Toma: Reincarnated as the Knight's Adopted Son

Chapter 46: Wagon Overhaul
 

Using a cylindrical metal tool, I cored the Appo fruit at its center. This method easily removes the stem, core, and seeds.
I diligently cored a large number of Appos, then simmered them in equal parts water. It's best to leave the skins on. As they cook and soften, I mashed them while stirring to prevent burning. Once a suitable amount of water had evaporated, I transferred the mixture to a barrel. After cooling to around fifty degrees Celsius, I added Appo-specific malt. This malt was specially crafted using my Conversion skill.
Conversion Log:
1 kilogram of Appo → 100 grams of malt for Appo sake: Mana cost: 200 points
 

With the Appo sake fermenting, I moved on to medicinal sake. I had prepared ten types of medicinal ingredients resembling traditional Chinese herbs, which I decided to refer to as Kampo from now on.
The composition of medicinal sake depends on its intended effects. I mixed three to five types of herbs with distilled Horse King sake to craft two varieties of medicinal sake. Unlike Appo sake, this process doesn’t require heat. The herbs are cut to a manageable size and combined with a base ingredient for medicinal sake before being steeped in the distilled alcohol. The base ingredient is universal across both varieties of medicinal sake.
The fermentation of Appo sake was progressing well, thanks to the malt. The plan is for it to mature in three months.

As for the medicinal sake, it will require six months for its effects to fully develop. Fortunately, it’s a low-maintenance process and can largely be left alone.
 
While overseeing the Appo sake, I tackled the growing pile of slime gel in the warehouse. The maid, Sala, scolded me because it had overflowed the storage space.

Slime gel is an incredibly versatile material. However, the mana cost of using Conversion differs significantly depending on whether the material is being processed or used for a final product. For industrial purposes, relying entirely on Conversion isn’t sustainable. I need to establish a system that functions without me.
That said, after seeing my grandmother’s wheelchair, I knew I had to create something essential.
Conversion Log:
3 kilograms of slime gel + 1 kilogram of sulfur + 2 kilograms of wood + 2 kilograms of iron → Slime tires for wheelchair: Mana cost: 300 points
 

The resulting slime tires combined durability, weather resistance, and cushioning. To reinforce the slime gel, I embedded iron wire into it—a task that was rather tedious.
Since this was for my grandmother’s wheelchair, it was fine to create it using Conversion. Once delivered to Sebas, it should upgrade her wheelchair considerably.
Next up were tires for the wagon.

Conversion Log:
10 kilograms of slime gel + 4 kilograms of sulfur + 10 kilograms of iron + 10 kilograms of wood → Slime tires for wagons: Mana cost: 1,200 points
 
These were for our family’s wagon. I don’t ride in it often, but the trip back from Axel Territory made one thing clear: it’s not comfortable.
My grandfather’s luxury wagon uses magical devices to reduce vibrations, but our wagon doesn’t have such expensive equipment. Slime tires would help reduce the vibrations. I also considered adding leaf springs, but that would require more than just a simple wheel replacement.

I decided to consult Bowman, Ben’s father, about building a new wagon with leaf springs. For now, I asked Bards, the carpenter, to help replace the wheels. Bards had been busy crafting barrels in the past, but he seemed to have more time on his hands lately.
“Hey, Bards!”
“Oh, it’s the young master! What can I do for you?”
“I need the wheels on our wagon replaced. Do you have time?”

“Replacing wheels, huh? Sure, I can handle that.”
Bards came to the estate garage to begin the work.
“This one?”

“Yes, these are the new wheels. The sizes should match, so they should fit properly.”
“What’s this black material?”
“It’s a new type of material.”

“As expected of the young master! I’ll call you when I’m done.”
“Thanks. I’ll leave it to you.”
The replacement took less than an hour. Bards worked quickly, as expected.

I decided to test the wagon. One of the temple knights served as the driver while I rode. The smaller vibrations were noticeably reduced, but the larger ones felt even more intense. It seemed the elasticity of the slime gel amplified the bigger shocks. It was a mixed result. Clearly, leaf springs were necessary. Or maybe I should skip that and go straight for air suspension? Unfortunately, I currently lacked the ability to create air suspension via Conversion.
Putting the test ride on hold, I resolved to add leaf springs. Since the slime tires alone couldn’t improve the ride quality, I couldn’t leave the job half-finished. I didn’t want to wait for a new wagon to be built.
Using iron as the primary material, I used Conversion to rebuild the wagon, complete with leaf springs.

Wait, shouldn’t I have done this from the start? Well, self-restraint has its place, doesn’t it? Heh.
With the upgrade complete, I asked the temple knight to drive again. This time, the vibrations were much better controlled. Adding slime-gel cushions to the benches also helped. The ride was now on par with my grandfather’s high-end wagon!
“So, what is this?”

“It’s a wagon.”
“It’s quite different from the wagons I know.”
“I worked hard on it.”

“Indeed, it seems you did…”
My father laughed weakly. I wonder why?
“Speaking of wagons, it’s about time Toma learned to ride a horse.”

“A horse!”
I can’t wait!