Lu and Tia knew the principle.
They understood that working efficiently required adequate rest.
And yet, why had they kept making Carriage Giants until they were so exhausted they started slipping up?
Part of it was because they were in high demand, but more importantly, they had simply become completely absorbed in the work.
For Lu, it was a way to find easier methods for crafting magic tools.
For Tia, she had sensed new possibilities within the Carriage Giants.
The fact that they had acquired Magic Composite Iron—a material perfectly suited for Carriage Giants—was likely a factor as well.
Furthermore, the village environment provided them with mountains of rare and important magic stones to work with.
What I’m trying to say is that Lu and Tia were genuinely enjoying their work.
That was why it had been such a chore to pacify them when I’d forced them to take a break.
Meanwhile, next to the Tracking Cart production factory at the Village Five Foothills, a factory for producing magic tools that cooled things had been completed.
...
It was right there in front of me, so I assumed I wasn't hallucinating.
Inside, Carriage Giants were hard at work.
The High Elves had handled the construction of the building.
Then, the Mountain Elves had compiled the specifications required for the Carriage Giants and deployed the finished models.
Good work, everyone.
Let’s see.
The cooling magic tools being produced looked like small, single-door household refrigerators.
I wasn't sure of the exact weight, but I thought an adult could carry one alone if they put their back into it.
Ah, they were actually quite light when empty.
Since they were still in the trial phase, their production limit was apparently five units a day.
That seemed like plenty to me.
A short distance away, Michael-san of the Goroun Company and Miyo—who was doing her best over in Shashato—were negotiating where these cooling magic tools should be delivered.
Did those two actually have the final say?
I supposed they would finalize the details between them and then bring the proposal to me.
I hadn't even decided on a selling price yet.
Oh, it seemed Michael-san and Miyo were discussing that as well.
That was a big help... or should I have been worried?
When would the large-sized cooling magic tools be for sale?
Even if someone asked me that, I didn't have an answer.
According to the Mountain Elves nearby, the size could be changed during the initial setup.
However, since failures in the larger sizes would result in significant losses, they were starting with the small sizes first.
I see.
That was smart.
Magic tools for cooling larger items... I guess I'll just call them refrigerators.
The large refrigerators would be coming soon, then.
As for the prototypes... I imagined they would be distributed first to the shops I was involved with in Village Five.
Aside from Western Confectionery Shop Fairy Fairi, which already had one.
They would go to places like Kuro and Yuki, Cafe Blue, Korin Sweets Shop, Noodle Shop Buritoa, and Sake & Meat Niz.
After that, maybe the ones related to the Village Council?
I thought the people at the Village Five Council Dining Hall and the guard stations would be happy to have them.
General sales would come after those were supplied...
Ah, right, I had to prioritize the nobility, or things would get complicated.
I’d have to ask the Demon King and Beezel about that.
For the time being, I intended to leave the management of the refrigerator factory to the three Angels who managed the Tracking Cart factory, but...
"Village Head, that is honestly impossible."
"Impossible."
"Please increase our staff. Also, we’ve discovered a floor-cleaning Carriage Giant that had gone missing. It had fallen into a deep hole."
Since they put it that way, I decided to consult the village's Angel... Marubit.
It was good news that they’d found the missing floor-cleaning Carriage Giant, though.
That left only one more to find.
"Yes. May I give it a name?"
That was fine, but I told them they couldn't treat it as private property.
I’d heard that one of them had made the previous floor-cleaning Carriage Giant we found do nothing but clean her own room.
"I am merely protecting it."
Did she really think I’d accept that?
"Please, just accept it. Next time, I’ll let you pet me."
Pet the floor-cleaning Carriage Giant?
"My head would be fine, too."
Hahaha.
Anyway, I showed her the manufacturing cost for a floor-cleaning Carriage Giant.
"Ugh."
In the first place, these were for factory use, so their performance was wasted on cleaning a single room. I suggested the Carriage Giant would be happier in a wide-open space where it could fully demonstrate its capabilities.
"Gunununu... Then, inside the dormitory."
I allowed that much.
...Was I being too soft?
I knew.
The Summer Harvest began.
Summer was ending.
It would be autumn soon.
Without a moment to dwell on such thoughts, we harvested.
Between sessions, I wondered if Carriage Giants could be used for the task...
"Leaving aside manual operation, making them harvest automatically is quite difficult. The fields you plow, Village Head, are all the same size and shape, but in other places, field sizes and shapes are usually different."
I nodded at the Mountain Elf's opinion.
Tia had used Carriage Giants to help with the harvest before, but she had been controlling them with very precise operations at the time.
"Rather than harvesting Carriage Giants, I think magic tools that assist with the harvest would be more convenient and have more uses."
That was true.
"The other thing would be... magic tools to transport the harvested crops."
The Mountain Elf looked at a Tracking Cart moving along the path between the fields. It was loaded to the brim with harvested crops.
"It's a huge success."
It really was.
However, users needed a fair amount of practice to ensure the Tracking Cart didn't wander into the fields or fall into ditches and waterways.
But once they became proficient, the transport capacity increased significantly, which was a massive help.
By the way, it was Kuro's children who wore the belts used to designate the Tracking Cart’s destination.
Since they hadn't been able to help much with the harvest until now, they seemed quite happy.
In the potato fields, a system had developed where Zabuton's children did the harvesting and Kuro's children handled the transport.
"If it's a Carriage Giant that Zabuton's children ride and operate, it might be able to harvest."
That might have been true, but wouldn't it be faster if Zabuton's children just harvested directly?
Or perhaps a humanoid suit like Fuuma that Zabuton's children could climb inside to operate.
"Hmm, I'll consult with Zabuton's children."
I didn't mind, but I told them to only build it when they had free time.
"O-Of course. After the harvest is over, right?"
"Right."
With that, I turned my focus back to the harvest...
Dryme, Urza.
Don't compete for speed; compete for how carefully you do it. You mustn't forget to treat the crops with care.
And Hakuren.
I won't scold you for crushing some crops, so don't try to hide the evidence by forcing yourself to eat them.
A dragon's stomach might be tough, but you'll still get a stomachache.
Early autumn.
At the counter of a certain ramen shop in Village Five, a bowl of mini-ramen was placed before me.
There were no toppings.
Just noodles in soup.
I ate it.
Yes, it was delicious.
A second bowl was served.
This one was... also delicious.
Compared to this, the soup in the first bowl felt slightly thin.
A third bowl was served.
Delicious.
No complaints at all.
The flavor of the soup was distinct, and the way the noodles and soup clung together was perfect.
This one was the most delicious of all.
These three bowls of ramen.
The soup and noodles were all identical.
The only difference was the noodle-draining technique.
The first bowl was drained by an employee who had worked at the ramen shop for about three years.
The second bowl was drained by the shop manager.
And the third bowl was drained by the noodle-draining Carriage Giant installed in the shop.
It had really worked hard.
Amazing.
As if responding to my praise, the noodle-draining Carriage Giant shook its noodle strainer with a look of satisfaction.
Afterward, the shop manager spoke to me.
"I wonder if I could have that Carriage Giant learn how to make the soup, too?"
Hahaha.
If the individual was motivated, then sure.
Though I might have to ask Lu, Tia, and the Mountain Elves to add more functions to it.
Someday, that noodle-draining golem might truly become a ramen chef Carriage Giant.