Chapter 9
Noria and Marathon It was at the noon on the 6th day after the manufacturing of aqueduct parts began.Kazura was at his mansion in j.a.pan to receive the waterwheel that was delivered by the director and his employees.
「Waa, the size of the parts are quite big. It seems it will be difficult to transport it.」 「That’s true, however the parts’ weigh is about 40 kg, so I believe that it is possible for one person to transport it.」 The waterwheel parts that loaded on the truck in front of him are mostly made from wood, while some clasp are made from metal.(TL: I think it mean the connector or axle or crankshaft of the waterwheel is made from metal... I had some Googling about waterwheel design, but I still don’t understand which part the author means.)
(ED: The clasps are fastening hooks that you can use together with a rope of sorts to attach things together. Technical term is hard... Not that I familiar with engineering in the first place...) Although the big parts size can barely fit on the pullcart, it seems that there would be no problem in transporting it. 「Do you mind to unload the heavier parts on the pullcart that was parked at the foyer? Afterwards, I will carry the lighter parts to the house by myself. Once we finish with the loading, it"s just bringing them home, unloading, and done.」(TL: Thanks to Kamm and NaosSou for this one... I bad with complex grammar.) 「What? There a pullcart inside the house?」 「Yes, that’s right. Is it okay if the remainder payment is done with cheque? How much is the transportation fee?」 Although the director become confused when heard about the foyer, when he received the cheque his expression become bright while saying, 「Thank you very much」. 「Hey, transport the support brace!」 (TL:It had been pointed that this is the support for the waterwheel so that it can stand.) He called the employees to start unloading the parts at the pullcart inside the house. ✦✧✦✧ 「Really, what a size. If not because of the pullcart, I absolutely wouldn’t be able to carry these.」 While pulling the pullcart that half-filled with waterwheel parts, Kazura crossed the border to other world.He comes out from the usual tree copse and the familiar village scenery could be seen.Not far from the village are the fields. More than 10 villagers are working on it using the farming tools that Kazura had provided. 「Now then, I still need to return after reaching the house, I can’t transport all the parts at the same time.」 After this, I need to buy another pullcart. While thinking about this, Kazura began to pull the pushcart toward village chief’s house. The villagers who tended the fields cease their work when they saw Kazura. 「Aaaa, Are those the parts for the thing called waterwheel? Are you transporting it to Chief’s house?」 「Yes. But half of the parts are still in my country, so after putting this in the house I need to go back to pick it up.」 「This is only half? So, its size is really big.」 While talking about these things, the villagers and Kazura pulled the pull cart together toward Valetta’s house.While pulling the pull cart, the villagers were chatting with each other. Kazura didn’t understand why n.o.body asked about where the country that Kazura will go back to is. ✦✧✦✧ 「Welcome back, Kazura-san!」(TL: This is “Okaerinasai”. What the... Kazura already waifu getto?) When Kazura and the others arrived at the house’s front yard, Valetta immediately came out from the house.To immediately come out when they arrived, it seems that she was on standby for this moment.(TL: It’s really standby in the original raws.) 「I’m back. This is the waterwheel’s parts, but the remaining half is still at my country. So after unloading this, I will return to get them.」(TL: Yup. It’s “Tadaima”. Since when you become this close, Kazura-san? Something must have happened in the interim 5 days.) 「I understand. Then we will help unload it.」 Lowering the pull cart to the front, the villagers cooperated in unloading the parts.Although the parts quant.i.ty is quite a lot, as expected, with the help of more than 10 people they finished unloading the parts in several minutes. 「There, done. I need to go back to my country and fetch the remaining parts. We will start a.s.sembling the waterwheel in the river when all parts have arrived, so please gather everyone, Valetta-san.」 「I understand. Shall I also called father?」 「Ah, it’s only a.s.sembling waterwheel, the remaining villagers here only need to help transporting the parts to the river. If in the meantime the waterwheel a.s.sembling isn’t finished, then I will ask for as much help as it is necessary.」 For several days before, the village chief had been asked by Kazura to direct the villagers in digging aqueduct from the river to the village.The majority of villagers are partic.i.p.ated in building it, so the aqueduct will turned out splendidly. If the aqueduct isn’t finished then there is no meaning to install the waterwheel-powered pump.Because the aqueduct had been scheduled to be completed around this time, even if it still isn’t finished, then with a little time and help, they can completed it on time. 「Then, see you later. Everyone can take a break until I return.」(TL: Kazura said “ittekimasu”.) Kazura said that to everyone and once again he pulls the pullcart toward the pa.s.sage in the inside of the tree copse. ✦✧✦✧
After collecting the remaining parts that had been left in j.a.pan, Kazura once again returned to the village. The waiting villagers then took the lighter parts, buckets, and the likes, not forgetting the pullcart, to the river,Near the village"s exit, they found the village chief and others digging the aqueduct. It appears that their work progress is just as planned.Incidentally, Valleta was waiting near the opening of tree copse where Kazura going, so she helped with pulling the pullcart. 「Ow, it looks like that you almost completed it.」 「Yes, the only job left is to dig the aqueduct from this place to the reservoir.It thanks to these tools called “Shovels”, it was possible to dig easily.」(TL: He referred it using Katakana. Does it mean that shovel doesn’t exist in the other world?) The village chief stops digging the aqueduct while smiling to Kazura, who was pulling the pullcart.The other villagers are also stop to greet Kazura before continuing their work. 「We had finished digging the water aqueduct in upstream and downstream. According to what Kazura-sama had said, we also built deep channel at the riverside on upstream.」 While listening to the brief report about the work progress from Village chief, it was about the second aqueduct in Kazura plan.The depth is about 30 cm, the dug wall will be hardened by striking it numerous time. As long as water can flows it will be okay. (TL: not easily eroded by water)Afterward it can be reinforced with stone if necessary. The water aqueduct will connect the upstream to the reservoir in the village, but before the aqueduct enters the village it is diverted into two branches.The first aqueduct branch goes toward reservoir in the village, the second aqueduct branch goes toward the river downstream. By installing a wood water gate between the meetings of these two aqueduct, it’s possible to reroute acc.u.mulated water from reservoir back to the river.When the reservoir in the village had been filled with water, the water gate will be closed. Then the water drawn by waterwheel upstream will flow to downstream, so the reservoir overflow can be prevented.By this, the villagers will always have clear water for cooking and drinking, while the water acc.u.mulated in the reservoir can be used for irrigating the fields. 「Then we will a.s.sembling the waterwheel in the upstream. When Valin-san and others had completed the aqueduct please bring the wood aqueduct that we had built the other day to the river.」 「Acknowledged. To join you soon, we will finish our work quickly.」 Kazura left Village chief and others to do their work. Once again he pulls the pull cart towards the river upstream following the aqueduct. ✦✧✦✧ Kazura and the others arrived at the river. This is the place that he means when he talk to village chief about meeting at the river. It is a channel that was separated 3 meter away from the river. With a length of several meters, it had been reinforced with wood boards. (TL: the channel is still empty, as it hasn’t be connected to the river.)It is dug quite deep to let the river water exert sufficient power and the width is also adequate. (TL: please remember that the waterwheel is the overshot type of noria using buckets.)Kazura and the villagers split themselves into groups that consists of several people. He also distributed several sheets of printed instructions about a.s.sembling the parts. Then they started to work on their respective task.The engineering firm director had also delivered a mostly ill.u.s.trated a.s.sembling instruction. It was quite easy to understand the explanation of the steps in a.s.sembling the parts. Even though Valetta and the others could not read j.a.panese, they could recognize “A-1” or “B-1” number parts in the instructions, so somehow they were able to a.s.semble it. 「Kazura-san, this is inserted here, then the part is connected to this, right?」 「Correct. Be careful with your finger when connecting the parts. Yes, use a wooden hammer. A, Lodurr –san, that part is not connected to that one, but to the part that had this symbol drawing.」
Kazura was checking the parts that the villagers a.s.sembled, measuring the width of the waterway, and confirming the location where the support pillar for the waterwheel will be put in place. 「Umm, is the support pillars supposed to be placed here and there? It won"t be funny, if the support pillars collapsed because of the vibration. It is indispensable for the support pillar to be firmly rooted to the ground.」 He put a stone as a mark on the place where the support pillar will be erected. Then, Kazura’s and Valetta’s group started to a.s.semble the waterwheel together.About 1 hour and a half had pa.s.sed since they began a.s.sembling. Their inexperienced work was about 80% finished. Now, everyone is taking a break and drinking water from the river. Then, the village chief and the others arrived while carrying the wood aqueduct and its supports.Beside the villagers that were building the aqueduct; the mothers and their infants, children and elderly also came.Everyone in the village apparently came.... ... maybe there is no one who stayed at home. 「Wow, it’s amazing.」 「Ah, Father. Is the aqueduct finished?」 「Uh huh, the only thing left to do is to connect the waterwheel with the wood aqueduct.」 Despite the heavy workload, because the village chief and the villagers had been tempered by their daily works in the fields, no one had tired looks.Instead, because they didn’t familiar with their works, it were Kazura and his groups that look tired.
(TL: Remember that Kazura and others didn"t familiar with building machinery like a waterwheel.)In any case, the aqueduct had been finished, so the waterwheel also had to be finished soon. 「Sorry, the waterwheel’s a.s.sembling hasn’t been finished. But it will get finished soon, so can you dig a hole here for the waterwheel support pillar? Also, please install the wood aqueduct that will send the water to the aqueduct.」 「Yes, I understand. Everyone, even if the work is difficult, do your best in a.s.sembling the waterwheel. If this is finished then our village won’t need to be troubled by the water shortage anymore.」 The village chief addressed the villagers who were taking break.「All right! Let’s do it!」The villagers were shouting loud and start to resume a.s.sembling the waterwheel.Kazura gave the tape measure to village chief so he could measure the depth of the hole. Then, together with Valetta, he started to a.s.semble the waterwheel. ✦✧✦✧ 「Good, it’s finished!」 「The installation of the support pillars for the waterwheel is also finished. Then we just need to insert this metal support in here and here, right?」 「Yes, and while you insert it, please treadled it numerous times to harden it, tightly fixed it in place, please.」 20 minutes had pa.s.sed since the work resumed.The work is almost finished; the only step left is to install the waterwheel.
Kazura instructed the village chief to prepare the support pillar, so that it will be firmly fixed, the base need to be treadled many times. 「Good. Now, shall we finally connect the waterwheel to its support? Everyone, please help lift the waterwheel.」 Hearing Kazura calls, the villagers that had come to watch simultaneously gathered to help lifting the waterwheel.Because the waterwheel size was smaller than the number of attending villagers, most of the villagers could not help to lift the waterwheel since there were no room for them. Still, they try to help by cheering with their voice. 「Please place the waterwheel axle at the indentation in the support pillars. The axle must not be too loaded, so put down both of them slowly.」 The axle was made from metal so it can’t easily bend even if loaded too much. Still, it is better to be careful when placing the bearing.The bearing is made from metal, so there is no need to worry about it wearing out.(TL: I still don"t understand why Kazura worried about the bearing if it not easily wear out...) 「Well then, after installing the wood aqueduct that will receive the water, connect the channel to the river. Valin-san, can I ask you to do that?」 「Yes.」 Hearing Kazura instruction, the village chief gathered the villagers to install the aqueduct that will receive the water. Then, they dug connection between the channel with the river upstream and downstream with the shovels.Because there are height difference between the downstream and the upstream, water from the river didn’t enter the channel from there.There is a need to ensure that the channel had some water depth, so there is a sill made of wood with the depth about 30 cm near the downstream.Also, to not prevent erosion on the channel’s wall, it had been reinforced using wooden boards. 「Don’t connect the channel and the river yet... Hey, everyone! Gather, please! We will start operating the waterwheel!」 Hearing the village chief calls, the villagers who were resting at the riverside and the children who were playing in the distance, started to gather.When the village chief confirmed that everyone had gathered, the dirt that separate the channel with the river was removed with shovel.With the barrier removed, the water from river start to enter the channel at once.Then, the waterwheel tympanums were pushed by the flowing water and the waterwheel began to turn little by little. 「Ah! It began to turn...... Amazing! To raise the water that high!」 Exclaimed Valleta who were standing beside Kazura when she see the bucket that attached to waterwheel tympanum bring water from river and put it at the higher wood aqueduct one after another.The surroundings villagers also were shouting with joy and start chasing the flowing water at the wood aqueduct. 「Kazura-san, we also will run after it!」 [Wh...? Run? Running to the village from here? How far is it?... Wa... wait a moment! Don’t pull! Are you serious!?] Kazura’s hand is forcefully dragged by Valetta. While seeing the back of the villagers who chasing after the water, the village chief was grumbling, 「Hey hey! They didn’t tidy the tools.」 Opposite to what he said, he was smiling with joy. While shaking his head, he put the shovels and hammers inside the pullcart.