The next day, the 4th, the upgraded "power assist for civil engineering and construction" units immediately earned glowing praise.
"Whoa! This thing puts out way more power than yesterday!"
"At this rate, work's gonna fly by."
"Did the walking speed barely change, though?"
"They said going any faster would make it unstable."
"Can't be helped, then. It's plenty practical as it is."
"Word is we only need to replenish its mana half as often, too."
"Well, that's fine by me..."
"Honestly, this thing is outstanding. If they put these on the market, I'd buy one in a heartbeat."
Overhearing their remarks, Jin began to ponder.
Next comes rolling them out for mass production, but...
"Berlich Workshop might be a solid choice."
The workshop chief, Berlich Becker, was a descendant of Reinhard and had surely completed the basic course on Adriana-style Golems in Avalon.
Jin decided to put them on the shortlist of candidates.
He also considered asking Magic Technology Minister Reglei if there were other suitable workshops.
After all, one or two workshops alone wouldn't be able to meet the demand. Securing the necessary numbers would likely require several—if not over a dozen—workshops to take on the manufacturing.
...Or so he figured.
"Well, that's assuming there's steady demand, but judging by their reaction today, we should be fine."
The construction workers clearly recognized the five power assist units as indispensable tools.
"Mmh, as expected of Jin-dono's remarkable skill!"
Upon inspecting the power assists, Magic Technology Minister Reglei let out a low whistle of admiration.
"And you say these can be manufactured with relative ease?"
"Yes."
"Considering the cost and functionality, this is truly groundbreaking."
Jin breathed a quiet sigh of relief. If even the Magic Technology Minister gave his stamp of approval, mass production was certainly viable.
"I believe I will soon be able to hand over the design base templates for these power assists."
When Jin added that he would do so as soon as minor adjustments were finished, the minister's face broke into a broad smile.
"Capital! I shall look forward to that."
"With that said, I would like you to select the workshops to be entrusted with mass production."
"Understood, leave it to me....Do you happen to have any specific workshops in mind?"
In response, Jin brought up Berlich Workshop.
"Ah, of course! You truly have a discerning eye. Even I hold that workshop chief in high esteem."
"I am glad to hear that."
"I can think of about four others off the top of my head, but why don't we start by approaching Berlich Workshop first?"
Magic Technology Minister Reglei suggested that, as a test case, they should let Jin's recommended workshop handle the initial run to iron out any production kinks before expanding into full-scale mass production.
"Sounds good. Let us take it one step at a time."
Deciding that standing around talking in the open was ill-advised, Jin and Magic Technology Minister Reglei moved into one of the tents pitched at the construction site.
"Jin-dono, may I ask you a few questions?"
The moment he took a seat at the table inside the tent, Magic Technology Minister Reglei voiced his curiosities.
"First, I understand opting for a steel-based material. That comes down to cost. However, what in the world is this alloy you call '5.5 nickel steel'?"
"5.5 nickel steel" was an alloy steel containing 5.5 percent nickel.
Compared to standard carbon steel, it was tougher and possessed far greater corrosion resistance, making it ideal as structural steel and a corrosion-resistant alloy.
While inferior to specialized alloy steels packed with numerous additive elements, Jin had opted for 5.5 nickel steel—a material he frequently relied on in situations like this—after carefully balancing the necessary strength, durability, and manufacturing costs.
...Or at least, that was the gist of what Jin explained to the minister.
"I see, so adding nickel increases corrosion resistance. And wear resistance as well, correct?"
"Precisely. In addition, applying Hardening and Toughening ensures more than enough structural strength."
On Planet Ars, nickel currently had few practical applications, making it remarkably cheap.
The primary uses for nickel included nickel plating, stainless steel, heat-resistant alloys, magnetic materials, shape-memory alloys, nickel-hydrogen battery electrodes, and hydrogen storage alloys.
Virtually none of these circulated widely on Planet Ars; in truth, its single greatest user was Jin himself, followed distantly by decorative nickel plating.
For that reason, even though the Shouro Empire's Magic Technology Minister understood it in theory, he had never actually worked with it as a raw material.
Granted, a Magic Technology Minister rarely had the time to craft anything with his own two hands anyway.
And now, right before his eyes, he was witnessing an ingenious, real-world application of the metal.
Jin's philosophy of crafting high-performance machinery while keeping costs low through inexpensive, accessible materials was a breath of fresh air to the minister.
"This is an incredible reference."
These power assists were practically the polar opposite of the elegant "Adriana-style."
In truth, their concept originated from Earth's "heavy machinery."
This design was merely one iteration adapted to fit the realities of this world.
Jin had figured that suddenly introducing an automobile-style vehicle would only leave the locals baffled, which was why he had settled on this wearable, multi-legged frame.
And just as intended, the workers had embraced it without friction.
Because of its utilitarian nature, the controls were intuitive and the internal structure remained simple.
While that meant it couldn't perform delicate or complex motions, it was designed for heavy labor, so fine dexterity wasn't necessary.
Furthermore, as the workers grew accustomed to the frames, they were operating the power assists with an efficiency that far exceeded Jin's initial expectations.
No matter the world, skilled operators and true craftsmen will always find a way to shine.
It reminded him of seasoned heavy equipment operators back on Earth who could back a massive truck into a garage without straying by a single centimeter, or delicately pick up wine glasses and eggs using an excavator bucket.
Come dinner, Jin ended up dining alongside Magic Technology Minister Reglei at the man's earnest insistence.
"Well then, to the success of the construction. Cheers."
"Cheers."
The two clinked their wine glasses together in a toast.
"Truly, Jin-dono, I consider myself fortunate to work alongside you."
The sentiment was thick with the Magic Technology Minister's genuine gratitude.
"I spent a short stint in Avalon myself attending lectures on the Adriana-style, but looking at these machines, simple structures clearly possess an incredible depth of their own."
"Precisely because they are simple, tweaking the structure even slightly can dramatically alter their performance."
"I see, that makes total sense. Ah, how I wish I could develop something like that myself..."
Magic Technology Minister Reglei seemed to have taken quite a shine to Jin's power assists.
"The lectures in Avalon were certainly informative, but nothing compares to hands-on practical application."
"Ah, that may be true. Whether someone thrives on theory or hands-on practice really depends on the individual."
"Indeed. If that is the case, perhaps I am a craftsman at heart after all."
One could look at it as the difference between scholar types and artisan types.
Since Jin heavily leaned toward the practical, craftsman mindset himself, he understood Magic Technology Minister Reglei's feelings all too well.
The minister clearly possessed that innate urge to build things with his own two hands.
"...And yet, having saddled myself with the duties of a minister, I can't even find the time to do what I actually love..."
"...Ah, I see..."
"In the first place, forcing an engineer from a technical background into politics is completely absurd!"
"...Right..."
"...Are you listening to me, Jin-dono?!"
"...Yes, of course..."
And so, Jin ended up spending the rest of the evening playing captive audience to the drunken venting of the Magic Technology Minister.