Mark I's run was shockingly short. I stared at the remains of the coil gun and its stand as it lay scattered on the forest floor. The sharp ozone smell lingered in the air. One year's worth of hard work, separated into broken pieces. My mind just blanked for a few moments as I walked closer.
The steam was coming from the moisture being evaporated from the soil, and the smell changed to that of burnt grass as I got nearer. The components were probably too hot to touch, but I could still study the damages on the various parts.
I turned around and went to inspect the devastation left by the projectile fired from the coil gun. I could see high amount of static lingering on the two stumps that bad been created by the iron slug. It was apparent to me that it was not just the physical transfer of force, but some part of the lightning mana that had escaped the enchantments had fired along with the iron slug. Something for me to account for in future versions.
I found the iron slug embedded in a tree further down the firing line. It had melted, deformed, and solidified again into a mushroom shaped piece of metal. There was some dried marks, likely from the tree sap burning against the hot metal.
I collected some river water using the pail I had in the grotto to pour on the components to hasten the cooling. It would crack the metal but the components were already beyond salvage at this point. I had already taken notes of all I needed from the earlier observation.
Once they were cooled enough, I collected them, placed them on the table in the grotto, and left for the day.
Marta POV
"What's wrong Ash? You barely touched your food, are you feeling unwell?" Marta asked when she saw Ash stabbing his vegetables for the 100th time that night.
"What? Oh no, I'm fine. I was just thinking of something" he replied as put a piece of food in his mouth and began chewing. Ash lacked his usual enthusiasm eating Marta's cooking. She had thought maybe she got the seasoning wrong but everyone else was eating fine. And it definitely tasted normal to her.
"Thanks for the food. I'm just tired so I'll go rest" Ash pushed his plate of unfinished food and left the kitchen. It was the first time she had seen him not finish his food.
"I much prefer when he was laughing weirdly for no reason" Thal said as she fed Wyn, the orphanage's latest addition.
"Asshh scarier todaii" Wyn said as buried her face in Thal.
"Oh Ash is not scary at all dear, most of the food we have are thanks to him. He's just scary looking but a softie inside." Marta patted Wyn's head as she reassured Wyn.
Marta glanced at the kitchen door, internally wishing that Ash finds resolution for whatever is troubling him, or to confide in her if there was something she could do to help.
I stared at the ceiling as I laid in bed the next morning. Sleep did not come easy last night, and when it did, it came with baggage. My baggage specifically. I dreamt about my time back on Earth, when I was working with Peter and the team on the railgun project. The sleepless nights we endured to bring the project to live, the hurdles we overcame. While the project's funding did get axed in the end, I never gave up till the end.
PIAK!
I slapped my own face with both my myself as I sat up in bed. The other boys had already gotten up and went for breakfast or it would have shocked the hell out of them. Marta could tell I was not my usual self and had probably decided to give me space by not even urging me to eat breakfast with everyone else. I was also probably scaring the little one.
"Pity party is over, I should get over it". I knew at the back of my mind that Mark I was riddled with problems, but I was eager to verify if the concept would work in Caelora with its magic and mana. But who was I kidding, the materials used were subpar, I had not addressed the recoil issue, I was working with 'new tech' so to speak. I should be happy it even fired at the magnitude of power that it did.
More than one year of effort down the drain, but not all was lost. The theories and enchantment techniques I learnt were still there. This was only material loss, which I can recoup with time. I got dressed and headed downstairs, hoping the rest left some breakfast for me as I got ready for the day ahead.
I was back at the cave with a generous helping of meat in the sandwich I brought for lunch, courtesy of Marta, probably to cheer me up. She could tell I was more of my usual self when I went down for breakfast but nevertheless, I appreciated the gesture.
While I was devouring my sandwich, I started writing down the problems that I had taken note of on the soil with a long stick.
The first two problems had to do with the barrel itself, which could potentially be solved with the right material. The enchantment overheated, indicated by the increased erosion on the barrel where the enchantment was inscribed. Additionally, the barrel itself had been deformed from the recoil. Finding the right material with better lightning mana conductivity and higher structural integrity would solve both problems at once.
The third problem had to do with the copper purity in the coils. The copper wire in the coils had melted and fused together due to the heat generated. The lower purity led to higher resistance, which generated more heat and loss of energy. Unfortunately, the higher grade ores were reserved for the capital, and the local smithies did not have the necessary equipment to purify the lower quality ores.
The final problem was recoil. Even if the barrel's structural integrity was preserved, there was still the overall recoil of the gun. I could increase the number of mounting points during testing, but that would defeat the purpose if I wanted a mobile coil gun.
I had no solution for the final problem but I could resolve the first three with better materials. It was time to pay Branwen another visit.
I arrived at the smithing row the next morning as they were opening for business. I did not mind greeting Branwen with a brief hug as she was not all sweaty yet.
"Mornin' Ash, good to see you. How are Marta and the kids doing? I heard there's a new girl. How is she coping?" Branwen asked as she returned the hug.
"Ehh, Wyn's coping. It's mostly Thal helping her adjust. It seems like she has imprinted on Thal" I said jokingly.
"I hope you're not scaring her with that frown and the weird laugh of yours" Branwen said while frowning at me herself.
"You're gonna get wrinkles if you keep doing that, and no, I'm not even around that much" I tried to poke at her forehead, which I could do easily now that I was much taller.
Branwen just laughed and swatted my finger away "So what are you here for? Back for more plates? Did you already run through the last batch I returned?"
"No, I'm still good. I am actually here for something else. Erm... I know you mentioned last time that you don't have access to higher grade copper, buttt... I was wondering if there was anything else you have access to? Maybe something with better mana conductivity?" I asked hopefully.
"You mean like mithril? Haah! Good luck getting that in Hollow's Reach"
"No not mithril, not like I have the coin to afford it anyway. Maybe something attuned to specific mana types" I tried to ask without specifying anything
"I would love to help you Ash, really, but besides copper and bronze, we really only get access to iron here. The occasional rare metals that the senior smiths work on to repair weapons and armors of the local adventurers" Branwen said, frowning again. She really is gonna get wrinkles before 18 if she keeps that up.
She gestured me to get close, before leaning in to whisper "Though I have heard that there's a secondary market nearby, I've heard the adventurers that come through talk about it, but I don't really know much beyond that. Maybe you can get old Garrick's help to buy you stuff from there?"
"A black market?" I asked.
"What market? I'm not sure what colour it is but its a camp outside of town, that's all I know" Branwen said in a low voice.
"Anyway, I've got to get to work, more orders from farmers with spring coming. Tell Marta I said hi" Branwen straightened as she went about getting ready for the day.
A black market, hmmm... it might have things I need though it won't be cheap, time to pay my old friend a visit.
"Hello there" I said as I approached Garrick from his back. I had developed a habit of sneaking up on him whenever I got the chance.
"Shit! Holy mother! You need to stop doing that or I am going to kick the bucket one day" Garrick cursed as he turned around. "I haven't got the coin yet from the last batch of materials, you'll have to wait another week"
"I'm not here for that today" I said with a wide smile.
"Then? Before you ask, I'm not going below 20%" Garrick quickly added.
I leaned in close and cupped my mouth with one hand "Word on the street is, there's a black market near town. Might have something I need to get from there, was wondering if you knew anything about it?" I said in a low voice, afraid others nearby might overhear our conversation.
"What!?" Garrick was shocked before lowering his voice was well "How did a boy like you hear about that? Looking for herbs in the forest is one thing, going to the black market is different thing altogether"
"So it's true, can you take me there?" I asked in a hushed tone.
"Dammit. I will not take a boy who has not grown hair down there to a camp full of bandits!" Garrick outright denied me.
"So... you do know where it is, I did not say anything about a camp. Out with it, how much will it cost?" I just said cooly.
"Dammit again! I should know to be more careful with my words around you. Again, I will not feed a boy like you to the wolves" Garrick insisted.
"Fine, 25% for the next month. And who says about feeding me to the wolves, you're coming with me aren't you?" I countered.
"25% for three months, and you'll need to put on a disguise. You should be tall enough that I could pass you for a young adult" Garrick said
"25% for two months, when do we leave?"
"Fine 25% for two months it is, but you'll be paying for the disguise. I'll need to take care of some business so come back in two days." Garrick finally accepted.
"Will the trip take more than a day?" I asked, already making up excuses for Marta incase I would not return that night.
"It's about two hours ride east of town, there's a small path off the main road into the forest. We should be back by sun down" Garrick clarified
"That makes things easier, I'll see you in two days then. Thanks again old man" I gave my thanks even though I was paying for it by increasing his commissions. I knew he was doing it as a favor to keep an eye on me, rather than letting me wander off on my own looking for the place.
"And make sure you bring enough coin if you plan on buying anything, I won't be giving you any loans" Garrick added as I turned to leave.
I just waved him off as I left, I acted cool but was bursting with excitement on the inside. This is it! Rare materials aside, visiting the black market is always a flag for exciting events in Isekai books. Then again, in those books, "exciting" usually meant somebody pulled a knife on you. I mentally went through my coin balance as I walked back to the orphanage.