CH 173

T/N: I’m going to a convention today with my friends. First one we’ve been on in so long due to the pandemic. There probably won’t be an update tomorrow.

I plan to make free time in my schedule and start working now. It’s not like I can just leave my invited guests alone, but the location is right there so there’s no problem.

“Then, while the guests are resting, I will go to the greenhouse and the shipyard,” I said.

The greenhouse and shipyard are located on the eastern edge of Caanburg, along the Dierbe River. Caanburg’s town is lined up along the main street running north-south and the main street running east-west, but if you go a little behind them, there are many undeveloped areas such as a wild forest.

From one end to the other in the east-west or north-south direction, or rather the total length of the town, this town is quite long but it’s not very wide. Of course, construction is proceeding with plans to add more along the main street, but the laying of underground facilities such as water supply and sewage comes first, so progress is slow. In the first place, even if the town is recklessly expanded, it will only become full of vacant houses if there are no residents or business owners to move into them.

That’s why now there are only buildings lined up along the main road, but the length is quite long, and if you go east, the town continues all the way to the Dierbe River. Even if I travel in a carriage, it’s quite a distance, but if I head there now, I’ll be able to inspect it and return by the end of the day.

I’m planning to open a village that’s still under development, but it’s hard to suddenly change the schedule for such a large-scale event. The same goes for the live-fire test of Eins’ development project. Appointments that require preparation in advance cannot be easily changed. But if you just visit a plastic greenhouse or a shipyard, you can get in right away.

If I could have, I would have contacted the site and told them their superiors would be coming to inspect the site and make the arrangements, and there would be no problems with the preparations and security for receiving them… but that’s modern VIP visits. I’m not the president or the prime minister, so I don’t have to worry about that. It would be nice if you could think about it as if a high-ranking executive came to inspect it incognito.

It’s quite a distance just to go to the Dierbe River and come back, but the highway is well-maintained, so even if I leave now, I should be able to return by dinner.

“Then the escort will be from my unit…” Ignaz started.

“Could you please hold a moment?!” Oliver came rushing in, out of breath and with his shoulders heaving. “It’s my duty to protect Sir Floto!”

“Oliver…” I said.

He seemed to have come in a hurry. Oliver was supposed to accompany us as an escort on the way back from the royal capital, but he was a little late to arrive.

We rushed through in the carriages, but the tremors were so bad that some of us got sick, so we divided in two, one who slowly approached Caanburg and the other who just blew past the roads. I had instructed Oliver to guard the slower carriage, so he arrived later than us.

Now that we’re already on the subject, there are also units that are arriving even later. The rest of Oliver’s squad, the wagon train that carried various luggage, and Damien and the other cooks. They’re moving slowly, so it’ll be a few days before they reach us.

The wagon train and Damian and his staff will remain in Caan and Carruthers’s territories, so it’s a complete withdrawal. A part of Oliver’s squad remains in the royal capital. And when I go to the royal capital again, it seems that Oliver’s squad here will join me on that trip as well.

We’re doing fine if we don’t have enough manpower here, but is this really okay? The royal capital is the base of the King, so the security isn’t that bad. It’s true that there were many things that helped Oliver’s squad during the first half of the year, but it’s to the extent that it’s manageable even if they’re not forced to move. I’m more worried about leaving the territory empty, but everyone seems to think that my safety is more important.

“Then Miss Flo… Sir Floto, can I accompany you alongside Oliver?” Katharina asked.

“No, I’ll have to ask you to stay, Katharina,” I said. “You’ll be guiding the guests through town. Ah, Helmut, you’ll be joining them as well.”

“………… Okay,” Katharina said.

Hmmm… Katharina is clearly depressed. And the reply was too delayed. It must have been quite a struggle. I ordered her so so she has to obey. But she wants to follow me and I got a glimpse of such a conflict. But it’s not a big business because I’m just going to inspect the Dierbe River. I don’t think we need to be together 24/7. In fact, Katharina wasn’t always with me because she acted separately even in the royal capital.

“Only Isabella and Oliver are fine for the inspection,” I said. “The rest of you can take a House Caan carriage.”

The Caan’s coat of arms was to be an eagle. It’s a fairly common design, so it’s not that noticeable or unique. It’s more about the carriage itself that stands out. The carriage has been improved based on some of my ideas, but it’s hard to say that it’s still good enough.

We were able to run fast because the roads in the Caan and Carruthers territories are well maintained, but the performance of the carriage itself has improved as well. But if you ask me, there’s still a long way to go. At least rubber tires, rim spokes, and suspension. I think these things will dramatically improve ride comfort.

However, rubber has not yet been obtained and there is no plan to obtain it. Rim spokes also have various issues such as thinness, strength, elasticity, and structure, so it is not easy. So it is with suspension as well. I don’t really understand the structure of suspension. It’s a little misleading, so let me correct it.

First of all, even I can understand the general form. However, if you try to develop it, there are actually many problems.

For example, even if it is called “suspension”, there are various forms of them. Which one is suitable for what purpose? I don’t fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of each and what to use them for.

Furthermore, even if I try to explain it to people, it’s not like I fully understand it or have the actual product. With my half-baked knowledge, it’s impossible for me to explain things to people without having the actual product, or to make a prototype myself.

In addition, it is an industrial problem. There are a lot of problems in terms of production and operation such as structure, accuracy and strength, and it is not something that you can say casually about trying to make it for a while.

Of course, even so, I passed on as much knowledge as I could, and the craftsmen and researchers continued research, prototyping, and testing every day. Thanks to that, the performance of the carriage has improved somewhat, but it still hasn’t reached the level that I’m satisfied with.

If rubber tires with suspension were completed and the speed of the carriage improved, it would be possible to bring about considerable innovation in distribution and so on. Currently, we are making investments to increase production capacity and precision on the industrial side. However, it will take many more years for it to actually take shape.

As I was rocking the carriage while thinking about such things, I could see the Dierbe River at the end of the highway. Finally, we arrived at the eastern edge of Caanburg, near the dock along the Dierbe River.

But that’s not my purpose here. We then head north along the river and to a farm where vinyl houses are lined up. The work behavior in an ordinary greenhouse can be done by just secretly inspecting it for a little while. There is nothing wrong with the things that are made around here.

It seems that breed improvement is being carried out while cultivating cotton, and it seems that they are trying to create a variety that is resistant to the climate around here.

Breeding plants may sound like something difficult. If you’re a modern child, you might imagine manipulating DNA… or something difficult like that. But it’s actually not that difficult. No, it’s difficult to do, or rather, it’s hard to succeed, but breed improvement has been done for a long time.

Even without the power of modern science, humans have been trying to improve the breeds of animals and plants since ancient times. In extreme terms, traditional breeding is to artificially cross different species that can be crossed with each other to create a new species that has both characteristics, or a new species with different characteristics. If you hear that, you will understand that there is no need for difficult modern science.

However, it is not easy. The mating often did not go well, and it is uncertain whether it can be mated in the first place.

For example, if you cross a cold-tolerant seed with a highly fertile seed, you will get a cold-tolerant and highly fertile seed! But it’s decidedly not so. Even if the crossbreeding work well, the seeds can become vulnerable to disease, or they may not be as resistant to the cold as I thought. It’s just repeated trial and error.

You have to try out various combinations and make sure that the finished product has the properties you want. I’m humbled by the researchers’ work with so much difficulty, time, and effort.

While briefly inspecting the results of such cultivation and breeding, I head to a newly opened farm. There are trees that are not very tall. I remember seeing this often in Japan. Yes, it’s the tea tree field that I asked Mikoto to prepare for me.

It seems that the tea tree species which existed in the Demon Country is similar to the Japanese tea tree species. Whether or not it can be cultivated in Caan territory is still unknown. Planted trees, seedlings, cuttings, seeds, etc., are brought in a considerable amount in various forms, and cultivation is being tested. It’s only been a few months so I don’t know until at least a year later to see if it can hold up to the weather.

Still, as far as I’ve observed, I feel like it’s growing well so far. With this, if it becomes possible to cultivate tea trees in Caan territory, it may be possible to drink not only green tea but also black tea. Currently, black tea has not been introduced widely to the Kingdom of Ploiss, and I have never drunk it in my life. Now that I don’t have coffee, I’d like to at least get some black tea.

“Ohh noo you don’t~~! You can’t come in here without permission, you hear~!? What is a kid even doing here~~!?”

“Ah, I’m sorry…” I said.

I was scolded when I was walking while looking at the tea plantation. In the image of modern Japan, there are tea plantations in terraced fields of acidic soil. That’s why I advised that it might be better to plant it in such a place, but I’m sure that the demons who gave me the tea tree will also investigate various cultivation methods in different locations and figuration, so I don’t think I need to say anything.

In fact, it is planted in a flat place and is not covered with a plastic greenhouse. If it can be cultivated in the Demon Country which has a higher latitude than here, there is a good chance that it can be cultivated normally in this country with a lower latitude. 1

“Where did you come from, kid?!” the man yelled. “This is the Lord’s field, you know! You can’t just go entering without permission, you hear!”

“I’m sorry……”

I apologize to the angry old man who appeared before me. Indeed, I didn’t tell him I was going to inspect it, so I went in without permission. It will be a massive nuisance for the people doing the work. The tea trees seemed to be growing well, so I was happy to inspect them, but I should have said a few words. It’s my fault, so I have no choice but to sincerely apologize.

“The flow of information is also controlled here, you know!” the old man continued. “If you enter without permission, I’ll have to turn you to the guards! And speaking of which, the guards should have been surrounding this place! Just what is our security doing?!”

He is an old man with a very loud voice. I’m glad he’s so energetic at his age, but I’m worried that he might die from high blood pressure instead.

The farms around here are certainly not just farms. It is also a state-of-the-art research facility that contains important secrets, so it is strictly managed so that information cannot be easily stolen. Ordinarily, it would be almost impossible for someone to sneak in without permission. It’s one of the facilities where Caan territory’s small garrison needs to constantly deploy troops.

“I apologize for entering without saying a word to the manager here,” I said. “However, there is no need to call the guards. I came in through the entrance with the proper authorization. Would you happen to be the person in charge of this tea plantation?”

“A little girl like you?” the old man said. “Why would they let you in here? And you just called this place a tea plantation, didn’t you? How do you know this is a tea plantation, kid?”

To answer a question with a question… It’s not just one question, it’s one question after another. I feel like I’m talking to an old man who doesn’t get along well with people. Well, I feel like it’s a typical example, but…

“That’s because Princess Mikoto gave me a tea tree and instructed me to plant it here,” I said.

“Princess Mikoto… how did you know the princess’s name…?” the old man said. “And for her to have taught you… you, little girl, you’re…?”

Apparently, this old man doesn’t know who I am. Well, I don’t even know who this old man is. Normally, anyone who enters a place where such important secrets are handled should get information about me, but I’ve never heard of this old man working here.

“I am Floto von Caan, the Lord of the Caan Knighthood,” I said.

“Y-You’re telling me you’re Sir Caan~!? Hehehee~!” the man giggled nervously. “My name is Ito Charakusai! Please, forgive me for my many acts of rudeness~!” he said as dropped to his knees, dropped his head to the ground, and put his hands out before him.

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It’s an amazing kowtow. I don’t know if it’s an overreaction or something. It’s funny to watch, but the story doesn’t progress if he keeps kneeling before me.

“Please raise your head, Mr. Sharakusai,” I said.

“It’s Charakusai!” Charakusai said.

“Charakusai?” I said. 2

“You’re pronouncing it the same, but I feel some kind of malice in the way you say it, you know!” Charakusai yelled.

He’s a funny old man. Well, even if I tease him, we’re not going to get anywhere, either. I tried to look Charakusai in the eyes as he got back up.

“Mr. Ito Charakusai… are you a Demon?” I asked.

“Wha…?!” Charakusai sputtered, sounding like he just bit his tongue. “Wha’ makes you think tha’?!”

And now that the funny old man’s behavior became blatantly suspicious, he raised his hands and opened his eyes wide.