Chapter 95

"Here we go for the hundredth time!"

With a shout, the metal cage, about twenty meters high, was dropped and hit the ground with a loud noise.

While I was away from Photoren on some business, the Trapta... no, the first monster material mass production facility was completed.

We, Melcia and I, came to observe the test.

"Any warping on the cage?"

"...No change in dimensions, no problem!"

"The experiment is a success!"

First, we tested the cage's strength and basic structure without a monster inside, and it seems to have gone well.

"Finally, the experiment with a monster."

"I'm a bit worried about this. I've made a lot of additions..."

As Melcia said, to operate this facility with a small item box, the first monster material mass production facility (let's call it the Tower for simplicity) had undergone a considerable number of changes.

The biggest change was the mechanism to automatically lift the cage.

The cage, made entirely of 100% Metal Lizard Metal to withstand long-term heavy use, was far too heavy for the staff to lift.

Moreover, it would be impossible to find someone with an item box large enough to store such a thing.

To overcome this issue, the Tower was built along a river, and the cage was lifted using the power of a water wheel.

"Kaede, the magic stones."

"Alright, use this."

This is also an experiment to see if the equipment can be operated without me, so I should not touch it... but the item box holder won't arrive in Photoren until tomorrow.

So, I was assigned to store the magic stones for today's experiment.

"First one set, hurry up!"

"I know!"

The staff member, who received the magic stone from me, hurriedly placed it on the pulley and pulled the rope to lift it.

Due to the output, it takes some time for the cage to rise, and if left too long, the magic stone would deteriorate.

Therefore, nine cages are used for three magic stones.

The engineers struggled quite a bit with this structure, but I don't know the details, so I can't explain it. I did, however, offer a generous reward.

As I watched, a monster (technically, a resurrection) was summoned from the magic stone, and the cage was immediately dropped with a loud noise.

"Kill it!"

The two E-rank adventurers hired from the guild thrust their spears into the cage.

Cost-wise, we could have hired higher-ranked adventurers, but we wanted to confirm that even weaker ones could finish the job, so we kept it at this rank.

The cage seems to be functioning well, and the finishing blow was delivered smoothly.

The adventurers extracted the magic stone from the dead monster's belly and handed it to the pulley operator, then sent the remaining corpse to the dissection team. This completes one cycle of the magic stone.

As the adventurers who delivered the finishing blow started to carry the cage to the lifting mechanism, the next cage was dropped from the Tower after a safety check, and another pair of adventurers delivered the finishing blow.

The finishing blow team consists of three pairs of two, plus two reserves, totaling eight people.

"This has become quite a large-scale operation..."

Melcia muttered as she watched.

The dissection team has twice as many people as the finishing blow team, and there are even more staff to operate the equipment.

As a result, about fifty people work at the Tower when it is in operation. An equal number are prepared for transportation, bringing the total to one hundred.

"Considering the consumption of Metal Lizard Metal, I hoped for this scale... but isn't the pace a bit too fast?"

From what I can see, a wolf weighing about 60 kilograms is being dissected every 30 seconds.

120 per hour, 960 per 8 hours. Even if only 30% of the body is edible, this would produce 19 tons of meat and 960 pelts per day.

While this won't completely solve Photoren's food problem, it should more than meet the demand for meat.

The excess pelts are one thing, but the meat will rot.

I had left the adjustments to Melcia, but I'm starting to worry.

"For the time being, Kaede will store the inventory, but in the future, we plan to export it outside Photoren."

What? This much progress has been made without my knowledge?

"How will you export it?"

"We discussed this with the guild... and already have a plan in place."

"Transport equipment, you say? Kaede will handle it when she returns. If it doesn't work, we can reduce the operating hours. It will delay the return on investment, but..."

No way. No plan at all?

True, we've managed to handle similar issues before, but long-distance food transportation is a different ball game.

Canned or bottled food is too difficult in this world, and the demand for dried meat isn't that high.

Another way to enable mass transportation is...

"An ice ship?"

"Indeed, you have ideas!"

The efficiency of a freezer increases with its size.

Considering the output and duration of the artifact, a large ship converted into a freezer should be able to transport a large amount of meat without it spoiling.

"We have one, but it's in Catharine's domain. Let's head back to Photoren."

The experiment is going smoothly, and B-rank adventurers returning from Desibator are on standby for emergencies. We don't need to stay and watch.

"Right. ...Gade, we're heading back to town, so please prepare the boat."

"Understood!"

The Tower is located upstream of the river that flows near Photoren (called the Photoren River, a rather straightforward name), so travel between Photoren and the Tower is by boat.

We can't use a large ship that can cross the monster's territory, so we use a regular wooden boat.

I thought the smaller boat might be quite rocky, but the boatman's skill is excellent, and the ride wasn't too bad.

"Catharine, I have an idea for transportation!"

"Of course you do!"

Catharine seemed to expect that I would come up with an idea for transportation and was already prepared for the experiment.

Or maybe Melcia expected it and had her on standby.

"First, we need cooling artifacts. I want ones with a long duration."

"Cooling! I have them ready!"

She had prepared a mountain of cooling artifacts, clearly anticipating the need for cooling in meat transportation.

"What are the specs?"

"The duration is 2 hours per artifact... but it wasn't enough to keep a large amount of meat cold. It was sufficient for a wooden box holding 50 kilograms of meat, but..."

She had already tested it.

If we use one artifact every 2 hours for 50 kilograms of meat, transportation won't be feasible.

Magic stones weigh about one kilogram each, and if it takes four days to transport, the cargo and magic stones will weigh the same.

Considering the hassle of recharging magic power, this is not a viable option.

"What we need is insulation."

"Insulation...?"

Catharine asked, a term not commonly known in this world.

"Something that doesn't conduct heat well, to separate the inside from the outside. ...For example, wearing many layers of clothing keeps you warm, right?"

"Yes, especially fur, which is very warm."

"That's because the fur prevents heat from moving, trapping body heat. ...The same applies to cold things."

Technically, it's the air trapped in the fur, but that's not necessary to explain.

"So, are you going to dress the meat?"

...That's a new idea.

How would you cool it then?

"No, it's better to insulate the container. Generally, the larger the insulation, the more efficient it is. So, we'll insulate the entire ship and use it for transportation."

The ratio of surface area to volume is something to discuss with the artifact craftsman. I just need to convey the structure, and Melcia will order the ship.

"We'll test the ship once it's completed... but we also need a freezer on land. It's not good to load the meat raw."

"Will you use insulation for that too?"

"Just stuffing it with monster fur should make a big difference. For example..."

I don't remember when I put them there, but there were some iron blocks in the item box, so I used magic to press them into box-like shapes.

One could hold about 1.5 tons of meat, and the other was slightly larger.

First, I placed the larger one on the ground and lined it with monster fur (mainly from Green Wolves).

Then I placed the smaller one inside and filled the gaps with more fur. It was a quick and rough job, but it should be sufficient for the experiment.

"Test this."

"Understood. ...But it might take some time to get results."

"Ah... make another box of the same size, and test it without insulation. Comparing the results will show the difference in performance."

As I said this, I took out more iron blocks and made another box of similar size.

The dimensions might be slightly different, but it shouldn't matter much.

"Is iron really that easy to shape...?"

"Pressing is amazing."

While complex shapes would break, it's easy to make plates.

Bending them into boxes is quite convenient.

"I don't think it's a matter of processing technology..."

The experiment results were delayed until the next day, and I returned to the inn to sleep.

The next morning, as soon as I woke up, there was a knock on the door of the inn.

It was unusual. Something must have happened with the insulation experiment.

"Kaede, please help..."

Thinking this, I greeted the visitor, but to my surprise, it wasn't Melcia or someone from the Maple Guild.

A familiar guild receptionist was there, tears in her eyes, seeking help.

"Did a monster horde appear?"

"No, it's about a request..."

Confused, I followed the receptionist to the guild.

The moment I entered, I sensed something was off.

The guild was crowded with adventurers.

There was a tense and combative atmosphere.

This wasn't entirely unexpected if a powerful enemy had appeared. But there was a fatal issue.

The tension and combativeness—no, the hostility—were directed inward, not outward.

It was as if everyone saw everyone else as an enemy.