Isekai Nonbiri Nouka

What matters most is the will to try.

When people are motivated, work gets done quickly.

The airship.

Repairs are complete.

It’s currently undergoing test flights, and so far, it’s floating without any issues.

Amazing.

It’s a shame I can’t board it.

Onboard the airship during the test flight are Loo, Tier, and the angels.

If anything goes wrong, they can escape by flying on their own.

The mountain elves, who had hoped to ride, asked that.

Unfortunately, parachutes don’t open properly without sufficient altitude.

If something happens at low altitude, it could be dangerous.

I understand.

After a few more test flights, everyone will get their turn.

-0-

The repaired airship is designed with a large gasbag sandwiched between two smaller gasbags.

It was originally royal property, but for some reason, though I don’t know why, it was handed down and repurposed as a passenger vessel.

Probably due to a lack of funds, according to Bell’s guess.

When the kingdom fell, Apri and the others escaped aboard that airship, now turned passenger vessel.

Since then, they had hidden it and not used it.

In other words, it hadn’t been maintained for a long time.

It’s no surprise that it was in a state where trouble was likely.

To have repaired it and gotten it flying safely again is, once more, truly impressive.

-0-

After completing its test flight, the airship landed at the racecourse of Big Tree Village.

Though calling it a landing, it didn’t actually touch the ground. It hovered a few meters above.

That seems to be typical for airships.

While in flight, the gasbags are the most noticeable part, but once it lands, the passenger section stands out.

The passenger section is divided into four levels, with high ceilings on each floor.

That’s probably to accommodate the various races that might board.

In any case, having four levels makes it feel like a four-story building, so it’s no wonder it stands out.

Unlike a ship on water, nothing here is hidden below the surface.

-0-

The interior of the passenger section.

The top level holds the control room, crew quarters, and the engine room.

All critical components are concentrated near the gasbags.

The second level from the top contains the special suite and the first-class cabins.

The special suite takes up the entire front portion of the ship and consists of a single room.

There are only two first-class cabins, one on each side.

The third level houses the second-class cabins and the kitchen.

Despite being called second-class cabins, they are very narrow private rooms, not even two tatami mats in size.

It might be better to knock down the walls and turn it into a larger common room.

The fourth level is the cargo hold.

This floor has a higher ceiling than the others.

Probably to allow the transport of large items.

Though it makes you worry the bottom might fall out, the flooring is quite thick.

That’s likely because it would take the initial impact in the event of a crash landing.

-0-

When I went up to the rooftop of the passenger section… the view wasn’t very impressive.

All I could see were the gasbags.

The gas inside those gasbags, which are somehow able to lift a passenger section that looks fairly heavy, wasn’t any gas I recognized.

It’s called Floating Gas, a very straightforward name, and it’s produced by applying a special magic potion to something like a fake version of a Wind Magic Crystal.

It has no toxicity or flammability, making it very safe.

However, ordinary bags or cloth can’t hold it. You need containers or bags coated on the inside with another special magical potion.

Inside the airship’s gasbags are such containers, support frames to secure them, and pipes that feed the Floating Gas into them.

「I would have liked to sort out the plumbing a little better but for now, we’re concentrating on restoration.」

Loo, who had just finished the first test flight, explained it to me.

Tia and the angel tribe are inside the gasbags checking for any leaks.

「We restored the passenger section just like it was… but what do you think? Should we get rid of the second-class cabins?」

Hmm, yeah.

That depends on how we decide to use the airship.

Whether we make it a passenger vessel, a sightseeing ship, or a trade ship will change things.

…

Speaking of which, this airship…

How many people does it take to operate?

「If it’s just to fly it, we need a navigator, a helmsman, and an engineer. Three people are enough. For a three-shift rotation, that’s nine. The number would increase depending on how the ship’s used.」

It increases based on use?

「If we use it as a passenger ship, we’ll need cabin attendants, cooks, and medical staff, right?」

Ah, that’s true.

「And depending on the route, we’ll need escorts as well.」

There are flying demon beasts and monsters that claim the skies as their territory.

Escorts are necessary.

「But they have to be able to fly or use magic, otherwise they won’t be any help.」

Hmm.

Crew selection is going to be important too.

Alright, I’ll decide how we’re going to use it soon.

「Got it. Also…」

What is it?

「During the test flight, the Universal Ship kept flying alongside us.」

It was just keeping watch, worried about the airship.

Don’t worry about it.

「Even so… if we decide to use the airship somewhere, the Universal Ship isn’t going to just tag along, is it?」

Tou, the captain of the Universal Ship, would stop it from doing that.

「That same Tou came to me saying the Universal Ship isn’t listening to him.」

Well, you’re the one who built the Universal Ship, Loo.

Alright.

I’ll have a word with the Universal Ship myself.

「Thanks.」

I’ll do my best.

-0-

The new airship construction plan.

Technically, building a new airship poses no problem.

The real issue is the Floating Gas.

To use it in an airship’s gasbags, you need extra-large Feather Magic Crystals. But these extra-large crystals are incredibly rare.

And worse, they’re consumables.

The extra-large crystal we used for the test flight has already degraded into a large-sized crystal.

We don’t have to drain the Floating Gas after every flight, so it’s not like it’s used up all at once, but still, we don’t have an abundant supply either.

「Even if we ask Goroun Company or Dalfon Company, I doubt they can get us more.」

And I agree with what Loo said.

In fact, both the Goroun Company and Dalfon Company told us outright they have no stock and no expected restock date for extra-large Feather Magic Crystals.

The one we used for the test flight was purchased from Dors.

Yes, purchased.

But we didn’t pay with money.

Instead, we just added more brooch orders for Hiichirou to craft.

Go ahead and curse your pitiful father (me).

Don’t worry, I’ll pay Hiichirou fairly.

-0-

Anyway, even if we build a new airship, we can’t fly it without a steady supply of extra-large Feather Magic Crystals.

Worse, even the repaired one might not be able to fly regularly.

So it comes down to this: either find a new location to mine these crystals, or develop an alternative method of generating the gas.

For now, we’ve asked the Goroun and the Dalfon Company to look into getting more crystals.

I did consider going through the Adventurer’s Guild, but I decided against it.

After all, the ones who would place those guild requests would be the Goroun or the Dalfon Company. If I skip over them and issue the request directly, the price of extra-large Feather Magic Crystals could skyrocket.

And the truth is, despite their rarity, these crystals are oddly cheap.

That’s because they have practically no use outside of generating Floating Gas.

And even for that, you need a special magical potion, which makes producing the gas far from easy or convenient.

Naturally, people begin to question whether Floating Gas is even necessary.

More accurately, they question whether airships themselves are necessary.

After all, there are other ways to travel, teleportation gates, flying carpets, and so on.

With airships falling out of use, the demand for Feather Magic Crystals has plummeted, leading to lower prices… and fewer people even bothering to bring them in.

Which only makes them rarer now.

-0-

「Do we really need to build a new airship? Wouldn’t the repaired one be enough?」

Loo posed the question calmly.

Hmm… I still think using airships for sightseeing cruises or trade routes wouldn’t be a bad idea.

But yeah, getting our hands on extra-large Feather Magic Crystals is definitely the bottleneck.

Maybe I should ask Loo to look into developing a new kind of gas to replace Floating Gas?

「Sorry. I’ve got a backlog of other requests. It’d be tough to take on another right now.」

I see.

「But how about I reach out to Ifrus School in Shashaato City instead? I can make the request on your behalf.」

Really? Is that okay?

「Of course. Just be aware it’s going to require a proper payment.」

Naturally. Research costs money.

Let’s start with… a hundred gold coins?

「Ahaha. I appreciate it, but if you offer too much upfront, it’ll backfire.」

Backfire? Isn’t a big payment supposed to motivate them?

「If money was all it took, they wouldn’t be researchers.」

…Wait, really?

「Yep. That said, they do chase the money, because research needs funding. But it’s not what drives them.」

So what are you saying?

「Start with an amount that just barely covers the project, or maybe a little extra. Then, once they’ve produced results, that’s when you offer the bonus.」

Ahh, I see.

「Researchers are the type to prioritize what they want to work on, not what someone’s asking them to.」

Can’t argue with that.

Her words carry weight.

-0-

Researcher: 「It’s just about finished.」

Loo: 「In other words, you haven’t made any progress.」

Researcher: 「It’ll be done soon.」

Loo: 「Still a long way to go.」

Researcher: 「It’s almost done, but I’m running out of budget…」

Loo: 「Don’t give them anything. Make them finish it on their own dime, then pay up afterward.」

Researcher: 「…Loo-sama, isn’t that a little harsh? You’re a researcher too, aren’t you?」

Loo: 「Exactly. That’s why I know all the tricks.」

-0-

Universal Ship: 「My little sister is flying…」

Tou: 「That ship’s from an older era than us. Technically, she’s your big sister.」

Universal Ship: 「……」

-0-

Tou: 「Lately, things haven’t been going well between me and the Universal Ship…」

Loo: 「Why are you telling me?」

-0-

Village Chief: 「It’s settled by the order they arrived in the village! She’s the younger one, no question!」

Universal Ship: 「Right? I knew it!」

Village Chief: 「I’ll give Tou a proper scolding!」

Universal Ship: 「Thank you very much!」