Loo and Tier know.
Efficient work requires proper breaks.
And yet, why are they pushing themselves to the point of making mistakes while building golems?
Part of it is because there is demand for them, but the more important reason is that they are completely absorbed in the work.
For Loo, it is a way to make magic tools more easily.
For Tier, it is because she sees new possibilities in golems.
The availability of magic iron alloy, an ideal material for golems, is certainly another factor.
On top of that, the village environment, where valuable and important magic stones are piled up in abundance, has also contributed.
What I am trying to say is that Loo and Tier are genuinely enjoying making golems.
That is why it was so difficult to calm them down when I forced them to take a break.
And now, beside the tracking cargo cart production factory at the foot of Village Five, a factory for producing cooling magic tools had appeared.
……
Since it is standing right in front of me, it probably is not a hallucination.
Inside, golems are working hard.
The High Elves built the building.
The mountain elves then organized the specifications for the golems they needed and arranged the completed golems throughout the factory.
Good work.
Let me see.
The cooling magic tool being produced is essentially a small household refrigerator with a single door.
I do not know the exact weight, but a determined adult could probably carry it alone.
Ah, it is light as long as nothing is inside.
Since the factory is still in the trial operation stage, it can only produce five units per day.
That already sounds like quite a lot to me.
Meanwhile, a short distance away, Michael-san of the Goroun Company and Miyo, who has been working hard in Shashaato City, are negotiating where the cooling magic tools will be delivered…
Do those two actually have the authority to decide that?
Or are they planning to reach an agreement between themselves and then bring it to us?
We have not even decided on a sales price yet.
Ah, they are discussing that as well.
That helps… I think.
As for when the larger cooling magic tools will go on sale?
Even if you ask me that…
According to the mountain elves nearby, the size can be changed during the initial setup.
However, if they make a large unit and it fails, the losses would be significant, so they are starting with small units first.
I see.
Very sensible.
A large cooling magic tool… I may as well call it a refrigerator.
The large refrigerator will probably be ready sometime soon.
As for the prototype… it will likely be distributed first to the stores in Village Five that are connected to me.
Fairy Fairy, the confectionery shop, already has one, so the others.
Kuro and Yuki, Bronze Café, Korin Sweet Hall, Noodle Shop Britoa, and Niz Alcomeat, for example.
After that, probably places related to the village council.
I imagine the council cafeteria and the security outposts would appreciate having one.
General sales would come after those have been supplied…
Ah, right. If we do not prioritize the nobles first, it becomes troublesome, does it not?
I should ask the Demon King and Beezel about that as well.
For now, I was thinking of putting the three angels who manage the tracking cargo cart production factory in charge of the refrigerator factory as well, but…
「Village Chief, that is impossible」
「Impossible」
「Please increase our staff. Also, we found another one of the missing floor-cleaning golems. It had fallen into a deep hole」
Since they put it that way, I should consult Malbit, the chief of the village’s angels.
Finding another missing floor-cleaning golem is good news.
That leaves only one.
「Yes. May we give it a name?」
I do not mind, but no treating it as personal property.
I heard that the floor-cleaning golem you found earlier has been assigned exclusively to clean your room.
「I am merely protecting it」
And you expect me to believe that?
「Please do. I will let you pet it sometime」
The floor-cleaning golem?
「You can pet my head instead if you prefer」
Hahaha.
Anyway, the manufacturing cost of a floor-cleaning golem is roughly this much.
「Ugh」
More importantly, it is designed for factory use, so having it clean a room is a waste of its capabilities, is it not?
Wouldn’t the golem be happier using its full performance in a large area?
「Grrr… then I will keep it cleaning the dormitory」
That, I will approve.
…You think I am too soft?
I know.
-0-
The summer harvest began.
Summer was ending.
Autumn would be here soon.
I did not even have time to dwell on that before getting back to harvesting.
During a break, I wondered whether golems could be used for harvesting, but…
「If someone is operating them directly, that is one thing, but making them harvest automatically would be quite difficult. The fields you plow, Village Chief, are all the same size and shape, but elsewhere it is normal for fields to vary in both size and shape」
I nodded at the mountain elf’s explanation.
Tier had helped with harvesting using golems before, but at that time she had been controlling them in detail.
「Rather than harvesting golems, magic tools that assist with harvesting would probably be more practical and have more uses」
That makes sense.
「And then… magic tools for transporting the harvest」
The mountain elf looked toward a tracking cargo cart moving along the path between the fields.
The cargo cart was piled so high with harvested crops that they seemed ready to spill over.
「It has been incredibly useful」
It certainly has.
However, people using the tracking cargo carts needed some training to avoid driving them into the fields or letting them fall into ditches and irrigation channels.
Still, once they learned how to use them, the transport capacity increased dramatically and made a huge difference.
By the way, the ones wearing the belts that designate the cargo cart’s tracking target are the kuros.
Since they had not been able to help with harvesting before, they were absolutely delighted.
In potato fields and similar places, a system had already emerged where spiderligns harvested while the kuros handled the transport.
「If we made a golem that spiderlings could ride and control, it might be able to harvest crops」
That might be true, but wouldn’t it be faster for the spiderlings to harvest directly?
Or perhaps something like a humanoid doll, similar to Fuma, that Zabuton’s children could enter and operate.
「Hmm, I will discuss it with the spiderlings」
I do not mind, but make sure you work on it only when you have free time.
「O-Of course. After the harvest is finished, right?」
Right.
Now then, back to the harvest…
Doraim, Ursa.
Compete in how carefully you harvest, not how quickly.
Do not forget to value the crops.
And Hakuren.
I will not scold you for crushing a crop, so do not try to destroy the evidence by eating it.
A dragon’s stomach may be tough, but you will end up with a stomachache.
-0-
Early autumn.
At the counter of a ramen shop in Village Five, a bowl of mini ramen was placed in front of me.
No toppings.
Just noodles in broth.
I took a bite.
Yes, delicious.
A second bowl was served.
This one was… delicious too.
Compared to it, the broth of the first bowl felt a little weaker.
A third bowl was served.
Excellent.
No complaints at all.
The flavor of the broth was clear, and the noodles and soup blended together perfectly.
This was the most delicious of the three.
All three bowls used the same broth and the same noodles.
The only difference was the draining.
The first bowl had been drained by an employee with about three years of experience at the ramen shop.
The second bowl had been drained by the shop owner.
And the third bowl had been drained by the draining golem installed in the shop.
So you worked that hard, huh?
Amazing.
As if responding to my praise, the draining golem shook its tebo with satisfaction.
TN: Tebo is that noodle straining thingy. An essential tool for Japanese noodle shop.
-0-
Later, the ramen shop owner said to me,
「Do you think I could have that golem make the broth too?」
Hahaha.
If it is motivated, then sure.
Though we would probably need to ask Loo, Tier, and the mountain elves to add some new functions first.
Someday, the draining golem might become a full-fledged ramen chef golem.
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