Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment—also known as an Artie Horse—Unit No. 1: Siegfried.
I had reassembled it using every single part we had recovered. It was a relief to see it whole again, but there was one problem: it wouldn't move.
The cause was soon identified. A component we had initially thought was just a strangely shaped part turned out to be the shattered remains of a critical piece. In other words, the machine was broken. Apparently, this specific component was vital, and we realized the machine would function if we could only replace it.
But where would we find a replacement? It wasn't among the related parts we had salvaged, and it was highly unlikely that the original manufacturer was still in business today. The only other option was to strip the part from another Artie Horse, but Units No. 2 through No. 5 were all fully functional. I couldn't bring myself to cannibalize a perfectly good machine for parts.
What about making the part ourselves? The Mountain Elves had already reached a grim conclusion: it was impossible with our current technology. They couldn't even estimate how many years of research it would take to reach that level; we simply lacked the necessary technological foundation. Even with Tia’s golem-crafting techniques, we could mimic the shape, but we couldn't replicate the performance.
To my eyes, the broken part looked like a modern circuit board—the kind of green board with printed circuits and various components soldered on top. Simply copying the shape would be useless if the materials and internal workings weren't exactly right. And if someone asked me to build a circuit board from scratch without any equipment, I would be completely out of my depth.
I lacked the knowledge, the materials, and the technology.
"I see," I muttered. "Well, that’s that. Farewell, Siegfried."
"It’s too early to give up," Yuri said, spreading a map out in front of me. It was the resource distribution map Prada had brought us. "I can't read these characters, but this area marks the production site for Wing Demon Crystals, and this is where the Artie Horse was found, correct?"
"Yeah, that’s right."
"There are similar characters over here as well."
She was right; the words "Wing Demon Crystal" were written there, too. It was a location so distant I hadn't even considered it.
"Isn't it possible there might be more machines there? Perhaps even an Artie Horse in a better state of preservation?"
"Well, the possibility is certainly there..."
"Fortunately, this region is the territory of a noble for whom Count Pugyal acts as a patron. We already have the necessary letters of authorization, so there won't be any political issues if we go to explore."
I paused. "I’ll... I’ll look into it."
"Please do!" Yuri urged.
With the autumn harvest and the martial arts tournament coming up, the earliest we could manage an expedition would be winter. Speaking of which, while I had been focusing on the Artie Horses lately, I couldn't neglect our winter preparations. If we let our guard down, things could turn disastrous once the heavy snows and blizzards hit.
I made the rounds, checking the Village Head's Mansion, the workshops, and the sheds for the cows, horses, goats, and chickens. We also had to step up production of preserved foods and build up our firewood stockpiles. Personally, seeing the storehouse overflowing with supplies always made me happy, though we had to be careful to rotate the stock so nothing spoiled.
Then there were the winter clothes. Zabuton’s Children insisted they needed to prepare my winter wardrobe and began taking my measurements. I didn't want to brag, but I was already quite the clotheshorse; I had several rooms in the mansion dedicated just to my attire. However, they were bringing out fabric that was strangely snug. They also seemed to be struggling with the flexibility of the joint sections.
Watching them, I realized they were using different materials for the joints so as not to restrict movement. It was clever, but then it clicked.
"Wait a minute... isn't this the inner layer for a pilot suit?"
They explained that since they would be hibernating once winter arrived, they wanted to get the work done now. They even tried to reassure me that it wouldn't be embarrassing since the crotch area would be detachable.
"Fine, fine, I get it," I relented. They always took such good care of me, after all. "I’ll officially place an order for the pilot suits."
As soon as I said the words, the number of spiderlings joining the project suddenly multiplied. Even Zabuton herself decided to participate. I was in good hands.
Back in the Village of the Great Tree, a new airship was finally completed. While we had used the Trois Roses as a reference, this was a much smaller vessel. The rugby-ball-shaped gas bag was a size smaller than the smallest of the three bags on the Trois Roses. While the cabin of the Trois Roses was the size of a four-story building, this new cabin was roughly the size of a large car.
It was a minimal design, consisting only of a single pilot’s seat, the power source, and a tiny storage area. I had decided to keep it simple, as its primary purpose was to serve as a functional sample for airship production in Village Five. We hadn't even factored in pilot rotations or cargo capacity.
Whether by luck or design, the small airship demonstrated impressive speed during its trial runs.
"The power source is smaller than the one on the Trois Roses, but that’s likely because we've shed so much weight by shrinking the cabin," a Mountain Elf explained while observing from the ground. "At that speed, it might be able to outrun flying magic beasts or monsters... though it's a close call."
The airship was fast for its class, but it was all relative. If the Angel Race or the Universal Ship gave chase, they would catch it in no time.
"As for an escort... our only real options are to have the Angels fly alongside it or to have one of Master Zabuton's Children ride along for defense."
I didn't think the spiderlings would mind, but most of them would be hibernating soon.
"And the Angels are already going to be busy operating the Trois Roses," the elf added.
"So it can only fly in safe zones for now," I concluded.
"It would seem so."
That raised another question: how were we going to get this new airship to Village Five? It was supposed to be a sample for them, after all. Even though it was small compared to its predecessor, it was still an airship. The gas bag was several times larger than the cabin, meaning it was far too big to fit through the Teleportation Gate. I doubted even the teleportation magic of Progenitor-san or Beezel could move something of that scale. Even if we drained the gas, it wouldn't help; it wasn't a limp balloon, and the structure wouldn't just deflate.
"Could you ask one of the dragons with some free time to help us out, Village Head?"
"Alright. I'll see what I can do."
"Also, regarding the Universal Ship..."
"I know, I know."
I was already worried about how the Universal Ship would react to the new arrival. I had hoped it would see the small airship as a new "younger sister," but for some reason, the ship was starting to treat it like its own child. I needed to do something about that parental attachment before it got out of hand.
Incidentally, the one currently tearing through the sky in the small airship for the trials was Tou, the captain of the Universal Ship. He hadn't shown much interest in the Artie Horses, but he clearly loved anything that flew. He looked like he was having the time of his life.
Still, Yuri and the Demon King were waiting their turn on the ground, so I figured I’d better tell him to come down soon.