Foreigner Volume 9, Chapter 195

Volume 9 Chapter 195, Demonic Dragon ~ 10

　After a break during the day, Yamato once descended unto the field.

　Of course, they descended to a place where no one was around. Although there was a possibility that monsters or beasts might attack, the large iron flying objects seemed to be a threat, and fortunately, they only ran away and did not attack them.

　Satoru thinks as he sees off the women heading for the restroom. There is no end to the number of times they have to go down there every time they have to use the restroom. The top priority is to build a restroom inside the Yamato.

　The women will have to get off the plane from time to time since they are probably not used to long flights yet, but eventually, they would like to be able to continue flying 24 hours a day. To do so, toilets are indispensable. Fortunately, they have some spare steel plates and other materials on board, so they can fabricate a toilet bowl out of them.

　The problem is how to process them. Satoru has primitive tools such as chisels and hammers, as well as the screwdrivers and wrenches that Vance taught him, so he has plenty of options. However, it would be difficult to work on a steel plate unless it was done at a factory. Satoru's strength may allow him to work the steel plate by force, but there is a limit to what he can do with just that.

「Mnn ......, No, wait」

　Satoru, who was contemplating the iron plate in front of him, suddenly had an idea. To process iron at will, heat is needed. He wondered what would happen if he could make his own palms heat up.

　In all the times he had used sorcery, he had never felt heat in his palm, even when he had created a fireball, for example. Perhaps it was compensated for by the art in the form of a coating, but if that was the case, there should be no problem with having heat in one's own palm.

　He can't remember what the melting point of iron is, but he thinks his own magic power would probably be able to exceed it.

「It's not just heat, right.」

　Since the basis of sorcery is imagination, it should be possible to do certain things depending on one's imagination. For example, it may be possible to cut a steel plate with a laser―Satoru lifted the steel plate with a flick and closed his eyes, deepening his consciousness.

　He gently stroked the steel plate, enhancing the image of a light leaking from his fingertips that cut through everything about three centimeters from his fingertips on the steel plate.

　His imagination was correct, for he could see the steel plate is cut off as he stroked it.

　He bent the steel plate with a little force, and it became a cylinder from the cut point. Satoru nodded his head and solidified his image of what was to follow. He now sends an image of intense heat to his fingertips, which had just produced a blade of light. There is no sensation of heat in his fingertips.

　He touches his fingertips to the carefully rounded steel plate ― he feels a slight sensation of heat, but not enough to burn him. The plate is reddish in color.

「Yep...Looks good.」

　Satoru nodded in satisfaction. 

　Even so, at the very least, it would have required a temperature of several thousand degrees to heat iron for processing, and he now feels uncomfortable with his own magic power that can heat iron to that degree and his body that has no effect even if he raises the temperature to that level.

　The fact that the quality of the iron itself was higher than expected was a pleasant miscalculation, even for Satoru. Iron loses its hardness significantly when there are a lot of mixtures. Vance's skill is worthy of praise.

「Then now?」

　Satoru thinks about the shape of the toilet and how to dispose of fecal matter. Rico suggested that a jar be placed in the toilet to accumulate fecal matter and dispose of it when a certain amount is reached, just as in a town without sewers, while Satoru suggested that the fecal matter be discharged directly into the outside world, just as in an old airplane lavatory.

　Satoru thought the slime-feeding method was the most appealing of all.

「Solor. Come here.」

「Yes￥

　Satoru call Solor, who stayed behind and didn't need to go to the bathroom.

　Satoru was curious about the ecology of slime that feeds on feces. He asks if there is any danger and how much it can process.

　When Satoru heard the word "slime," he thought of the water-drop type slime from a certain Japanese RPG game, but it seems to be something completely different. He was told that it was something like moving water, and he recognized it as something like a large amoeba.

　In the days of the Ancient Magical Kingdom, slime was feared as a dangerous monster. Physical attacks such as swords were ineffective, and if a person was unknowingly taken into the slime's body, he or she would be suffocated and the entire human body would be melted in half an hour (20 minutes) ― not something extremely weak like the water-drop type in a certain major Japanese RPG game.

　For a long time, its ecology was a mystery, as it did not have a brain like humans or other creatures, but a certain wizard who was interested in the characteristics of this slime completed an improved version that fed on feces after much research. In the days of the Ancient Magical Kingdom, sanitary conditions were extremely poor and epidemics caused by unsanitary conditions were prevalent, but the development of the slime dramatically improved sanitary conditions.

　Breeding would have been easy as well, as they would have grown naturally if they were detached and fed with fecal matter.

「......They're pretty handy creatures, aren't they?」

　Satoru growled half in amazement. If it is a slime that has been improved in this way, it will not attack people. They take in all feces and urine as nutrients, and simply expel fresh water.

　In the original world, it would be bacteria. The slime fulfills that role.

「If it feeds on Master's feces, it is more likely to evolve than other individuals, but it is basically an organism that can be eliminated by burning it. If an individual has been modified to feed on fecal matter, it won't attack people.」

　Solor's point made Satoru horrified for a moment, but if it can be dealt with, it should be no problem. She also said that the only way to deal with slime is to remove the water from the slime.

　Hmmm, Satoru thought. If we can prepare something like a sewage tank that accepts feces, put slime in it, and separately drain fresh water from the slime, we can make a toilet.

「Is it easy to get slime that feeds on that ...... fecal matter?」

　Solor gave a small tilt of her head. Her brain is stuffed with detailed knowledge of sorcery, some magic, and history, but her knowledge of the modern world is extremely thin. He asked the same question to Rico, who returned shortly afterward, but even she, who is most familiar with the world, gave a small tilt of her head.

「Scavengers, huh........I've never had much contact with it. They were an abomination, you see」

　Even in this world, toilets are considered unclean. Even in this world, it is the job of the lowest slaves to dispose of their feces and urine, and although it is accepted as a necessary job, it is said to be of low value.

「Are there such slimes in the wild?」

「I heard that they are sometimes found in springs where many beast tribes gather, but I think it is rare.」

　If this is the case, there is no other way but to ask them to give it to Satoru.

「Is there a town around here?」

「If the map is correct, there is a town called Palmida half a koku (2 hours) away.」

「Hmmm......... Then, Rico, Solor. Go to that town by horse and see if you can find it.」

　Rico and Solor nodded their heads in agreement while exchanging glances. They can't just take the Yamato to the town. It would take a little over a koku (4 hours) to get there and back, just before the sun went down, but if it could be done, the sooner the better. If it was going to be late, Solor could use a 【Group Transfer】

　After leaving the bag full of coins with Rico and telling her that Satoru would call her via 【Communication】 if he needed anything, he sent them off. Satoru pulls out a steel box for ballast and a spare steel plate from inside the Yamato.

「What are you going to do, Danna-sama?」

「It's still a secret.」

　Surely Satoru has got some hints on how to process the metal.

　Of course, even though he can manipulate that much heat at will, it's dangerous to do it inside the Yamato. It would ignite the bear fur and wood on which it is laid.

　For the moment, he knows that he can freely process steel plates and steel tubes by applying heat.

　Considering the slime to be put under it, a western-style latrine would be possible. First, he will consider making a western-style latrine with the steel plates and boxes he has on hand. Then he needs to think about washing clothes. If he thinks simply, a bath would also be possible. How to drain water ― that is the question. If he simply drills a hole, the water will drain out on its own due to the difference in atmospheric pressure. However, it is not possible to keep it that way, so it is necessary to think of a partition somewhere.

　The existing metal box and the metal plate would be sufficient. Even so, he cannot let them go to waste, so he begins to roughly consider the shape of what he wants to make, and start taking measurements.

　Satoru is excited to think about Sunday carpentry (DIY) for the first time in a long time. He takes out a measuring tape and measures the metal boxes and plates, humming as he writes numbers in his notebook.

　Right now, he's in the idea stage. The slime that feeds on feces also drains water. He writes down what he needs for the time being in the notebook. He will need a large piece of cloth that can be used as a curtain as a barrier.

　Vance might be angry with him, but he also needs to modify it to make it as comfortable as possible. For the time being, they will be living in this Yamato.

　As for the drainage system, think in two stages. The difference in air pressure could be managed by considering a separate drainage outlet and a place to collect the water discharged from the slime that will enter the toilet bowl, laundry, and other wastewater.

　The idea was to use the hollow space in the Yamato's outer wall. He came up with a mechanism to collect wastewater there and disperse it to the outside at the appropriate time.

　The experience that he has done so far in this world will going to use.

　What was most useful was the art of 【See-through】. First, water was poured into the hollow space at the rear of the airship to make sure it was welded properly, and then it was checked to see if there was any leakage into the other compartments.

　It is an advantage to be able to check by 【See-through】 without having to go to the trouble of dismantling and checking. Vance's technology was as good as could be expected, and there was no leakage into the other compartments.

　If this was the case, no need to think anymore. A light blade was used to make a cut in the bottom of the hollow space filled with water, and a knife was used to blow up the space to drain the water.

　Make three slits in the roughened part to create a path for the water to pass through, and then tamper with the steel so that a sliding lid can be made from the inside. Then, the fanned-out part is put back together, welded in a way that makes the fingers heat up, and it is finished.

　When it is time to drain, the inner lid can be shifted using the telekinetic method of rijutsu. The reason he put the lid on the inside is because of the difference in air pressure.

「Whatever it is that you are making,......, A art that emits heat that melts iron, an 【Anti-Heat Resistance】 that defies molten iron, and art for cutting iron. It is only because of my Lord's enormous soul, but I am still amazed.」

　Liz nodded her head in agreement with Leia's mutterings with a bitter smile. Leia, Liz, and Minerva, who remained behind, watched Satoru's work with half awe.

　Satoru has already mastered the art of sorcery. He is not able to make fine adjustments because his soul is too large, and while he avoids using arts that require fine control, such as 【Transfer】, he can use arts that they had never imagined, without chanting and with only his imagination.

「Drainage is now OK. ...... hmm? Drainage?」

　Satoru felt a tug in his brain as if he had forgotten something, thought about it, remembered it, and showed a reluctant face.

　Oh, I forgot to tell Vance about industrial wastewater. I thought about what to do, and then it hit me.

「The Sorcery Guild can send letters, right?」

「Indeed」

　If so, no need to say anymore. Satoru takes the sheath of the knife with the 【Communication】 art on his waist and calls out to Rico.

『Eh, Satoru, what's wrong? We'll be in town in a little while.』

「I want you to do some additional shopping and get me a sturdy, thick, half-major (4.5m) square or larger piece of cloth」

『Hmm-hmm. And?』

「I need you to send a letter to Vance in Deligrande.」

「A letter? What letter?」

　The price of a letter depends on the number of words it contains, Satoru thinks, twisting his chin to keep the text as short as possible.

「It is possible that the water coming out of the mill town is having a negative impact downstream, I guess. I'd like to add send a message to Dahl-san's place as well. I said you shouldn't use the river water.」

『What do you mean?』

　Not only Rico but also Leia and Liz are wondering. As if to remind not only Rico but also the two of them.

「Arsweta is upstream from Liese if you think about it. Actually, wastewater from iron and other processing can be hazardous to your health, depending on what it is. Liese's country was nothing like that in the south, right?」

「Now that you mention it.」

「In other words, it's very possible that the disease prevalent in Liese country was spread by people in the north who were using river water.」

　It's only a possibility, Satoru adds. The idea of pollution is out of this world.

「It was rather common in the world I was in. If Dahl-san's wife, or Hannah, or whatever her name is, drinks river water, they might get sick again.」

「Oh ......」

　Leia groaned as if she was impressed. Leia's knowledge of sorcery and the like is unparalleled, but even so, Satoru's knowledge is out of the norm.

「Basically, no need to reply, but ...... I don't want anything to happen. We keep moving this way......In the meantime, I'll let you know about Sheryl as a messenger.」

　Satoru is on the move, so he can't receive replies to his letters. Sheryl in Ares can receive letters. Sheryl will have a way to contact him, so he can deal with her if something happens.

「I understand anyway. I'll send you a 【Communicate】 when I get back.」

「Ouh」

　Satoru, who had finished communicating with Rico, noticed that Leia was giving him a subtle look and asked him a question with her eyes. Leia shrugged her shoulders.

「Well, I'll trust my Lord's eyes.」

　Satoru snorted at that comment, sensing that Leia did not believe that rugged dwarven craftsman off the top of her head. Satoru had believed in the dwarf in the course of their exchange during the making of the Yamato, but even that man who had called Satoru a friend must have doubts about Leia.

　Frankly speaking, it is not very pleasant for Satoru to doubt a man who called him a friend, and he thinks it is not a good tendency, but on the other hand, he thinks it is important to have that point view. It is never a bad thing to have people on the inside who see things differently.

　If everyone is looking in the same direction, it would be impossible to respond to a surprise attack (backstab) from behind.

　But that was not all Leia was concerned about.

　Leia knew that Vance, the dwarf, could be trusted in a certain way, but the fact that he had written to Sheryl was a sticking point. Sheryl was probably not active in Ares. There was a fear that sending a letter to Sheryl would mean that the Sorcery Guild ― and by extension, the Academy of the Wise ― would know of his whereabouts.

　The reason she did not tell Satoru was because she thought that the dwarf knew that Satoru was an extraordinary person and would not take any rash action.

　Leia's fears would come true in a different way.

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