666 - - 20-16 Deepening Mystery
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"This is ......."
Aloud, John stepped toward the back of the shed.
"It's a bicycle, after all."
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The wheels are steel. It has a block pattern carved into it that chews the ground. The pattern's corners have been removed and rounded off, indicating that it has been used a lot.
The frame appears to be made of light silver. There is no suspension, but the saddle is supported by a structure called "stacked plate spring" or "leaf suspension," so it must be quite comfortable to sit on.
This leaf-type suspension is a structure of stacked plate springs of different lengths, and has the advantage of being both a suspension and a damper.
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Aside from that, what caught John's attention was the chain.
A roller chain, to be exact. Most bicycles and motorcycles use them to transmit driving force to the rear wheel.
The function is simple, but the structure is complex. It is made up of a number of outer plates, inner plates, rollers, bushes, and pins.
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"A foreigner could make such a thing ......?"
Jin could have made it, but he had not made it yet.
Also, there were no bicycles in the demon territory. <
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"Oh, you noticed that?"
I heard a voice behind me and turned to see Maya.
"That's right, they're used as our legs, they're called bicycles, but the last magi engineer who came here last time, Tenkunhan, said he couldn't help us.
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"I see. ......"
I looked and saw that some bushings and pins were missing. I thought it was a broken pin and a broken chain.
He said, "I told you it could be done tomorrow. Can you fix it?"
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John nodded, thinking this was the best place to get credit.
"Oh, well, that's good to know. That's great. Thank you.
"It's already dark today, though, so I'll fix it tomorrow."
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"Yes, yes, that's fine. As long as you fix it. Tomorrow, please!"
Maya said happily, but then she remembered,
"Oh, that's right, I came to call you to tell you that dinner is ready.
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She beckoned John to come over.
Dinner was prepared at Maya's house. Maya seemed to live alone. From the atmosphere, she seemed to be in love with Oliver, but John did not ask any questions.
The menu consisted of barley porridge and a few stir-fried vegetables. Vegetables are apparently a precious commodity.
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...... Is it good? Does it taste weak?"
The analyzer in John's mouth says it's not too salty. Of course, compared to Jin's taste.
"Yes, it's okay. It's not very salty, but it's tasty.
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"Well, that's good. Salt is very precious.
Salt is precious inland, John guessed. Then Maya added a curious comment.
"The transportation has been a bit slow lately. ......"
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John did not go into the details of this comment. He thought it was too early to tell.
They stayed at a dormitory next to Maya's house. It seemed to be a facility for visitors like John.
It is not clear whether they were from the Shawlo Empire or from a different ethnic group that had traveled to the area.
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Oliver is staying at Maya's house. Oliver looked a little embarrassed when he saw John at the door.
However, it was convenient for him to sleep alone.
John wanted to transfer a small amount of carbon steel from Horai Island.
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The parts of the roller chain are hardened carbon steel.
In the modern earth, various elements are added to improve strength, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance, but as far as I could see, the bicycle chain was made of simple carbon steel, about S45C.
(S45C is a carbon steel with 0.45 percent carbon content, right?)
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The old man confirms what he learned from Jin and prepares the material. He adds carbon to the stock of pure iron by <
Using John's magic power as a marker, about one kilogram of S45C was transferred.
The next morning, after breakfast, I went to the hotel to have a drink.
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The next morning, without even having breakfast, John started the repair work. The pots and pans with holes were quickly repaired. The problem was the chain.
If they are not of the same size, they are useless. He carefully <
Fortunately, the number of missing parts was small, so the chain repair was completed in about two hours.
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John checks and repairs other parts as well.
In the process, we were further surprised to find that ball bearings were used between the wheel and the axle.
(Is there a magician (magecraftsman) with this technology other than the master (mylord) ...... in such a past?)
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And then the old man suddenly realized.
(Don't tell me ...... that the first master?)
Yes, Adriana Barbora Zetsi, the first Magecraftsman, would be able to do this precision work.
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(But, her engineering knowledge of the earth is ......)
Adriana's knowledge, which Jin inherited, was not related to the science and engineering of the modern earth. There were some similar technologies, but they did not go beyond the category of similarity.
Therefore, the old man concluded. It was not Adriana Barbora Zetsi who created it.
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(Then, who did?). (Then who made it? ...... This is one more mystery. ......)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Oh, did you say John? You've got a nice arm! Thanks a lot.
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When Maya saw that the two bicycles were fixed, she was very happy.
"One of these bikes is mine," she said. Thanks."
"No, Mr. John, you did a great job. That bicycle was so good that the last time a magi engineer came to see us, he threw up his hands.
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"Indeed, it was a wonderful piece of work. I am curious to know who made it.
That was the true intention of Mr. John, but his words opened a new door.
"Well, you seem to be interested.
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A voice called out from behind John and the others.
When we turned around, there was a mature man who appeared to be in his early 40s. He had a solid, muscular build and a sharp look in his eyes. He had dark brown hair and gray eyes. He had a short beard.
What caught John's eye most was the color of his skin. It was much darker than Maya's, similar to that of Lucas and Netros, who were followers of the demon tribe.
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"My name is Darrow. I am the head of this village.
The man who introduced himself as Dallow had almost no accent.
"You say your name is Mr. John? Are you really interested in bicycles, or rather, in that kind of technology?"
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The old man decided that this must be an invitation to go further into the area.
"Yes, of course.
So he immediately answered.
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"I see. Hmmm."
Hearing John's answer, Dallow put his hand on his chin and thought.
Then, with a probing look, he asked a question.
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"Even if you might not be able to return to your country because of it?"
He cut off and turned around.
"Now, I can still reconsider. Think about it."
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Even if you say so, John, there is only one answer.
"I don't have to think about it. Let's be clear. I would like to meet with the people we call 'different peoples'.
As soon as he said these words, a dozen men surrounded him. He held what looked like a cudgel in his hand.
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Can you prove that you are not a spies of the Shoro Kingdom?
Apparently, the spies of the Shoro Empire have been sniffing around so far.
"I can't ....... Probably, they won't completely trust anything I say. On the other hand, how can I get them to trust me?"
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This is the point where the two sides meet, and John decides to hope for a negotiation.
"...... If you are not a spook, can you take a look at this?"
In response to John's words, Darrow pulled a rainbow-colored ...... or rather iridescent-colored magi crystal from his pocket.
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The light flashed spontaneously. The old man immediately guessed that it was a hypnotic magic tool. However, the effect is very weak and cannot put a person in a permanent hypnotic state.
"......"
Based on his knowledge, the old man decided to let John Dinny pretend to fall into hypnosis.
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He weakens and makes an expression as if his eyes are unfocused.
"...... Answer the question. What is your name?"
"...... John Dinny."
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"Where are you from?"
"...... Kingdom of Egelea."
This is a prearranged question. If you are not from the Kingdom of Shoro, it is not surprising if there is something suspicious about your behavior or knowledge.
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"What is the purpose of your visit here?"
"I came to ...... because I wanted to see the unknown."
Are you an agent?
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"...... What is an agent? I don't know."
This was the most dangerous answer. There is no comparison to see how much thinking is possible in the hypnotic state.
However, he had no problem with that answer.
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"What do you know about the different peoples?"
"...... that they are west of the Hariri Desert and that in the past they have targeted the Shoro Empire."
Where is your family?
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"...... no."
"You don't mind if I can't go back to my country?"
"...... is fine."
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These questions were repeated for about 10 minutes, and John seemed to have been deemed okay with it.
"I'm going to clap my hands in one, two, three and then I'll wake up. I forget the previous questions. ......1,2,3"
Darrow clapped his hands and John pretended to be awake.