129. Princess of the Cavern 2
Why don"t we imitate the latest ship, you say?
Of course, There was a time when I thought so.
No, I"m not talking about imitating the structures, but rather the one that already made, in other words, imitating the finished product. I"ll have everything other than the human resource, fully equipped as it is. For around one fleet.
That way, the fleet can be completed without any ha.s.sle. We can rest a.s.sured even if the exploration ships from Vanel Kingdom or other countries from the New Continent should ever come to our country again. No, not just from the New Continent, but from the other continents as well.
But, with that method, as expected I can"t imagine what would happen if I disappeared.
Can they somehow learn the building technique just by imitating it once they have the actual thing?
Technology cannot be that simple. If you were to give a battleship Yamato to the early Meiji period j.a.pan, can they make the same thing immediately? There"s no way they can make it.
(Note: early Meiji = 1868-1877. Battleship Yamato is steam powered ship from 1940s)
Besides, if you give them a fleet of state-of-the-art ships as samples to study the technologies, it"s easily imaginable that they will step in the direction where [I want to actually use the given toys] before even trying to learn the basic techniques.
So, that method is rejected.
After all, if they don"t follow the path of self-improvement, the future will be robbed from them.
In the first place, if we were to encounter the Vanel Kingdom"s Fleets, it would be obvious that we were imitating their ships. Then there"s no room for peace anymore.
However, our shipbuilding technology is unlikely to be able to catch up. Then, what should I do?
Yes, there will be no other choice than battle of arms.
I can have a large gun mounted on small ship, out of proportion to the size of the ship. In other words, it"s a monitor ship. Then, we can attack unilaterally from outside the enemy"s range.
(Note: Monitor (Warship))
The Sankeikan was a failure you say? Yeah, it was indeed. It was useless in actual battles. The large caliber gun, which was mounted on a small hull was of little use, it was the secondary gun, the rapid-fire gun, that played the active part….
(Note: Sankeikan is the nickname of the three ships of matsushimcla.s.s cruiser which literally means ‘three-views ships")
But, if we"re not too crazy about the size of the gun and use Conoidal Explosive Bullet instead, also, gave up in ocean voyage capability and make it specialized in coastal interception. Then, it might work somehow.
Alright, let"s discuss this with the King later…
So, I bought several display stands and display cases in j.a.pan then transferred them to [Yamano Product Store] in the Capital of Vanel.
The a.s.sembly process of the stands and the cases were performed on earth and then transferred to the store once I decided the placement plan. No, it"s much easier and more fun to arrange them with continuous transfers rather than dragging them by myself.
I changed the curtains and lighting to a j.a.panese one that [Not really expensive, but it looks gorgeous]. In addition, decorations and installation of various expensive items are ready. After that, I just have to line up the products!
It is a party.
Yeah, I was invited by a stranger.
Of course, the other party is a decent person. It seems that president-san of the bank introduced me. Last time I said [I want to get into the social world, but I don"t have any acquaintance. It"s a little troubling], and he seems to have played his hands.
The host was apparently a Count, and today is a birthday party for their daughter.
In this country, birthday party for children who are not adults seems to be rather stands out. Well, n.o.bility seem to be engaged before adulthood, so isn"t it natural? However, they don"t seem to be going to a party at another house before their adulthood, except for a birthday party for unmarried people.
Yeah, it"s a good opportunity to invite me who look like a child.
Ah, I"m a n.o.blewoman with my own t.i.tle and treated as [Head of a n.o.ble Family]. It seems that I can attend all parties normally even if I"m a minor.
…. I"m an adult though!!! I"m over 15 years old!!
Of course, this time, the host had heard the information about me from president-san and decided to send me a party invitation after some thoughts.
But too bad! That information was [President-san"s own speculation].
I went to the party in the dress I wore during the social season using a chartered carriage…
… as expected, I can"t walk there.
I"ve been drawing attention since I entered the party venue. President-san, just how much did you publicize me…
But first, let"s greet the Count family who invited me.
“Thank you for your invitation today.” (Mitsuha)
The Count and the Countess, a girl about 17 - 18 years old, two boys about 15 - 16 years old, and a girl about 12 - 13 years old. I heard that today is the second daughter"s birthday party, so this youngest girl is probably the star of this day.
"A, Aaah, thank you for coming. Please enjoy the party slowly today. I"ll introduce you to everyone later.” (Count)
The eyes of the Count, Countess and her eldest daughter seem to be a little shaken as they gazed into my chest…
…It"s not pitiful gaze!
Indeed, it"s such a miserable chest, enough to make people to feel shaken. I have to keep my real age from being discovered… Especially, the fact that I am older than the eldest daughter! d.a.m.n it!
But actually, everyone"s gazes are focused on my pearl necklace, not my chest.
Different than the one that I gave to Iris-sama that costs 1.3 Million yen, this one is a little cheaper that costs 650 thousand yen.
Yeah, I bought the other one in j.a.pan, but I bought this one in another country.
After all, I made [Sculpture shop Colette] in order to allow me to have source of income in j.a.pan so that I can save the money for my retirement plan. And of course, such as exchange rates, commission, and the biggest enemy, taxes, is involved in the process. So, of course, I had decided to buy this necklace overseas using dollars.
Although it is about half the price of the previous necklace and a fairly inferior, I haven"t heard about pearl farming on this continent. So even this necklace, which much less valuable than the previous one, should be reasonably valued.
Alright, mission start!
I turned to the second daughter and smiled at her.
“Congratulations on your birthday! Please receive this for your present!” (Mitsuha)
With that said, I removed the necklace from my neck and hung it on the second daughter"s neck.
Yes, the same way I did for the second daughter of the Count Pasteur when I had missed her Debutante Party. The proven strategy sure gives me a different sense of security!
Gashan! (Gla.s.s breaking SFX)
Kashan, Pari~n! (More of Gla.s.s breaking SFX)
Somehow, the sound of cracking gla.s.ses and dishes here and there …
There are sure many careless people…
Ah, the second daughter opens her mouth shocked.
And there is the Count who is supporting his wife who is about to fall, and two boys who are also desperately supporting the eldest daughter.
… Are? Don"t tell me, the impact is too big?
But if 1.3 million yen is the highest peak, this is only half the price, so it should not be surprisingly rare.
"W-Wh-Wha…" (Count)
Ara, the face of the Count is pale. Shouldn"t it be red at such times like this?
"W-we cannot receive something like this…" (Count)
But, for me, it only worth about 7 gold coins. Actually, it would be 28 Gold coins because of the exchange rate between the two worlds, but the physical [Money Sense] would be just 7 Gold Coins. It is only about two- or three-months income of the average commoner. For the aristocrats, it would be a child"s one-month pocket money.
But this is [The world without cultured pearls], I wonder how much will it worth…
“No, I was invited to a party for the first time in this country, so just think of it as a sign of grat.i.tude and commemorating my first friend in this country. Or, can"t you be friend with me who is not from this country … ” (Mitsuha)
When I said that and looked down sadly, the second daughter shook her head in a hurry.
Alright, friend Getto-daze!
Oh, I gave up my necklace, so my neck, or my chest, became lonely.
Normal women would be fine, but in my case, if I had a simple dress with no accessories on the chest, I wouldn"t say that it was too simple, nothing, or poor … Don"t say that!!
That"s why I prepared it properly. A spare accessory in a small pocket that stands out on the dress.
Take it out and wear it!
A Brilliant Crimson. Yes, it is a necklace made of the highest quality ruby, called [Pigeon Blood].
With a weight of 5-carats, little to no impurities, h.o.m.ogeneous, and no scratches! The price of the bare jewel alone is not in the realm of mere 1 million yen.
If this was commercialized as [jewelry], that is, if it was completed as jewelry with gold and platinum frames and diamond side stones, just how much would it cost?
… if, it was a natural product that is.
Yes, of course, this is an artificial ruby.
No, artificial ruby is not an imitation. A true, real ruby. …… It"s just not a natural product, it"s made by humans.
Both components and structure are exactly the same as natural products. The only difference is that [there are almost no impurities, h.o.m.ogeneous and beautiful in color] compared to natural products.
It"s like what they say [The way to distinguish fake Vuitton bags is that they are more secure and durable than the real ones]. Therefore, there are cases where impurities or scratches were intentionally added. No matter how close the composition is, the price of man-made products and natural products is still different.
Those made by the flux method are a bit more expensive, but almost the same as those made by the flame fusion method. And well-disguised items are difficult to distinguish, and even professionals may find it difficult. Even modern experts who are familiar with the existence of artificial ruby and its methods.
Yes, the point that distinguishes artificial rubies from the fact that [there is no impurities, h.o.m.ogeneous and scratch free] turns into [incredibly high-quality ruby]. This is the highest quality ruby called [Pigeon Blood] that hangs around my neck and adorns the chest …