Elsa’s light car was finished before dusk, and she spent the rest of the day happily driving it around until night fell.
Then came the time after dinner.
"Hmm..."
"Jin-nii, are you worrying again?"
Hearing Jin groan after he emerged from the bath, Elsa peered into his face with concern.
"Yeah. Earlier today, I realized there’s a certain danger involved."
"A danger?"
"Automobile accidents."
Jin had realized this after watching Reinhard make the vehicle lurch forward during his trial run.
Even in modern Japan, accidents caused by mistaking the accelerator for the brake were common, especially in automatic vehicles. The world of Ars had narrow roads and no traffic laws whatsoever. If he were to suddenly popularize automobiles, he could easily imagine a high frequency of accidents involving injuries or fatalities.
Rapid change brought peril. He had no desire to trigger a "traffic war" in this world.
"...True," Elsa agreed.
That simple confirmation sent Jin back into his brooding thoughts, and soon Elsa joined him in his contemplation.
"Jin-nii, instead of thinking about how to reduce accidents, why don't we look at why they happen in the first place?" Elsa suggested, offering a fresh perspective.
"I see."
Jin decided to pivot his mindset. It was an angle he hadn't considered yet.
"I suppose, above all else, the main cause is excessive speed."
Many accidents could be avoided or the damage mitigated if the vehicle were traveling slower. The same applied to skidding on wet road surfaces.
"I think we can manage that by applying a limiter," Elsa suggested.
Jin countered, "But that might negate the car's primary advantage."
Travel speed was a vital element of a modern society. Consequently, they decided to put the issue of speed on hold for a moment and consider other factors.
"What about operational errors?"
"Exactly. As long as humans are at the wheel, mistakes are inevitable... Wait! A driver!"
When one thought of a high-end automobile, one thought of a chauffeur. A carriage had its coachman. Jin realized they could simply bundle a golem driver with every vehicle. Establishing driving schools to train people in driving proficiency was not yet a realistic option.
"...Yes, that might work," Elsa agreed.
Jin decided to consult Laojun for his opinion as well.
『Indeed. I believe that would prevent accidents, though it carries the disadvantage of potentially hindering the spread of the technology,』 Laojun replied.
Jin understood his point. Automobiles would likely be expensive to begin with, and adding the cost of a golem driver would make them even less accessible.
"My Lord, perhaps you should reconsider exactly what your purpose for popularizing them is?"
"I believe it would be wise to examine this from various angles."
Turning around at those voices, Jin saw the blue-haired automata, Loll and Anne, standing there. Since the two were not from Jin's own design lineage, Laojun had summoned them, thinking they might offer opinions from a different perspective.
『Since we are at it, let us have Taihaku and Refa participate as well.』
And so it was decided. Taihaku, who oversaw Kunlun Island, joined via manacam, while Refa traveled to Hourai Island via the Warp Gate.
"This has turned into quite the meeting," Jin remarked, though he seemed to be enjoying the situation. "I absolutely want to avoid accidents. At the very least, I want the accident rate to be lower than what currently occurs with horse-drawn carriages."
The idea of someone losing a parent or a family member to an automobile accident was something Jin refused to permit.
"In that case, it will be necessary to restrict their use within cities," Refa responded immediately.
《Rapid proliferation will breed friction, My Lord.》
This was Taihaku. Jin chewed over that opinion.
"True. If carriages suddenly vanished, coachmen would lose their jobs, and it would affect the horse trade as well."
『My Lord, that is correct. It may be best for them to remain toys for the nobility at first.』
"I suppose so. Within a city, a speed of about fifteen kilometers per hour should be plenty."
"Jin-nii, the bumpers... was it? We should pay attention to the materials for those as well," Elsa suggested.
This was a practice already used in modern Earth's automobiles. Jin recalled hearing from the Orphanage Director that until around the mid-Showa era, bumpers were chrome-plated metal—back when the luster of chrome was popular—but they eventually transitioned to plastic or rubber. Whether that was the complete truth or not, there were aerodynamic and design reasons behind it, as well as differing regulations between Japan and the West.
However, from a safety standpoint, bumpers made of shock-absorbing materials were an excellent idea.
《Eventually, I believe it would be wise to have them under the unified control of a magi-brain,》 Taihaku added, offering an opinion typical of his nature.
"In that case, I'll have to rethink the supply of Golem Engines as well..."
"Jin-nii, that can't be helped. To begin with, we were moving too fast."
Acting on whims could lead to unexpected disasters. Jin decided to take it as a win that they were able to identify the risks before any harm was done.
"So, that means I need to rethink the automobile itself."
《For what purpose are you creating the automobile, My Lord?》
Jin was momentarily at a loss for words at Taihaku’s question. Originally, he hadn't had a clear reason beyond the simple desire to "try making it." And since he had made it, he wanted to use it. Furthermore, he wanted to be able to travel to Mitsuho openly. To do that without standing out, the technology needed to be somewhat common.
That was the general flow of thought in Jin's head. When he explained this, Laojun was the first to offer an opinion.
『My Lord, perhaps you should first announce it as a new work by the Magi Craft Meister.』
"That's fine, but what happens after that? Won't people start demanding the same thing?"
Jin would be troubled if he had to handle a flood of such requests.
『But you did make a carriage for Prince Ernest, did you not?』
"Yeah. Though that only has about ten percent of the performance of my own designs."
"My Lord, would that direction not be acceptable for the cars as well?" Anne suggested. "If you were to further reduce the performance of the Golem Engines you created..."
"That's true."
He had initially designed an engine capable of driving the car effortlessly through a direct connection, but Jin began to think it might be better to make the public engines much weaker and use gears for reduction. That way, another advanced component—the gear—would be required, making it difficult for others to replicate the technology easily.
(I had a hard time with those back then... and Reiko scolded me, too.)
Jin remembered the struggle he'd faced when first creating gears.
"I think that's a good idea. Let them be like toys at first," Elsa agreed.
"Was the metal found underground called orichalcum? Since it looks very similar to bronze, I suggest that your personal vehicle be made of orichalcum, while the ones you distribute be made of bronze," Loll suggested.
Since the strength of the materials was on a completely different level, the power the engines could output would naturally differ by an order of magnitude.
"And then, if you make it so that a dedicated golem driver is a requirement..." Refa added.
"So that's the direction we're taking."
It had strayed considerably from his initial goal of popularizing the automobile, but as Taihaku had pointed out, rapid change would only breed friction. Proliferation could be handled slowly and carefully over time.
"So, we'll start by seeing how things go."
Seeing Jin looking a little disappointed, Reiko spoke words of comfort.
"Father, you have accomplished many things in this world in a very short period. That is something no one else can imitate. The same goes for this automobile. I do not believe there is any need to rush further."
"I see. Maybe you're right....Thank you, Reiko."
Jin patted Reiko’s head and thanked her. She looked exceedingly happy.
In this way, the automobile proliferation plan was refined. In reality, things would rarely go exactly as planned, but even so, this was far better than having no plan at all. The primary objective was to use the automobile to go to Mitsuho with Elsa and the others; proliferation was a secondary goal at best.
The cars completed so far would be restricted for use solely on Hourai Island.
"Alright, let's try making the public version tomorrow."
It was late at night by the time the general plan was finally settled.