Arc 17: Everyday Life #4
Chapter 133: Magic stone discovery, and mock experience
[And here we are. Shall we start digging?]
I stand at the search spot and roll up my sleeves. Well, I will be digging with magic, though. I knew that there is a magic stone in here with search magic; however, I don’t know how deep it is.
[Don’t I have any choice by to dig the earth anyway?]
I begin digging up a hole with earth magic. I float with [Fly] and carry the the dug soil to the ground with [Levitation]. As I encounter hard bedrocks while digging, I crush them with earth magic and continue as it is.
I think I have dug out a lot, but nothing comes out yet. It is really very deep. I hope I don’t hit an underground water or something.
Eventually, the bedrocks started to change. Because some of them were glittering, I stopped digging and tried to check it for a moment. I found that a red transparent crystals were mixed with a stone. Are those the magic stone fragments, I wonder. Though they are only the size of 2-3 mm grains of sand.
Is my objective near? I should better start digging carefully from now on.
As I advanced while digging slowly using earth magic, a big red crystal showed up. Is that it?
In order to not damage it, I shave off the soil and rock and peel it off from bedrock. Little by little, I started to see the buried magic stone entirely, but isn’t it much bigger than I thought?
As I had designated the search for anything bigger than 30cm, anything big would probably be caught as well. Well, since I am not troubled if it is big, it won’t be a problem, I guess.
Using [Levitation], I take out the fire magic stone. It is extraordinarily big after all. It is over 50 centimeters. It seems like a big jewel.
Eh? Doesn’t this mean I can make a killing by digging gems in this way?
Eh~ but it will be entirely based on my ability. Kousaka-san told me not to rely too much on my individual ability for nation management.
Although I don’t want to think about it, even if the country depends on such a thing, it will be over if I die. As much as possible, won’t it better to quit making a profit like that? So far, the country development is going well, I would make money only when I personally need it.
It will be really convenient if I discover the raw materials used for Frame Gear this way as well~. Though I can’t go on doing everything from mining to extracting and purifying it by myself.
However, This will probably be fetch a high price if I sell it…… is what is floating in my mind for a moment, but the power of Frame Gear will be absolutely necessary in future. When this time comes, I persuade myself I will need to use this. And so I bury back the hole and go back.
=====================Scene Change========================
[Oh my, it is pretty big]
Seeing the magic stone I have brought to the [Alchemy Building], Flora is amazed. First of all, because she said she doesn’t need it that big, I split it into two with [Modelling]. More or less, it will act as a reserve in the event of failure.
It seems it will take a month to complete. Given that I also didn’t need to help her with this, I decided to entrust it to Flora and headed towards the [Hangar].
Arriving to the garage where the Frame Gear was stored, I found the shutter was left open. Still broken as expected?
As I entered inside, the gray knight was standing upright same as before.
[Oh~yo? Is it master?]
[Eh? Master?]
I turned around as I heard a voice behind me. Rosetta and Monica were standing there. Rosetta is in her usual working uniform, but why is Monica in camouflage uniform? With that green beret, it is like she is a special force from some country. I don’t understand the sense of these girls as ever.
[What’s wrong, you two?]
[I thought I’d better do a light maintenance since 5000 years have pa.s.sed. Magic was applied so that the corrosion and deterioration wouldn’t happen inside [Hangar], but dust and the like do pile up]
[Like I said, where is that dust you keep talking about. [Hangar] is properly managed by me]
Monica is pouting because of Rosetta’ words. After opening the shutter with a pipe wrench, it is plenty doubtful whether you are adequately managing it.
Rosetta confirmed the Frame Gear surroundings for a bit and then called out to me.
[It may be impossible to activate it, but would you like try sitting in the c.o.c.kpit?]
[That’s right. Do you want to ride it?]
Hearing my response, Rosetta quickly ascends Frame Gear from its feet to knees and then to the foothold on its waist. And when she arrived around the chest, she held out her hands to panel-like thing for some reason. There was a ‘Pushuu’ sound, the air came out, and the chest hatch opened up and down. Ooh.
Mimicking Rosetta, I started to climb to the c.o.c.kpit as well, and Monica came to the same height with the help of something like a crane attached to the wall. If you have such a thing, bring it out earlier…….
When I peeked inside, there were control sticks installed to the left and right of a leather seat, some kind of small gauges, image panels and a lot of switches and levers tightly lined up that I didn’t understand very well. It’s an old-fas.h.i.+oned c.o.c.kpit.
I try sitting down immediately. Un, it is not uncomfortable. There is something like foot-levers under my feet. Would they make it walk?
[You will be able to maneuver it once you understand the movement fundamentals, all that’s left after that is to get used to it. For minute a.s.sistance and corrections, the unit itself will do it after reading the pilot thoughts. Therefore it can be moved even by a child once he gets used to it] – (Rosetta)
[In other words, basically, the pilot thoughts and experience have large influence, a person who is not as strong as veteran soldier won’t be able to make anything but basic movements] – (Monica)
I see. If you become skilled (at piloting), will the limit be dependant on pilot’s own abilities? In other words, will it be better to have knight or soldier as pilot candidate, I wonder. When I try asking Rosetta, it seems that it depends on the unit in question. There seems to be units which are suitable for a magicians as well; Therefore, do I have to choose the pilot who utilizes his/her individual characteristic the best for each unit?
[I wish I can move it soon. It will take time to get used to it]
When I come out from the c.o.c.kpit and get off the Frame Gear, Rosetta approached me while suppressing her laughter with her hand.
[I thought such thing would happen as well! Actually, there is something that I secretly made!]
Rosetta made a flashy post with grand gesture. What does she mean?
Is it that? Is is that thing she has been secretly doing from time to time since before?
Guided by Rosetta we headed towards [Workshop], and there were two laid down objects looking like eggs. Their size is about a minicar. They really look like eggs because of their white color, but they are definitely man-made as I can see thin joints on them.
[This is the simulation system [Frame Unit] for Frame Gear training]
BABAN! Rosetta explains her creation with flashy actions. Frame Unit? When you say “Simulation system”, does she mean I can have a mock experience (of piloting)…….
When Rosetta touches the side of the egg, the slightly pointed front opens up and down, and what comes in sight is the c.o.c.kpit of the Frame Gear I boarded a little while ago.
[Will it work?]
[The power source is not Ether Liquid, but the natural magic power. Because it is not necessary to actually move it]
Well, that’s right, I guess. It seems Frame Gear lets the magic power inside the Ether Liquid spread out to the whole body and will synchronize it with the pilot’s magic power. As a result, it seems it will move like your own body. If the pilot is the brain, will that make the Ether Liquid the nerves?
Not only that, it seems it is also being used as a catalyst for tremendous magic power amplification which operates the power reactor. Rosetta and Flora explained it, but, truthfully, I didn’t understand the small details. I am not good with science.
I was told that if it is my amount of magic power I may be able to move the Frame Gear even without the Ether Liquid, but it seems they have to rebuild the whole structure from scratch for that to work. It seems there was also a Frame Gear with such design, but the said blueprint is in [Warehouse] as well. I wonder if I can build my own unit once I find it.
At any rate, why not try out this simulation?
As I try boarding it, It seems to be constructed the same way as the Frame Gear c.o.c.kpit. After Rosetta closes the hatch, a thin dimly green light lit inside the c.o.c.kpit.
『Can you hear me, Master?』
[Rosetta? I can hear you]
『The first step is to start up the system. Please touch the central panel in front of you』
In front of me…….This one? When I touched a small panel the size about B5 notebook, several gauges started to move along with a quiet startup sound, and an images began projecting on a large monitors in front and to the left and right. Ooh, it is based on the touch panels. Even though it is made as retro.
The viewpoint is high. Is this the height when you get in the actual Frame Gear? My surroundings are an open plains. I can also see a something like a forest in the distance.
[Was it something you projected?]
『It is the projection of this country. Given that I have created it as training stage』
Ooh, no wonder I thought it was a scenery I saw before. Though it is a picture I see on the screen, it looks so real.
『Let’s try walking first. Please step on the right foot pedal slowly. After that, step on the left one. You will be able to walk like that』
Doing exactly as she told me, the unit started to walk slowly. Ooh! It is really shaking.
『When turning, s.h.i.+ft the center of gravity on your steps and it will move to the left or right. Step towards the toes to withdraw. Steps on them fast to dash』
O-oh? Ooh~ Fascinating. I simply walks, turn, step back and yet it moves fairly well as desired. Is it that? Does it a.s.sist by reading my thoughts?
While being guided by Rosetta, I have grasped jumping, crouching, side movements and the like. Next is learning to move the upper body using the control sticks, raising hands, lowering them, waving, turning shoulders and so on.
The convenient thing is that things like turning the neck a little, closing and opening the fingers, and the twisting the waist and the like can be done just by thinking. If one gets used to it, he/she will definitely be able to follow the body movements. It seems that it was not a lie that anyone can ride it.
When I got pretty accustomed to the point that I was making the frame hop on each leg, another Frame Gear appeared in the front.
[Eh? What?]
It looked like the one I saw in the garage, that gray ma.s.s-produced frame gear.
『Because it seems you have got considerably used to it, let’s proceed with the next stage, Master』
[Ha? Monica?]
The voice I heard undoubtedly belongs to Monica. Does it mean she is riding in that frame? Now that I thought of it, there were two eggs. Did she board the other one?
And, two plain dark grey swords dropped in front of me and Monica.
『Next is studying the actual combat movements』
I see, the reason why there are two eggs is for network battle.
I reach to the sword stuck in front of me and firmly grasp it.
Good, shall I try doing that for a change!