Chapter 54

In the store, where various home appliances were displayed in a crowded manner, Ichiryou was looking at the refrigerators lined up in front of him.

The home refrigerators in front of him ranged from small ones for single-person households to large ones for big families.

"If I could use this... but, I would need a generator to use it over there..."

While reading the specifications sheet attached to the refrigerator, Ichiryou recalled his life in Isteria.

During his time in Isteria, Ichiryou had been relying solely on canned food to meet his nutritional needs, resulting in a diet that was severely imbalanced in nutrients, despite providing sufficient calories.

Although he could be satisfied with the lavish meals provided by Nelson, the meals, while delicious, did not provide the satisfaction of feeling full, leading to a rather peculiar sensation while eating.

However, the dining experience itself was quite enjoyable, as Lise actively engaged in conversation with Ichiryou for some reason.

When he lived in the village of Gricia, he was also essentially relying on pre-cooked rice and canned food for nutrition, which was not a particularly healthy diet.

Still, the fact that he had no particular physical issues was likely due to occasionally returning to Japan to eat large amounts at restaurants and the relatively short time he had spent living in the other world.

However, if he continued with such an unhealthy diet in the future, he might end up damaging his body due to nutritional imbalances.

"Maybe, when I eat the food over there, the calories I burn to digest it are more than the calories I consume..."

A few days ago, when he experienced hypoglycemia at the Russom residence, it was after eating a large amount of the food served.

Considering this, the food in that world might be such that, no matter how much he ate, it only consumed calories, and it might be better for his health not to eat it at all.

For someone who wants to lose weight, it would be a dream come true to have delicious food that also helps you lose weight.

Using the crops from that world, it might even be possible to create revolutionary snack foods like potato chips that are calorie-free and make you lose weight the more you eat.

In any case, he needed to be very careful about his diet.

If he were still in an environment where he could travel back and forth between Japan and Gricia in 15 minutes, it would have been fine, but Isteria, where he was expected to stay for a long time, was a place where it would take nearly 10 hours by carriage to reach Japan.

He needed to consider the possibility of a situation where he could not leave Isteria for some reason and bring as much food as possible.

Ideally, he wanted to bring not just canned food and retort pouches but also foods that could be stored long-term using a refrigerator or freezer.

"Are you looking for a refrigerator?"

As Ichiryou was pondering, a store clerk who had been watching him approached and asked.

"No, I'm just looking around..."

"Is that so? How about this refrigerator? It's the latest model, with a large capacity and very low annual power consumption. Plus, it has a lot of power."

Whether or not he had heard Ichiryou's response, the clerk started explaining the product on his own.

"It can cool everything evenly even when you stuff a lot of food in it, and it has a very low power consumption. It's our top-selling product right now."

"By the way, how long can you use these home appliances with a generator? I assume it depends on the generator, but..."

Since the clerk had started talking, Ichiryou decided to ask about generators as well. If he was going to talk, it would be better to get the information he wanted.

"Well, I think there are some that can run continuously for about 18 hours. We also carry them in our store."

"18 hours? How much fuel is needed?"

"Um, the fuel is gasoline, and I think you need about 20 liters... Are you looking for a generator?"

If the generator could run continuously for 18 hours, it would be fine to use the refrigerator and other home appliances.

However, if 20 liters of gasoline were needed, a considerable amount would be required to use it for several months.

It was not impossible to buy gasoline in small quantities from various gas stations, fill it into drums, and bring it over, but it would be a lot of work.

In Japan, storing a certain amount of gasoline without notifying the local government is illegal.

Of course, such laws do not exist in Isteria.

"(If I buy a large amount of gasoline by force and isolate a room in Nelson's mansion to set up the refrigerator, it might be possible. If I build a shed for the gasoline... if the gasoline in the drums catches fire, Nelson's mansion will go up in flames.)"

"Customer?"

"Ah, sorry. I'll take this refrigerator."

"Thank you! What about a generator?"

"Get me the one with the highest power output and the longest continuous operation time."

"Sure thing! We also have computers, TVs, and washing machines!"

"I don't need those."

"Excuse me!"

"Ah, I'll take a laptop too. One with spreadsheet software."

"Sure thing!"

Thus, Ichiryou ended up buying a few items he hadn't planned to and requested delivery for the next day before leaving the electronics store.

The next morning,

Ichiryou, who had eaten a tremendous amount of breakfast at the business hotel's buffet, headed to the home center he frequently visited to take care of the rest of his plans.

While evaluating the lime in the outdoor section, a store clerk who had noticed Ichiryou approached. It was the head clerk, who had called out to Ichiryou several times before.

"Ah, Mr. Shino. What are you looking for today?"

"It's been a while. I want to make mortar myself, so I'm looking for lime. Which one should I use?"

"In that case, I recommend this slaked lime. How much do you need?"

"Hmm... how much do you have in stock?"

When Ichiryou asked the head clerk, a look of tension appeared on his face.

He was thinking that Ichiryou might be making another large purchase.

"We have 2 tons!"

"I'll take all of it."

"Understood!"

While listening to the energetic response, which he had heard the night before, Ichiryou wrote down the address of the mansion on the document the head clerk pulled out from his pocket.

Previously, he had borrowed a truck from the home center and loaded and transported the items himself, but he had no energy to transport 2 tons of goods to the mansion by himself.

He would have to load the items onto a handcart himself once they were delivered to the mansion, but there was no other way.

"By the way, do you have gasoline cans?"

"If you're looking for those, we have them in the store. Would you like me to show you?"

"No, I can find them myself."

Leaving the head clerk, who had offered to guide him, behind, Ichiryou entered the home center.

The store was filled with a wide variety of items, from daily necessities to tools, all lined up in a crowded manner.

After walking around a bit, he quickly found the gasoline cans.

"Hmm, two 20-liter cans should be enough. Do I need to buy a drum as well?"

Looking around for where the drums were sold, Ichiryou noticed the same model of generator he had bought the day before.

"Oh, it's the same model I bought yesterday."

He walked over to the generator and looked at the specifications sheet.

Next to the specifications sheet, there was a notice that read "Low Noise, Long-Running."

"...Damn, I completely forgot about the noise the generator would make."

Generators, which use internal combustion engines to generate electricity, produce a considerable amount of noise.

When he bought the generator the night before, he was only thinking about using the refrigerator and had not considered the noise at all.

If he used the generator in the quiet environment of Nelson's mansion in Isteria, it might attract people with the loud noise.

The generator he bought was apparently low-noise, but how much noise would it actually produce?

Looking at the specifications sheet, he saw that it was marked "Noise Level 55-85 dB(A)."

"Are you looking for a generator?"

As Ichiryou was looking at the specifications sheet, a clerk approached and asked.

It was the same pattern as the night before at the electronics store.

"Yes, I want to know how noisy this generator is. Can I have it tested?"

"Sure. Please wait a moment."

The clerk, in response to Ichiryou's question, crouched in front of the generator and turned it on.

Immediately, a continuous engine sound began to emanate from the generator.

It was quite noisy.

"This is the sound at rated usage, and this is the sound at one-quarter load."

The clerk operated the switch to change the load on the generator, and this time it became much quieter.

In this state, if the generator were surrounded by walls or placed in a deeper hole, the noise might not be so noticeable.

However, using the generator in an enclosed space seemed a bit dangerous.

"I see... Thank you."

"Sure, let me know if you have any other questions."

As Ichiryou watched the clerk leave, he thought for a moment.

Generators are convenient and portable, but for regular use in Isteria, there were issues with fuel and noise.

It might be good to bring one to Isteria in case it was needed, but he wanted to find another way to use home appliances like refrigerators.

"Other power generation methods..."

After thinking for a moment, Ichiryou took out his mobile phone and called the construction company where he had previously bought a water wheel.

After a few rings, the cheerful voice of the company president answered.

"Hello, this is Shino, who bought a water wheel about a month ago..."

"Oh, Mr. Shino! It's been a while! How is the water wheel you bought?"

"It's working very well. The water flow is amazing, and it's really useful."

"I'm glad to hear that. It was one of our more confident products. So, what brings you here today?"

"I want to buy another water wheel, but it's a bit special... I'm looking for a water wheel with a power generation function. Do you have anything good?"

"A power-generating water wheel? We do have a water wheel similar to the one you bought before, but it doesn't generate much power... If you don't mind the shape, we have hydroelectric generators that use the slope and water flow to generate power..."

"Really, you have such things?"

"Yes, we do. However, among our own products, we only handle the undershot water wheel type of power-generating water wheel that you bought before. If you're interested in the hydroelectric generators, we can handle the procurement and delivery from the manufacturer. What do you think?"

"I would like to request that. Do you have the catalogs for those? If you do, I'd like to go and decide on one now."

"Yes, we have them. I'll prepare the catalogs and wait for you."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

After hanging up, Ichiryou was inwardly jumping for joy at the information he had obtained from the construction company.

Although he didn't know when the hydroelectric generator would be delivered, with it, he could live comfortably in Isteria.

Home appliances and generators, which are made using technology far beyond that of the other world, cannot be replicated even if someone tried to copy them.

Water wheels and machinery that use their power, such as sawmills, can be made through trial and error if the structure is understood, but they are a different level of complexity.

Bringing in low-tech items might have a greater impact on the other world, but these items, while being over-technology, should be used discreetly to avoid drawing attention.

People who recognize him as Gracior would not unnecessarily cause a fuss.

"Well, I should prepare a drum just in case. It would be convenient to have the generator ready for use."

As he muttered this, Ichiryou was about to head to the section where drums were sold when his mobile phone rang.

"Huh? Who is it... Damn, it's the delivery company from Gunma Ranch. Has the fertilizer arrived already?"

After confirming the caller, Ichiryou hurriedly answered the phone. As expected, it was a call from Gunma Ranch asking where to place the delivered fertilizer.

He instructed them to pile it up in the yard and hung up. Immediately after, the phone rang again.

"Damn, the electronics store has also arrived. I shouldn't have scheduled morning deliveries... Besides, I have too many things to do today."

While answering the phone, Ichiryou called a nearby store clerk and told him to buy the drum.

With gasoline cans in both hands and the phone between his shoulder and cheek, he hurriedly headed to the cash register.