"Barrier."

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Jin sees the falling ship and immediately puts up a barrier. Although not visible to the naked eye, the covert SPs protecting Jin and Erza also deploy the barrier, and they stand close to Jin and the others.

Then, Jin pulls out the lightweight magic tool still in his pocket, and is about to activate it.

Just then, with a roar, the ship, which was about to fall, was blown away toward the opposite side.

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Wood chips splashed down on the barrier, but it was nothing.

"What the hell ......?"

Eckert, still pale, utters these words with a look of dismay on his face.

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It was no wonder: the 40-meter-long ship had been shattered beyond recognition.

"Father, are you all right?"

Of course, it was Reiko who did it. In order to protect Jin and the others, or rather Jin, she kicked the collapsing boat. Almost as hard as she could.

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As a result, the central structural member, which was at least 50 centimeters square, and other structural members were blown apart at the joints, and the outer planking, which had been stretched on one side, was also scattered.

"Yeah, it's all right. But you did it with a lot of flair. ......"

The ship was nowhere to be seen. It was nothing but rubble. Reiko's blow had such force of impact that it blew up the 40-meter ship, even though it was still under construction.

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"We caught the culprit, too."

What?

Someone had tampered with the base of the ship.

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Neon came dragging the unconscious man to the ship at the same time Reiko said so.

Eckert's face turned red with anger when he saw the unconscious man.

"This guy!　The chief of the crime scene!"

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Eckert immediately ordered the town guards to be informed.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

When he contacted the guards, to his surprise, the deputy in charge of the town of Kupu himself came with his men and questioned them. This was proof of the seriousness with which Ekarto was regarded.

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In the meantime, Jin and the others could not leave, so they had to give an explanation in response to Eckart's request.

"Hmm, a friend of Vivienne's. Stearina Beta ...... means, you know!"

Stearina is a famous person in the Kingdom of Selroa. And no news of her defection or defiance of the nobility had yet reached this southernmost town of the kingdom.

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Stearina was half resigned to the fact that there might be some trouble later on, but by then she would have already left the area.

I don't know who you are, but I am Magecraftsman Stearina.

Stearina explained on behalf of the others. The delegate listened to her explanation and looked convinced.

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"This is why you rescued the injured with your golem and automata, is it?

As expected of a celebrity, Stearina's testimony seemed to be generally believed. Jin and the others were relieved that they were not asked their names.

The man who had woken up from his stupor confessed that he had been sent by Eckert's business rival during a brief interrogation held on the spot.

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The rest was justice.

"Gentlemen, I'm sorry to keep you here. Please stay the night.

It was already dusk when the deputy and the soldiers led the criminal away.

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The men, too, took advantage of Eckardt's kindness and decided to stay the night.

After bathing, dinner was served.

Immediately, miso soup with dashi broth was served. The chef must have learned it from Jin's method, because the miso soup was made with leafy vegetables such as cabbage, but this time it was delicious enough.

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Other dishes included venison steak, grilled dried fish, salad, and fruit.

The dinner was not spectacular, but the ingredients were of high quality.

"......I think it is rice that goes well with miso soup. ......"

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After all, Jin could not remain silent.

"The rice harvested in the southern part of the Shoro Kingdom goes well with this miso soup. Please study it.

Eckart was delighted by Jin's advice.

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"That's great!　I can't thank you enough for your good advice!

Jin was a little relieved to hear that, since he had destroyed a ship under construction during the day. The accident was not Jin's fault, but it was Reiko who finally destroyed the ship.

However, Eckart, perhaps reading Jin's mindset, laughs and calls out to him.

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Jin-sama, please don't mind me. In that case, I don't think I had any choice but to do what I did. It's true that it's unfortunate that the ship broke down, but if it's broken, we can just build another one. It is more important that the injured were healed and that there were no fatalities.

"......Thank you. It makes me feel better to hear you say so. ...... I am also sorry for my impolite words. Please forgive me."

"No, no, I appreciate your honest opinion, not only about Miso, but I appreciate it very much. I am rather grateful that I now know how to use miso properly.

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Jin was impressed by Eckert. So he decided to help him a little.

"...... If you don't mind, could you show me the blueprints of that ship?"

Reinhardt responded to Jin's words. He was a crafty idiot.

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"Oh, Jin, are you going to do it?　Let me help you!

Jin smiled and nodded.

After dinner, Jin and Reinhardt were invited to another room to see the blueprints.

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It was 40 meters long and 10 meters wide. The height of the hull section is 6 meters, and the total height including the cabins is 12 meters.

"Wow, that's amazing!"

Even Reinhardt was impressed by this huge ship. There is no other ship as large as this in the world except for the one in Horai Island .......

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Jin, on the other hand, asks the question he has been asking since he saw the actual ship during the daytime.

What is the power source?　How does it move?"

The blueprints did not describe the driving method.

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"......That is the best-kept secret," said Eckert.

Eckert said.

"Our family's magecraftsman has come up with a revolutionary method that has never been seen before.

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When he said that he could not tell them about it, Jin and the others could not forcefully ask any more questions.

They could only guess that some kind of propulsion device would be attached to the step at the stern of the boat.

So, I will give some advice on the hull and internal structure at this time.

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I do not know much about keel and other construction methods, but there was one point that really bothered me.

It was that the bottom of the ship was flat in spite of the size of the ship.

It is true that the boat is easy to build and the interior can be easily divided, but at 40 meters in length, the strength of the boat becomes a problem.

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It would be fine if the water surface were wave-free, but the ocean is always subject to waves. This means that the hull will be rocked up and down.

Suppose the bow of a ship is lifted by a big wave. The next moment, the bow falls by gravity and hits the surface of the water. At this moment, if the ship has a flat bottom, a large impact will be applied to the bottom of the ship.

Therefore, it is common to build a ship with a V-bottom in order to release the impact.

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This was a rudimentary knowledge of marine engineering that Jin learned in the process of building a ship model. Of course, if the ship is strong enough, there is no need to worry.

However, when he saw this ship, which was supposed to be made entirely of wood, he became concerned.

"I see. ......"

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Eckart understood some of Jin's explanation. He looked as if he was pondering something.

"I understand what you are saying, Jin-san. Then, it would be better to increase the strength or change the shape of the bottom, wouldn't it?

Yes.

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"Yes, I would like to say something. If you are going to build a ship this big, it would be better to have many compartments inside, each of which can be sealed.

In case of flooding, the possibility of sinking is reduced if some of the cabins can be contained. Hence the advice.

Eckart understood it immediately because of his love for boats.

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"Well, that's a very good talk. Thank you both very much.

I would love to see it when it is completed.

We'd love to have you on board when it's finished.

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Jin and Reinhardt finished their conversation and went back to their assigned staterooms.

"...... Jin, what is your guess?"

In the room, Jin and Reinhardt were talking about the propulsion system, trying to guess what it would be.

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"I thought it would be a method of rowing with oars or paddles sticking out of the side, but I guess not."

The method is used on patrol boats and other vessels in the 10-meter class. Think of it like a galley.

"Yeah. There were no holes in the side panels. What I'm wondering about are those steps."

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"Yeah, without screw propulsion, I think they would have to attach something externally to those steps. So there are only a few ways to do it.

"One possibility, for example?　What if we attach Lorelei's lower body there?"

Reinhardt said something out of the blue. Jin began to think that it might not be such a crazy idea.

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"I see. You mean to imitate the tail fin of a fish.

"Yes. I don't think it's a bad idea.

Jin and the others agreed that this might be possible, since the drive system was based on magical technology rather than science and technology.

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