CH95 Prototype Boat
Alex ignored Fufi’s somewhat suspicious answer about the magical girl princess question. Prying was rude. Good Canadians are not the controversial sort.
Scrolling down on the cutely-decorated phone, some offending text presented itself:
[Requirements for level 6: Defeat 200 monsters, one of which needs to be tier 2]
[Progress 0/200 monsters, 0/1 tier 2 monsters]
Alex grumbled. “It says I need to defeat a tier two monster and an army of monsters.”
Fufi snaked her beaked-head around to get a view of the smartphone. “That shouldn’t be too bad. You were able to do that in a single battle.”
Alex objected. “More like a demon pulled the doll’s string by accident and it just went nuts. All I did was freak out. I don’t feel like I earned these levels.”
“We knew the doll was cursed. Though it looks like now the system considers it the same as the other dolls you’ve made.” Fufi stated, trying to put a positive spin on things.
“At this point I just have to take responsibility. Also, what is up with defeating more tier 2 monsters. Didn’t the hero doll already defeat two of them? I feel cheated.” Alex glared at the text.
“Magical girl is a harder class to level than others. Some of the greatest heroines of Terre have been magical girls, the system has upped the bar a little bit. Usually it would take a level 10 combat classer to win a fair fight against something of that power.” Fufi said.
Alex shook her head. “I doubt anyone from Yvne’s barony has ever killed a demon. I’ll have to take your word for it because I bet I’d just make people awkward trying to answer something like that.”
“Getting greedy with trying for that next level after getting so many at once would be a bad idea. Prudency is a wise plan.” Fufi nodded sagely.
“Anyway, I got these new skills to test out. The enchantment one looks like it could be incredibly useful. With enough materials and some help, I bet I could recreate the carriage that has been so useful this whole time.” Alex scrolled back up and pointed at the crafting feat. “Let's head back into town and see if there is some stuff we could scrounge together to test out a proof of concept.”
Fufi nodded. The duo gathered their belongings, placing them in the damaged carriage, which, though no longer blackened, was missing wooden planks. They then transformed it back into its card form. As they walked the streets, they saw a peculiar sight: a tribesman who had arrived by boat was spreading what appeared to be seeds from a small pouch onto the poor-quality soil.
“What is that for?” Alex asked, giving the pink-cloaked man a side look.
“Ah, do you know anything about this?” The man returned the question. “Lady Ki said that we should spread these seeds all around wherever we could find a place.” He handed the bag to her. “She said it was important they could get lots of sun.”
Accepting the bag, the black-haired girl in the frilly outfit poured a few seeds into her hand. “I’m not sure, but there are different kinds here.” She handed the bag back to the man.
“You know, there is a skill you’ve had for a while now that I’ve never seen you use.” Fufi not-so-subtly hinted.
“Fine, let's give this a shot.” Alex rolled up her sleeves and gesticulated awkwardly at the seeds on the ground of an empty lot. “Lesser grow plants!”
Fufi facepalmed with her wing. “We will have to work on your presentation of that skill a bit more. Remember, cuteness is most important!”
The man watched dumbly, waiting for something to happen.
After a few tense seconds, a nervous bead of sweat formed on Alex's forehead. The sandy soil stirred, and a small green sprout emerged, barely an inch tall. Similar modest growths appeared in a couple of other spots. It was far from the impressive, fast-growing plant magic the nymphs could achieve.
“I guess that my magic won't grow plants in a minute.” Alex awkwardly placed her hand on the back of her head and chuckled nervously.
“No matter, I suppose that I wasn’t expecting to see anything. The ground here has been ruined by demonic cultivators. I was thinking when spring comes back around after winter is when these seeds will take off.” The man shrugged and continued with his sowing in bare spots around the area.
As they moved away from the river and headed back towards the manor, a palpable tension hung over the town. People were busy piling belongings in front of their homes, rushing about as if bracing for an impending catastrophe. The townspeople's anxiety was likely well-founded.
Upon arriving at the manor, Alex knocked on the door. “Hello, is anyone home?”
Fufi rolled her eyes. “After they tried to take your free will away, are you really going to be polite?”
“Technically, Yvne’s the one that tried that. And even she is only partly to blame. The demon controlling her really is the one pulling the strings and should take responsibility.” Alex defended her need to be polite even though it seemed like a grasping argument.
"Welcome back, Miss Alice," a maid greeted, opening the door. "How may we serve you?"
Alice winced a bit at the creepy maid. “I was looking to practice enchanting. Would you happen to have sugar and spice and something nice that I could use in the process?”
The maid paused for a bit, but maintained her composure. “Certainly, though those are hardly traditional enchanting materials and something nice is a bit ambiguous. Are you planning to make magical food?”
“I don’t see how magical food would be much help right now.” Alex shook her head. “We really need more capacity to get people and their things out of here.”
"I understand," the maid said gently to Fufi and Alex. "If you'll come with me, I'll take you to the pantry." She then led them through the mansion's elaborate corridors, her steps guiding the way. Fufi and Alex followed closely.
As they arrived in the kitchen, a symphony of delicious aromas filled the air. The maid retrieved a pair of exquisite glass shakers, one filled with sugar and the other with black pepper. The trio then proceeded to a workroom in the basement of the mansion.
The workroom was dimly lit, but the workstations were adorned with an array of tools and materials. Each station seemed to be dedicated to a specific task, with various devices and instruments arranged neatly. Fufi and Alex exchanged puzzled glances, and Alex headed to a suitable station for her crafting plans.
“Do you need anything else, Miss Alice?” The maid stood at attention.
“I think I’ll manage. There is enough stuff down here to work something up. Unless you have something cute, like a small parasol?” Alex had a bit of an idea what to make.
“I think so, sometimes the mistress likes little umbrellas in her drinks.” The maid nodded and headed off.
“What are you going to do?” Fufi looked around.
“I want to do a proof of concept mechanical powered boat.” Alex made some gestures which the flamingo couldn’t possibly understand. “You see, according to the feat, something that is enchanted with it should spin 15 minutes more than it should. Have you ever seen a top before?”
Fufi nodded. “That is the little toy that has a point at the bottom and spins around for a little while staying upright against all odds.”
“I have worked on cars a bit and a couple machines. And cars with a manual transmission have something called a flywheel as part of it. The flywheel stores energy and will keep spinning the engine even if it isn’t giving any power.” Alex paused to make sure Fufi wasn’t too confused. “If the feat works like that then really all that would be needed to keep something spinning would be a force added in intervals.”
“I’m not sure I follow.” Fufi’s expertise was more in cuteness and it showed. “What does that have to do with getting people out of here?”
“Hmm, I need something to spin.” Alex looked around. She jumped when a maid appeared behind her holding a small drink umbrella.
The maid smiled, pleased with herself but said nothing. She gave the item to Alex.
Alex slowly spun the tiny parasol in her fingers until it came to a stop. "See how it stops?" she asked, demonstrating. She then balanced the parasol on one finger, spinning it with her other hand, and it continued to spin for a much longer duration. "I can't do that for very long yet, but if I can extend that spin from a few seconds to something much longer, it opens up some possibilities."
“I’m still now sure how spinning can transport someone on a river.” Fufi shook her head.
With the precision of a skilled artisan, Alex transformed the parasol. She used her doll equipment to trim it and adjust the spines, forming a propeller. To this, she attached a small brass gear from her clockwork doll kit. A string was then wound around a much larger (for a toy) wheel, and a weight was hung from its end.
“Hmm, how to do this?” Alex sprinkled some sugar and spice on the simple contraption clamped to the edge of the desk. “Something is missing.”
Fufi looked around and spotted something cute. There was embroidery of a flower stacked away on a shelf. She picked it up with her beak and gave it back to Alex. “This looks nice, it is someone’s needlework.”
"Right, let's give this a shot." Alex secured the decoration to the small flywheel with brass tacks. A dash of sugar and pepper, and she felt her magic spark. The contraption pulsed with a faint pink light, barely there. She wound the string around the flywheel, tucking it into a slot so the weight on the other end would spin the wheel as it unwound. "Here goes nothing."
As Alex released the weight, the small cloth fan began to spin, creating a gentle breeze. Yet, something more significant occurred. The weight plunged almost to the floor, its descent accelerating the wheel. Upon reaching its lowest point, the string started to rewind. However, instead of remaining neatly in the outer edge, it snagged on the narrower shaft, rapidly ascending. This caused it to strike the small dowel, severing the string from the weight. The weight dropped to the floor with a soft thud, but the device continued to spin for over 15 minutes before slowly winding down.
“Looks like a concept that works.” Alex picked up the weight and placed it on the desktop. “There are still some kinks that need to be worked out.” Alex had to use tweezers to get the tightly stuck string off of the shaft of the propeller. Thread clung tightly to the round dowel. Also, the cloth wrapped blades of the propeller were shredded. “Looks like there is more than one problem.”
Over the next day, the team dedicated several iterations to developing a functional, non-self-destructive prototype fan. With additional support from the smith, they successfully constructed a full-sized prototype fan boat, capable of accommodating a doll captain. This boat featured a wooden hull and a metal box fan at the stern, complete with three rudder-like fins.
To ensure seamless operation, a crucial improvement was the addition of a second wheel to the string and weight system, designed for unidirectional spinning. This modification disengaged the wheel, preventing the weight from winding back into the gears and eliminating the risk of tangling. Furthermore, a jig was crafted to secure the string and weight, preventing any unrestricted movement that could lead to tangling and impede the boat's functionality. These enhancements resulted in an effectively functioning prototype fan boat.
“Okay, let's get one of the dolls and take this for a spin on the river. If it works okay, a bigger model could be crafted with help of town artisans.” Alex placed the boat on top of the damaged carriage with the help of others, wind up the key and took it to the docks.
Composed of wood and metal, the boat was a challenge to lift. Though only a few feet long and not nearly as heavy as small sailboats, its weight proved difficult for Alex's limited strength. Townspeople, witnessing her struggle, effortlessly lifted it into the water for her.
“Is that a boat for a toddler?” One onlooker asked someone in front of her.
“I hope not.” Another gossipy sounding woman commented. “Letting classless children play in the river is a terrible idea.”
Alex ignored them. She placed Lily in the boat and danced. “Okay, Lily, show them this will work!”
Lily, an archer doll, expertly released the latch on the counterbalance. As the weight descended onto the deck, it activated a small but powerful fan at the back of the boat. The fan hummed to life, propelling the compact craft forward. Though not lightning-fast, the boat effortlessly navigated against the current and, with its exceptionally low draft, glided over hidden sandbars and submerged rocks in incredibly shallow water.
However, a peculiar design flaw emerged as the boat gained momentum: the concentration of metal components in the rear caused the front end to rise out of the water at speed. As the boat sliced through the river, a forceful wave caused the front to pop up abruptly. The powerful downward thrust of the fan at the back proved too much for the unbalanced vessel. In a dramatic turn, the boat flipped end over end, ejecting Lily into the river. The once-graceful craft now floated helplessly, upside down, on the water's surface.
In shock, Alex stopped dancing, and the animate doll spell faded. The boat could float upside down, but Lily was at risk of being swept downstream. "Oh no! Lily!" Alex cried out.
Luckily, a certain woman prone to turning into a mermaid saved the day. Not long after the craft flipped, Marina appeared from beneath the waves holding the doll aloft. She flipped the toy boat back over, placed the wet doll back inside and carried them back to shore. “That’s a nice little toy. But I think it still needs some work. Oh, and the boats are almost back. I didn’t see the barge but the smaller ones are just around the bend.”