CH 35

Part 3: Chapter 4 – Magitec Master Coen

“They only sold the outside parts.”

Mailey muttered with disappointment as they left the store.

Rokuk shrugged his shoulders.

“That’s because the interior is to be customized. That way, they can be fitted to suit different needs, including transportation of passengers or supplies, or being used as a base for Adventurer clans.”

They were not very widespread just yet, and so it was easier to sell by adding the interior once the customer had a clear concept of what they wanted. And so in the end, the store only sold an outer shell that did not even have seats inside.

Still, Tor thought that it had been worth looking into.

“There really were a lot of different types. I thought that there wouldn’t be many types that could be used as a mobile base, but there were over twenty of them.”

“He did say that clans were his main customers. If you bought several of them and lined them up, you could make a temporary defense wall.”

“They must be very durable then. Still, what should we do?”

While they had also taken a look at the interior parts, in terms of fuel efficiency, design and size, none of them were what the twins were looking for.

And even though they had the funds to order special parts, all of the skilled magitec masters were currently busy.

Apparently, this was because they were producing and maintaining over-parts.

“We simply must have a wine cooler.”

“And a suspension so that it does not shake too much.”

“Perhaps we should at least do the design?”

“Though, since we are not professionals, we will have to have a magitec master look over it.”

“Then we must find one first. Rokuk, is it this way?”

Tor pointed down the street.

It was a wide street, with rows of workshops on each side. It could be called a crafters street. And in the far back, was the storage house for discarded materials that they were looking for.

“Yes. She lives there in order to avoid people. But are you really going to accept that request? I could not even read what was written.”

“Because it is the language of lost items.”

“And how is it that you three are able to read it? Well, nevermind. Just go straight down this road and you will see it. As I’ve been called by a Fangaro councilor, I must leave you here.”

Rokuk stopped at the crossroad and waved a hand at them.

“Thank you for guiding us this far. It was a great help.”

“Aye. We have not talked enough, so why not have a drink tonight? We can talk about things that no lady could listen to!”

“Somehow, I think it is you who will be doing all of the talking.”

“What? So you have no interesting stories? How boring. Well, I’ll meet you at the inn later.”

Rokuk high-fived Tor and then turned the corner and went on his way.

The twins chuckled.

“He is a very cheerful and nice man.”

Euphie said to Tor.

At the same time, Mailey looked up at Tor with a sweet expression.

“I hope you will bring back a souvenir.”

“If I remember.”

“I will be very sulky if you forget!”

“I will be very envious if you forget!”

Euphie and Mailey said as they took his arms on both sides.

‘Yes, yes.’ Tor replied as they continued to walk.

“Still, there is something strange about it. About Rokuk.”

“Strange?”

“Is it, that you were not actually acquainted?”

“No, I have met him before. But unlike the last time, there is something about the way he laughs now that does not seem sincere. Of course, it was a long time ago, when we had just started to be Adventurers. Eight years ago.”

While they were memories of his teenage years, it had been a time when he was desperately trying to survive in a world where he knew nothing. And while he had met many people, he was not able to remember all the faces and names.

Euphie nodded as she held his arm.

“You have certainly aged.”

“I am still seen as more of an older brother.”

He glared at her. Euphie turned away with a little embarrassment and muttered.

“Older brother Tor?”

“What, sister Euphie?”

“Hmm. That does not work at all.”

“Which one.”

“Calling you older brother.”

“Well, I’ll get sulky if you start calling me ‘old man.’”

“You are not that old yet. Besides, you look younger than most people your age.”

They talked aimlessly like that until they reached a building that was both a residence and workshop. There was a large yard in the front, and a great building to store materials.

This was magitec master Coen’s house.

In spite of her reputation of being a recluse, Mailey rang the doorbell without any hesitation.

“I’m sorry. We came after seeing the request at the Adventurers Guild. Can you talk to us about aluminum?”

She said, and then a window opened from the side of the workshop.

And the face that peered out, belonged to a woman in her mid-twenties.

She had short brown hair and wore a bandana. She was rather underdressed in rough clothing as she leaned out of the window and glared at them sharply.

“…Do you know how to refine it?”

She asked, without even a proper greeting. So, this was Magitec Master Coen then. The woman had a low but pleasant-sounding voice.

Mailey raised her index finger and waved it.

“Electrorefining is the most common method.”

Euphie then whispered to Tor.

“Please use Enchant.”

For a second, Tor wasn’t sure why she was asking this, but then he realized that she wanted it as a source of electric power, and so he unsheathed his short sword and activated the Enchant.

Upon seeing the red electricity crackle around the blade, Coen nodded.

“You do seem to have knowledge. There is an entrance in the back. You can come into the workshop directly from there.”

Coen said, and then shut the window.

Tor deactivated the Enchant and sheathed his sword. Then he went with the twins to the entrance behind the workshop.

There was a metal door that was opened and led inside.

When they looked in, they saw a workshop that was about seven meters wide and ten meters long, and Coen was sitting on a round chair in the back.

“Come in. Sit where you like.”

Coen leaned on her elbow over the desk with a bored expression. After Tor and the twins sat down, she then opened a drawer and took out some reddish brown ore.

“Do you know what this is?”

“Considering what we were talking about…I think it is bauxite.”

Mailey replied, and then Coen put the bauxite on the desk and picked up a pen and paper.

“As it cannot be refined, I don’t know if it actually is bauxite. You, with the black hair. What is your name?”

“Tor.”

“Mr. Tor. Can it be refined?”

“I can’t say anything without trying. In fact, I don’t understand the principles.”

He admitted, allowing Euphie and Mailey to take over.

Coen then turned to Mailey, who had been looking around at the workshop.

“Do you have any concentrated sodium hydroxide solution? For now, I want to extract the aluminum oxide from the bauxite.”

“There should be some at the alchemist workshop. I will order some for you. Is there anything else that you need?”

“If I am to acquire aluminum by itself, then I would want cryolite as well. But I doubt they have any, so we might have to ask for fluorite from the iron mill.”

“We have some cryolite. We bought it once, when it had entered the market after a magitec beast facility was destroyed.”

“You have a good eye. Also…”

Tor ignored the unfamiliar names that kept coming as the twins and Coen talked. Instead, he looked around the workshop.

He had never been in a magitec master’s workshop before, but he had an idea of what these things were.

In order to decrease the number of Adventurer deaths, Golems had been studied for a very long time.

However, even now, there was still not a single Golem that could be considered to be a finished work.

While Golem with complex movement, capable of battle, had been developed by the skills of the ancient civilization, none were considered to be practical.

As Golems were incredibly heavy, they consumed a lot of magic energy just to move, which meant that magic stones of high purity were required. Not only that, but for some reason, after enough time had passed, they would start attacking both humans and monsters without differentiating them.

Ultimately, development of Golems was currently under fire, and more focus was put on the development of Magitec arms in order to enhance Adventurers.

“…Mr. Tor. How long can you continue to activate your Enchant?”

She asked, and Tor answered.

“It depends on my condition, as well as the output. But I would say for around one day.”

“In that case, the necessary output is the key.”

“And we will have to build an electric furnace as well.”

“Before we go too far, there is something that I would like to ask you, Ms. Coen. What do you intend on doing with the aluminum?”

As the twins continued to move along, Tor had a question.

She had been writing the necessary materials on a sheet of paper, and her hand did not stop as she replied.

“I’m going to make a Golem.”

“I thought so. In that case, it will be no use using my magic energy for electrorefining.”

Coen stopped and looked at Tor suspiciously. But then the twins both put their hands together with realization.

“Because if you use your magic energy for refining, it will become part of the metal, and will reject other kinds of magic energy…?”

“Exactly. If you want to make a Golem move, then you will need highly pure magic stones. But if my magic energy is in the aluminum, then it will become even less efficient. At worst, it might not move at all.”

“I had not thought about that when considering Enchants… In any case, the concentrated sodium hydroxide solution can be prepared right away. After all, I want to know if this ore really is bauxite. Also, is there any other refining method then?”

Coen asked, and the twins looked at each other.

They thought about it with serious expressions, and then Mailey finally opened her mouth.

“There is no documentation, and it is not a common method, but it should not be impossible. Though, it is a very old method from the Napoleonic age, and is quite inefficient.”