The Mountain Elves presented their latest findings, announcing that they had mastered several new technologies through their analysis of the airships and the Multi-purpose Humanoid Mobile Heavy Equipment—better known as the Artie Horses.
It wasn't the kind of technology that was easy for a layman to grasp. To be honest, anyone without a specific interest in the subject would have likely glanced at it, muttered, "What is this?" and moved on. But for those who understood, the progress was undeniable. While I didn't know the technical names, they had developed mechanisms for coupling rotating shafts and structures that converted horizontal rotation into vertical movement. I recognized the concepts from things I had seen before. Still, it seemed like there was a long road ahead before these individual advancements would truly revolutionize the Artie Horses.
"I think I finally understand why the Artie Horses lost to the golems," the Mountain Elf leading the presentation said, their expression darkening.
In all honesty, the golems Tia created were far simpler and more convenient than the Artie Horses. Even in terms of maintenance and ease of repair, the golems were superior.
"B-but, we just can't give up on them..."
"Don't cry. It's alright. I fully intend to have you continue your research."
"Village Head!"
"Let’s keep at it."
"Yes, sir!"
Currently, the village possessed four Artie Horses in addition to Crim’s Unit No. 1.
There was Unit No. 2, Benze. It had a very angular design; a gorilla was the easiest image to call to mind when looking at it.
Then there was Unit No. 3, Poka. This was a stout, dumpy machine that utilized many curves. Its limbs were short, but it possessed the most raw power of the four. It looked something like a bloated pufferfish with arms and legs attached.
Unit No. 4, Larock, was the most humanoid of the bunch. Because of that, it looked a bit meager compared to the others, but the pilots gave it high marks for ease of operation because its movements felt natural. It looked like a slender dwarf.
Finally, there was Unit No. 5, Hanasaka. It featured countless giant spheres on the soles of its feet, allowing it to move by rolling along as if it were sliding. While I worried that it might lack the traction necessary for heavy labor, spikes would pop out from between the spheres to grip the ground whenever stability was required. It looked like a shark with thin arms and thick legs.
There had been a proposal to have these four machines fight one another, but I denied it since the risk of them breaking was too high. However, I had no problem with testing their performance or the skill of their pilots. Consequently, we held several competitions using the Artie Horses during the Martial Arts Tournament. I thought they would make for excellent entertainment between matches.
The first event was a logging competition where the machines had to cut a set number of logs and transport them to a designated location. The skill of the operator played a huge role here. The machine Yuri piloted took first place. Second and third were decided purely by the dexterity of the pilots; I didn't notice much of a difference in the performance of the machines themselves. They were sturdy pieces of equipment, after all.
Next was the Long Throw. We competed for both distance and height. This event actually highlighted the differences in the machines' designs—specifically the shape of their arms. Unit No. 4, Larock, which had the most human-like configuration, threw the farthest and the highest. It wasn't just using its arms; it was properly utilizing its shoulders and waist to generate power. The other machines all performed about the same.
Then came the Obstacle Race. Hanasaka was incredibly fast, but it ended up overturning at a ledge. Pieces of the machine scattered upon impact, but it turned out that only the Protective Parts we had attached before the race had broken. The main body of the machine was undamaged, which was a relief.
However, the fallen Hanasaka was unable to get back up on its own. We had to use the other machines to right it, which revealed a significant weakness. While a car can't get back up if it flips, I had assumed that since these had arms and legs, they would be able to stand up. According to the Mountain Elves, Larock was likely the only one capable of self-righting. Benze could manage it if the pilot was exceptionally skilled, but they said Poka was hopeless. Looking at its round body, that made sense.
As an aside, I asked about Crim's Siegfried. Apparently, even if it fell, she could just dismiss it and re-summon it in a standing position. That was certainly convenient.
Despite the minor mishap, the exhibition was quite exciting for the spectators. It was also a good opportunity to introduce the machines to the residents who hadn't had much to do with them yet. The people from Village One, Village Two, and Village Three, in particular, had been quite distant from the project.
By having various races interact with the machines, we also discovered a flaw in the cockpit design. While the cockpits were made quite large to accommodate different sizes, the Centaur Race simply couldn't fit. Even if they managed to squeeze in, they couldn't operate the foot pedals.
"I suppose we'll need race-specific cockpits," the Mountain Elves noted. It was a difficult problem to solve.
The Martial Arts Tournament concluded without further incident, and preparations for winter began in earnest.
Despite the busy season, I found myself in an open clearing to the south of the village. Before me stood a vehicle—the Combined Transformation Carriage that had been featured in the parade. While it was technically a carriage, there were no horses to be seen.
"We shall begin now," a Mountain Elf signaled.
The carriage began to move on its own. It appeared to be unmanned, but an Intelligence Box was housed inside. There was a small viewport in the front, so I assumed it was navigating by looking through that. It moved with surprising fluidity. The power source was a Magic Stone, which provided the energy for propulsion. I had seen this before, so I wasn't shocked by the concept, but the movement was much smoother than previous iterations.
"By making the axles independent, we've enabled it to make much sharper turns," the Mountain Elf explained.
Independent axles? Did that mean each wheel had its own power source?
"Yes. We had some trouble synchronizing them, but by applying the technology we gained from studying the Artie Horses..."
That was impressive. But if that was the case, did it steer by changing the rotation speed of the wheels? I didn't see the wheels actually turning left or right.
"Previously, we used a steering wheel to tilt the front wheels, but we found it could turn just as well like this."
Because the power sources were attached directly to the wheels, there was no room to actually turn them, was there?
"You could put it that way."
"I see... However, if that’s how it works, you’ll need to increase the grip of the tires."
"Grip?"
"Yes. Otherwise, if one wheel slips, the whole thing will jerk to the side. At high speeds, there's a high risk of flipping over."
At that exact moment, the carriage overturned spectacularly and was smashed to pieces.
"Relief Squad, move out! Hurry!"
The waiting Mountain Elves rushed to rescue the Box. When they dug it out of the wreckage, it appeared to be unharmed, as it had been encased in Protective Parts.
"I thought so during the tournament as well, but those Protective Parts really are effective," the elf noted.
"They are. Whenever you have a Box on board, make sure to use as many as possible. Also, considering that humans might eventually ride in these, I want you to develop some Safety Parts designed for people."
"Understood. We'll get right on it!"