Chapter 367: Trial & Error

Hearing Ladavista’s words, I hurriedly aborted the boarding process.

“W-Where was it off? Is there something strange about the pattern?”

When I asked in rapid succession, he shook his head.

“No, the pattern should be fine. There shouldn’t be any difference in the depth of the grooves, either.”

“Ehh…… We worked on the size together, so there shouldn’t be any deviation there, either……”

Hearing Ladavista’s words, I involuntarily sat cross-legged on the pier and fell into deep thought. The size and pattern are fine. The depth of the grooves is fine. Then, what could be the problem?

“Hmm……”

As I racked my brain, I caught sight of Rosso, Panamera Carrera Cayenne, and the others waiting quietly. It seemed they were keeping quiet so I could concentrate.

“Ah, please go ahead and board the ship to look around, everyone.”

It felt awkward to have them waiting, so I urged them to board. At that, Rosso furrowed his brows in a troubled expression.

“Mu? But are you not going to rebuild the ship now?”

Asked that, I shook my head.

“No, first we need to investigate the cause. Besides, the problem lies only in the exterior armor…… the ship itself can be used as is.”

“Ooh, is that so? In that case, let us take everyone and board.”

Perhaps being considerate, Rosso led everyone aboard with a cheerful atmosphere. Watching this out of the corner of my eye, Panamera Carrera Cayenne also walked over to me.

“May I board as well?”

“Yes, please do. It’s no problem as long as we don’t go too deep, so I will actually try moving the ship later.”

“Ooh, I look forward to it.”

Answering thus, Panamera Carrera Cayenne boarded the ship with a light step. She seemed simply excited about the ship. Huh? I believe she rode one last time too; did she like ships that much?

As I watched everyone boarding, Havel approached me next.

“Lord Van.”

“Hm?”

Hearing my name, I looked up. Havel was holding the ship model in one hand and pointing to the bottom.

“This part here—is there no problem with the angle?”

“A-Angle? I think it is probably about the same angle, but……”

“Is it exactly the same? It is the same with swords; a slight difference in angle changes the sharpness completely. The same goes for durability.”

He asked again. The angle. Indeed, I feel like we didn’t discuss the angle in minute detail when I had Ladavista check it. No, but I made models many times for him to verify, so the angle shouldn’t be wrong either……

As I was thinking that, Ladavista groaned with his arms crossed.

“……No, the angle should be fine as well. After having it corrected when making the small ship, the shape became identical.”

Ladavista answered while looking diagonally downward, as if recalling something. Hearing that the shape was identical, I was truly relieved. After all, the sample is gone now. If we had to remake it by changing the angle little by little from this state, it could take over a year to complete if things went poorly.

Just as I thought that, Havel spoke a single sentence expressionlessly.

“In that case, the only remaining issue is the material. Even if it is just water, wood bends when hit by strong waves. Iron likely changes somewhat as well. In some cases, it must twist. Even mithril might vibrate, no?”

“T-That is true……”

I was involuntarily convinced by Havel’s comment. If told that the material is the problem, it can’t be helped since we haven’t been able to investigate that. However, judging from a distance, it should be a mithril-based material. Also, since there was no rust, it must be a corrosion-resistant metal like gold, silver, platinum, or mithril. In other words, it is not iron or the like.

But thinking that far, I realized the worst-case scenario.

“……Could it be an alloy, perhaps?”

“…………That’s right.”

Even Havel had a bitter look on his face. Yet, the fact that he agreed firmly shows that he is indeed a great veteran of craftsmanship.

“……Alloys are infinite. That is because the materials mixed in and their ratios are diverse. Then there is the heat. To what temperature do you raise it to mix? Do you cool it all at once, or slowly? Verifying such things one by one is a bit tough.”

Saying that, Havel sighed deeply. That makes sense. There is a famous alloy called stainless steel, but I’ve heard there are many types even within that category. If you add failed alloys, the amount would be truly tremendous.

“……It’s way beyond just ‘a bit tough,’ isn’t it?”

“……Well, based on what I hear, it needs to resonate by receiving water, so if we check whether it is hard or soft, we can manage somehow. Judging by the color, mithril is the main component. If mixing, it would be silver. So, we should just have to use trial and error on the ratio.”

“Mithril and silver?”

“Ah, yes. Strangely, mithril and copper are hard to mix. Iron mixes, but there is a possibility of rusting. Therefore, silver, which is easiest to mix, has the highest probability.”

Havel stated his prediction simply.

No, no, just because we have a prediction, will it be that easy? I am not knowledgeable about alloys, but I feel this is going to be a steep path.

Yes, until this moment……