how about making a tool like a press, and using that to apply pressure all at once to make the parts? I think it might be possible."
To make strong iron parts, it is common to use forging—that is, the method of heating iron and hammering it to harden it—but the core of this work is "applying pressure to the iron."
Christy proposed that they create a mold beforehand, pour in heated iron, and then apply pressure from above all at once to complete the part. This could be called an idea unique to her, as she had touched a press many times during her experiments to make soybean oil.
Following Christy's opinion, Damian realized the method of forging with molds, namely die forging.
Since this method lacks precision, detailed finishing work by a craftsman is required at the end. Even so, making each individual part became exponentially faster, and the mass production speed of the Crossbows improved significantly.
"I was surprised when I first heard about it too... I never thought a new idea regarding blacksmithing would come from Christy."
"It's an idea that only someone with absolutely no connection to blacksmithing could have! I was also trapped in the thinking that 'blacksmithing is something you do by hammering iron by hand'... To think I'd be like that!"
Damian seemed a bit frustrated, but it is a good thing when subordinates cooperate and exchange opinions, and as a result, something new is born, Noein told himself inwardly.
"If we use the die forging method, we'll be able to make other iron products more efficiently, right?"
"That's true... it depends on the item. Since there's a limit to the pressure that can be applied by human power, I think if we make something too large, it'll lack strength. It's probably best for making small iron products or parts."
Currently, it seems they are having slaves of large and strong races, such as Minotaurs or Lion-folk, handle the forging molds, but even so, there is still a limit.
"Though the story would change if a highly skilled puppet mage like Noein-sama would lend a hand in die forging with golems."
"Even I don't have enough time to go that far..."
The mass production of iron products is important work, but Noein, as the lord, cannot be tied down to it. And though the continent is vast, there are almost no puppet mages who can handle golems as skillfully as Noein. Damian probably wasn't speaking in earnest.
While they had drifted from the verification of the prototype Ballista into idle chatter, Pence arrived.
"Noein-sama, do you have a moment?"
When he came to Noein like this, nine times out of ten, it was when he requested a response to a new settler.
"Another immigrant?"
"Yes, and it seems they are someone who knows of Noein-sama... They say they are from the Earldom of Kivileft in the southeastern part of the Kingdom."
What Pence mentioned was the name of the birthplace that Noein would never return to. At this unexpected turn, Noein made a puzzled face.
"...Even in the Earldom of Kivileft, there should be almost no one who knows that I was pushed into the Arqvist territory and kicked out."
That damn Father—Maximilian—must have exerted himself to kick Noein out as secretly as possible and to ensure that the rumor did not spread within the Kivileft territory. Knowing that suggests the person is likely someone with some connection to the House of the Earl of Kivileft.
However, they probably aren't a spy who came to probe Noein's movements. If that were the case, there's no way they would voluntarily say they know Noein. It's a strange story.
"I also found it a bit suspicious, but they didn't have an atmosphere of malice... And so, they said that if they mentioned 'Daphne Alessandri,' Noein-sama would surely understand."
"Eh!?"
Noein cried out as yet another unexpected name appeared.
"How do you know her?"
"Of course... that Daphne-san is the magic item crafter who made my golems."