episode_0062

“… … Well, that’s right. So, I think we should make an alloy and use it.”

The researcher was slightly startled when I pointed out the problem, but he immediately mentioned that alloy would be used.

“Alloy? You mean something like bronze?”

“Yes. But it doesn’t use bronze. We will create an alloy that can crush hard iron but will not be worn away or deformed by heat from contact with hot iron.”

I nodded slowly when the researcher said that he would make the alloy himself.

This is because memories of my past life suddenly came to mind. Even in my past life, I remembered that alloys mixed with various metals were used more often than just plain iron.

“So how is that alloy made? Making an alloy won’t be easy.”

“Actually, it’s not that difficult. All you need is time and money.”

“Time and money… … ? uh… … . Are you saying you want to research and make it?”

“No.”

“No?”

Speaking of time and money, what naturally came to mind was production through research and development. I thought it took time and money to produce results by conducting all kinds of experiments with a lot of money over a long period of time.

However, when I heard that wasn’t the case, I started to wonder. I was wondering why time and money were needed if it wasn’t for research and development.

“In fact, there is a special metal powder that makes steel stronger. In fact, among us blacksmiths, it is also called magic powder.”

“Magic powder?”

“Yes. It was created in the Kingdom of Fatale, also known as the Kingdom of Metal… … . It is called that because it makes iron very strong when used. If you use that, there will be no deformation in the cylinder even if you rub the heated iron.”

I was able to understand that the kingdom of Partail required time and money. This is because it was a kingdom that went much further north than our kingdom, and could only be reached by passing the border once or twice depending on the course.

In short, it takes time and money because you have to travel for a long time and pay a lot of money to buy metal powder there.

“… … Wouldn’t that be a bit difficult? It would take a very long time to get there. I’ll be away for about a month. I can do anything, but a few months… … No, I probably can’t be away for several years.”

As the distance from the Partail Kingdom was great, it was impossible for me to go there in person. However, sending someone else would have taken too long, beyond the realm of trust, and it was impossible to guarantee safety.

“First of all… … . I’ll give you plenty of time and funds, so try making an alloy separately. You can’t be satisfied with something someone else made, right?”

“Yes, I understand!”

“Also, let’s make a cylinder out of steel and use it. You just have to adjust the level you need by looking at the actual degree of deformation. Do you know anything? What I thought was a problem may actually be something I don’t have to worry about.”

“Let’s give it a try.”

Researchers began to secretly show anticipation at the moment when they could create something new with their own hands. It’s not a bad thing to buy and use something that’s already been made, but he seemed happy to think of using something he made himself.

Seeing that the researchers seemed eager to start research and development right away, they were sent back to headquarters. They ran toward the headquarters almost at a full sprint, just as they had when running to the blacksmith shop.

“I wish I could quickly find a way to make cylinders usable.”

I looked at the researchers’ backs as they shouted to each other that they would start their research first, hoping to find a cylinder to make the heated iron into a steel plate as soon as possible.

If you had an iron plate, you could use it in so many ways.

It was possible to simply use it as an additional reinforcing steel plate surrounding the exterior wall, and it was possible to shorten the production time for certain products. In the case of armor, all you had to do was cut an iron plate of an appropriate thickness, give it a slight curve, and drill a hole. In the case of a knife, you could also make it by cutting the iron plate lengthwise and then straightening only the blade.

I spent the winter as the cold began to gradually ease, imagining a time when I could make iron plates using troll skeletons.

Of course, that didn’t mean we could just rest and leave everything to the researchers. This is because a new building with a high floor height was needed to utilize the troll skeleton.

At first, since the blacksmith shop was half destroyed, I thought about tearing it down and building a new one. However, in order to build it large enough for trolls to move around, it needed to be wide around the area, which was not possible in the current situation. This was because the surrounding area was not my land but had a separate owner.

For that reason, the location where the iron plate would be made and the building where the troll skeleton would reside was chosen to be next to the blast furnace under the direct control of the royal family. Since I had leased the surrounding area, I could build any building, so I didn’t have to worry about money to purchase land, and I also had the advantage of being able to supply iron right away and make it into steel plates.

As soon as I had decided where to use the Troll Skeleton, I immediately took it out of the workshop. Since it was made with a skeleton, it could be reduced in size, so it was very easy to remove.

After escaping from the temporarily repaired blacksmith shop without it being destroyed again, we took several researchers with us and headed to the place where the direct territory was located through the cold winter weather. Of course, the researchers and I moved comfortably on a cart skeleton filled with blankets, so there were no major problems due to the cold.

One researcher caught a cold because he threw away his blanket while dozing off, but other than that, we arrived at the blast furnace without any trouble.

“Lord of death-!”

“Uh… … . It’s been a while.”

“The insignificant Skeleton Mage comes to meet the master of death!”

When I arrived at Goro, the skeleton mage left to manage Goro, or to be more precise, the skeleton spare mage, rushed over to greet me.

“Are you doing well with what you asked?”

“That’s right! The mission entrusted to me by the Master of Death is something I can never neglect!”

I slowly nodded at the words of the Skeleton Mage who shouted very powerfully. Even in the meantime, it was evident that they were working hard by looking at the other skeletons moving hard and the iron ingots being steadily created.

After briefly checking the area around the blast furnace, I immediately took out the skeletons and started building a new structure near the blast furnace. This was possible because the building was designed in advance so that researchers could use what they were envisioning.

The skeletons followed my instructions and created a structure in an instant using the rocks and dirt around them. A space large enough for the troll skeleton to move around comfortably was created. Of course, it wasn’t over yet.

To prevent rain from entering, trees were brought in from around the area to create a suitable roof, and an additional thing similar to a blast furnace was built inside. It was used to process the iron equivalent of cast iron from the blast furnace and make it into steel. And, in front of it, a fairly long board was created.

“If the heated iron goes up there, you push it into the cylinder, right?”

“Yes. It’s like rolling bread dough. Instead, to ensure uniform quality, the bottom must be reinforced first when the steel plate is made.”

The researcher further explained that the bottom had to be flat because it was not a cylinder that pushed both the top and bottom, but only the top, like kneading bread.

“Can’t the top and bottom be cylindrical? I think it will come out very neatly… … .”

“To do that, you have to rotate the iron to move the iron rather than push the cylinder, but I don’t know how to go about the process of applying pressure to the cylinder to make it thin. This is the best way we’ve found right now. Still, we decided to continue research because a better method may come out later.”

“If this is the best right now, there is nothing we can do.”

They say it’s the best, but I didn’t think I’d get much more out of it even if I tried harder. In the end, a structure was built to suit the task of pushing heated iron, like pushing bread dough.

Anyway, after making all the preparations so that we could make the iron plates as soon as the cylinder was made, we returned to the village. Of course, leaving aside the troll skeletons that couldn’t stay in the village due to their size.

And about 15 days after returning to the village, when the frequent snow stopped falling, researchers appeared in front of me with a result.

They whined and brought an iron cylinder larger than a person to the blacksmith shop. It was so heavy that even eight muscular men who worked as blacksmiths could not lift it properly. No, it was just that much so I could barely bring it with me.

“No, shouldn’t you have called me? I would have gone there myself.”

“How do you tell the boss to come and go? Even if it’s hard, it’s better for us to come.”

“Well, if it’s convenient… … . Anyway, so, is that the cylinder that will make the iron plate?”

“Yes. We temporarily named it Rolling Roller.”

I nodded to the proud head researcher and looked around at the rolling roller.

The basic shape was not much different from the rolling pin my mother used to knead the dough. It was in the shape of an elongated cylinder, with small sticks sticking out from both ends that could be used as handles.

However, even though the form itself looks simple, it clearly felt like a lot of hard work must have gone into making it. The cylinder had a very straight shape, and the handle seemed to be located in the exact center of the cylinder. It was clear that they must have worked very hard to put this together. Even though I don’t know if the purpose was to make the cylinder very smooth, it felt like it had been ground very finely.

“It’s very precise?”

“Since we have to make an iron plate by pushing a cylinder, wouldn’t the cylinder need to have a very straight shape? I thought that if it was uneven, the steel plate made would also be uneven depending on the cylinder, which would reduce its marketability.”

“That’s right. So, I was also worried about being deformed. Well done.”

When told that it was well made, the researchers all smiled happily. They seemed happy that the product they had created was recognized.

I laughed lightly at that and immediately headed to the territory with the rolling roller with the researchers. Thinking that if I had this, I could easily produce large quantities of iron plates, I couldn’t help but smile even though the cold wind was still blowing.

However, I don’t know if it was due to the weight of the rolling roller, but I was able to arrive at the blast furnace location on the third day, a little later than usual.

“Lord of death!”

Of course, this time too, the Skeleton Mage who manages Goro stepped forward to welcome me. Thinking that it was still a title I was not used to, I went straight into the structure where the troll skeleton was waiting patiently.

“Death… … My lord… … ! Nice to meet you… … !”

And, I was able to find a troll skeleton that seemed to have been stained by a skeleton mage.

“Not the lord of death, but the master of death!”

“Ah… … . Master of Death… … . Sorry, senior.”

“From now on, do well as my senior taught me!”

In addition, I also saw a skeleton mage who broke in along the way, lectured the troll skeleton, and then left.

Seeing that scene made me more curious about what happened here while I was gone, rather than the anticipation or joy of the steel plate being made.