Chapter 170
Chapter 170: Let’s Do Our Best! (4)
Ghislaine and Galbarik, hands clasped, gazed at each other with burning eyes.
Both sides wanted to create something. They were overflowing with enthusiasm. It couldn’t get better than this.
Galbarik, unable to hold back any longer, fired off questions.
“Well then, what should we start with? Should I change the cosmetics equipment? Or should I take a look at this shared housing thing? Since harvest season is coming, how about farming tools? Just say anything. We’ll complete whatever the Lord desires in no time!”
“Wow, just hearing you makes me feel reassured. Of course, we need to tackle those too. But right now, there’s something more urgent.”
“And what is that?”
“We’re going to make a flying machine.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“I said we’re going to make a flying machine.”
After a brief silence, Galbarik asked with a trembling voice, “Did you perhaps come across the legendary blueprints for airships used in the Ancient Empire?”
“No, nothing so grand. Isn’t that just a legend?”
“Then how do you expect to fly?”
Galbarik clicked his tongue in disbelief.
The ability to fly was something exclusively reserved for those with wings or those who could disregard the laws of nature.
Even a powerful archmage could lift something with their enormous mana, but could that really be called a ‘aircraft’?
“I don’t believe we can just invite a powerful archmage over… Let’s just hear you out.”
As Galbarik and the dwarves exchanged doubtful expressions, Ghislaine had a servant light a small fire.
“Watch closely.”
Ghislaine tossed a piece of paper onto the fire. Naturally, it quickly turned to ash and disappeared.
After a long moment of silence, Galbarik scratched his head and asked, “What exactly am I supposed to be looking at?”
“Look at how the paper burns and the ashes rise into the sky.”
As Ghislaine spoke, he threw another piece of paper.
Certainly, as the paper caught fire, small pieces briefly floated up.
Galbarik still didn’t get it and asked, “So… what does that mean? Isn’t it just the wind causing it to rise?”
“But why does it go up?”
“That’s… um, because it’s light?”
Ghislaine shook his head and continued pompously, “This is just to illustrate a concept simply. Hot air rises. That hot air is what lifts lighter things.”
“……?”
The dwarves tilted their heads at this unfamiliar theory.
Having often dealt with fire, they had seen such phenomena a few times.
However, they hadn’t given it much thought nor attached any significance to it.
Galbarik, with a disbelieving expression, asked again, “But why does hot air rise? Are you sure about that?”
‘Well, I can’t say I know either. Why does it rise?’
What Ghislaine intended to create was a hot air balloon, developed in his past life.
A hot air balloon, which heats the air inside a gigantic envelope to make it float, was often used for military reconnaissance in his past life.
Of course, Ghislaine didn’t know the detailed theory behind why heated air makes an object rise. He had only casually heard the principle. If pushed too much on the details, it would honestly be troublesome.
“Ahem, it’s just the natural laws of the world. That’s how it works. When I throw an apple, nobody knows why it falls to the ground, right? It’s just the laws of the world. Isn’t that right?”
Galbarik looked at him as if he were speaking nonsense.
“What are you saying? Didn’t the great wise dragon, Schwarzschild, already tell us that there’s a powerful energy at the center of this world that pulls everything in and that gravity magic controls the direction and strength of that force? The reason demons are powerful and have longer lifespans than humans is because this energy is stronger in the demon realm than in the mortal realm… Nobles learn these kinds of basics at the academy…”
‘…This guy? Schwartz… what?’
True to the dwarf nature, once academic concepts popped up, he became even more chatty than Vanessa.
Basics and whatnot, Ghislaine hadn’t attended any academy, so he didn’t know anything about that Schwartz dragon or any of that scholarly stuff. Belinda hadn’t taught him such things either.
Still, he had a rough idea of what gravity was, having used gravity magic in his training.
But why such energy exists in the world and how it operates was something only desk-bound scholars would study.
In his past life, Ghislaine hadn’t had the luxury to be a scholar, and most of what he knew came from experiences working as a mercenary.
Yet, if it turned into some academic debate like this, he’d have to engage in an argument, which was not something Ghislaine relished.
So, as always, he decided to ignore it cleanly.
“Anyway, just remember this. Hot air rises, and cold air falls.”
“…Let’s assume that’s true. But how does that help us make a flying machine? I’ve never heard anything lift up near a fire.”
“Tsk tsk, think about it. Air is all around; even if it warms up a bit, it will quickly mix with the surrounding air. So we need to trap the warm air without it mixing with the cooler surrounding air.”
“You want to trap air?”
“Yes. By making a very large air pouch, filling it with air and heating it, the pouch will rise! Just attach a basket that someone can sit in to the pouch. That’s a hot air balloon.”
“O… oh… hot air balloon!”
The dwarves nodded, their expressions indicating that it sounded plausible.
Although it was an unheard-of method, they were indeed curious if it could work.
“But is this really possible? It doesn’t seem like the Lord has ever made one before… There’s not a single hot air balloon in the territory, right?”
“He’s been too busy with other things. For now, let’s make a small one first. Using the thinnest fabric and some magic, we can fill and heat the air easily. I’ve given you the concept; you just need to figure out the technical details.”
“Okay, so that’s how you handle flying. But how do you plan to make it move?”
“That’s easy. The wizards can hop on and gently use wind magic to steer it in the desired direction. When you need to stay in place, just tether it to the ground with a long rope. Think simply.”
“I understand! I will give it a try!”
The dwarves, while somewhat unsure, wore expressions of anticipation.
If this worked as the Lord said, they would carve their names in history as the first to create a flying machine.
Of course, since it was a completely new theory, their trust wasn’t absolute. It hadn’t been verified if it could truly work.
But seeing the dwarves burning with passion for a new challenge made Ghislaine nod in agreement.
“Alright, we’re busy now, so we need to get this done as quickly as possible.”
“Leave it to us!”
Galbarik exclaimed confidently but suddenly looked curious and asked, “But what do you plan to do with this flying machine once it’s up in the air?”
If it succeeds, the uses would be endless. Moreover, new concepts could lead to further technological advancements.
Galbarik probably already knew the answer, but he still wanted to hear what this young lord had in mind.
Ghislaine answered nonchalantly, “It would be very effective for reconnaissance in war. And if we prepare for the risk of crashing, it could also be used for transporting supplies. If the nobles used it for their games, it might bring in quite a bit of money.”
“Oh, indeed! I see. Is there anything else you need?”
There were plenty of necessities. New alloys needed to be created, leading to the production of powerful equipment.
However, finishing all of that before attacking the Cabaldy territory was an impossible plan. To produce as much alloy as desired, they also needed a bulk amount of iron ore.
“There’s a lot to do. There are several urgent matters; let’s tackle those while we work on the hot air balloon.”
“Just tell us what you need. Our craftsmanship is faster and more precise than anyone else’s!”
With Galbarik’s boisterous declaration, Ghislaine gave him a thumbs up.
“Ah, indeed it’s the dwarves. I had faith in you. Then let’s first improve the cosmetics equipment. We need to increase production capacity to meet the contract quantity. We can start right away, right? The goal is to double the current output.”
Though the order was larger than expected, the dwarves nodded. It might be a bit tough, but for those excellent technicians, it was not an impossible task.
“Alright, improvements on the hot air balloon and cosmetics equipment! We’ll start with these two! I’ll finish them as quickly as possible!”
Confidently stating this, Galbarik turned to leave, but Ghislaine grabbed him firmly.
“Where are you going? I’m not finished talking yet.”
“Huh?”
“You said you could improve the apartment building as well, right? Since the wizards are usually at the construction site, why not collaborate and do some research? After all, we’ll need to work with the wizards during the hot air balloon test too. Let’s aim to build another village as quickly as possible.”
“Ah… um. Improving housing…”
“Exactly, isn’t construction what the dwarves do best?”
If the dwarves got involved in the construction, the speed of residence work would skyrocket.
They excelled in digging dwellings in the mountains or even building underground cities.
This was a well-known fact, so Galbarik had no choice but to nod.
“Ugh, I understand. Then I’ll take care of that too…”
But Ghislaine wasn’t done yet.
“Oh, right. The Blood Python leather is available. We can use it to make armor linings for the knights… And we need more military weapons too…”
Ghislaine’s requests seemed endless. The dwarves’ faces turned pale, and they groaned.
“It seems a bit difficult to handle that right away…”
Hearing that, Ghislaine tilted his head.
“Why? Didn’t we agree to work hard? Besides, I’ve agreed to free you as free citizens in ten years. If you just teach me the techniques, wouldn’t that be tantamount to becoming a real slave? Working hard just to learn skills and change your status? Wow, I can’t pass that up.”
“Y-yes, that’s true, but isn’t there just too much work right from the start?”
“This is just the norm in our territory.”
Ghislaine’s mind was packed with plans to effectively utilize the dwarves.
The territory was already a flurry of chaos with too much work to handle.
With time running short and tasks piling up like a mountain, the dwarves had just shown up, so they had to be worked to the bone to produce results.
Otherwise, everyone was really going to die.
Not knowing Ghislaine’s true intentions, Galbarik took deep breaths and cautiously asked, “Then… what’s the schedule like? Three months? No, at least six months… To be honest, we need a year to get everything done. If you give us that much time, we can take care of everything.”
There was just so much to do that his tone naturally became more polite.
The schedule was the issue. They only needed a generous timeframe.
With day and night work, it seemed like it could take around three months. But since they had to eat and sleep to stay alive, he’d thrown out one year to be on the safe side.
However, Ghislaine was taken aback by Galbarik’s question, his eyes widening in astonishment.
Then he smirked and chided him.
“What are you talking about? One year? We don’t have that much time.”
“Excuse me? Then how long do you have in mind?”
Ghislaine grabbed both of Galbarik’s shoulders and smiled softly.
“One month. I can’t give you any more than that.”
