Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Magic Stone Engine (7)
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After exiting the dungeon, we retraced our steps along the path we'd taken.
Fortunately, there were no strange black magic traps or anything like that this time.
Unlike the trip to the dungeon, we made our way back comfortably to the spot where we'd first met Heringa.
"I'm heading out now. It was fun."
"We thank you for the guidance."
Surprisingly, Heringa had guided us purely out of boredom.
Well, it felt more like hiring a mercenary for free.
Anyway, by this point, even Esili had let her guard down and was interacting casually.
"Well, see you later."
"Pardon? Ah, yes. If the chance arises."
See you later, huh.
Probably just a polite farewell.
With that, we parted ways with Heringa and headed straight back to the professor's lab.
"What do we do now?"
Katiranya asked the moment we arrived.
So I gave her a kind answer.
"For now, Katiranya and Esili don't need to help."
"Huh? Then."
"I'll ask for your assistance later with things like durability tests."
Esili looked a bit displeased but nodded anyway.
"That's fine with you too, right, Katiranya?"
"Understood. Then I'll just watch for now."
She took a seat in one corner of the lab, probably wanting to rest.
And patted the spot next to her, beckoning Esili over.
"Let's chat until it's finished."
"Ah, sure."
Esili seemed awkward about it, but Katiranya showed no concern whatsoever.
Well, they'll sort themselves out.
Best not to worry about it and focus on my own tasks.
I turned to Pretina and the professor to explain.
"First, let me briefly describe the piston-type engine."
"Hold on a moment, Edn."
The professor raised his hand, as if he had something to say.
When I asked what it was,
"I already know what kind of engine you made, don't I?"
"That's right."
"But this piston thing—it strikes me as quite different from the existing design. That could cause problems with what you presented at the council."
Ah, right. The principles and form are completely different, aren't they?
I was momentarily flustered, but upon reflection, the piston type actually posed greater risks.
After all, it generated far more power at low torque.
The conventional design ramped up output the faster it spun.
Even with lower strength, as long as it could handle the speed, it didn't need to be as tough as tungsten.
Of course, it still had to withstand a certain level.
But it was far weaker than a house-sized turbine engine, so no need to overthink it.
Pistons, however, were a different story!
Not only did they involve explosions, but producing high output at low torque inevitably led to massive stress on the components.
Thus, every part needed to be even sturdier.
And that directly tied into safety concerns.
"So don't worry—just let's get to the research!"
"Er, alright. Feels a bit scammy, but okay."
Scammy!
I was dumbfounded, but honestly, even I had to admit there was a bit of that vibe.
After all, they were two entirely different engines.
Still, I just needed to prove it.
With that, I recalled Earth's engines in my mind and began the research with the two of them.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ We'd roughly completed the blueprints.
But the most critical issue with the mineral remained.
"Since this is entirely new, we need to run some experiments. In a word, gather data."
"Data?"
"Ah, I mean collect some information."
"Edn, sometimes I just can't make sense of your words. And here I am, a professor. It's baffling."
What?
Had he figured out I was from another world?!
I feigned mild surprise, but that wasn't the case at all.
He just saw it as one of my made-up terms.
Frankly, that worked better for me anyway.
No one would suspect I was from another world to begin with.
Anyway, with no data or related formulas developed yet,
we had to experiment hands-on.
Which meant it was time for Esili and Katiranya to lend a hand.
I called the two over and began explaining the upcoming experiment.
"It's simple. We'll infuse mana into this mineral, and you need to keep any explosion from spreading outward."
"That's all?"
"Yeah. But while blocking the explosion, we need to see inside it. Please avoid using that dark orb like before, Katiranya. Modify it somehow to make it transparent, or whatever works."
"Hmm, let me think about it."
Whether she'd grown close to Esili in the meantime or not, the two started discussing it together.
They probably needed a moment to confer, so I'd handle the setup in the interim.
"Professor, prepare the mana supply. Pretina, help me out."
"Got it. Make it quick."
"Good. Let's get to it."
While the professor readied the mana transfer device using mana crystals, I started handling the mineral.
I went out to the outdoor test area with Pretina and found a suitable spot.
"Let's set it up here. And... ah, grab that wire over there."
"...Never thought I'd end up as your errand girl."
Pretina grumbled but obediently fetched the black wire.
I thanked her as I set up the mineral.
I secured it on a tripod and used a bit of magic to connect the black wire to the mineral.
Once I installed the safety gear we'd brought from the lab, we were good to go.
"What? It's simpler than I expected."
"Yeah. We're just checking how much mana it takes and the explosion's power.
Of course, we'll need various measuring devices too.
But the professor will bring those.
We just need to be ready to hook them up right away."
"Now let's step back a bit. I noticed while setting it up—the mana got sucked in on its own."
"Really? But it didn't explode, so that much must be fine, right?"
True enough.
Still, for data collection, the first test might just blow anyway.
That said, we'd already learned a thing or two.
For starters, it essentially ignored ambient mana.
If it absorbed that, it would've exploded on the way out or taken the dungeon with it.
Though confirming that fully would take time, so it wasn't definite yet.
Next, simply casting spells nearby drew mana into it.
Likely a property of the mineral itself.
How far the range was.
Whether it varied by spell type.
How much it absorbed.
We'd need tests for all that.
The third point should become clear in this experiment.
"Edn, I'm ready."
"Thanks, Professor. Let's install it and test right away."
The professor brought out his measuring devices and mana supply setup.
Makeshift gadgets he'd cobbled together during his grad school days for various experiments.
Unfortunately, he hadn't designed them with blueprints in mind, so they never hit the market.
Besides, not long after I supplied the mana crystals, similar makeshift measuring tools appeared.
The Magic Tower must've grown tired of eyeballing, calculating, and logging everything manually.
"Phew, now we're ready for the real experiment."
After finishing the measuring device setup, we set the safety distance at about ten meters.
Then Katiranya and Esili joined us from the lab.
Having discussed it thoroughly, the two extended their hands toward the mineral without hesitation.
"Air Aqua Barrier."
Esili's mana transformed into light and spread through the air.
At the same time, Katiranya's blood-tinged darkness intertwined with Esili's mana.
"Oh, what's this?"
"Simple. You wanted something durable enough to contain it while allowing a view inside, right? This is our collaboration."
According to Katiranya, the Air Aqua Barrier enveloped the area in steam.
Her authority was then blended into the mana-generated steam barrier.
The result: a reinforced transparent wall.
"Perfect. Alright, let's begin!"
Everyone fell back, and the first experiment commenced.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The first experiment—or whatever you'd call it—
ended regrettably in failure.
It wasn't that Esili and Katiranya's barrier proved useless.
The devices attached to the mineral simply couldn't hold up.
Fortunately, we reinforced that aspect for the second test.
And the second experiment was half success, half failure.
"Tsk. The mana absorption is all over the place?"
Even assuming the first one absorbed my mana,
it shouldn't have differed much from the second.
Yet it exploded despite absorbing less.
Could it be that explosions didn't consume all the accumulated mana?
"A few more tries, and we'll know."
Thus, the third, fourth, and eventually up to the seventh.
I couldn't help but grow exhausted from all the testing.
"No matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem to use everything up during an explosion, right?"
"Indeed. And if I had to guess, the amount used varies each explosion."
Should we make some kind of stabilizer?
With those thoughts, we started testing again.
Gathering data was the priority, after all.
We ran several more trials, and around the twentieth, I gained some certainty.
"Doesn't use full amount per explosion. Varies per explosion."
"On top of that, the blast radius and power change every time. Maybe we do need a stabilizer?"
The professor shared my line of thinking.
I'd considered it too but had put it on hold for now.
But seeing this, it seemed necessary.
So I was about to ask the professor for an artisan contact,
when
"Just try processing it."
"Processing? Like a gem?"
"Doesn't have to be exactly that shape, but shaping it somehow would be best."
Pretina, who'd been quietly observing, offered her input.
The mineral did have an appealing color, with real potential as a gem.
And processing it would standardize the form and remove impurities.
"Good idea. Let's give it a shot."
Following Pretina's suggestion, we processed a few of the minerals we'd brought.
We shaped them for inlay into a necklace or similar, then tested again.
"Gasp! Edn, this!"
"Exactly, Professor! Consistent mana absorption, consistent explosions!"
Amazingly, the mana-reactive explosive mineral now produced steady values.
I thanked Pretina for making this result possible.
In response, she smirked with an air of supreme arrogance,
snapping open her fan as she spoke.
"What? This much is only natural."
Haha, classic Pretina.
I made a slightly sheepish face before heading back to the tests.
And before long, I incorporated the gem into a redesigned engine.
And watched it operate normally.
Of course, there were still tweaks needed, but this was more than enough for a demonstration.
I asked the professor to prepare a mineral-hauling cart fitted with this engine.
I handed over rough blueprints too, and he agreed to have it ready for the deadline.
Good. Now it was time to really stick it to them.
About a week remained until the end of the month's deadline.
I spent that remaining week in eager anticipation.