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Chapter 223

Before meeting the dwarves, Alfoy asked Vanessa, “Since we’ve drastically increased the success rate, is a large incubator really necessary? Wouldn’t it be enough to just provide the farmers with small incubators and tell them how to adjust the environment to some extent?”

Even just that would significantly boost meat production. It wasn’t a difficult task either; all they’d need to do was inform the farmers on how to maintain the right conditions.

“I’m not saying this out of annoyance or difficulty, you know. It’s just that it would be more efficient, don’t you think?”

With an air of exasperation in Alfoy’s words, Vanessa shook her head firmly.

“Of course, we will use that method too. That way, the farmers’ wealth will increase as well. However, if we operate on a large scale in the territory, we can secure far more production than leaving it to the individual farmers. That’s what the lord desires.”

Imagine the individual farmers’ meat production multiplied several times, while the lord is also churning out meat? The prices of meat would plummet, and it would be easily accessible to everyone.

The wizards swallowed hard, imagining the ripple effect of such a plan. Upon rethinking, this was indeed a monumental business.

And really, it was Vanessa who would make it happen. The wizards had no right to refuse her.

She stubbornly led the wizards into a meeting with the dwarves.

Galbarik, already stressed from developing new materials, remarked with slight annoyance, “Scales? Water gates? Are we really making those for the incubator?”

“Yes, yes! We need very precise mechanisms.”

With a gleeful expression, Vanessa explained to the dwarves the concepts and devices she had in mind.

What she proposed was a mechanism that used scales to measure the weight of the water.

“It’s a device that measures the weight of the water as it evaporates, and when it goes below a certain level, the water gate opens to refill it.”

“Measure the weight? So you plan to just place scales everywhere?”

“No, it’s important to maintain a consistent temperature and humidity throughout the incubator. We’ll drill holes evenly around the floor where the eggs are placed and keep a water tank underground. Please make it possible to measure that weight.”

“Oh, then we just need to make the floor where the water tank sits scale-like. And when it drops below a certain level, we’ll open the water gate to refill it.”

“Exactly! We’ll match the humidity while evaporating the water. We’ll ensure the temperature is the same as when a hen is brooding. By doing this, we can minimize the use of runestones.”

Vanessa displayed the blueprint she had in mind. It involved creating a floor below the egg-laying area that acted like a scale, over which multiple water tanks would be placed.

Though it was a conceptual design lacking engineering knowledge, the dwarves could grasp it well enough.

Vanessa’s eyes sparkled as she continued, “It’s going to be tough to succeed on the first try. Since the size of the incubator has increased, we need to verify how much water is required to maintain the humidity. But I’m sure we’ll succeed.”

Each word of hers resonated with unwavering determination. Her passion was infectious to everyone around.

Moreover, developing new technologies was the greatest joy for the dwarves.

Eventually, they all became intrigued by the device Vanessa proposed and began discussing it enthusiastically.

“We should create a separate space to check the water levels from outside for continuous refills.”

“We also need to make holes for the air to escape so it doesn’t get too humid.”

“How much of a temperature control magic circle will we need to engrave?”

While Vanessa established the baseline figures and concepts, it was up to the dwarves to intricately implement them.

After days of intense discussions with the wizards, they finalized designs for a significantly larger and more sophisticated incubator than what they had been using.

“Alright, this is a feasible technology. We’ve already done something like this a few times.”

Galbarik confidently proclaimed without a hint of concern.

The dwarves had ample experience working with weights. Of course, measuring the weight more precisely this time wouldn’t be simple.

But they wouldn’t let it be called difficult. After all… it was a matter of dwarven pride.

This territory was overflowing with self-proclaimed geniuses who took pride in their skills.

“Let’s start the work immediately. This way, we can also minimize the number of people needed for management.”

All that would be needed is one or two managers to fill the water and check the status.

The incubator could hatch tens of thousands of eggs at once. If they succeeded, an enormous quantity of meat could flow forth.

Given the complexity of the device, the initial production would require a considerable budget.

They immediately went to Claude, demanding funds.

Upon hearing the unexpectedly large budget, Claude, with a cocky demeanor, crossed his legs and said, “How can you just barge in demanding money? How much are we talking about here? For runestones, labor, materials… Is it really this costly to make one? Aren’t we just losing money instead?”

As Claude began his usual scolding, Vanessa showcased various metrics and research data.

When the dwarves started elaborating on the intricate mechanisms, Claude couldn’t hold his ground anymore.

‘…What the heck is this?’

The documents were created over several days of hard work between the wizards and dwarves. No matter how smart Claude was, he couldn’t comprehend it all at once.

But he did understand the concept.

‘Something… it sounds plausible?’

Reluctantly, Claude surrendered, approving with a sulky expression. “This better not fail! The money spent each time is enormous!”

“Don’t worry! We’ll definitely succeed!”

Vanessa shouted confidently and immediately began working with the dwarves.

With the incubator now larger than before, it wasn’t easy to maintain the right temperature and humidity.

No matter how precisely made, the space within the incubator was so extensive that achieving uniform conditions proved challenging.

The hatching rate was barely half, and the timing varied greatly.

After several failures, Alfoy gloomily said, “Can’t we settle for something like this? Half is still something, right?”

“No way. That defeats the purpose of creating such a large incubator.”

“Exactly, this is a matter of our pride!”

Vanessa desperately wanted to succeed in this venture for the territory. Galbarik couldn’t afford to give up out of pride.

With both of them being stubborn, the others couldn’t intervene.

Well, except for one person.

“What the heck! How much money is going down the drain? Is this really going to succeed?”

Claude came by every day, nagging and pressuring them. After having made so many changes, it was no wonder he was anxious.

No matter how much money they made, it was a territory that spent even more. With all that money being poured crazily, it was only natural for Vanessa to feel disheartened.

‘Ah, what am I doing… I’m causing serious damage to the territory. Just trying to do something silly…’

Her naturally timid character resurfaced.

She absolutely despised causing losses to the territory. After a previous disaster, this tendency had only gotten worse.

Now facing astronomical expenses for a venture she hadn’t imagined during her menial tasks felt unbearable.

‘Should I just stop here? The farmers’ production can be increased, so maybe spending money elsewhere would be better…’

As she pondered whether to give up, Ghislaine appeared.

He had come after hearing that things weren’t going as smoothly as expected.

“Lord!”

“V-Vanessa. I hear you’ve been having a tough time lately?”

“I-I’m so sorry. I’ve kept failing… and spending too much money…”

As Vanessa lowered her head, unsure of what to do, Ghislaine casually replied.

“We have plenty of money, you know? Don’t worry and just keep going.”

“B-but… the Chief Officer says it’s costing too much right now and that it’s hard…”

“He’s always worried about things. He’s a safety enthusiast. If we need money, I’ll sort it out. Just keep pushing forward. I’ll say it again, if those northern barbarians cast a curse…”

“We will definitely die?”

Vanessa answered with a smile, and Ghislaine cleared his throat and continued.

“Exactly, so keep at it until it works. You succeeded with the small incubators, right? Just a bit more, and you’ll succeed with the big one too.”

“Y-yes… the small ones are all successful… Ah!”

Suddenly, inspiration seemed to strike Vanessa as her eyes widened, lost in thought.

Not realizing Ghislaine had quietly slipped away, she kept murmuring to herself.

‘Small ones succeeded…? Then maybe if I just make them smaller…’

She had been overly ambitious, wanting to hatch too many at once.

‘We can just reduce the size!’

She thought of finding the maximum specs where she could maintain optimal temperatures and humidity, and then just make several of those.

After all, it wasn’t about hatching a huge amount all at once, was it? The real problem was her fixation on making it all large.

By reducing the size, maintaining appropriate conditions would become substantially easier. Though small, it would be much bigger than the small incubators used by farmers.

‘I can definitely succeed this time!’

With renewed motivation, Vanessa set about drafting a new design.

Claude caused a ruckus when she suggested scrapping everything and starting from scratch, but she ignored him and pressed ahead.

“Sorry, Chief Officer… Ugh… I’ll stake my life on making this work this time.”

Though she didn’t show it outwardly, she was already feeling completely overwhelmed inside.

‘There’s an abundance of successful data from the small ones. As long as I don’t make the space too large, I should be able to utilize that data.’

Ultimately, Vanessa again invested tremendous resources to create a large incubator resembling a combination of several rooms.

Naturally, since each room had to be individually adjusted for temperature and humidity, it required even more resources and labor than before.

She collected all the eggs in the territory. The number reached a staggering 3,000. If she failed again, the damage would be significant.

The wizards and dwarves watched the condition of the incubator with bloodshot eyes, hardly able to sleep.

And when the scheduled day arrived…

…Crack!

Crack, crack!

The chicks eagerly began to emerge from their eggs. Just like during the experiment with the farmers’ small incubators.

“Wow!”

The wizards and dwarves raised their hands above their heads, shouting. Excluding the eggs that had issues from the start, the hatching rate was nearly 100%.

This time, there was a slight variation in timing, but all in all, thousands of chicks had hatched from a single attempt.

“We did it! It’s a success! Hahaha!”

As news of the success spread, excitement erupted throughout the territory.

There had never been a case of hatching this many eggs at once with such a high probability across the entire kingdom.

Even nearby managers and farmers rushed over to witness this astonishing spectacle, cheering joyously.

“They actually did it! How many chicks are there?”

“We need to move them to a warm place and take care of them!”

“I can’t believe this actually worked! It’s unbelievable!”

Seeing this, Ghislaine smiled contentedly and said to Claude, “See? It works, doesn’t it? If you keep at it, it all pays off.”

“…”

Claude had no words. Now that it had come to this, he felt slightly guilty for having hounded Vanessa so much.

Like everyone else, he was thrilled that this endeavor had succeeded.

Overflowing meat? This could serve as a powerful weapon for the territory in itself.

In joy, Claude added another layer of remorse toward Vanessa and immediately shifted his stance.

“Woohoo! Vanessa did it! Amazing! I always believed in you! Vanessa is the best!”

Though Wendy shot him a contemptuous look from the side, Claude pretended not to notice.

Anyway, as Claude steered the atmosphere, everyone began chanting her name.

“Vanessa! Vanessa!”

“Wizard of Meat!”

“Truly the hand of miracles!”

Embarrassed by the praise of the people, she didn’t know how to respond.

While the dwarves had also developed the incubator together, it wouldn’t have succeeded without her tenacity.

Galbarik and the other dwarves acknowledged that aspect and applauded Vanessa.

Alfoy wouldn’t just stand by and watch this situation unfold.

“I was the biggest help here!”

Driven by the belief that as a genius wizard, he deserved the accolades from the people, Alfoy worked hard to promote his contribution.

Since everyone had indeed worked hard, people applauded and praised the wizards and dwarves too.

With his spirits slightly lifted, Alfoy began to show off in front of Ghislaine.

“Of course, it had to succeed once I got involved. I led this, you know…!”

Ghislaine, nodding absently, then asked, “So, what’s that you’re holding?”

“This is… ‘Kokko’… my pet chicken.”

Alfoy replied slightly bashfully, holding a well-fed rooster. It was a keepsake from the first chick he had successfully hatched himself, and he had grown attached enough to name it and take it everywhere.

“…Right, take good care of it.”

Ghislaine chuckled softly, then turned to the gathered crowd and shouted, “Alright, today is a joyful day! Everyone who contributed to this effort should eat and drink to their fill! I will also ensure generous rewards!”

Ghislaine is known for making sure to secure a hefty reward for the success. At that, everyone involved in the project burst into cheers.

“Woohoo! Yes! It’s a banquet!”

With wheat plentiful, there was no shortage of cheap grains. Many chickens had also hatched and fully grown during the experiments.

It was more than enough for those who had participated in the work to feast and celebrate for a day.

“This is nice. Since everyone worked hard, I’ll help out with this.”

Belinda commanded the servants to prepare food and drink for those who had toiled.

Of course, since it wasn’t an official banquet, it wasn’t held in the castle.

Instead, outside, the laborers gathered around the hatchery, chatting, drinking, and enjoying a long-awaited celebration.

Everyone quickly settled down, eating, drinking, and having fun, but the somewhat fastidious Alfoy couldn’t quite join in. First, he had to remove the accumulated dirt.

“Ah, it feels good to finally wash up. Now I should go drink a bit. Kokko, you too… Huh? Kokko? Where did Kokko go?”

Having cleaned himself, Alfoy checked the breeding area and was startled to find Kokko missing.

 

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