Chapter 62

Summary of the previous episode ------------------------------------------------------

Toya takes me to the blacksmith Ganz's shop.

There, I borrow the forge and make a portable shovel, completing it.

Finally, I start working on making a regular-sized shovel.

The real deal, the kind you can buy at a home center.

I didn't have one at home because I lived in an apartment, but I had used one before.

"Simply making it larger won't work, right?"

"Of course not. The handle will be about twice as long. By the principle of the lever, the force on the shovel's tip will also be doubled, you know?"

If it's the same thickness, it might bend, right?

No, but there was some leeway, so I guess I'll have to experiment.

"How about the thickness of the handle?"

"Shouldn't it be a comfortable thickness to hold? The cross-sectional area of the handle is proportional to the square of the radius. The current thickness is already quite strong, so I think it will have sufficient strength."

"Does the strength double if the cross-sectional area doubles?"

"Hmm, is that not the case?"

"I think in the case of a circular shape, the strength against bending is about three times as much..."

I don't remember clearly, but I seem to have seen something like that.

"If that's the case, it should be even more solid. I don't think I'll break the handle of a shovel."

"But the people in this world have high physical abilities, right?"

"...That's right! Then, how about this. Let's decide on the thickness of the handle and ask Ganz for advice on the material. There are strong woods in this world, too."

The spear handle that Naoto uses is made of a very strong wood called pseudo-ironwood.

However, it's an expensive material, so it doesn't seem suitable for a shovel.

"I'll try making a prototype of the tip first."

"Okay, I'll try making one too?"

The shape will be a larger version of the one I just made.

I'll make the iron a bit thicker, recalling the thickness of the shovels I remember from my world.

Also, since this will be attached to the handle, I'll extend the iron to support the handle... Yeah, it's done.

It didn't take much time because there wasn't much difference, but it felt suspicious when I touched it. It didn't bend when I applied force, but it felt dangerous.

"Hmm, even though I made it a bit thicker, it doesn't have enough strength..."

"Let's see. Yeah, it's a bit thicker, but did you forget about the quality of the iron?"

"---Ah!"

Toya touched the shovel I made and nodded, making that observation.

Thinking about it, the iron used in modern industry is iron with the carbon and other metal content strictly calculated.

Given that I'm using iron that is clearly inferior in strength, it wouldn't work with the same thickness.

"Why don't you try making it thicker first for testing?"

"Got it."

Following Toya's advice, I made a prototype that was quite thick.

I fixed the tip and attached a handle about 1.5 times the planned length, then put my full weight on it.

"It doesn't bend, right? Toya, can you try it?"

"Sure."

Even with Toya's weight, it didn't bend when he pressed down with a bit of force.

It seems to be strong enough for now, but on the other hand, it's heavy. If it's for construction, it needs to be as light as possible to avoid fatigue.

It's difficult to improve the shape, so I'll try to see how thin I can make it while maintaining the same shape.

After a few more prototypes, I managed to make it about half as thick as the first one without compromising strength.

Once I got to that point, the rest was easy.

I made the handle a comfortable thickness for me, a small dwarf, and attached it, referencing the ones I remember.

"Hmm, it looks good, doesn't it?"

"Right! Let's try it out!"

We went to the backyard and dug holes, and did strength tests like the ones Toya had done.

Fortunately, the shovel I made passed all the tests.

I thought dropping rocks on it was a bit excessive, but Toya said it could happen on a construction site, so I changed my mind.

Indeed, on construction sites, tools often break even if they're not intentionally mishandled, so a strong tool would be appreciated.

"Is this good enough?"

"Sure, why not? It's used so much in your world, the shape can't be easily improved, right?"

"Right. Well, I don't think the one I made is perfect, but..."

Mass-produced items are probably made by pressing, right?

They're probably the optimal shape calculated by a computer.

I just copied the shape, so it might be possible to make it stronger if I try hard, but it's not easy.

"I wish it could be a bit lighter."

"You'd have to change the material for that."

"Material? Oh, mithril!"

"Who uses mithril for a shovel! I don't even know if mithril exists. Other alloys, maybe?"

"Is there a good alloy?"

"I don't know!"

Thinking that, I asked Toya, who confidently answered.

"That's not good."

"You should consult Ganz. My sword and Naoto's spear are made of blue iron and yellow iron, but I don't even know if they're alloys or other metals."

"What about using those?"

"No... I don't think so. The material cost alone is not the issue, but our weapons are incredibly expensive."

...Come to think of it, he said he spent over 8 million yen here?

He must have bought armor and Haruka's equipment too, but from that, I don't think the shovel would be that expensive.

"It seems we've reached our limit with our knowledge. Since we've made something, let's show it to Ganz. What did you make, Toya?"

"This."

Toya showed me something slightly larger and differently shaped than a shovel.

"Is that a spade?"

"Yeah. When I was observing Tommy's construction site, he seemed to have trouble scooping up the soil. A shovel is good, but a dedicated spade for scooping would be convenient. Since it's not for digging, it can be thinner and lighter."

"A shovel can be used as a substitute... but yeah, if it works well, they could be sold as a set."

The spade can hold more soil and reduce fatigue if it's lighter.

There seems to be a demand for it.

I took it and tried to twist it, but it didn't bend, so it seems to have enough strength for carrying soil.

"Shall we attach a handle to this one too?"

"Sure, thanks. After that, let's take a break. We need to hydrate, right?"

"Oh, right. I was so focused, I forgot."

We were sweating a lot from working in front of the hot furnace.

When I realized, my throat was quite dry.

After quickly attaching the handle, Toya came back with water.

"Here."

"Thanks."

"It's about noon."

"Oh, already?"

We were so focused on the work that time passed faster than we thought.

As I took a deep breath and relaxed, Toya started munching on some jerky.

Come to think of it, I didn't prepare lunch. We usually ate at a nearby food stand... Should I go buy something?

"Tommy, do you want to eat?"

"Oh, sure. Thanks."

Noticing I was thinking about it, Toya offered me the bag of jerky.

I took it and bit into it.

"Mmm! It's delicious! I didn't expect jerky to be this good!"

I thought it would be just hard and salty, but it was surprisingly delicious.

It's different from the beef jerky I had in my world, but just as tasty.

Is this expensive? If it's not too expensive, it might be better to have this with bread instead of buying from a food stand.

"This is made by Haruka. The stuff from the store is not good."

"...Oh, I see."

That's a letdown.

I thought I had found something safe to eat.

"If you want, I can give you some at about the same price as the store stuff?"

"Really? Thanks!"

"I made a decent amount, so a little shouldn't be a problem. But it's still meat, so it's not cheap."

"Right. Even skewer meat is hard to afford..."

In my world, beef jerky was quite expensive too.

It was a bit pricey for my allowance, but I don't want to give up on this taste!

"Sure, I'll buy it! ---When I have a bit more money."

"Good. Here, consider this a gift. Good luck."

Toya handed me the bag he was holding.

There's still quite a bit in it, so it must be expensive if I bought it?

"Really? Thanks!"

"Eat up and work hard."

"Work hard... Do you think I can become an apprentice?"

"The product is good. If this doesn't work, you'll have to earn Ganz's trust the hard way."

"Ugh... I'm worried."

"Probably it'll be fine. ---They're here, it seems?"

"Huh?"

Toya turned around, and soon footsteps were heard, and Ganz entered.

"Hey, how's it going?"

Ganz asked casually, and Toya chuckled and pointed at the shovels he had lined up.

"Hehehe, Ganz, we did it!"

"What!? Already?"

"I said I had the shape in my head. All that's left is to make it and test it, and make a few improvements."

"Even if you can imagine it, making it is the hard part. Let's see..."

Ganz inspected the shovels.

"Hmm. There's some variation in quality?"

"Yeah, these two are mine."

"You're worse, huh?"

"My main job is an adventurer. It's not surprising I'm not as good as him."

Toya said it lightly, and Ganz looked at the shovels with a serious expression.

"You're better than the average apprentice, but Tommy's... Hey, show me what you can do."

"Y-Yes!"

I made a shovel as instructed.

I was nervous with Ganz watching from behind, but since I had done it a few times already, I managed to make it without any mistakes.

"Hmm, you have the skills. I have some questions, but I promised Toya I wouldn't ask... Anyway, show me how to use it."

"Sure. Let's go to the backyard."

We moved to the backyard and demonstrated how to use the shovel.

The usage itself is simple, so I guess I'll show its durability?

"Hmm, it seems fine. What's this one? The shape is different."

"This is for carrying soil. You use it like this. This small one is a folding version. I think it would sell to adventurers. I'd want one myself."

Toya introduced the spade and the portable shovel.

"Indeed, it seems like it would sell... The issue is the price, though..."

"Hey, Ganz. Is there any material that's strong, light, and cheap? This one is strong, but a bit heavy."

"There's no such convenient material! If there was, it would be used for weapons and armor!"

That's true.

If it existed, we'd use it instead of iron.

"Is the weight... not a problem? It's not for women or children. Would the workers complain about this weight?"

Ganz lifted the shovel and said that, but Toya shook his head.

"It's for long-term work, so the lighter the better. What about the blue iron or yellow iron used in our weapons?"

"Idiot, blue iron is much heavier! First, it's in a different price range. Red iron is about four times cheaper, but it's harder to work with."

"Blue iron, yellow iron, red iron... and there are black iron weapons too, right? What other iron is there?"

"Hmm, let's see. I have white iron too. It's about ten times the price, but it's very strong. It's harder to work with than red iron. The material for your chainmail is made of this."

"Oh, really? It's pretty good. I haven't had a chance to see its effectiveness yet."

"If your armor has been useful, it means you were in danger. It's better not to have a chance to test its effectiveness. For me, it's bad for business if you don't come for repairs! Hahaha."

Wow, Toya and the others are using such expensive materials for their armor?

Blue iron and yellow iron are even more expensive. Being an adventurer is costly...

"Anyway, at the material cost, it won't be a price suitable for regular construction use."

"Hmm... How about a portable version for adventurers? A lighter and stronger one would sell better, right?"

"Adventurers do have money... Maybe we can have two versions? Those without money will buy the heavier, regular one... Toya, would you buy it?"

"No, I wouldn't."

"Hey!"

Toya, you just ruined the previous conversation!

"Actually, I want to get it made now! Ganz, can you give me some white iron? I'll pay. And Tommy, can you make the portable one?"

"Um... Is that okay?"

Looking at Ganz, he sighed and took an ingot from the shelf and handed it to me.

"I don't need money. Make it. I can see your skills, and it's worth making to see the result."

"Ganz, you're the best!"

"Flattery isn't necessary. Tommy, go ahead."

"Got it!"

Taking the ingot of white iron from Ganz... it was surprisingly light.

It felt much lighter than its size suggested, not as light as aluminum, but definitely different from iron.

"This is about two to three times stronger than iron at the same thickness."

"Got it."

But I can't just make it half as thick. The tip can be thinner, though...

Thinking about it, I put the ingot in the furnace to heat it.

Once it was hot enough, I took it out and started hammering.

Bang!!

---It's hard!

The feel is completely different from what I'm used to. It doesn't change shape easily, and it's understandable why it's hard to work with.

But it's not impossible.

I kept heating and hammering as my instincts guided me.

It took more than twice as long as usual, I think.

Once I got the shape I wanted, I stopped and started sharpening the tip. It was a bit more difficult because the metal was hard, but it was much easier compared to hammering.

"Done!"

The result was much lighter and had a glossy finish. The gloss was more like stainless steel than iron.

"Let me see."

Ganz took the shovel from me, applied force to it, and hit it with a hammer, then nodded in satisfaction.

"Well done. Toya, what do you think?"

"This is great! It's much lighter and easier to carry. The tip is sharp enough to need a cover... Maybe I'll have Haruka make one."

"This might sell. Hey, Toya, is it okay if we sell these? Including the one for scooping soil?"

"Sure, no problem. In return, take care of Tommy."

"Got it. Hey, Tommy, your skills are not bad. But if you want to be an apprentice, you must have something you want to learn. I'll take you under my wing. Come tomorrow."

"Really?!"

"I'll take you as an apprentice."

"Thank you! I'll work hard!"

"Good. You'll probably advance faster than a regular apprentice. When you're ready, open a shop in another town. I can't have my apprentices taking my customers. Hahaha."

Ganz patted my back hard while laughing.

As a blacksmith, his back is really strong. It hurts, but I can't say anything.

"Tommy, good for you. Work hard. If you surpass Ganz, I'll place orders with you."

"Hey, switching so soon?"

"Don't worry, as long as we're based in this town, we'll rely on Ganz. Or will you surpass him so quickly?"

"No way! I'm not lazy enough to be overtaken by a young guy! ---But when you're skilled enough, I might entrust you with our weapons!"

"Then I'm relieved. Tommy, steal as many techniques as you can."

"Hahaha... Yeah. Toya, thanks. For everything. I really appreciate it."

A few days ago, I was on the verge of death, and you helped me. You lent me money and even found me a job.

If I hadn't met you and the others, what would have happened to me?

I don't even want