Looking down at the city from the window of Ivalice's office, one after another, dwarven craftsmen come through the gates.

　They all carry large loads on their small bodies.
　Perhaps they are the tools of their trade.
　These dwarves are valued for their dexterity and are valued as craftsmen in many places.

　I must thank Günther for the fact that the best of these dwarves have made their way to this rural town.

　As I was looking down at the scene from the window, Satie shouted out in wonder.

''The dwarves are coming in one by one, aren't they?

'Oh,' I reply.

'But it's strange to see so many people other than the dwarves, the humans, here too.

　Sati pointed through the window.
　There was a merchant with a barrel on a wagon.

'That was probably some merchants who had gotten word that dwarven artisans were gathering there, and they came in by the ear.

　The merchant's information network is not to be underestimated.
　As soon as they step on a business opportunity there, they will come.

　Thus, when a new industry is born, the merchants take notice of it and come with what they want.

'It's amazing. This is how a city becomes richer and more prosperous.

When people get together, they can make hoes and plows, process livestock to make ham and bacon, make wine and the shops that serve them.

'So that's what your master used to call the primary and secondary industries.

'That's what I mean. If we all farmed, no one could do anything else, right?
It's true.

'So the fewer people we have in farming, the better. Or, more accurately, the more crops we can harvest with fewer people, the better.

Then the rest of us can build things and open up shop shops.

That's what I'm talking about.

　To be precise, its better to make things with fewer people too.
　If a small number of people can make a large number of things, those people will be able to do other things.
　Then the country will prosper, culture will develop, and industry will be promoted.
　That's how civilization evolves.

' ... is that too much to ask?

　It is a war-torn world now.

　The destination for those who have been freed from labor may be the 'soldiers' after all.

　In order to build the era of peace that Sati desires, we must first get those soldiers out of work.

　Then we can create a world that is easier to live in than it is now.
　As I was thinking this, I heard a knock on the door of the office.


　Thump!


　This wild beating must be the orc's chief of staff, Giron.
　I will allow you to enter.

"Sir. It's hard work.

　I wanted to sarcastically tell him that you're hard at everything, but it's too much trouble, so I said, "What? I reply.

'That said, mass production of this guy called the gun is getting back on track, but we've run into a problem.

'Problem?　Was it still difficult to mass produce screws?

No, no, it's not.

The gunpowder, then?　After all, it's faster to find the source and produce the nitre than to synthesize it...

No, not really. Lord Günther says it's harder to make bullets.

Oh, the bullet.

　I had forgotten all about it.
　I was so caught up in the gunpowder and screws that I had completely forgotten about the bullets.
　A gun with only gunpowder and gunpowder alone is useless as a weapon.
　If you don't make the bullets, it's literally just an iron tube.

'The bullets are those little round ones, aren't they?　How hard is it to make?

　Satie asks modestly.
　I answer honestly.

'It's pretty hard,'

But you could do it by kneading it round with your hands, like making meatballs?
'Does Satie dare to knead a lump of red-hot iron with her hands?

　I said jokingly, but Sati shook her head bobbing, "Well, I can't do that.

　This kind of thing about Sati is really cute.
　I guess she takes everything seriously and imagines it.

Well, the easiest thing to do is to make a mold.

A mold?

　Sati asks.

'A mold is a main object that you make when you make the same thing, is that right? ─ A mold is a basic shape that is made and then iron is poured into it. It is used to make swords and spears.

　The skill of casting is something that exists in this other world, but it's something that Satie would find difficult to understand.

''So, mister, shall I immediately ask Günther-dono to make a mold for you?
Ummm, that's fine too.

　I'm torn.
　Maybe now I'd have my hands full with screw making and barrel making.
　I didn't want to put Günther through any extra work right now.

　Besides, with the casting technology in this world, it should be difficult to make something close to a true sphere.
　If the ball is even slightly distorted, the trajectory of the ball will be a mess.
　The bottom line is that the hit rate will be poor.

　That's not very useful.
　For now, I've decided to make a tower as a quick fix.

A tower?　Are you suggesting that it has something to do with bullets?
It's there. You'll know it when you make it, so make it fast.

　Giron said yes, and began to make arrangements impatiently.


　A few weeks later, a simple tower made of wood frame was ready.　
I ordered my men to pour a drop of hot, molten lead down from its top.

　Then, while falling through the air, the lead cools and hardens into a circular shape due to air resistance.

　I won't talk about this area in detail, as it is a field of physics, but the people who saw the scene were filled with excitement.


'Oh, Lord Ike has performed another miracle!
It's like magic!


　The people who were watching this spectacle were praising him, but for now, it seems that his knowledge of his previous life was useful again.　

　It's not magic or anything else, it's science.
　That's what I thought, but it's also useful to mislead the city's inhabitants here.

　The more they believe I have power beyond human understanding, the less rebellion they'll have.

　I don't want to rule the inhabitants with fear, but I don't want them to underestimate me either.
　My grandfather used to say.

'I don't mind being awed by others. Don't just be someone to be feared.
　And--.

　Based on the reaction of the city's residents, it was probably the right thing to make the bullets public.
　Politics and governance are also about performance.　
　As I was staring at the people of the city with that conviction, Giron came trotting over.

''Sir, the Commander wants to see you.

　Giron says, out of breath.
　It seems that he has something important to do.

We've got a big problem.

　I mutter that in my mouth.

　There are times when that guy calls me out just because he's bored, and sometimes he'll suddenly use transference magic for no reason at all.

　But if it's a really important matter, and an official matter, I use the regular procedure.
　You have to send a messenger or emissary out on an errand.

　Calling me out in a formal way would mean that there was a problem on the scale of the corps.

　I headed to Cephiro's residence, Barenzere, by normal means for the first time in a long time.