Chapter 59 - 059＿Development
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059＿Development
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One day after the long winter ended, Rodney went outside to test-drive the automobile.
He set up a test course for the automobile in a mountainous area. Since he also had Pinica help with this, it was completed quite quickly.
The reason he set up the test site in the mountains was that he wanted to reclaim as much flatland as possible, and to prevent information from leaking outside. He ordered the Blue Wolf Tribe to be stationed around the test site and to capture anyone who approached.
However, even if he hid the information, the people of this world probably wouldn't understand what an automobile was anyway.
Even calling it an automobile, it wasn't like the sedans or minivans from his previous life's memories. It was more like a tractor in shape.
This was done considering the road conditions of this world. Since the roads weren't paved, they got quite muddy after rain or snow. Also, there were many bumps, so they couldn't go very fast.
For those reasons, the front wheels were tires and the rear wheels were made into continuous tracks. It seated four people, and was sized so that even a large person like Rodmel could ride without issue.
"Motor start"
When Rodney started the motor, a slight motor sound was heard.
"RPM 1000. Engaging the clutch"
An automatic car was impossible, of course, so it was a manual car.
When he engaged the clutch, the car jerked forward. This part would probably become a bit smoother with practice.
"Increasing RPM from 1000 to 3000"
The automobile began to accelerate. However, since the top speed on flat ground was estimated at 60 km/h, the speed didn't increase that much.
"Shifting to 2nd gear"
He released the clutch, put it into 2nd gear, and engaged the clutch again. The speed increased further.
"3rd gear"
He operated the gears again and put it into 3rd gear.
Since the top speed was 60 km/h, the gears only went up to 3rd. He thought that was sufficient.
He raced around the oval test course at about 60 km/h. However, there was no speedometer, so he felt the speed by sensation.
"Stable at 2200 RPM"
Since he didn't understand the structure of power steering, the steering wheel was a bit heavy. But the wobble wasn't as much as he expected. The suspension was an air suspension, which helped reduce the shaking.
Rodney drove like that for about 1 koku (2 hours). Since he was just going around an oval course, after 1 koku, mental fatigue started to set in.
"Handling is fine. Feels good."
"Y-yes, that's good."
"Next is the durability test. We'll repeat gear changes repeatedly and drive for a longer time to check for malfunctions."
Though he said that, Rodney couldn't serve as the test driver himself. The Lord was busy with various things. He had to make someone else the test driver and have them drive.
As he headed to the Lord's manor thinking about who would be good, Hobart caught his eye.
"Right, I'll leave it to Hobart."
He was young, so he had adaptability, and since he had 'Luck,' even if an accident happened, he probably wouldn't get seriously injured. With that level of thought, the test pilot was decided to be Hobart.
By the way, while he was hunting Dragonewts all winter, they dropped items. They were Dragonewt scales, and he used the Appraisal Monocle to check them, but for now, they had no particular use.
He thought they would be beautiful as jewelry, but he didn't have the time or leeway for that now, so he was putting it off.
"So that's why I'm putting you in charge of the test driver, Hobart."
"...What do you mean by 'so that's why,' Head of House-sama?"
Hobart, who had been suddenly stopped and told the decision without even knowing what test driver he was supposed to be, naturally asked back.
"What, you're not very enthusiastic."
"I don't think that's the issue here."
Rodney explained in detail from start to finish that he was developing an automobile and that he was putting Hobart in charge as its test driver.
"Understood. So I just need to conduct the durability test for that automobile, correct?"
"That's right. Please complete the automobile with Pinica."
"If it is an order from the Head of House-sama, I will carry it out staking my life."
"No, you don't need to stake your life over it."
Rodney said it wasn't something so grand as to exchange a human life for it, but Hobart was fired up.
"Hey there, Lord Masterーーーっ"
As he was talking with Hobart, a loud voice came from outside the manor.
When he looked out the window, Brugar, the master shipwright, was waving.
"The ship is doneー"
"Really!? I'll be right down!"
It was the long-awaited ship made in the Dedel Territory.
"Pinica, Hobart. We're going to see the ship."
"Yes" / "Yes"
Pinica was also involved in the ship's construction. It was Pinica who created the screw.
"Hey, Big Brother. Where were you?"
"Test driving the automobile."
"Ah, I wanted to come too! Why didn't you call me?"
"Sorry about that."
Emilia puffed out her cheeks adorably, huffing.
"We're going to see the new ship now. Are you coming too, Emilia?"
"I'm going! I'm coming too!"
When Emilia also came outside, everyone headed to the shipyard together.
The massive shipyard was also a place with important technology and blueprints, so its surroundings were guarded by the Blue Wolf Tribe.
He lightly raised his hand in greeting to the Blue Wolf Tribe's security chief and entered the shipyard. The new ship was already floating in the seawater.
"Whoa. Is this the new ship? It looks different from the ships I know."
"I think that's because there are no sails."
"Oh, you're right. There are no sails, Big Brother. This is a failure."
At Emilia's words, laughter leaked out from the shipwrights working at the shipyard. Emilia, who was laughed at, puffed out her cheeks.
"This is a ship that can move even without sails, Emilia."
"There's a ship like that? Hey, let me on it soon!"
"Alright then, let's have the launching ceremony!"
Brugar brought out a barrel of Maride.
"What do you do at a launching ceremony?"
"You do this with Maride."
Brugar scooped up some Maride from the barrel with a ladle and splashed it onto the ship. In his previous life, they did things like breaking a champagne bottle against the hull, but here, it seemed they splashed Maride.
After the rough launching ceremony, everyone boarded the new ship. To move the new ship out of the shipyard, they turned the screw. Since there was absolutely no sound, it was hard to tell if the screw was turning. However, as the ship gradually moved forward, they knew the screw was turning properly.
"Wow, it really moves even without sails!"
Emilia moved restlessly back and forth on the deck.
"Emilia, don't fall in."
"Okaaay"
The ship advanced at a slow speed and entered the harbor. He could see Manas, who happened to be at the harbor, looking surprised.
"Lord Master. I'm increasing speed."
"Yeah, go ahead."
The ship gradually increased speed, but it was slower than the automobile.
"Hey, Mister. Can't it go faster?"
"Little lady, it'll get faster from here, so watch."
"Okay!"
The coast of the Dedel Territory had many shallows, so they increased speed after passing through them. A pleasant wind brushed the cheeks of Rodney and the others standing on the ship as it cut through the sea and advanced.
It felt faster than a sailboat, but depending on the wind, a sailboat might seem faster. However, a screw-driven ship moved steadily at the same speed. Wind or no wind, it didn't matter.
"Captain. Feels good."
"I've never seen a ship that moves even without wind before, Lord-sama."
"Is that so? We'll conduct several tests and check for defects. Please cooperate with the tests for a while."
"I've been entrusted with the world's first ship. I'll do whatever you ask, Lord-sama."
The captain was steering quite enthusiastically.
When they returned from the test voyage, Manas came running over.
"Rodney-sama! What is that!? Why does the ship move without any sails!?"
Manas was quite excited and pressed in on Rodney.
"W-well, Manas, calm down."
"M-my apologies. So, what is that?"
"It's a new ship we developed. It operates using the same technology used in that train."
"I see! So it's the same as the train!"
Manas confirmed when the second ship would be built. Rodney answered that he didn't know since it was still being tested.
Manas immediately contacted Hacklehoff and advised that they should purchase the screw-driven ship.
Then Manas handed over the items Rodney had asked for. What was imported from the neighboring continent across the sea were sheep.
Sheep not only provided wool, but could also be eaten. Moreover, the best thing was that they were animals resistant to the cold.
The total number of imported sheep was 100. There were 5 males and 95 females.
Rodney immediately instructed the Blue Wolf Tribe to start sheep farming. When he said that breeding them would mean more meat to eat, the Blue Wolf Tribe was highly motivated.
The Blue Wolf Tribe had already begun reclamation. They were using newly made farming tools to clear the land, and also building irrigation canals.
The drought in the Blue Wolf Tribe's land had been severe, and crops could no longer grow. Compared to that, the Dedel Territory, where crops grew if you tilled the soil, seemed like heaven to them.
However, the Blue Wolf Tribe was better at hunting than farming, and they didn't have much agricultural technology or knowledge.