Volume 6 Chapter 13-3 Dwarf’s Treasure
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I heat it a bit in the furnace, hammer it, and shape it. It’s easy to hammer thin, maybe because of the good hammer or the bronze quality.
Dwarves use a “dwarf scale” for measurements, but it’s hard to use if you’re not used to it. It’s based on a base-4 system.
I can calculate it with my editor skill, but it’s still tricky for someone used to the metric system.
This time, since it fits the actual object, it’s really helpful.
By the way, meter rulers are sold in the capital now, thanks to summoned Heroes. But they’re not very accurate.
For precise work, the dwarf scale is still better.
In some places, the yard-pound system is common.
It’s probably from when many Heroes came from North America.
Even earlier, Heroes came from Europe, but there’s not much record of that.
Originally, different regions and races used different systems. Adding the yard-pound and metric systems made it chaotic.
I’d like everything to use the dwarf system. Diversity here causes too many problems.
Most systems are based on the human body, so the dwarf scale is short. But the metric system was based on Earth’s size to avoid disputes. It works well, so the dwarf scale should be fine too.
* * *
By hammering, stretching, and shaving bronze, I made a poison needle tip that looks similar.
Using a thin thread saw, I cut the tip and made a slit for liquid. It’s like a long G-pen.
If the split tips don’t align perfectly, it’s a failure. A skilled craftsman would do it in one go, but I’ll take it slow.
I move my arms up and down like a machine.
I’ve never used a G-pen, but I know it’s cheap at stores.
In Japanese factories, they can make this in large quantities.
For a moment, I thought too much, and the cut surface got distorted.
A real craftsman could do this while humming, but I’m still an amateur.
Recovery is impossible now. Maybe I can re-melt and redo it.
The metal changes with heating, but I want to learn that too.
Anyway, Mr. Gino will teach me to melt metal in the air using magic, without a crucible.
Air doesn’t transfer heat well, so just floating and heating it can melt bronze.
Dropping the melted metal would be bad, though.
It’s too scary to try with bronze, so I’ll practice with beeswax.
Beeswax melts easily, so even if I spill it, the damage is small.
”What’s this guy doing? Only doing easy things? Humans are hopeless, seriously.”
I was so focused I didn’t notice, but a crowd gathered behind me.
The dwarf will do it without preparation, but starting easy and increasing difficulty is better for learning.
Worrying about failure before trying──that’s a lack of courage?
Well, failures happen, right? I have plenty.
I think there’s a lot to learn from failures.
Choosing beeswax for practice has a purpose.
If I can work with beeswax freely, I can use it for precise casting with the lost-wax technique.
So, this practice isn’t wasted.
”But then, are you worthy of saying such proud things? You kept failing until recently.”
The one who spoke to me is being teased by friends.
Among dwarves, only a few craftsmen can master telekinesis.
After mastering beeswax, I’ll finally try bronze. It needs much higher heat, but since it’s a small amount, not much mana is needed.
It melted easier than I thought. I shaped it freely and made the finished product. Huh? If I can do this, lost-wax casting is pointless.
I tried making test pieces with different methods. The cracks for liquid are better if cut later. Can’t I use telekinesis for precision? No, I’m still inexperienced.
Surprisingly, dwarves started practicing with beeswax nearby. They realized the advantage of my method.
* * *
Other parts besides the blade tip were hard, but I managed to make a replica. Good tools really help.
Now, it looks almost the same, but does it work? I put water in a small bottle meant for poison.
The issue is still the precision of the cracks. The gaps are too wide or too narrow, and both are bad.
Using capillary action, if I add a third blade on the backside, it might work.
But since there’s a good example, I’ll try more while sticking to the original design.
Having a sample is truly helpful. Even if a problem occurs, checking the actual item gives me a hint.
That’s why I respect the original creator. And someday, I want to create something myself.
”What’s this guy? Is he a genius at copying others?”
After many adjustments, I finally made a poison needle like the sample. Despite some dwarves being surprised, if I make it the same way, the performance will be the same.
”So, what are you going to do next?”
Mr. Gino listened with a grin. I’m grateful. I’ve already decided what I want to do.
”I don’t always have such a favorable environment to work in. I’d like to try to make something that can be used for everyday use using tools and materials that are commonly available.”
Even with the bronze used as a material, the quality here is too good. Even in the royal capital, it’s difficult to obtain an alloy of stable quality.
If it’s a small amount, it’s quicker to melt high-quality coins and use them.
I was thinking of making it with poor materials, trying not to reduce performance. Specifically, making it disposable after each battle.
If I don’t consider reuse, corrosion from acids isn’t a big concern, and I don’t need an airtight scabbard.
Before battle, you need a way to open the acid bottle, but… just store it separately and assemble it before use?
In my case, I can keep it in the magic bag, so that part depends on luck.
Anyway, Mr. Gino thought I wanted to know how to refine good-quality bronze from poor raw gold.
From a dwarf’s view, the idea of making a degraded version didn’t make sense. Well, even I prefer good materials if I can, so I just went along with Mr. Gino’s story.
Mr. Gino had a strong obsession with alloys. In the end, I got thoroughly trained.
Bronze is just copper and tin, and I thought it would be easy to make by removing impurities and mixing them, but it’s actually deep.
Even a slight impurity can change properties, and impurities aren’t always bad.
There was a Bronze Age on Earth. The history teacher said it ended with iron weapons.
The footage showed tribes with bronze swords being easily defeated by iron swords.
Now that I think about it, that’s a strange story.
When you actually process things, iron doesn’t seem much better than bronze.
If iron weapons won, it’s probably because iron was cheaper and easier to mass-produce. In battle, numbers are everything.
Back to the current situation, every alloy recipe Mr. Gino taught me was interesting.
Even if impurities can be useful, refining techniques are better. Of course, separating is much harder than mixing.
In this world, there’s magic, so with a small amount, you can push through with strength techniques, but the dwarves’ methods are quite scientific.
Maybe it’s not so different from Earth’s methods?
They use catalysts and even electrolysis. Electricity is common here.
They even have aluminum, called light silver here. It’s not often used pure, but mainly as an alloy. They showed me aluminum bronze.
But they don’t use electricity for aluminum smelting. Why? Is it magic?
Forcibly separating metals with magic is too inefficient for smelting, but I could do it for surface treatment.
When you separate and float tin on bronze, it turns silver in that spot. It’s not paint, so it doesn’t disappear, and it looks cool like laser engraving. It’s good for logos.
Originally, it’s a technique for drawing magic circles.
After learning about alloys, it turned into a story about making my own tools.
It’s a rite of passage for an apprentice to become a full-fledged craftsman.
I’m still far from being full-fledged, but I’ll make something to commemorate my visit.
I even received non-commercial metals. Mr. Gino is spoiling me, but it’s a rare chance, so I’ll accept gratefully.
If I’m processing magic metals, the tools must also be appropriate.
The dwarves’ divine craftsmanship is made possible by these tools. And the tools are maintained by their techniques. It’s a chicken-and-egg relationship.
Even now, I feel like an out-of-place foreigner, and it makes me uneasy.
”You really were a craftsman, huh? You look better than when training with the sword.”
Seeing me nervous, Mr. Escalion seems to be misunderstanding something.
”With those intense eyes, you remind me of my past self. But be careful. Both swordsmen and craftsmen are in a fateful trade. They may speak of doing it for the world, but in the end, they master the art of killing. Driven by incomprehensible impulses.”
”That impulse isn’t necessarily bad. We’re guided by a great existence beyond understanding. Training to master the way is pure and noble.”
”But sometimes I get scared, Gino. The path we’re on might lead to a cliff with nothing at the end. Like beasts, we might be better off living more instinctively, indulging in momentary pleasures.”
Mr. Escalion speaks seriously. He seems to be saying something cool, but thinking only of immediate happiness makes him worthless, doesn’t it?
Well, dwarves sometimes go too far. Their strong weapons often cause conflict.
The problem isn’t the weapons, but the hearts of those who use them… the dwarves knew this too.
The craftsmen watching us suddenly look around.
If you’re making weapons, it’s natural to aim for something stronger. Being too absorbed, the perspective of victims gets lost.
I’d probably end up the same way. I tend to get carried away.
Mr. Escalion probably understood that and warned me. It’s a good story, so I’ll go with it.
Even so, I’ll create a new weapon. I’ve already started gathering ideas.
I’m not trying to make it stronger. I just want to make it more compact.
Without changing the basic structure of the poison needle, I’ll try to make it as small as possible. Theoretically, it should be possible to make it the size of a fountain pen. It’s basically the same.
If I put ink in it, it seems like I could write normally, but let’s save that for another time.
If I can make it that small and lightweight, it can also be used as an arrow. A poison arrow that can penetrate armor could become a trump card in human combat.
But then, I thought there were no technical issues, but when I actually made it, I found an unexpected oversight.
When held in the hand, it worked fine (I’m glad it’s for personal use), but if used as an arrowhead, it would fly away, unable to supply mana to the magic circle. That would just make it an expensive poison arrow.
Incorporating a standard-sized magic stone made it too heavy. Could it still work if launched from a ballista?
The magic circle only needs a tiny amount of mana, so I thought about creating a specially small magic stone, but there was an easier solution.
Mr. Gino taught me a spell to temporarily store mana. The magic circle itself holds the mana—only for a few seconds, but that’s enough.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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