Chapter 44 - 044_Development
■■■■■■■■■■
044_Development
■■■■■■■■■■
Snow fell on the Dedel Territory. Isolated and locked away by deep snow, it was the northernmost knight baronetcy. And the lord's manor of that Dedel Territory was hot.
Rodney, the lord, was making efforts to recreate automobiles at the urging of Sage Daguldor.
He activated Shape Processing reinforced with Manipulate and Understand to create automobile parts.
The most important part was the engine, but there was no oil to begin with. Without oil, they couldn't obtain fuels like gasoline or light oil.
It was possible that drilling somewhere might produce oil, but rather than taking such a gamble, he decided to try another method.
By dismantling the beam cannon, he understood the power generation structure that used Life Light Stones as an energy source to generate electricity. So, he decided to develop an automobile that ran on a motor.
"With a motor, it doesn't emit carbon dioxide, so it seems environmentally friendly, so that's good."
Having thoroughly examined the beam cannon obtained from the treasury alongside Sage Daguldor, it was significant that they acquired technology applicable to automobiles.
The generator could be used not only for automobiles but for various things. Moreover, its energy source was Life Light Stones, making it environmentally friendly.
The reason it was just before winter when he headed to the royal capital was also because he had been dismantling the beam cannon and the electromagnetic projectile cannon (Railgun) to replicate their parts.
By dismantling those weapons, he understood the structure that used Life Light Stones as an energy source. Applying that, while an engine might be impossible, a motor was not that difficult a matter.
The structure of a motor was also not that difficult, so he could reproduce it quickly. However, it was knowledge at the level learned in science class, so it was probably not the same as what was used for automobiles or trains in his previous life.
First, he planned to make an automobile without a transmission. Because he didn't know the structure of a transmission.
The generator and motor were done. The chassis to mount them on was also made like a trolley. Since it was a prototype, he wasn't particular about the form. Here, a problem occurred.
"I can't reproduce tires..."
Wooden or iron tires would be fine. But rubber tires were impossible. Rubber couldn't be obtained.
Shape Processing was meaningless without materials. Without the rubber that was the material, there was nothing to be done.
"Find a substitute for that thing called rubber!"
"Don't say it so easily..."
At Sage Daguldor's unreasonable demand, he thought about whether there was any good material.
"If it came to mind that easily, I wouldn't be struggling."
He stumbled at an unexpected point.
"Hmm... maybe iron wheels are fine?"
Rodney thought laying rails would be fine. Even if it wasn't an automobile, he could recreate a train.
"Oh, that's a good idea! Lay the tracks immediately!"
"To lay tracks, we need a large amount of stones called ballast about this size."
He made a circle with his fingers to show the size, saying a large amount of sharp stones about that size was needed.
"I'll handle that with magic, no problem! Right! Bajis will create stones with magic. If we need a large amount, it's perfect for magic training."
"C-can I do it?"
"Do it. Then the path will open!"
Bajis had undergone training to sense mana, move mana, and was now training to circulate mana throughout his body. Sage Daguldor said that Bajis should be able to handle simple magic soon. Bajis's training entered a new phase.
"Master-sama. We also need wood for sleepers and iron for rails. In the winter Dedel Territory, these aren't things that can be easily prepared."
"Gunununu. We'll start on it as soon as spring comes! Until then, Bajis trains to create stones!"
"Come to think of it, sleepers could be made of stone too."
"Bajis, sleepers too!"
"Yes!"
Bajis, now Sage Daguldor's disciple, ended up spending the long winter of Dedel Territory training to create ballast and sleepers with magic.
Putting the development of automobiles and trains on hold for now, Rodney decided to build a research facility on the grounds. Up until now, he had been doing various things in the warehouse, but he belatedly realized that was inconvenient for handling secrets.
He wanted the research facility to be a stone building, so he thought of going into the sea and bringing back stones and rocks from the seabed.
He and Yulin went into the sea together, enjoying an underwater walk while putting suitable stones and rocks into the Storage Bag.
"It's been a while since we've been alone like this, Yulin."
"Rodney is a busy man, so it can't be helped."
The two held hands and swam freely on the seabed.
The weak winter light pierced the sea. They swam through the gaps of that light, sometimes pressing close together.
Picking up large rocks when they found them, the two headed out to an offshore area they had never gone to before.
The offshore depth was easily 100 lom (200 meters), and the seabed was a dark world where light did not reach.
Nearing the surface, they swam and enjoyed their own world. A school of small fish passed near them. The light reflecting off their silver scales was beautiful and captivating.
Then, a large fish actively moved around chasing the small fish. They dodged so as not to bump into the large fish, but there were many and they were fast. The two moved away from the fish swarm and laughed together.
It was refreshing to experience things like this when going offshore.
On the way back to shore, they also inspected the planned site for the port construction.
The area near the coast of Dedel Territory had many rocky areas and was dangerous. It was that same rocky area where the ship carrying Princess Erimerda of the Sarjan Empire had run aground.
The wreckage of the ship still remained on the rocks, but he intended to maintain and improve that rocky area as well from now on.
"I'm going to stop by the beer brewery. What about you, Yulin?"
"I will accompany you."
"You're not a squire. You can speak more casually."
"Any more than this is a bit..."
Thinking he would have to let her gradually get used to it, he put his arm around Yulin's shoulder.
When they entered the beer brewery, foreman Domeas and his disciples were tasting the finished beer.
"Rodney-sama, Yulin-sama. You've come at just the right time."
Domeas brought out the freshly made beer, wanting the two to taste it as well.
"This is delicious!"
It had a refreshing taste, with bitterness but not cloying. Yet it was a beer that also gave a sense of umami.
The beer that Domeas and his team had created through trial and error was very delicious, though its taste differed from the one in his memory from his previous life.
"It really is delicious."
Yulin also drank the beer and smiled.
"We've finally made something satisfactory."
Rodney had taught Domeas the method for making beer from his memory, but it wasn't so simple that beer could be made from that alone. It was entirely due to Domeas's efforts that he had taken Rodney's knowledge and produced beer to this level.
Rodney wanted to express his gratitude to Domeas, who had brought the beer to this level.
"I name this beer Domeas. Mass-produce this Domeas."
"W-my name... I'm deeply moved!"
Domeas burst into tears, overcome with emotion. His disciples gathered around him and cried with him.
"Boss, that's wonderful!"
"Your hard work has paid off, boss!"
Domeas was surrounded by good disciples.
Domeas Beer spread across the entire kingdom in the blink of an eye. It became famous for being especially delicious when chilled and drunk in summer. But it was also delicious in winter, and sold throughout the year.
When the two returned to the mansion, they saw Bajis training in magic.
Sage Daguldor's instruction was harsh, but Bajis diligently applied himself to training without losing heart.
A few days ago, he was happy that he could create stones. Now he was training to create stones stably.
"Rodney-sama, big sister. Welcome back."
"Bajis, you're working hard."
"Since I was taken as Master-sama's disciple, I can't do things halfway."
"That's the spirit. Do your best, Bajis."
"Yes, big sister."
Using the stones and rocks they had collected as materials, Rodney built the research facility with Shape Processing. He dug up the ground and also created a basement. When he covered the outer walls with the soil, it looked somehow like a secret base.
"It turned out pretty good, didn't it?"
The research facility that Sage Daguldor praised was 30 by 15 lom on the first floor with a mezzanine. There were two 10 by 10 lom rooms in the basement, so one could tell it was quite spacious.
For security, Sage Daguldor set up a barrier with magic. He even cast perception-blocking magic. They installed a large magic circle to maintain those magics.
"With this, we can develop automobiles and trains, and produce beam cannons and electromagnetic projectile cannons (Railguns)."
Production of weapons would be bad if leaked outside. From the perspective of information protection, such facilities were necessary.
"Well, it's better for secrets not to leak easily."
Until winter ended, Rodney and Sage Daguldor holed up in this research facility and made various things.
If you found it interesting, please bookmark and rate us below.
It would make us happy if you rate it with ★★★★★.