CH 30.1

Manpower Agency 30.1

Chapter 30.1 – Create a Dream Road that Connects Continents

In the blink of an eye, I turned a little over 14 years old.

Life is busier than last year because of research, research, and more research.

It was all because of my idea of giving my fiancée, Laura-san, more credit for my research which is basically on creating magic constructs that don’t need magic crystals(battery-less).

I fabricated a plan for a “Grand Railroad”. It’s a transcontinental railway that uses a perpetual magic power engine without the need for magic crystals. As soon as words got back from the royal capital, research funding came in like flood.

According to Professor Marino, the top are quite serious.

Though it sounds grand, the theory behind it is rather simple.

All you have to do is modularize building it by dividing it into a power system, a transmission system, and an operating system, and then, connect them to the wheels.

After that, all you have to do is to expand the scale up to what you want it to carry. Simple, right?

Well, it’s not easy to make.

Then, we also received an order to conduct a long-distance transportation test between Torquiva and Ruefuma and things became hectic.

Professor Marino was working hard to get a lease for the magic railroad line between Torquiva and Ruefuma while I was given an exemption by Instructor Estoma from studying.

And since the date when we can rent the line was decided, which is three months from now, the entire line is scheduled to be closed. Things have been getting busier and busier in the laboratory.

You can see people sitting here and there day and night and there are people who are sleeping on the sofa in the reception area.

I know this feeling.

It’s called death march.

「Are you sure this thing works?」

「The train we’re planning to build is exactly the same in principle. However, it’s not strong enough to climb uphill. 」

Professor Marino and I were staring at a test horse-drawn carriage at the corner of the Magic Academy parking lot.

Magic carriage and magic trains powered by magic crystals have been in practical use for quite some time and there are even large-scale airships and tank-like vehicles in existence.

They are very important technologies that already support important social infrastructure but they are very expensive.

I took a cue from the magic carriage and built a perpetual magic power engine into a big carriage-like vehicle.

If a magic carriage has the rating of six horsepower, this engine would be rated as 1 catpower.

It should work just fine according to my calculations.

「Then, I’ll start it up.」

The magic seal around the engine was released and the engine started working with a clicking sound.

The quality, size, and characteristics were not that compatible so it was difficult to achieve synchronization and the output couldn’t increase as well.

Even so, this perpetual magic power engine is ultra-low-cost and ultra-low power and if we don’t find a way to increase the output even a little, the size of the engine we need to make will be as big as a city.

「Oh, did it move?」

Professor Marino peered at the while with interest but it probably hasn’t moved yet.

It hasn’t even stepped on the line he drew in front of the wheel.

After a yawn-inducing pause, the wheel began to turn just a little bit.

「It moved, didn’t it?」

「Yes, professor, it moved.」

「However, it’s so slow that if I hadn’t drawn a line under the wheel, I wouldn’t be able to tell whether it was moving or not.」

「Given this power output, it will stop when it steps on a pebble. We have to make it bigger or else, it won’t be able to move forward.」

「Yeah, though it’s frustrating.」

After an hour, Professor Marino, who had been checking the progress of the wheel using a ruler, sat down on his chair.

I was carrying drinks and snacks while Professor Marino sat on his chair with arms crossed, staring at the wheels.

In the end, the perpetual magic power engine took time, the sun had already changed position, before the wheel completed a complete revolution. And as I said earlier, it stopped when it stepped on a pebble.

「It stopped, didn’t it?」

「Yes, it did.」

「However, the important thing is that it moved even if it’s only for one wheel revolution, isn’t it?」

「Yes sir! One revolution of a wheel, one giant revolution for science and magic.」

「Schenker-kun.」

「Yes?」

「Can I use that line?」

That day, Professor Marino and I went back to the lab giggling which made everyone look at us with suspicion.