After finishing a brief survey of Olden Island and the Br mountain range, I went to Floate and was recognized by Emperor Reinhardt as the Fraydlancia Baronetcy.
The Lapis Lazuli Heavenly Baronetcy was also almost finalized on an island with a Treasure Tree, located on the Kobaldia Ruins, but development for both wouldn’t begin until spring at the earliest, and no later than two years from now.
Naturally, we’ll need to survey the surrounding areas and subjugate monsters before any development can even begin.
Currently, the entire Retisencia region is under the direct jurisdiction of the Celestial Emperor, and I do feel we should address this situation sooner rather than later. However, the Federation Heavenly Empire is also short-handed due to development and reconstruction efforts, so it’s an unavoidable situation.
The Fraydlancia Baronetcy will consist of Olden Island and two smaller surrounding islands.
The smaller islands are less than half the size of Olden Island, but they are only about thirty meters apart. I plan to build bridges to connect them, designate one as a school and the other as a town, with farmland and pastures for the baronetcy’s capital.
However, aside from the Kobaldia Ruins, which will serve as the capital for the Lapis Lazuli Heavenly Baronetcy, nothing else has been decided. His Majesty is considering making the Lapis Lazuli Heavenly Baronetcy roughly the same size as the Esmeralda Baronetcy and Fraydlancia Baronetcy, which are on a viscount level. However, given that it’s located in the Retisencia region, he’s having trouble deciding how to establish the territory.
Since there’s no urgent need, and development can begin at the Kobaldia Ruins, I’ll leave it up to His Majesty.
Oh, but I do want the Felza Labyrinth, which is closest to Kobaldia, to be included in the Lapis Lazuli Heavenly Baronetcy.
With all that said, November had arrived, and two days had passed.
We received a notification yesterday evening, so today, everyone from Wing Crest, except for the students, gathered at the shipyard of the Crafter’s Guild located on the shore of Veil Lake.
The students looked disappointed, but prioritizing their studies was necessary.
“Wow! This is the hull!”
“It’s a little bigger than the ship’s hull, but this one looks more stable.”
Before us, a ship approximately 40 meters long and 12 meters wide, comparable to a medium-sized vessel, floated on Veil Lake.
While it looked similar to the hull used for the Manned Beast Carriage, it also had folded wings on both sides. When flying, it would unfold these wings and activate the “Flying” enchantment to lift off. Combined with the “Hydro Engine,” it could move freely both in the air and on water using the “Aero Engine.”
“Below deck are the amusement room, large public bath, and restrooms, right?”
“There’s also a lounge and a pool.”
“The large public bath has multiple bathing areas, like a traditional hot spring.”
The hull is an optional part of the Manned Beast Carriage, with the cabins located in the main body.
Thus, the space below the hull’s deck was considered dead space, and the actual ship’s hull was being used for storage. However, that was clearly a waste of space, so I put a lot of thought into it this time.
First, the large public bath is equipped with a waterfall shower, bubble bath, jet bath, and sauna, similar to a super public bath. While the Manned Beast Carriage also has a large public bath, it only has a washing area and a large bathtub, so they can be used separately.
The lounge is like an open seating area in a manga cafe, but the chairs are large sofas, allowing for comfortable seating.
If there were soft drinks and light snacks available, they could be utilized when regular services begin. The amusement room, adjacent to the lounge, already features billiards, cards, chess, and a mini-golf course, which have become popular on Helios Orb.
Personally, I wanted to build a bowling alley, but the metal balls couldn’t withstand the magical enhancement of evolved beings, and even Normal Class individuals could ignore the weight with the physical enhancement magic “Physicaring.” Most importantly, they could be used as weapons, so I regretfully abandoned the idea.
Since the amusement room was planned to include a bowling alley, the empty space it would have occupied is still bothering me. I wish I could build a bowling alley someday.
And the highlight, the pool, though small, is equipped with three water slides, prepared purely for recreational use. It’s about the same size as a futsal court, so I believe it’s sufficiently spacious for a vessel of this size.
To be honest, I wanted to build it outdoors.
“Hmm, no problems here.”
“Indeed. Thank you very much, Maran-san.”
“The pleasure is all mine. You always provide such enjoyable work.”
Maran, the chief of the Vehicle Division at the Crafter’s Guild, Fil branch, has been a great help to me since the prototype Manned Beast Carriage was being built. This time as well, the finished product is faultless.
As always, I am truly grateful.
“The test ride is next, but since we didn’t have a Manned Beast Carriage, we could only test it briefly. Even so, I don’t think there were any particular issues.”
“In that case, would you like to take it for a ride later?”
“Really?”
“It’s the first commercial model, and we’ve been using the main body.”
Although the hull is the size of a medium-sized ship, the bridge and cockpit are part of the Manned Beast Carriage, so without it, we could only confirm its ability to float slightly.
Ideally, we should have entrusted the Manned Beast Carriage itself or brought it in every few days, but our Manned Beast Carriage has been undergoing a major renovation until recently.
However, we received word that the hull was completed the day before yesterday, right after the renovation finished, so we haven’t connected the main body and the hull until now.
Therefore, I’m sure even the crafters are curious to know if it’s perfectly finished.
Incidentally, the main body of the Manned Beast Carriage has been reinforced with Cherry Tree wood and Lapis Lazuli alloy, and the vehicle body has been similarly treated.
The interior has also been divided into several compartments and fitted with mirroring, making it approximately double the size it was, especially the courtyard, which is now 720 square meters.
Of course, a quarter of that courtyard is now a pool.
“Thank you. I’ll take you up on that offer.”
“Yes. Oh, but before that, we need to install the Tenma Stone.”
“That’s just a replacement, so it’ll be done quickly.”
We’ve prepared a new Tenma Stone for piloting that supports both the Hydro Engine and the Aero Engine, so we can’t do anything until it’s installed.
However, after replacing it, only minor adjustments are needed, so it will be done very quickly.
After that, we’ll perform operational checks, and then proceed with the test ride.
Since the shipyard is on Veil Lake, it would be best to launch from here and then take flight.
Side: Prim
After confirming that Maran and the shipbuilding division personnel were also aboard, Yamato channeled magic into the newly replaced piloting Tenma Stone.
The Manned Beast Carriage, floating on Veil Lake, slowly began to move.
The airship, revealed to the open sky for the first time, moved straight ahead and gradually increased its speed.
“Whoa, it handles better than the hull.”
“We’ve made Hydro Engines many times, so compared to the initial models, both magic efficiency and water intake have increased.”
“Ah, I see.”
The Hydro Engine is a mechanism that uses the force of ejected water for propulsion. To do this, it needs to take in water first.
The initial model developed by Yamato was actually a bit weak in taking in water, and it took some time for it to reach high speeds after activation.
However, the Crafter’s Guild had improved this initial Hydro Engine, succeeding in increasing water intake and magic efficiency. As a result, not only has the initial acceleration increased, but the magic power required for the Tenma Stone has also been halved.
That’s why Yamato was so surprised.
“After creating them, I left everything to the Crafter’s Guild. This and the Aero Engine… I really need to reflect on this.”
“Yamato-kun is busy, and technological advancement is the Crafter’s Guild’s reason for existence, so you don’t need to worry too much. It’s just that when new technologies are brought forth one after another, it’s hard to keep up.”
Indeed, the technologies developed by the Crafter’s Guild are now widespread among the general populace.
I truly admire the crafters who took the technologies used by their past guests in their own worlds, adapted them to be easily usable on Helios Orb, and then improved them for mass production at a low cost.
There are stories of them being overwhelmed by the constant influx of new technologies.
Maran seems concerned about this as well, but since Yamato is the one who brought things like the Manned Beast Carriage, airships, alloys, Hydro Engines, and Aero Engines, things have gotten quite hectic.
Also, although I haven’t officially proposed it yet, Yamato is planning to recruit Maran as the Crafter’s Master for the Fraydlancia Baronetcy.
Maran has become the leading figure in Manned Beast Carriage production, and the Fraydlancia Baronetcy is planned for Olden Island, a remote island in the Nadal Sea, making ships essential.
However, the Manned Beast Carriage can be equipped with a hull as an option, making it possible for nobles, wealthy hunters, and traders to acquire one.
If Maran is there, it might be possible to make it a thriving shipbuilding town. That’s why Yamato wants to recruit Maran.
“Well then, shall we get going soon?”
“It’s finally time.”
Yamato poured magic into the piloting Tenma Stone linked to the Aero Engine. The wings on both sides unfolded, and the Aero Engine activated.
The Manned Beast Carriage then lifted off, almost straight up, and slowly moved forward, propelled by the Aero Engine.
Since the wings have the “Flying” enchantment, I, who performed the incantation, feel a sense of accomplishment.
“Compared to the prototype, the stability is completely different.”
“But if you hadn’t brought that, it probably would have taken several more years to complete.”
I can say this since I’ve ridden it, but the first completed prototype, even in a windless environment called Alka, lacked stability.
It was a rushed job to allow my father-in-law and mother-in-law to ride it, but it has since been thoroughly improved, with the participation of crafters like Maran and even Brother Rai.
However, this completed version has significantly improved stability compared to the improved prototype airship, and the shaking during takeoff was almost imperceptible.
Even though it was a prototype, to improve it this much in just a few months is truly the mark of a top-tier crafter.
“However, the problem is…”
“Ah, was that something that couldn’t be helped?”
“Yes. It’s also a matter of compatibility, but in the future, I’d like to use wind-attribute monsters.”
“We plan to do so eventually, so please help us out again when that time comes.”
“We’ll gladly accept.”
Despite the high level of completion of this airship, the erratic movement of its wings is still conspicuous.
The wings of this hull are made from the hide of an Ocean Howl Grand. However, being a terrestrial, water-attribute monster, it seems to have poor compatibility.
Still, it’s apparently much better than with fire or earth-attribute monsters. But since wind-attribute monsters, which fly naturally, are considered optimal for flight, Yamato plans to enter a labyrinth soon to hunt for suitable monsters.
Possible candidates include Dragoons on the 7th Level of the Solpreza Labyrinth, or the aerial corridors on the 7th Level of the Krater Labyrinth.
However, with this, the hull is finally complete.
Next, we will build the hull for the Celestial Emperor’s Family, followed by plans for commercial vessels.
The crafters will be busy for a while.
It will also be a great help to us, as it will reduce the burden on Athena and Eos.
Now, since it’s an opportunity, I’ll go out to the observation deck and enjoy the view.
