494 The Machine - Part 2

"Wolfy, didn't you eat a Titan whole?" Yunia suddenly questions me through [Bind] as I approach the [Eternal Gate] Network.

"Yeah, I did. Why?" I curiously hum back.

And then she seriously requests, "Can you try to puke it out? You may have eaten a 'grenade.'"

Oh, boy…

This might be unpleasant, but it'll only enhance my reunion with my women back home. I know I have to be brief, but the death of two Companions has hurt my heart, and I need a bit of pampering.

Then I'll bring back our toys so that Lina and Aoi can finally begin building our industry of war.

--

So… there was a grenade in my stomach, and it was starting to dissolve already, but we aren't sure how explosions work inside a magical stomach like that of my draconic form, and we also don't know if it'll explode. But we don't want to take any unnecessary risks, so we have Aoi puke out her titan too and remove its grenades, and then we attempt to forget the sight of her eating it again.

As for the items we recovered, just a simple [Clean] is enough, but Ciel casts five before she'll touch any of them. Then I make a bit of an effort and summon a spirit elemental-wife so that they can inspect the items without dismantling them. Also, I remember to make the elemental takes Hukarere's form to compensate for the time it came out as Kaatohe, but maybe I should make the next one look like Nono, as that might prevent any rivalries between my Chimera cat and dog.

Anyway, after that, I make a quick visit home.

--

"Your Highness!" the maids playfully greet me, then suffocate me with their bare breasts. This must be Osaria's prank to purposely arouse me… or maybe she just wants to comfort me after the loss of the Companions.

Either way, I'm hard and happy.

Kai, the "smooth blend" deer Chimera that recently became a maid, is also present, and I still haven't fully memorized her pussy, so the touch of her nice tits on my face makes my Cock throb in desire.

But I'm still angry at the titans, and the lives of our men depend on how fast we can do this, so I really don't want to spend the rest of my afternoon Ravaging these women.

Still, my heart hurts, and this is healing it, so I close my eyes and deeply breathe in their scents as I rub my face on their breasts for a minute. Today has been a hard day.

--

"What exciting experiment will you perform this time?" Osaria eagerly asks.

First, I motorboat her, then I lift my head from her tits and happily answer, "There won't be an experiment, actually, but we will create something new that will change the world."

But she gives me an amused stare. "I believe you've already done that with the Edict to include monsters in the Sin of Sadistic Torture."

And I grin evilly in excitement as my imagination starts to go wild. "Oh… but this… this… this will change warfare forever. And we'll use those fucking 'titans' as target practice. We'll slaughter-…!" Then my words die in my throat as the human pulls on the dragon's dog collar.

This is wrong.

Then Osaria gives me a confused look as my expression freezes.

This bloodthirsty man isn't me.

And an uncomfortable chill of shame starts to run down my spine.

I don't fight because I like it. I kill because I have to. And the Titans have forced me to because their very existence is cursed.

So I let out a long sigh and close my eyes as the stress starts to leave my body. I also sense Poosh approaching, but now I'm feeling too timid to greet her.

So I focus on the truth and finish my speech, "The Titans are very hard to kill… but we'll end this. Our soldiers will turn into specters of death as they kill anything within sight."

"Your mood suddenly became very grim," Poosh concernedly points out.

And the human relinquishes control, allowing the weredragon to take over and give a sober answer, "It's because I'm not looking forward to the violence. I just want to protect my people and save the Sky Landers from this calamity."

But it seems like my tone is still bad enough that they decide to give me a breast-heavy hug. Not complaining, though.

--

I can't stay here for long, especially with the danger of Osaria teasing me into Ravaging her, and there's also Klein, Nono, and Thea that could send me into a frenzy, so I just get the toys, then make a quick stop by the Institute and have a little talk with Whakan.

"I need a copy of the plans for the latest prototype," I promptly request.

"Yes… certainly, Your Highness… but may I ask what for?" the bald, gray, lizard-fish-hybrid-something Chimera hesitantly questions.

And I flash a confident smile. "Field testing. We'll use it in a war."

He opens his lizard-fish-whatever eyes wide, and his pointy little teeth peek out from under his lips, but then he controls himself and composedly cautions me, "There are issues with pushing the Raki near the speed of sound. The plane might break apart during flight because of them."

I nod and hum in understanding, "Yes, that much speed is still unnecessary, but we can magically reinforce things if we really do need to go that fast."

"Please do reinforce it, even if you don't plan on reaching such speeds," he stiffly agrees. I won't blame him if we mess up the prototype, but I understand why he fears we might do so.

But lucky for us, we have the best enchanters of the Realm at our beck and call.

--

Then I finally meet Brett at the entrance to the Network.

"Thank you for calling for me, Your Highness," the big Shiba weredog greets with a polite bow.

And I almost stare at him for a moment too long because he just looks so huggable. "Things have become dangerous, so I want someone reliable like you to accompany us," I calmly answer.

His ears perk up at my praise, and my trained eye easily spots the subtle sway of his hips as his tail attempts to break free from under his clothes. "My therapy is done, so I believe I'm ready to fight monsters again," he confidently states.

And I nod with a gentle smile. "That's good. These Titans are quite brutal, so talk to us, especially Ciel, if you start to lose control again."

He awkwardly stiffens at my suggestion, but still obediently replies, "I will, Your Highness…"

So I order, "Now, let's go."

--

I leave home feeling like I left my heart there, but I have the wives to help get through this spell of gloom that has taken over me, and we do need to comfort each other because I'm not the only one hurting after the death of two Companions.

But now I'm also in the mood for tits, so I have Ciel comfort me a bit.

"Baby Wolfy is addicted to breasts," she playfully teases as she caresses my horns.

"I don't even consider that banter," I answer through [Bind] as my mouth is too busy with delicious nipples.

But Lina and Aoi are waiting for us, so I can't waste too much time suckling on these chocolate tits, and I stop once Ciel starts to get aroused.

The Sky Landers have already prepared a large, magically cooled room for us, so I just put down the stuff where our two budding engineers ask me to.

Then I give them some gentle encouragement, "Alright, it's time for you to begin building it. It doesn't matter if you haven't finished the materials research. We'll compensate for any weaknesses with magic, so… just do it."

Alissa frowns at me, but the other girls have already gotten used to ignoring phrases like that. And Lina and Aoi share a look, then they nod and "roll up their sleeves."

--

Intermission – Aoi

--

We guide the golems so that they grind the surfaces of the three slabs of granite against each other multiple times. First granite one with granite two, then one with three, and then two with three. We do this because the only plane in common between three different surfaces is perfectly straight, so we end up with three slabs that we'll use to verify the straightness of anything we forge.

Now we need to choose the unit to compare all our measurements to, but this has been a difficult problem with no simple solution. Temperature, humidity, time, weather conditions, magical conditions, and location are all factors that can change the length of any item we could choose to base our measurements on.

The only thing that seems to have an "absolute" value is mana, but a person's mana pool and "Magic Power" change every day, so even that can't serve as a unit… unless…

I turn to Wolfy and request, "Wolfy, can you create a golem with exactly one hundred mana and one hundred Magic Power?"

And his eyes open up in realization.

"That should totally be possible!" he cheerfully exclaims and immediately calls the golems, then pulls out a little plush doll and begins working. His mana organ still hasn't fully recovered, so I fear angering sister-Alissa, but everyone reassures me that this is justified.

So we just anxiously watch as Wolfy works, ready to stop him if he starts pushing himself too far.

Though he's done a lot of work on the golems' mana organ before and has expanded their mana pools to match mine, he has never reduced their size, so his first results are wildly inaccurate to my request… but our husband is an amazing man. He shows how much he deserves the Title of "Golemancer" by quickly grasping all the little details about the mana organ that I can't even see.

And then he soon produces a golem exactly as I asked.

Then Lina gives a precise order, "Now, order the golem to cast the widest [Warp Space] they can right above the slab of granite. Don't actually alter the space. Just create an area that the golem has control of."

With so little "Magic Power," a spell as complex as this ends up being very small, which is perfect for us as its area is just a little bit less than an imperial metri squared.

Now we use our hands to sense the edges of the spell and cut a square metal slab that fits within it as perfectly as we can get it to. Then we use the granite slabs to make sure that all of the edges are as perfectly straight as possible, and now we have our primordial block.

Thus, we've finally created our own "absolute" (or "universal," as Wolfy would say) unit of length measurement, the "Spatial Metri."

Now we just need to adapt all our plans to this unit, but we were already prepared to do just that, and with the golems and sister-wives available to help, we can use the Gestalt to work faster than if we had twice our numbers.

The next step is to forge ten sets of smaller blocks. They're made with a special metal that allows them to stick to each other just by lightly rubbing them together, and when these blocks are all fixed into a straight line, their length perfectly matches that of the primordial block, which is one Spatial Metri.

Then we repeat the process and create more and more sets of differently-sized blocks so that we can create any length we desire by sticking them together in different ways. And after that, we can finally begin building the first lathe and miller.

There are a few parts that we haven't finished testing, especially the engine, as we don't have a way to give it a stable RPM, but with Lina's cheat enchanting, we can just use magic to force it to behave like we want.

Manually crafting and measuring each individual part takes a long time, but we only need to do it once. After the first lathe and miller are assembled, we use them to produce every new part.

And go for the lathe.

--

This kind of work is complicated, but there's just something alluring about it. Juggling numbers and more numbers as you plan and re-plan, then measure and re-measure again and again, only to finally execute the instructions very carefully to create something so perfect you have to use a tool to identify the mistakes because your eyes can't see them anymore. It feels… awe-inspiring to push crafting further than anyone ever has before.

But that's not all. The coldness of the room, the cleanliness of the workshop, the organization of the tools, the sounds of work, and even the smell of metal and oil. It's all calming and… energizing.

"Metals are nice," little Lina quietly remarks with a little smile. She may not be using many words, but I know she agrees with me.

We feel like this is our second home. Third in Lina's case, or maybe fourth if we consider that "home" is where Wolfy's Cock is.

So I'm perfectly calm and confident as I use my human hands to work.

I slowly turn the graded wheel, and the lathe buzzes as the [Reinforce]d tool tip grinds against the rapidly spinning cylinder of steel, carving a groove into the piece and also throwing little strips of hot metal towards my face. I don't feel pain in this form unless I want to, but it'd still be annoying to get my human skin burned, so I appreciate Wolfy's suggestion of wearing safety glasses and a thick coat.

This "machinist" look does have a certain charm to it. It makes me feel smart and "reliable," and I don't care about looking "fearsome" to others who aren't my enemies, so I feel pride in hearing Wolfy gush over my "nerdiness."

But I can't let my happy mood ruin this important moment, so I focus back on my machining twice as hard. And once the measurement on the graded wheel reaches exactly 1,25 s-milimetri, I stop, then put my hands on the second wheel and zero the measurement.

Now, I start turning the wheel even more slowly as I'm widening the groove and constantly grinding off 1,25 s-millimetri-wide strips of metal. Taking off too much material at once can ruin the lathe and the precision, the exact two things we really don't want to ruin.

But it's truly a wonder seeing the lathe work. The force that makes the piece spin is so pure, so raw, that steel is cut into strips as smoothly as butter, and I can't stop being amazed by it.

And once my graded wheel reaches 2 s-milimetri, I've reached my target, so I stop grinding and pull back the tool, then send it back to the base again as it's time for the final step, which is the most complex.

The wheels control the "tower," a thick construction that has been built for extreme stability so that it doesn't shake even as two extremely hard pieces of metal grind against each other with so much force that sparks fly. And at the tip of this tower is the "carving tool," a little bladed stick of magically hardened Kanal, which is so hard that it straight-up cuts the metal of the spinning piece so smoothly that even a master smith would have trouble doing the same.

And now I have to turn the tower to a diagonal, so this means a lot of unlatching, measuring, and then relatching. But once the tower is in position, I have to move the carving tool back until it touches the non-spinning part of the base, zeroing its position along the "length" axis of the piece.

After that, I zero my wheel and turn it until it reaches 10 s-centimetri. Then I make the tip touch the piece, making a small mark to remind me where the cone will end. Next, I move the tool towards the end of the piece and use a third wheel to push the tool "forward" at an angle, creating a small bevel, but that's just the beginning.

I pull the tool back, turn one s-milimetri deeper in the "radius" axis, then push it forward again, removing more material and making the bevel wider. And then I repeat it, removing material little by little until the bevel becomes a perfect cone and the tip finally reaches the previous groove, telling me to stop.

Now that I've finished it, I pull away the tool and turn off the spinning, and then I wait until it fully stops before I remove the piece from the clamps.

It's still hot, but I don't let it fall since that would mess up the precision. Then I grab the calipers and measure every section.

"It's perfect," I conclude.

"It is," Lina agrees.

And I can't take my eyes off it. It's shiny, smooth, and truly… truly perfect.

This is it. We've finished the first precision-machined piece of this Realm… made by my human hands.

I inhale deeply, but my breath trembles and a new emotion flares up within my heart.

"What…?" I whisper confusedly, and everyone starts looking inside my mind, curious about what's going on.

It's like… there's a little ball of pure happiness inside my heart, but I can feel that it isn't mine, the ball, I mean, not the heart. It's like a little sun of love has appeared inside me, and it's spreading its arms.

Wolfy rushes over to me, but Ciel stops him because this sensation is familiar to her. It's breathtaking, magnificent, and awe-inspiring, but there's only one kind of person in this Realm that has such a presence.

It's a God, and they're here to congratulate me.

Then a rush of information suddenly enters my mind, and I clutch my head in pain, but the God is here to help me through this, and their presence eases the pain.

It quickly ends, and I feel a pair of arms give me a brief hug from behind before leaving me. Then Wolfy hugs me and helps me stand up.

I open my mouth to speak, but then I feel a new sensation, though it's also familiar to me as I've felt it many times before through our connection.

So I open my "Status" and see…

--

['Aoi Ryder Skill Report']

['Physical']

[Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level]

[Polearm Use: 5 | Parry: 3 | Dodge: 1]

[Muscle Explosion: 2 | Intimidate: 2 | Battlefield Perception: 1]

['Magical']

[Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level]

[Sense Mana: 9 | Mana Control: 15 | Mana Recovery: 2]

[Mana Efficiency: 4 | Reduced Mana Cost: 2 | Fire Magic: 20]

[Earth Magic: 10 | Water Magic: 40 | Wind Magic: 10]

[Electric Magic: 20 | Light Magic: 5 | Space Magic: 5]

[Nature Magic: 5 | Conjuring Magic: 5]

[Human Transformation (innate): 5 | Equipment System: 6]

['Miscellaneous']

[Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level | Skill Name: Level]

[Flight: 6 | General Blacksmithing: 4 | Andraste Language: 9]

[Math: 5 | Oral Technique: 7 | Machining (creator): 1]

[Blue Fire Breath (innate): 1]

--

I've also been blessed by the God of Endurance, and my "Piety" has increased by 3 (now 12).

--

"I did it… I've fully converted!" I exclaim and look around. Then everyone tackles me because Wolfy has ordered a group hug.

--

Intermission end.

--

--

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