“Oh, these will work perfectly.”
Jin took delivery of the rubber tires. While they lacked wire reinforcement, they seemed to contain hemp cloth, making them quite similar to bias tires. The block pattern engraved on the surface clearly showed they were an evolved version of bicycle tires.
“Are they to your specifications?”
After the working golem that had carried the tires left, the Factory Manager Automaton arrived in its place to ask about the quality.
“Yeah, they’re well-made....So, what about the payment?”
Though he had heard from Chief Hiro that no payment would be required, Jin asked just to be sure, as he was not a resident of Mitsuho.
“Yes, there is no need for payment,” the automaton replied, exactly as expected.
The magus... just what kind of person was he? Jin wondered. To be able to construct a system like this, he figured one would need an incredible amount of specialized knowledge.
“Father, you are going to install these on the automobile, correct?”
Reiko stood there with two tires tucked under each arm—a rather surreal sight.
“That’s right. Get the jack... ah, I don’t have a jack.”
And so, he placed an additional order for a jack with the Factory Manager. To his surprise, the word "jack" was understood perfectly. Since rickshaws and carts were common here, Jin surmised that jacks were likely standard tools used for vehicle maintenance.
The jack was finished in about thirty minutes. Upon receiving it, Jin inspected its construction.
“Ah, Onii-chan, is this a mechanism where turning this screw makes this part lift up?”
Hanna, peeking in from the side, described the jack’s structure with precise wording, which impressed Jin even further.
I don’t have to decide on Hanna’s aptitude just yet, but if she receives a proper education, she might become a brilliant scholar... Jin thought, finding himself displaying a bit of his doting brother side.
He set the jack under the automobile to begin the tire installation. Since the vehicle featured a ladder frame, the logical placement for the jack was directly beneath it. He turned the handle round and round, lifting the wheels. Once they were off the ground, he cleaned the dirt and grime from the wheels and fitted the brand-new tires over them. Since they weren't mounting to traditional rims, his only option was to fit them over the existing wheels.
He repeated this for all four wheels. The wheel diameter became slightly larger as a result, but since there was plenty of driving force to spare, it wasn't a particular problem. Jin intended to perform a proper modification in the near future, but for today, he limited himself to applying Toughening.
“Alright, that’s good. Hanna, let’s head back to the city.”
“Okay!”
With Reiko at the wheel, the automobile began to move.
“Oh, it really does make a difference.”
The micro-vibrations that he hadn't been able to eliminate no matter how much he tinkered with the suspension, dampers, and seat cushions were now gone. Even though they were only about five centimeters thick, the effect of the rubber tires was outstanding.
“Reiko, pick up the speed a little.”
He increased the speed to about twenty kilometers per hour, and after confirming that the vibration had improved, they returned to the Guest House.
“Jin, welcome back.”
Saki, looking refreshed after a second nap, met them in the entrance hall.
“Where’s Elsa?”
“She’s waiting in the room. I was looking around the garden until just now.”
The grounds featured a Japanese-style garden, specifically one following the stroll-style design. Other types included the viewing-style, boating-style, and pond-spring-style, each with a different way of being appreciated. A stroll-style garden, as the name implied, was designed to be enjoyed while walking along its paths.
That said, it hadn't been crafted by a master gardener or a famous tea master, so its quality was merely reminiscent of the true style at best. Still, it was nostalgic enough for Jin and an interesting design for Saki.
“Jin-nii, Hanna-chan, welcome back.”
When they returned to their room, Elsa was waiting for them.
“A message came just a moment ago. Hiro-san is coming at 1:00 PM.”
“Ah, probably about the catalog. Saki, did you decide on anything?”
“I’m interested in the mercury and alum.”
It was exactly the kind of answer Jin expected from Saki.
“Alum is one thing, but be very careful how you handle the mercury, alright? I plan to emphasize that to Hiro-san as well.”
“Yeah, I know. Elsa already gave me quite a scare about it. About mercury poisoning, that is.”
“In that case, it’s fine.”
“So, what are you going to do, Jin?”
Jin seemed to think for a moment. “I’ll go with this tap and die set.”
“Heh, what’s that? It’s not a material, right?”
“Right. These are tools for making screws.”
A tap cuts female threads, while a die is used for male threads. There was one more thing in Mitsuho that had surprised Jin: the existence of screws.
Because Jin himself could use Craft Magic, he tended to use Joint or Fusion to fasten parts together. However, in places like the Allied Kingdoms, they used nails for wood and rivets for metal—effectively using wedges for tightening. Even for drilling holes in the Factory, they didn't use simple awls but spiral drills, which were very close to modern metal drill bits.
Jin wanted to popularize screws in the Allied Kingdoms eventually, but if the standards differed from Mitsuho’s, it would be a hassle later on. He decided to adopt Mitsuho's standards while the opportunity was available.
“Having a mix of inch and metric standards was just terrible, after all...”
Even back in his original world, when building a custom PC, many parts from the US used inches, which could be a struggle. As a side note, for some reason, the screws on the tips of folding umbrellas were the same standard as camera tripod mounting screws.
Jin explained the concept of screws to Saki and Elsa.
“I see. So by combining spirally cut grooves and ridges, you can tighten and fix parts together?”
“...But don't they just unscrew?”
For some reason, Hanna was the one to answer this.
“You see, there’s this thing called friction, so they don’t come loose easily.”
Elsa and Saki were surprised, but Jin was stunned.
“Ha—Hanna?! Where did you learn that?”
“It was written in a book I read at the Library yesterday. Spirals are used in all sorts of places, aren't they?”
Apparently, Hanna’s knowledge had already reached an impressive level.
Send Info, huh. It would be great if I could do that.
He thought of the magic that No. 600012 had used on the Jin Double to transmit knowledge. With that, one should be able to transfer knowledge even without being able to use Trans Info. However, the composition of that magic had not been conveyed to Jin.
No. 700672 might know it... perhaps.
Jin, who cautioned himself not to rely on others too much, hadn't even asked, but it was highly likely the veteran servant would know. I could use it only for specific targets... or rather than learning it myself, I could take Hanna there...
“Jin? Jin!”
He had unintentionally fallen into thought, and Saki’s voice snapped him back to reality.
“Ah, right, sorry. I was just thinking a bit.”
“Heh, that’s so like you, Jin. Let’s head out to eat lunch soon.”
Saki’s argument was that if Chief Hiro was coming at 1:00 PM, she wanted to finish lunch early.
“...The truth is, she’s just hungry because she couldn't eat much breakfast,” Elsa noted.
“E-Elsa! I'm not that...!”
As Saki flustered, Elsa made a confession of her own. “I’m hungry, too.”
Jin could only give a wry smile. “Alright, then let’s head to the dining hall.”
Since they hadn't eaten lunch at the Guest House yet, they didn't know what was on the menu. That was part of the fun. The whole group headed toward the dining hall together.