Magi Craft Meister

20-10 Intense Discussion

“For the propulsion system, Jin, I’m thinking of this one that you’re probably familiar with.”

Jin nodded as he looked at the blueprints Christoph had spread out. Indeed, he was quite familiar with it.

“The Wind Magic Propulsion Thruster, Wind Slasher, right?”

Unlike the Magic Jet Engine, it used wind magic without recoil to generate propulsion by reducing the diameter of the jet outlet compared to the air intake, increasing the wind speed to obtain thrust.

“Yes, that’s right. The idea is to use what is originally used as a propulsion engine for hot air balloons on the ship.”

They had considered adapting it for underwater use by converting it into a water magic version, but due to the narrow diameter of the jet outlet, it was likely to get clogged with aquatic plants and debris. So, Christoph explained that they decided to use it as it is to generate thrust in the air.

The idea of using a barrier to prevent solid objects from being sucked in, like Jin’s concept, did not seem to cross their minds. However, Jin also thought it wouldn’t be a problem. Even on modern-day Earth, there were boats with propellers designed to run in areas with a lot of water plants and algae.

“We plan to use three to four of these Wind Magic Propulsion Thrusters.”

“That sounds good.”

Christoph beamed as Jin, the developer, nodded.

“…So, with the premise of using these Wind Magic Propulsion Thrusters, I’d like you to proceed with considering the ship’s hull.”

“In that case, the mounting position becomes a problem. How about between the two hulls of the catamaran?”

Rodrigo quickly spoke up.

“Not a bad idea.”

“I… I think a slightly higher position would be better. For maintenance convenience, and I think we can change the direction of the Wind Magic Propulsion Thrusters to change the direction of travel.”

“I see.”

It was an idea to cover the drawback of the catamaran’s inferior maneuverability.

“No, then the intake ports would be on the deck. What if, by any chance, a crew member gets sucked in?”

　Now there was a suggestion addressing the potential danger.

“If that’s the case, why not just attach a net in front of the intake port?”

“No, no, generating propulsion from too high a position could make the ship’s behavior unstable, you know?”

Thus, the discussion heated up from the very beginning.

Observing the lively atmosphere from a slightly withdrawn position, Jin thought, “This kind of atmosphere is also nice,” and relaxed in a carefree manner.

However,

“So, if you want safety, you should come up with a solution!”

“No, I’m saying that thinking like that will reduce the propulsion power.”

“You should come up with a solution!”

“It’s unnecessary to do something that could be considered wasteful!”

“What’s wasteful? Coming up with solutions is what engineers do, right?”

The debate escalated gradually. Mainly, it was between Clea and Generos.

Clea, with her red hair, somehow resembled Vina, and Jin watched the two arguing while thinking about it.

“…Let’s stop the discussion here for now.”

Christoph intervened, forcefully stopping the seemingly never-ending exchange.

“We should listen to the opinion of Mr. Jin, the inventor of the Wind Magic Propulsion Thruster, regarding this. That would be better.”

At Christoph’s words, the attendees turned their attention to Jin, making him feel somewhat pressured. However, when it came to technical discussions, that was Jin’s arena.

“From an efficiency standpoint, I believe it’s better to keep the flow path, the wind passage, as straight as possible.”

Hearing this, Generos looked triumphant, a look that seemed to irk Clea.

“Ugh…”

Clea clenched her small fist in frustration but said nothing more, glaring alternately at Jin and Generos.

“But during direction changes, it might be a good idea to branch the flow path,” Jin added.

With this addition, Clea showed a happy expression.

“If that’s the case, what about the Wind Magic Propulsion Thruster? I think it should be placed below the deck section connecting the two hulls.”

This time, Rodrigo spoke up.

“No, in that case, the catamaran might not be suitable for this purpose after all,” objected Kubalt, the shipwright from Shimos.

“Why? Because for that, strength is required. In that case, it would be disadvantageous for one of the planned purposes, ‘transportation,’ as it would lead to a decrease in payload. The increase in the ship’s weight would directly lead to a decrease in cargo capacity,” Kubalt explained.

“I see…”

Rodrigo seemed to sincerely consider others’ opinions.

After various opinions were exchanged, the assembly fell into contemplative silence. At that moment,

“Now, let’s put an end to the debate for now.”

Christoph, sensing that the discussion could go on forever, forcefully stopped it.

“We’ve had a lot of opinions on the first day, which is delightful. Since the timing is just right, let’s have lunch.”

With that, Christoph clapped his hands once.

Lunch was delivered from a nearby hotel to the conversation room prepared separately from the meeting room.

It was a lakeside setting, with a set meal centered around river fish. Of course, the fish had been cooked, or rather, salt-grilled, so there was no need to worry about parasites.

Jin, Elsa, and Reinhardt had no complaints about the taste.

“…No, I’m surprised. It’s been so intense right from the start.”

Drinking tea after the meal, Reinhardt spoke, and Jin nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. But it’s interesting. Being involved in this kind of development can be quite enlightening.”

“…Even you, Brother Jin, feel that way?”

Elsa looked at Jin with a puzzled expression.

“Yeah. Indeed. People with different perspectives sometimes point out unexpected things. And often, those are things you’ve overlooked.”

“So, how do you, Jin, think about the catamaran?”

“Well, about that…”

Jin lowered his voice.

“In the world I came from, I don’t remember many large catamarans. I guess it’s because they have both advantages and disadvantages.”

Hearing this, Reinhardt decided to respond more as a statesman than a technician.

“Certainly, from the perspective of someone providing the budget, you’d want to avoid everything being entirely new. For a project funded by the public, it’s not acceptable to easily create something unproven, don’t you think?”

In reality, a cautious approach, building on existing achievements, is taken rather than doing something entirely new.

“I sort of understand…”

“What I mean is… Do you know about building and operating achievements? If you’re doing it privately, it’s different, but if you’re pouring in tax money from the people, you can’t easily create something without proven results.”

In the real world, a careful approach is taken, building on existing achievements rather than attempting something entirely new.

“I sort of understand…”

“What I mean is… Do you know about building and operating achievements? If you’re doing it privately, it’s different, but if you’re pouring in tax money from the people, you can’t easily create something without proven results.”

Elsa glanced at Jin.

“So, in that sense, Brother Jin, you’re cheating.”

“Haha, quite harsh. But it’s true. Reinhardt, like me, is a bit of a tinkerer, but what sets him apart is his political vision.”

Elsa chuckled, glancing at Jin.

“So, Brother Jin, Brother Reinhardt, are you both against the catamaran?”

“Yeah. Unfortunately.”

Both replied in unison.

“Well, I guess so. Too bad.”

A voice came from behind, and when Jin turned around, Rodrigo was standing there, holding a cup of tea.

“Ah, Sir Rodrigo. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with the catamaran. It’s just…”

But Rodrigo interrupted Jin with a wry smile.

“No, Lord Jin, I don’t have any complaints. Your points make sense, and Lord Reinhardt’s perspective is also valid.”

Rodrigo didn’t seem like a self-righteous technician. His age, likely in his mid-40s, might contribute to that.

“I’ve never built such a large ship before. What Lord Jin mentioned about the forces on the hull changing due to the waves, I just realized it now. Truly impressive.”

“Oh, that sounds interesting.”

Kubalt joined the conversation.

“In that case, what conditions are necessary when designing a large ship?”

Kubalt, having finished his tea, looked at each of them before raising the question.

“Stability, restorability, strength, habitability, maneuverability, maintainability, fuel efficiency… There are various factors to consider.”

This was Jin’s response. Hearing these words, Kubalt widened his eyes.

“Haha…! Indeed, you’re the Magikraft Meister. To come up with such an immediate answer. I’ve been thinking about this since the discussion started, and I agree. I didn’t even consider maintainability.”

Then, Christoph joined them.

“It seems like an interesting discussion is taking place, but I’d like to continue it in the conference room.”

There were no objections, and after finishing their tea, they all moved to the conference room.