Chapter 83

The next morning --.

I don’t remember what I was thinking about towards the end of yesterday.

Losing consciousness like a thread being cut is exactly like that, huh. Yeah.

After the morning meeting ended, of course, I headed to the blacksmith's.

The fur of a thunder beast that converts electricity to mana, a water wheel generator, a battery, and once the converter is in place, the preparations will be complete.

Penguin reported that the two-pole vacuum tube, which will serve as the converter, has been completed (during the morning meeting).

So, once the verification of the converter is complete, we will finally be able to convert electricity to mana.

It took quite a bit of time, but this is not the goal.

The goal is to create magic stones from mana.

We shouldn’t be satisfied just because we can create mana.

Huffing and puffing, I rode the horse with Alru on my back.

Horses require a lot of care, but time is money. They are indispensable for reducing travel time.

On Earth, there are few rideable creatures other than horses. Camels are suitable for certain regions, but it’s not an exaggeration to say that horses are the dominant rideable creatures.

In this world, horses are also the most common, but if you have the money, you can get faster rideable creatures.

Everyone’s dream, flying dragons, or the six-legged Sleipnir, which is often compared to a super-large horse.

"Do you have a favorite rideable creature, Alru?"

"I’m fine as long as I’m with Master Joshua."

Alru, with her hand on my shoulder, peeked over from behind me, her cat ears twitching.

Girls don’t seem to be interested in rideable creatures.

Many boys get excited about riding vehicles, though.

"Be careful not to fall."

"Yes! Ah, Alru. I want to fly in the sky with Master Joshua."

"The sky, huh."

"Yeah!"

I don’t really want to fly. If I fall, it’s a straight drop. Unlike airplanes, there’s no enclosed space to protect you.

It’s terrifying.

Oh, right.

If you just want to fly.

"Hang gliding... no, a hot air balloon would be better."

"Hang gliding?"

"It’s like a wing that glides through the air, and it’s said to be refreshing to feel the wind at high altitudes."

"Sounds interesting!"

I’ll leave hang gliding to people like Alru and Bartholomew. A hot air balloon would be better for me.

Oh, a parachute is something that falls from the sky, so maybe I could use one?

At the time, I didn’t realize that this joke would come back to haunt me later.

◇◇◇

"Finally. Thank you for waiting."

When I arrived at the blacksmith's, Penguin, Sequoia, and the craftsmen were already gathered around the battery.

"Is this the vacuum tube? Is this the right one?"

"Shojiro, yes. Wrap the wire around the metal that’s sticking out at the bottom."

It seems to be the final touch. Sequoia is giving instructions to Nathan while consulting with Penguin.

The vacuum tube looks like a test tube with electrodes attached to the bottom.

This level of intricate glass and metal work is thanks to Tohru and Garam. Sequoia created the vacuum inside the test tube, and Penguin designed it.

I want to create magic stones with electricity.

Everyone has turned my dream into reality.

As I gazed at it with deep emotion, one of Garam’s dwarf apprentices pulled the lever on the generator to start the power generation.

The bare bulb, which was connected to the vacuum tube, began to glow, indicating that electricity was flowing.

"Oh, oh. No matter how many times I see it, it’s still amazing."

"Sequoia, can you cast the spell from the other day? I want everyone, including those who can’t see mana, to see it."

I immediately asked Sequoia, who was moved and clasped her hands in front of her chest. It’s a bit of a downer, but I can’t confirm it without her help.

"Don’t worry, everyone except you and Penguin can see it. I’ve already cast the spell on the two of you."

"Oh, oh. When did you do that?"

It seems the spell’s effect was applied, but I didn’t even notice it being cast.

Magic is truly troublesome.

With the bulb confirmed to be glowing, we stopped the generator and connected the circuit to the main battery.

Here we go.

I indicated with my eyes, and the dwarf pulled the lever.

How about that?

I stared at the battery, praying for mana to come out.

The target was the bundle of thunder beast fur inside the battery tank.

Oh, oh, oh!

Fog is coming out!

Fog indicating mana is coming out of the bundle of thunder beast fur!

"Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes!"

"Oh, oh. It’s moving."

I high-fived Penguin with my hand and his flipper. Everyone else, seeing our reaction, cheered and rejoiced with us and Penguin. However, Sequoia alone crossed her arms, frowned, and pursed her lips.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, the mana is definitely coming out, but look, it’s escaping from the battery."

"Indeed. It’s slipping out like bubbles in water, passing right through the glass."

We managed to generate mana, but we can’t retain it.

"Can we contain it?"

"Do you mean seal it with something magical to prevent the mana from escaping?"

"Yes. There are several methods, but with what we have on hand..."

Sequoia rummaged through the pocket on her waist and pulled out a fine silver thread. The thread was wound around a small branch and didn’t seem to be enough to cover the battery, considering it was from her small pocket.

"This..."

"Wait a moment."

Sequoia opened a treasure chest in the corner of the blacksmith's and took out a spool of the same color thread.

So, that chest is Sequoia’s personal storage. There are a few other boxes, which might contain everyone’s personal items.

After all, until recently, everyone didn’t have homes and slept in carriages.

It’s not surprising that they brought their personal items to the blacksmith where they work.

Sequoia held up the spool as if nothing had happened, showing it to me and Penguin.

"This is Arachne’s thread. It has the power to block mana."

"Oh. Should we wrap it around or make it into a cloth?"

"Time is precious. We want to test it immediately. Let’s use magic to spin the thread."

Sequoia nudged my feet and looked at the floor. She was telling me to sit down.

I crossed my legs, and she settled into my lap, closing her eyes.

A magic circle appeared below the spool she held in her hands, and the thread began to move on its own. The Arachne’s thread traced the surface of the battery and quickly turned into a cloth.

"Like this?"

"Sequoia, can you do the same for this side?"

I pointed to the glass lid of the battery and asked her to cover it with the Arachne’s thread cloth.

Alright, let’s see what happens.

I carefully placed the lid and observed.

But the thread isn’t transparent, so I can’t see inside... No, I can observe the fog accumulating inside the battery in detail.

Since this is a magical phenomenon, it’s outside the realm of physical anomalies.

It’s fortunate that we can observe it in this state.

This time, the mana won’t leak out.

"Alright. Let’s put some samples in for testing."

I placed a former magic stone that had used up all its magic power and turned into a regular stone, a stone I picked up from the riverbank, and some of the metals we collected into the battery.

We decided to leave the electricity flowing for the day and check the results the next day.