The Economics of Prophecy

When I arrived in Bertoldo, I was coming to a large building with the guidance of an old butler after a night at the Grand Duke Mansion, which was more of a castle than a mansion.

"It's beautiful for a warehouse."

"For the sake of secrecy, I chose the closest place to the Grand Mansion."

Me and the butler exchange words behind the carriage I've been riding. There's no point in a conversation. It's simply my escape from having trouble with the way I cut the fire on the first person I met.

………… …………

Two men stood down before us. A middle-aged man mixing dissatisfaction with anxiety and turning away from his face to make a vanity. Old man with his eyes closed so much that he might be asleep. He's a craftsman who really needs his help to start a big business.

"Your lord's carriage should have been repaired."

I guess you didn't think it would reveal itself. The middle-aged man, the butler said, Dolph, the woodworker who fixes the carriage, stared at me. Well, you seem easier to give than a butler's grandfather.

Dolph's gaze is on the carriage we've been on. My eyes are full of disbelief. Of course it's not broken. Craftsmen will know when they see movement.

"Why was the carriage called to repair?"

An old man who finally opened his eyes said. Blacksmith's bogan. The middle of the fifty is over it. He won't know, but he's the blacksmith that Jacob and the others are asking for a job.

The gaze of the two also turns to the girl in the most luxurious outfit on this occasion, or Noel. Noel put his hood back on deep. When we met, he said something about when we were blacksmiths, but it sounded like he was familiar.

On my left and right are two dressed as merchants' daughters. One is Meer with dark hair down. It's like Noel's maid because he's next door to it. I won't do it though.

The other is a girl with blue and silver hair in the same outfit as Meer.

He says he wants to be here as a shareholder to see all the stages of the business. It's her unique seriousness.

"Both names, Ricardo Vinder here is all responsible for the carriage. Of course, the Grand Duke's choice."

said the butler's grandfather. Dolph's face was distorted by the Grand Duke's deputies.

"What the hell is wrong with that kid? I just told Vegatta's husband to come here because I have a job fixing the carriage."

Vegatta is a Bertoldo carriage dealer. He is a member of Wang Du's Carriage Guild and has great connections with the Guild Leader.

"Eh. I am a merchant in the King's Capital food guild. I asked you both to come here to improve this carriage."

"... the carriage was just last serviced. Are you complaining?"

I put my ass on the job, that's what I thought.

"Of course not. If it wasn't a good item, the result of the improvement would be unclear."

"What do you mean by the improvements I've been saying? Why did you call Noon, the blacksmith?"

Old Bogan said.

"Yes, I want to replace one part of this carriage with a new one. Can you take a look at this first?

I showed the two of us the bearings, which are prototypes. It is through a stick of wood. While Dolph was aware of the butler, he took it from my hand.

"What is this unusual mechanism............ Oh, whoa. You're going around, you're planting balls inside... You said carriage parts. This tree is a axle...... This is no bearings."

The artisan's eyes changed. I gave the same thing to Bogan. The eyes of the old man, who had closed as if he had slept, were opened.

"Silly, there can be no such elaborate metalwork. I can't believe you're telling me to make this. This is the same thing as two things…, what,"

"Hey, you're not taking mine. Isn't this exactly the same thing?"

When Bogan takes the bearings from Dolph, he compares the two.

"First, Mr. Bogan, the blacksmith, will make this special metal bearing, which we call a ball bearing. Is it three times the actual size?"

I said.

"... I can't make it. This stuff is not very good, but I can't make it. I don't know how I made it, the material is lead, but..."

Bogan said with a creepy face.

"Actually, I want you to make it out of iron. If you can, with hard special iron."

"Not to mention the impossibility. If you're talking about true iron, that's the only way to hang a high heat and shape it a little bit with a forge. There's no way I can make something like this out of it."

Forging, as Bogan calls it, should be remembered for the creation of a Japanese sword. That's the one where you hammer hot and soft iron in bright red into the shape of a knife. But all I'm asking for is the same forge, but it's called a mould forge.

"Take a look at this. Noel, please."

Noel follows my word and puts out the alchemy mold. The two of them breathed for a moment into the sparkle of precious metal, but immediately focused on its exquisite moulded structure.

"Whoa, you're not telling me you made a mold out of gold. Are you insane or what?"

"It's not gold... Above all, how can you do such an elaborate mould?"

In this world, it's usually sand shaped. Carve the shape you want to make with a tree and cover it around with sand to make a mold. When moulded, pour in metal except wood. But I can't make the accuracy of the bearings that way.

"It's her alchemy."

Noel, frightened by Dolph's shooting gaze, managed to explain the nature of the magic gold.

"Magic...... Can metals that withstand high temperatures and are far more robust than iron be processed with this finesse?"

"It costs a hell of a lot. The bearings themselves are made of ordinary metal."

"I mean, use this mould to forge, true iron..."

Shape by pressing the heated and softened metal in a mold. It is a technology that manufactures a large number of parts of an elaborate structure. I can't even beat you with a hammer. It's an eye-catching piece of magic gold. In fact, I intend to further reduce the burden by digging grooves on all sides and devising ways to engage.

"So, I want you to incorporate the ball bearings that you made that way into your axle. In a way that doesn't change the existing carriage, that's what Mr. Dolph wants you to do."

"... you're saying you're going to use this for a carriage"

Dolph, who was turning the bearings with his fingers, said.

"Yes, then this ball bearing is missing -"

"Don't even say it. Well, then, there's no play at all between the axes. It would be amazing to incorporate it into Rokuro or something. I can't do it for a carriage running down the road. Plus, if it comes down to two, if the mounting goes off at all, it won't turn around properly."

There is considerable room between the axles and bearings of carriages in this world. That's not just a matter of machining accuracy, because if you don't, you'll pick up road swings and so on directly. No matter how durable or metallic it is, it won't hold.

"I want you to use a plate spring for that."

I explained. A suspension using coils familiar with automobiles is not possible, but the structure is simple if the plate spring is overlaid with plank-shaped iron. In fact, it is used in luxury products. Still, cushioning is mandatory when riding. I mean, my buttocks hurt even if I had a cushion. The spring can't be without that spring, even if the modern man imagines it. That's a challenge for the future.

My explanation must have shown us why we were called. The two of them have been silent. Those fingers don't hold onto the bearings and let go, but Dolph's eyes are swimming left and right.

"You're telling me to get rid of the carriage dealer and build this outrageous carriage."

Dolph said. He noticed. This is not just an improvement on the carriage.

"Using expensive metals, even magic, to make shapes like this means there's not one or two carriages to make."

Bogan also said. It's Jacob's information that he's on the verge of retirement and has nothing to be afraid of.

Because will you take risks with such a proposal to build a young man?

"Yeah, I'm trying to replace a ton of carriage bearings with this. Don't worry about ordering because you have already spoken to your fellow merchants"

I said.

"So you're telling me to pull out a carriage merchant for that. You're a merchant, too."

There is vigilance in Dolph's voice. That would be so. He is now torn between the Alliance and the new technology.

"I need efficient transportation because I'm a merchant. However, you needed to make it fast anyway. I don't know how long it will take if I leave it to my current carriage guild. One way to make them accept over there is to make them and show them off anyway"

I said.

"The other is to try to speed up improvements by interacting directly with artisans. You want to leave this carriage improvement to your discretion."

Craftsmen subcontract basic merchants. It's an exploit-level wage system. This means that there is no incentive or funding for artisans to invest in their own technology. Then the speed of technological innovation slows down.

I laughed when I saw Dolph.

"Ultimately, we are also thinking about having Mr. Dolph build a carriage from scratch. I'd like to ask you to do the job of making the best carriage in the country."

I said with a cold sweat on my back. I believe in the power of the bearings, but it all depends on these two craftsmen whether they can do it or not.

"Goddamn it, look under my feet. In the first place, if they make me look like this, I don't think I can turn back. Not to mention when they say they're gonna make the best carriage in the country."

Dolph threw up as he turned that way.

"I can't say no to the job of machining true iron with such precision."

Bogan nodded small too.

"Then by saying it's settled. However, please do not divulge the details of the job. See, the customer is the customer."

"Well, if it's the Lord's orders, I don't know what else to do."

Dolph laughed inexorably at the butler. The butler nodded heavily.

"How did the lord dictate"

Bogan asked me.

"Yeah," he said. "Ultimately, we're gonna make this city the nation's best producer of carriages."

I'll answer that. Both Bogan and Dolph got a pompous face.

"Ha, this guy got caught up in something hell,"

"I didn't expect to be involved in such an important year."

Two artisans raise their voices and laugh. I lifted my cheeks slightly to the butler.

All right, now we can start an improved carriage. I nodded when I saw Meer and Alfina.