Volume 8 Chapter 175, Steady Advance ~ 28
Next morning.
Last night, Satoru was visited by a young dwarf from the Black Bear Workshop who had accompanied him to the Black Bear Workshop, accompanied by Rico and Isolde (plus Leia in the shadows) to Solor, the key figure in the victory.
Incidentally, Solor was the sole recipient of Satoru's favor last night. Basically, Solor was expressionless, but she was cummed in the vagina three times, and at the end, she could not stand up on her back. But her expression was quite euphoric.
「Guhahaha! I lost, I lost! Defeated by force, defeated by alcohol. I can't even utter a sound!」
Satoru received an apology from the Black Bear as soon as he was ushered into a room that was cluttered with parchment and paper, probably drawings, which seemed at odds with a reception room.
There was no evil in his colorful smile. And by the way, he has no hair. He was wearing a cloth on his head yesterday, so Satoru just couldn't tell. His beard is full, so it looks strange, but it suits him.
「Not to mention the power. I never thought I'd lose in a drinking contest! I was rude yesterday. I'm sorry.」
Satoru calmly forgave the Black Bear, who bowed his head, exposing his bald head. If you apologize properly, a little rudeness is not a problem.
「I mean, your name is Vance, are you?」
「That's right, Deligrande, no, the best blacksmith in Arsweta is this Black Bear, Vance.」
Vance smacks his chest and smiles. It seems that "Black Bear" is a nickname. He certainly has the air of a charming bear.
「I mean, come on. I got a letter telling me to turn to you if I ever needed anything.」
Liese is not after Satoru. He had been thinking that he didn't need the letter that Dahl had given him in case of any trouble since he hadn't had any problems since he had dealt with the three knights in Liese's country, but if he could see Vance like this, it would be different.
「Hah? A letter?」
Frowning exaggeratedly, Vance snatched the parchment from Satoru's hand. His expression changes as he reads it, suspiciously.
「Mhm......mhm!」
Vance looked up at Satoru with a mysterious look on his face as he finished reading.
「Are you an acquaintance of Olof?」
「Well, just an acquaintance.」
He guesses he could say they are acquaintances since they only met by chance.
「So you know Hannah, too?」
「Well, something like that.」
「You should say that first! I'm indebted to them, and I'm not going to ignore them if they ask me to!!」
「That's ....... I'm sorry.」
Vance suddenly changed his attitude and turned sincere. The saying, "the good you do for others is good you do yourself," passed through Satoru's mind.
He only met them by chance. Hannah happened to fall down near Satoru, and he shared some of his dinners with her. He taught her father, Olof, how to make mayonnaise, but it seems that karma comes and goes.
One can only guess at the connection between the mere chicken trader and the burly Vance, but it seems that Vance feels an extraordinary debt of gratitude to Dahl and his daughter. He tossed the parchment papers that were scattered on the couch and desk to the side and sat Satoru and the others down there, and Vance sat down across from him with a difficult look on his face.
「So? Was it an airship? I'm pretty sure the drawing board is still there, but...」
「Ah, no. You don't necessarily have to make the same one.」
Satoru signals Rico to take out a stack of papers from a messy sketch he made in the town of Clatta.
「Look at this one.」
「What is this?」
Picking up a sheet at random, Vance strokes his chin and rubs it, making a difficult face.
「I've been searching for a shape that would be suitable for flying. I thought I'd ask you, the expert, for your opinion.」
「Hoo ......, this is interesting.」
Vance's expression turned joyful as he looked at the sketch. Satoru's request is a box-shaped living space with a minimum length and width of 12 feet (3 m 60 cm) and a height of 7 feet (2 m 10 cm). He was simply thinking of the size of an 8 tatami room, 12 feet in height, and 12 feet in width. Currently, Satoru has six magical slaves, Leia, Rico, Minerva, Liz, Solor, and Isolde, so it would be tough to just lie down and sleep in a room that size. The living space should be large, but not more than one major (9m) on each side. If it is too large, it will be too conspicuous, and too much space will be wasted.
「Then it's just a matter of the weight combination. ...... hmmm」
Vance takes Satoru's sketch in his hand and quickly writes on a piece of parchment himself. The sketch in his hand is of a monoplane.
「The shape is like a large bird, huh? It would be easy to balance it if opal were inserted at the tips of the wings and in the middle of the body. But with this shape, if we want the size of the box you say, it's going to be pretty big.」 [TLN: Sorry, before, to be exact in chapter 111, I translate opal as protein stone, 蛋白石, once again I'm sorry]
「Right? So how about this?」
Satoru shows a sketch of a transport plane, and he and Vance argue about what would happen if the wings of this plane were shortened. The wings of an airplane, in terms of aerodynamic characteristics, would be more efficient if they were placed lower, but that can be done with the sorcery that is granted.
Vance pulled out a drawing of an old airship. According to the drawing, the airships of the Ancient Magical Kingdom were strangely shaped. There were four boats, with a person in the center boat, opal in the boats on either side and an upturned boat directly above the center boat with amethyst for buoyancy. [TLN: Purple crystals => Amethyst]
Rico and Isolde look on in amazement as Satoru and Vance exchange enthusiastic opinions, such as "You don't need a boat right above you, so why don't you make this one box-shaped?"
「.....Somehow, Satoru's eyes are sparkling」」
「Men are very interested in such things.」
When a man is absorbed in making things, he returns to his childish mind. It seems that the subtleties of this area are difficult for women to understand. It took one hour (40 minutes) of enthusiastic exchanges while receiving lukewarm gazes from Rico and Isolde.
「Considering the living space, this shape seems to be the best. The balance will also be manageable with these wings.」
Finally, they reached a certain conclusion.
The main wings, vertical tail, and horizontal tail are attached to a cylinder. However, the main wings are much smaller than those of a passenger plane, and the drawing shows the wings slanting downward at an angle. It may be a short type of wing of a military transport aircraft.
Satoru explained the aerodynamics of the aircraft, but of course, he is not a specialist, so he could not explain it in detail. The tail fin is used to stabilize the airflow, and he was concerned because he knew that if this part did not work properly, the plane would not fly straight no matter how much thrust it received, but Vance simply said, "Leave it to me".
After gaining a certain level of understanding, Vance, who had been in a feverish state, looked at the rough drawings and groaned.
「We can get amethysts around here, but we can't get opals here, and we don't have any in stock. We might be able to get some magic stones and silver threads if we go all the way to Royal Capital, but even then, it's all about the money. At this rate, we're only going to make gawa, you know?」 [TLN: Sorry don't know how to translate gawaガワ]
Satoru grinned and took out a bag from his backpack and held it out to Vance, who had just now realized the problem and made a bitter face.
「Here you will find amethyst, silver thread, magic stones, and opals. If you need more, just let me know. I still have more.」
「Ohhh! Let's see ......Ouh, this is enough」
Vance nodded broadly when he received the bag and looked at its contents. The bag contained the finest gems Vance had ever seen. The quantity is also ample.
However, the only thing that can be done is Gawa ― Even if there is a gem to be given, it is meaningless unless the art is put into it. Noticing Vance's gaze, Satoru kept his voice low.
「And I can do the most important part, the 【Grant Goods】.」
「What the!」
Vance's eyes widen. In today's world, no practitioner has enough soul to cast the necessary arts on the airship. In fact, even at that time, the magic power of the Tower of Magic was originally used to grant it. Satoru's eyes are mischievously smiling, but they are extremely serious. It doesn't feel like he is joking.
「Of course, it is a secret that I can use such a complicated grant.」
Satoru's gaze became a little more intense. His eyes were so strong that Vance felt a cold sweat break out on his back, and he shuddered before smiling.
「...... interesting」
If this human giant could seriously perform such a feat, then this new type of airship would not be a decoration, but would really be a tremendous flying machine. Vance was elated by the joy of being able to create something that, although he had thought about it, was actually impossible.
Satoru also grinned and then remembered something.
「The problem is, I ain't got that much time.」
「Nuh ......」
Vance's expression became distorted as if he had been thinking excitedly about how to make it in his head. He is also a skilled craftsman. He has made a variety of things under time constraints. However, the order was not a half-baked one. It is, after all, the first time he has made something in this world.
「Normally, I would like to get one season, but ...... you don't have time, do you?」
One season is 85 days. But it's still fast enough. But Satoru shook his head left and right.
「I can't wait for one season. If possible, I'd like to ask you to do it in Choppaya (very fast).」
「Choppaya? I don't understand, but it's urgent anyway, right?」
「Yeah」
There is the option of commissioning the work to be done, traveling by carriage during the journey, and then returning to pick up the finished product via a 【Group Transfer】 by Solor, but honestly, it would be a double hassle.
Satoru is not ready to take his time. He wanted to see Alice as soon as possible and reassure her, so he was reluctant to take a rest.
In fact, on this point, Leia, who still lurks in Satoru's shadow, is beginning to think that Liz's entry into the magical slavery was a good thing as a result. Liz is an ordinary girl. Her physical strength is only adequate, and she is inevitably exhausted after a long journey. She is a stopper, so to speak, in that resting Liz will also help Satoru to rest.
「And one more thing. I want to ask you to do something that looks simple but is very difficult.」
「Hmm?」
「I'd like to make water bottles about this size ......, I guess 10 of them will do.」
Satoru described a hand the size of a basketball. Vance responded with a curious expression.
「I could do something like that in a heartbeat.」
Satoru grins and then gives a small shake of his head. An iron water bottle may not be that unusual, but what is needed is more than just an iron tube.
「No, not so fast. I need something ingenuity for the mouthpiece and the lid.」
「Ingenuity?」
「I believe you. Look at this guy, assuming you don't tell anyone you got this technology from me.」
Satoru took out a plastic bottle from his backpack and put it in front of Vance. Vance's eyes widened. Vance asks with his eyes if he can touch it, and after getting his consent, Vance takes the bottle and looks at it sullenly.
「What is this? It's a very squishy, strange-feeling material.」
「I don't care what it's made of. This is it」
Satoru stretched out his arm and twisted the cap on the end of the PET bottle to show it to Vance.
「A lid, huh ...... what the hell is this? What kind of mechanism ......」
Vance stares intently at the removed cap and the drinking spout. He, who has a keen sense of manufacturing, notices the ingenuity and begins to groan.
「With this lid, even if you turn it over or shake it, the contents won't spill out.」
「Murgh......」
「I want something similar made of metal. The mouthpiece could be the same as this one, or even a little bigger. Can you do it?」
Vance sniffs at Satoru's estimating gaze. As long as the actual thing is in front of him like this, it was made by someone's hands. There is no way that the Black Bear, who prides himself on being one of the best craftsmen in the world, could not have made it.
「......Hmph, who are you talking to? But can I keep this?」
「Ah, oops.」
Now, water with magic power in it is given to Minerva to drink every night, and I can't give up the plastic bottle now. Thinking of a substitute with the belongings I have on hand ― Satoru quickly came to a conclusion: an LED light. The LED light on the keychain was removed, and the battery replacement cap on the bottom was turned to show.
「How about this? It's a little small, though」
「What a work of art. ...... This is amazing. Where did you get this stuff, brother?」
The LED lights are not lit as they should be. However, it's at least immediately obvious that the thing itself is made by a technology that is so foreign to him. Vance immediately shook his head from side to side after saying so in surprise.
「Oh, no, forget it. I don't care where you got this stuff. You're going to leave this here with me, aren't you?」
「It's used for the same purpose as this mouthpiece.」
Vance seemed to have figured out that there was a reason. So he immediately retracted his previous statement and said he didn't care.
Satoru declared that he believed him and showed him these things, so he was going to reciprocate that trust. He is a pleasant man. Many craftsmen are the type that, the more they are trusted, the more they try to live up to that trust. Satoru, who had seen many of these types in his former world, felt a sense of familiarity with Vance.
「I see, it's a spiral shape, huh?」
Vance, who had been carefully comparing the cap and the drinking cup, sounded as if he was satisfied. Thinking for a moment, Satoru sipped the theoretical source of the cap of the plastic bottle.
「I'll tell you in a nutshell. Rather than nailing it, it would be more rigid to twist a metal rod with the same spiral twist into the cap.」
「What?」
Vance responds with a wide-eyed look. Satoru does not have many screwdrivers in his possession. He had a little trouble explaining the screw, bolt, and washer mechanisms because the only screwdriver he had was the one that came with the multipurpose knife. Next, he added explanations of screwdrivers and wrenches.
Vance just kept on groaning the whole time. Satoru also showed him a multipurpose knife, and Vance was amazed at the material it was made of. The material is a metal of a level that cannot be refined in this world. These techniques make Satoru's dialogue more persuasive.
However, one cannot understand the strength of the material until one actually tries it. However, riveting was indeed a frightening experience in making something that could fly, so if they could incorporate a screw system, he would feel more secure if they did so.
「So... Can you do it?」
Vance did not immediately answer Satoru's question. He groaned a bit, fiddled with the LED light in his hand, and then sighed heavily and looked at the multipurpose knife that Satoru was holding in his hand.
「If you can leave that with me, too...」
「That's fine.」
Satoru replies immediately. It is hard to imagine a situation in which he would need the knife immediately, so it won't hurt him to leave it in his possession.
Vance accepted the knife and scribbled something on a piece of parchment.
「So, how much is it all?」
The deadline for creating the airship is a concern, but so is the budget. Fortunately, there is a considerable amount of money left over from the Leia labyrinth, but it is finite, and although he could dispose of the kind of treasures he took from the Ingolshenes, Satoru does not have the means to dispose of them.
Vance seemed to have noticed this point again when Satoru asked him about it, and he looked up at an angle and thought about it, then shook his head gravely from side to side.
「I've heard a lot of interesting stories. Only the material cost is enough...... it would cost 30L (libram)」
「You idiot, there's no way I'll accept that.」
Satoru immediately rejected Vance's offer. Although he appreciated Vance's sentiment, it was not that simple. It would take quite a few days no matter how he thought about it, and the cost of materials alone would be too much.
(......You don't mind, Leia? Even 100L)
『Of course. I mean, it's still cheap.』
Satoru nodded deeply at Leia's immediate response. Neither Leia nor Satoru knew the market price of such a special item. However, if it costs 30L for the materials and it is necessary for one season, perhaps even 100L would not be enough.
Satoru pretended to take the bag full of gold coins out of his backpack and received it from Leia in the shadows, then placed the bag in front of Vance.
「I'll leave 100 gold coins (libram) here. If there are any leftovers, you can use them for drinks.」
Vance looked at Satoru and the bag in front of him alternately then tapped his bald head and chuckled.
Vance had always thought that humans were stingy creatures who would cheat a good dwarf. In fact, there had been many people who had come to Vance directly and asked him to make something. The reason is that there is a system whereby a tax of 25% is added to the quoted price if it goes through the country. If a craftsman is appointed, another 15% is added.
So, the bigger the business, the more people visited the workshop to negotiate, and the first thing they usually said when they heard the price was, "Can't you do something more?"
Whether it is armor, swords, shields, or other tools, they all cost a certain amount of money to make and to pay the craftsmen. Vance never gave a large estimate of what it would cost, and sometimes, if he came up short, he would pay for it out of his own pocket. He considered it a courtesy for the price.
Therefore, Vance has always thrown out all those who haggle without respect for the price. He did not want to deal with people who lacked courtesy for a price. That is the pride of a Dwarf as a craftsman.
In contrast, what about this big human man? Not only did he show me an item that seemed out of this world, saying that he believed in me, and asking me to produce something that would excite me as a craftsman, but he also told me about his remarkable skills. To repay him for his kindness, I told him, he would only pay for the materials, but he put down gold coins that would be three times the cost of the materials and asked me to pay for my drinks if they had any leftovers.
Of course, even 100L would not be enough under normal circumstances. Even a rough calculation would show that it would take 300L, but that was not the point. He put down more than three times as much money as I had offered him as if it were inimical to courtesy, and his degree of discretion told me that he was clearly different from any human being I had ever met.
「......Brother, besides helping Olof and Hannah, I like you. You showed me some interesting things and told me some interesting stories. It would be funny if I thanked you for that, but I'm going to finish it in three days, including today, with the help of the whole Black Bear Workshop.」
Satoru stared at Vance with a little more intensity in his eyes. What would normally take a season (85 days) to complete in three days is impossible under normal circumstances. But Vance's eyes are serious.
「...... are you sure you can do it that fast?」
「It's okay, no problem!」
Vance smiled at Satoru, showing his white teeth, and Satoru smiled back.
After that, Satoru had a detailed discussion with Vance. The main focus of the discussion was on the airship since it would be easy to figure out the screw-type structure of the water bottle. However, Satoru did not give any specific orders. As long as it flew properly and provided more living space than necessary, it did not matter. The rest was left to Vance's senses.
However, they talked about the cold protection and the difference in air pressure beforehand. Vance seemed to have had the cold protection in mind, but he seemed to wonder about the air pressure. Although Satoru has no intention of flying higher than necessary, the difference in air pressure is usually considered at altitudes higher than 5,000 meters. In the worst-case scenario, the airframe could be given a layer of air to suppress the air pressure difference, but even then, it would be meaningless without the rigidity of the main body. Vance looked convinced when Satoru gave him a rough explanation using a plastic bottle. Leia also seemed interested and asked him to explain it in detail later, but honestly, he couldn't explain it any further.
Vance immediately began drawing on parchment. His skill in drawing the plan, using Satoru's illustration of an airliner as a reference, is as skilled as it gets.
After the meeting, Vance accompanied Satoru to the workshop. Gathering all the craftsmen, Vance shouted from the mezzanine floor.
「Listen up, you guys! I want you to suspend all work for the next three days! You're going to work on one thing at a time!」
There is a small murmur of confusion from the craftsmen, but the murmur soon fades to a whisper. Vance slapped the large human man standing right next to him on the hip. Satoru managed to stay on his feet.
「For the sake of my benefactor of my benefactor, who beat me here, and for the sake of the man I like! Never do a shoddy job!」
OOOHHHH! the bold Dwarves chorus echoed through the spacious workshop. Rico, who was standing behind Satoru, even covered her ears at the sheer volume.
The craftsmen quickly scurried about to stop what they were doing. The boss's word came first, no matter what. The work was for a man whom the boss liked, and the work became more and more passionate.
After nodding in satisfaction to the craftsmen who began to move about, Vance turned back to Satoru.
「Wait for me at the inn yesterday, and in three days I'll have a shiny new model of airship ready for you!」
Satoru doesn't know if it can really be done in three days. However, three days is just about the limit of what Satoru can wait.
「If there's anything I can do to help, I'd like to help.」
Vance shook his head left and right at Satoru's offer.
「Oh, brother, I appreciate the sentiment, but that's no good. This is our battlefield. We can't allow anyone to enter while we're working.」
Satoru was convinced by what he was told. Craftsmen do not like anything that encroaches on their own territory. If Satoru, a client but by nature a stranger, tried to lend a hand, there would be opposition.
「I see. ...... You're right, I'm sorry about that. I'll wait and trust you guys.」
「Of course! Three days will fly by if you've got the ladies with you screaming Hyi-hyih like that!」
Rico, who was behind Satoru, shrugged with a wry smile, and Isolde looked frightened. Solor, of course, is unresponsive.
「Then, I'll do that.」
Satoru responds with a straight face, to which Vance replies with a broad smile.
「Gahahahaha! All right, let's get to it!」
Vance, with a drawing in his hand and he's rolled up his sleeves, descends the stairs. Once this happens, there is nothing Satoru can do. He just has to trust and wait and see.
『.......are you going to make me say "Hyi-hyihh"?」
(I'll make you say it.)
Satoru responded immediately to the voice from the peering shadows. Well, he was only half-joking.
『.....Let's be prepared. Hmm......』
(What is it?)
『Hey, I have a request. ......』
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