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Trapped In Another World With No Magic
Chapter 3: An Artisan Meets A Mechanic
It’s been about two months since Daniel came to the strange fantasy world. He’s gotten better every day at speaking and listening to the language of the world, which he had to learn the old fashioned way, and he wasted no time, practicing words in his head or reviewing with friendly citizens.
Now, a crowd is gathered around him as he finishes assembling his first invention in this world; a lever operated piston water pump. It doesn’t get in the way of the bucket, which is what the town has been using for drinking water. It’s sometimes surprising what the town does that magic can’t yet accomplish. He was able to afford some custom-made piping made out of aluminum, and he was able to assemble the other parts himself using a mold he made for the housing, piston, and lever pieces, while he made a gasket out of a rubber-like material used by blacksmiths for scratch protection on decorative materials. He’s not sure where it comes from yet, but it does the job, and it resists deterioration.
Once assembled, Daniel begins cycling the lever. He can feel the weight increasing; water is climbing but unable to sink back down thanks to the check valve in the pump. He keeps cranking the lever as the citizens gathered around him watch.
A young boy asks, “What’s that supposed to do, Mister Daniel?”
He grins, saying warmly, “Just watch.” He has a bucket below the spout, and it takes about a minute of cranking, thanks to the depth of the well, but suddenly, water spits out of the spout. Then, each swing of the lever causes an appropriate rush of water that causes the crowd to gasp and coo in amazement.
Gursille, the blacksmith, leans in close, watching the water come out. He gushes, “Amazing! Such a simple-seeming design. How much water can this contraption move?”
Daniel replies, still cycling the lever with relative ease, “Until the well’s level gets below the suction bottom of the pipe.”
This stuns everyone. He looks down, and the water level doesn’t look any lower. “How deep is it?”
“I asked for a pipe that’s pretty close to the bottom, but not all the way. Want to avoid silt. Should be about twenty feet of water head or more right now. Not sure how much it swings through the seasons.”
One of the farmers in town for delivery replies, “We’re in dry season now, with a few months to go. Probably drop a few feet at least.”
Daniel explains with a nod. “Wells tend to draw from ground water, so as long as the water table remains…” He gets a few blank looks. Generally, they don’t have to think about it because they get their bucket or two of water, typically, and keep going.
Daniel clears his throat. “It only makes it easier to fill larger vessels and personal buckets. I’ll teach anyone who wants to know how to replace the gasket, since I don’t know how long this material will last. The piping should last a good while.”
Several of the villagers volunteer, and Daniel politely thanks them. “Thank you, thank you, but I can’t do it right now. I have another appointment. I’ll post a class in the adventurer’s guild in about a week or so. It’ll be free, but it’ll take a little bit.”
He gets many handshakes and shoulder pats as he does his best to extract himself to head to the apothecary that requested help with a cooling unit. As usual, it’s something he might be able to service, but he won’t know until he sees it. Otherwise, they’re at the mercy of the next artificer to come into town, which apparently, isn’t particularly often. From what he can tell, Daniel is a bandage to an artificer’s surgery. His advantage is that he has modern-world knowledge, such as the pump. He’d love to assemble a motorized pump, but it’ll take time before he can assemble shaft seals and bearings for the pump and motor, as well as figure out how to get hold of that much wire. Not to mention, he’d likely have to hand-wind the motor himself, which he’s fuzzy on.
Regardless, for now, he does what he can, and he’s had only a couple of the dozens of jobs he’s done so far that he couldn’t do himself; a magic crystal that cracked -possibly to improper heat distribution-, and a blacksmithing tool he’s unfamiliar with and couldn’t identify any of the functions of. He vowed in both cases that if he stumbles across ways to repair them before an artificer shows up, he’d check in to try to fix them -though, he doubts the crystal can simply be repaired-.
He does what he can, and it has granted him a living with enough left over to pursue improvement projects, which benefit him as much as the town itself.
Little did he know, one such benefit has already caught someone’s eye.
***********
“You there! Are you Yargaen?”
Yargaen, the feline shopkeep, turns from his inventory to face the person calling out to him. “I am. Who might I ask is asking?”
“I am Wenlianna, Court Magic Artisan. I have a question for you.”
Stunned, Yargaen drops what he’s doing, turning his full attention to the small noblewoman. “My sincerest apologies, my Lady! It’s not often I get women of noble status here.”
“I don’t care about that. I just want answers to my question.”
“Of course, my Lady. If it is something I know, I will answer to the fullest extent I can.”
“You recently sold a book to the library, correct?”
“Oh! Yes, that was quite a surprise. It’s a rather common-...”
“I know! What I want is the binding. I want to employ the person who bound that book.”
Surprised, the catfolk man nervously scratches his cheek, “Oh… We’ve discussed contracting that very service for binding books, but my business partner in the matter wanted to discuss a formal process, and he’s been busy.”
Wenlianna is a small woman, and she often has trouble being taken seriously. So, as a result, she can sometimes be a little aggressive. She grips his shirt, asking as he puts his hands up away from her, “Where can I find him? I have a lot of books, so I can provide a lot of work for him. And, I can pay his price. Of that I’m certain.”
“Th-The thing is… I don’t really know where he is. He kinda comes and goes as he pleases.”
“WHAT!?”
“He’s a strange one, my Lady! Please forgive me! I don’t know if or where he’s staying, and it’s been a couple days since I’ve seen him. That usually means he’s busy on several jobs in a row.”
“Others have already hired him to bind books!? WHO!?”
“I sincerely don’t know! But, no, not books. Not that I know of. He does all kinds of work. He repaired my store’s locks and hinges, he worked on the guild’s magic oven.” He perks up, “Actually, I think I heard someone mention his name with something going on at the well nearby. I haven’t had a chance to head that way myself.”
“The well? I saw a crowd. The one in the neighborhood near the library?”
“Indeed! I don’t know what it is, but I heard Daniel would be there today.”
Wenlianna sucks her teeth. The crowd had already dispersed when she left the library.
“Wait…” She looks into the shopkeep’s narrow-pupil eyes. “What did you say his name was?”
“D-Daniel, My Lady.”
“Daniel? Daniel what?”
“I… He’s never used a family name. Everyone just calls him Daniel.” He scratches his chin, “Must be from another kingdom. Not a name I’ve ever heard before him, now that I think of it.”
“This Daniel; did he have black hair and brown eyes?”
“Oh! You know of him, My Lady?”
She winces, “I… I think so. Did he happen to say where he’s from?”
“Mmm… No. But, he has a lot of strange behaviors, and he didn’t know a lick of the language when he-...”
Wenlianna asks quickly, “And, you said Daniel worked on a magic oven?”
“That’s right! He claims he’s not an artificer, but he’s better and FAR less expensive than any who’ve come through this town.”
Wenlianna murmurs as she cups her chin in her hand. “How can that be…? He can’t use any magic… How could he be capable of repairing magical equipment?”
Yargaen offers to her spoken thought, “If I may, he doesn’t guarantee he can do a job, since he’s still learning, and he usually starts by asking the crystal’s ages, from what I’ve heard.”
Thinking, she ponders, “I see… So, what if it’s still true, but he’s fixing them some other way…”
She faces the shopkeep, saying urgently, “I have to find him. Do you have ANY idea where he was headed after the well? Or, do you have any idea which inn he’s staying at?”
Yargaen shakes his head. “Apologies, my Lady. I’ve referred him some work a few times, but as I said, he appears here on his own. I’ve never asked him where he stays.”
She groans. “Thank you! If he does return, tell him I’m looking for him. I still want to contract him to bind my books, but…” I actually want to know how someone from another world can work on some of our most complicated technology with no formal training.
“I’m going to look for him.”
“If I see him, I’ll try to ask him to stay here, my Lady.”
She nods thankfully, “Thank you. I’ll pay you for the trouble.” She provides him ten valdens for the time now, and she heads towards the well.
There, she finds what must have been the fuss. There are a pair of men operating a strange contraption hanging from the side of the well, and from it, water is pouring into their cart-mounted barrel.
They are able to continuously draw water this way without the need for sending the bucket up and down, likely halving the time for the process, if not faster.
“You there! What is this thing?”
The man watching as his companion operates says casually, “Something called a ‘pump’. It just got installed, and half the town has gone to get their buckets and barrels.”
“The man who installed it; do you know where he went?”
“You mean Daniel?”
“Yes!”
“I heard he’s already married, Miss.” The two men chuckle together, but she snaps, “I HAVE NO SUCH INTERESTS!”
“I heard he’s already married, Miss.” The two men chuckle together, but she snaps, “I HAVE NO SUCH INTERESTS!”
They recoil, and she calms herself quickly. “Apologies. I have work for him, so I’m trying to find him. I care not for his personal attachments.”
The one pumping water replies, “Saw him headed towards the nobles’ district. Said he had an appointment before he left here.”
The one pumping water replies, “Saw him headed towards the nobles’ district. Said he had an appointment before he left here.”
Wenlianna looks towards the castle, just outside of which is the nobles’ district, which is the neighborhood where many of the nobles live and own businesses in.
If he’s able to work on magic devices, he could be anywhere.
She sighs. “Thank you.” She looks at the pump again, intrigued by how it operates, since the man pumping water is still going, and water has almost filled the barrel. All without lowering and retrieving a bucket.
She shakes her head, heading for the noble district.
*************
Daniel inspects the cooling unit being used to cool a room where various medicines are stored. It’s only slightly cooler than the room next to it. It isn’t an insulation issue, since the room is well insulated. However, it’s not necessarily that the device isn’t working.
“My husband bought this a few months ago, since he saw a similar unit in Redbarr, but this one never did get as cold. We can’t afford a multicrystal unit right now, but many of the medicines we wanted to store in here need cooler temperatures than this to last more than a week. It’s a terrible inconvenience.”
Veriuv is a mature woman, around 40 or so, with a rather noble appearance. She has fashionable clothes with some jewelry, though Daniel hasn’t really paid attention to what’s common and fashionable or not.
He replies, “I understand your concern, but as far as I can tell, it’s doing its job to the best of its ability.” Though, the ice forming on the crystal itself, if it suffers the same drawbacks of a refrigeration unit in his old world, is killing its heat transfer, restricting the full-range of cooling.
“I know… But, my niece works reception at the Adventurer’s Guild in town, and she overheard the pub owner mention an artificer that made their magic oven work better than ever. I was hoping you’d be able to do something.”
Daniel sighs. “I see. Forgive me, Miss Veriuv, but-...”
“You can call me ‘Veri’, if you want.”
“Very well, Miss Veri. Please allow me to correct a misunderstanding; I’m not a formal artificer. I don’t even actually know what one is. That said… I can try something, but I can’t guarantee it will work.”
“Really? If you think there’s a chance, please do so.”
Daniel nods, looking around the room as he thinks. His goal is to increase the cooling surface area, which should advantage him on two fronts; the first being better cooling, and the second preventing the ice crystal from freezing over.
Daniel asks, “Do you have a frying pan I can use?”
“A… frying pan?”
“A… frying pan?”
Daniel confirms. “Yes. Something to cook eggs in or something?”
“I can ask my maid… A frying pan will make it cool better?”
“It’ll let me test my theory without costing anything. If it works, I’ll have to request a custom build from a blacksmith, which might cost some money. I’ll let you decide what to do with the quote after I get it. But first, I have to test the theory before making any moves.”
She nods a little uneasily. “I understand. Please wait here, and I’ll see if we have one handy.”
“Thank you.”
She smiles and heads upstairs for a brief while. She returns with a smile, carrying a simple wide pan. It doesn’t have a frying pan handle, but it should do the job.
“Will this serve your purpose, Daniel?”
“I believe so. May I?”
“Please do.” She hands over the pan, and he climbs up to hold the pan on the crystal. He waits for a little bit, and he can feel the cold seeping through the pan. After it’s cooled for a moment, he pours water in the pan, and she gasps, but murmurs, “We were told not to get the crystal wet.”
“Please do.” She hands over the pan, and he climbs up to hold the pan on the crystal. He waits for a little bit, and he can feel the cold seeping through the pan. After it’s cooled for a moment, he pours water in the pan, and she gasps, but murmurs, “We were told not to get the crystal wet.”
“I won’t, but thank you for the warning.”
Water hitting the crystal directly would likely thermal shock the crystal and cause it to shatter itself.
To his pleasant surprise, it only takes a few moments for the pan to start frosting over. From what he can tell, the energy contained in any one magic crystal is far more than what the application actually needs. Due to apparently not realizing the advantage of contact surface area, this world makes extremely inefficient use of its magic crystals. His world would kill for such a technology, but the crystals seem fairly common, if a little pricey. He suspects they’re made by people somehow, and he’s got some idea how they work; a mana crystal is used to trigger elemental crystals, engaging their effect like a battery to a heating coil, depending on the application.
Magic lights are common in this world, but they’re controlled by a switch pedestal in the middle of the given room, which seems to remotely power the light crystals, which are much smaller than utility crystals.
He dips his finger in the water, touching the ice forming on the bottom. He recoils quickly. The bottom of the pan, specifically closest to where the crystal is, is extremely cold; possibly sub-zero. Basically, they’re trying to do the opposite of heating a room with a welding torch. The heat energy is present, but it’s not distributed in a meaningful way, so the air blows past before it can cool down. Even the air blowing across the pan feels cooler than anywhere else.
Daniel removes the pan carefully, finding the ice having melted from the crystal itself. Satisfied, he climbs down and informs Veriuv. “Miss Veri, I believe my idea will work.” He shows her the ice in the pan, and she inspects it in awe.
“Basically, the crystal is too small by itself to efficiently cool the air. With a small chest, it’d likely be overkill. But, with a room this size, you need to diffuse the cooling effect more for the air to cool down. My idea is to make an aluminum or copper diffusion piece that will allow more of the air to be cooled as it blows through.”
“I’m… not sure I understand. Is the opening not large enough?”
“I think the opening is fine. The crystal has a lot more cooling capacity than you can make use of, especially if you open the door even a very few times a day. With a radiator, it should drastically improve the crystal’s efficiency. It’s a little complicated to make one, but I should be able to make something with the blacksmith. It’ll probably take a few days, but I’ll head straight there to get a quote. Would you like me-...”
“Please! Are you serious? This will help? Whatever it takes! If it’s cheaper than another unit, I’ll pay it! Happily!”
Daniel confirms with a nod, “I’ll get a quote, first. I’ll try to be back this evening. Until then, Miss Veri.”
She smiles, “I’ll be waiting. Thank you, Daniel.”
Daniel makes his way back to the blacksmith he commissioned for the well’s pipe. It’s about a ten minute walk, and he crosses over a small creek, peering down as he walks to see the various fish and other lifeforms. It’s definitely not Earth, though there are similar beings in the world.
As he’s reaching the other end of the short bridge, he overhears a woman describing someone to one of the town guards.
“Has he been through here recently? He’s got black hair and brown eyes, probably clothes that don’t fit in… weird behavior…”
Daniel waves at the guard politely, and the guard waves in return; a polite greeting that he tries to do if for no other reason than to be someone people forget about just as quickly. He doesn’t need to be on anyone’s good side, and he’d do anything to stay off of someone’s bad side. The guards have to stand outside all day in armor as a show of force, so a little kind greeting probably goes a long way.
The guard retorts a little dryly to the woman, “You’re not narrowing it down much, My Lady.”
“What else do you want!? He’s the tallest human in this world!”
Daniel halts for a moment at this. While he doesn’t want to be the person someone is searching so diligently for, that last note pretty much narrows it down to him. So far, he hasn’t encountered anyone even remotely human that’s taller than him. The only ones who are, so far, are centaur-like beings with reptilian lower halfs, a peculiar ant-like noblewoman that he saw in passing, and the few ogre stevedores he ran into at the port. As humans go, there’s no contest.
Daniel looks just in time to see the guard reluctantly point at him, and the woman whirls. She looks familiar, but it doesn’t come back right away.
“YOU! I found you!” She rushes to him, and Daniel ponders his options. He can swim pretty well, but he doubts the creek is deep enough to jump into from the height of the bridge. His height might help him escape by outrunning her, but it’ll make it almost impossible for people not to identify him, especially since she knows what he looks like now.
He decides to do his best to make it through whatever it is, and he faces her. “My Lady. I’m not sure I’ve had the pleasure.”
She grips his shirt, pulling him to her eye level, and he instantly remembers her. She’s the Lady Magic Artisan from the day he was summoned. He hasn’t seen anyone from that day since then, and he almost hoped the castle had completely forgotten about him.
She says quietly, but with a serious tone, “We met the day you were summoned here.”
Daniel nods now that he knows. “I remember this, My Lady, though I couldn’t comprehend when you were introduced. My apologies.”
She sighs. “My name is Wenlianna kos Stalvaltan, Court Magic Artisan. Your name is Daniel, correct?”
“Correct, my Lady.”
“Do you have a family name?”
“Not in this world, my Lady. Daniel is fine by me.”
“I see.” She releases him, saying proudly, “Drop whatever it is you’re doing. You’re working for me now.”
“P-Pardon?”
“Are you still struggling with our language? I’m employing you. Indefinitely.”
“I… My Lady, I sincerely doubt…”
“Which part do you not understand? I sought you out because I’ve heard of your exploits. Tell me, how are you able to work on magic equipment without magic?”
“That? Oh. Uh… many of the devices operate similarly to our technology back home. It’s not quite the same, but it’s similar enough that I’ve been able to fumble my way through some repair work. I’m certain my reputation is exaggerated.”
She shakes her head. “Most people can’t even begin to work on them. It takes artificers years to perform such generalized repairs on so many varying pieces of equipment.”
“I’m not sure what I should say, my Lady. There have been several jobs I couldn’t complete. I’m just doing what I can.”
She sighs. “I realize that. What I’m saying is that, with formal training, you would surpass half of the artisan academy’s most prestigious alumni.”
“I… think you’ve been misled, my Lady. At best, I’m lucky the repairs have been so easy.”
This only causes her to burst into laughter. “Such modesty!” She takes his sleeve, pulling him towards the castle, “Come. I’ll teach you the principles immediately and get you started on…”
Daniel stops, and she looks up at him. “Apologies, my Lady. I have a prior commitment.”
“I told you to drop what you were doing. I promise you I outrank whoever it is.”
Daniel looks away, replying softly, “That might be fine for you, but this is my reputation on the line. I don’t care much about what’s said of me, but I want to keep my commitments at least.”
She pauses, looking into his eyes for a long time. She finally averts her gaze, thinking deeply. With a sigh, she releases his sleeve. “I can respect your dedication. I hope you will serve me with as much loyalty.”
“I… Do I have a choice, my lady?”
“Do you ever want to be an artificer in this town?”
“No…”
“WHA-!? How can you say that!?”
“I don’t need the prestige of a job I’m not qualified for. Besides, from what I’ve gathered, one of the core requirements is to be able to perform magic. Nothing’s changed.”
“I’ll be the judge of that. I have reason to believe that you’ve likely absorbed some magic just by being in this world.” She claps her fist to her hand, remembering her book. “Which reminds me! You bind books, too, don’t you?”
“I… did it for one. If there were a demand for such a skill…”
“Yes! Me. So, that’s two reasons for me to hire you. Pick one. More importantly, I refuse to believe that your talent hasn’t awakened by now. It defies the logic of our world.”
“I’ll happily be checked again, My Lady. But, please allow me to finish the jobs I’ve already started.”
She stares at him with an indignant expression. But, she replies with a dismissive wave of her hand, “Very well. But, I’m not letting you out of my sight until they’re completed. Can’t have you trying to flee, can I?”
“I have no interest in being on the run, Lady Wenlianna. Least of all in a world where I am severely disadvantaged.”
She scoffs. “I have a feeling you’re more capable than you’re letting on.”
“I’ll always do my best, but I won’t assume I am the best.”
She chuckles, “I think we’re going to get along well, Daniel. So, let’s get your work over with. I have my own tasks to accomplish.”
Daniel nods in agreement. “I won’t presume to tell you what to do, my Lady, so I am heading to the blacksmith right now for a quote on aluminum.”
“Do your work and don’t mind me.”
Daniel nods and he heads for the blacksmith. He wonders what she’ll actually be having him do, but she seems to be a sincere -if pushy- person, so maybe her intentions are innocent enough.
***********
Wenlianna follows the strange otherworlder as he performs several tasks. He gets a quote for some aluminum at the blacksmith, as well as tools to make a mold. With that information signed by the blacksmith, he swings by the pump on the well, which is in use by a handful of other villagers, who thank him. No matter who he talks to, no matter what their race is, he speaks to them as equals or as clients, maintaining professionalism, but also recalling simple details about them if he’s met them before, such as family members or business endeavors. He heads back to the noble’s district, meeting with the apothecary’s wife, Baroness Veriuv. She speaks somewhat flirtatiously with Daniel, and he even speaks to her on not only a first name basis, but as a nickname ‘Miss Veri’.
He explains the design of the mold as best as he can and it’s purpose, which impresses even Wenlianna.
Apparently, because of the thermal conductive properties of metals, the efficiency of heating and cooling units can be massively improved with a relatively simple design. When she hears the quote, she asks him, “Are you serious?”
He asks, “Is that above the budget?”
“ABOVE!? ARE YOU KIDDING!?” The woman nearly swoons, and Wenlianna asks curiously, “What’s the budget?”
Daniel replies, “Apparently, a secondary single or a dual cooling unit.”
Wenlianna stares at him. She resists the urge to ask him if he’s serious, since she knows why he’s serious. He’s not from this world. He has no idea how valuable a magic crystal device actually is. He’s gathered that they’re expensive, but he truly has no idea.
Wenlianna begins laughing, and Daniel remarks innocently, “I can try to reduce the cost, but it won’t be as…”
“I’ll take it!” calls out the Baroness as she takes his hand. She asks for reassurance, “That’s all it takes? That amount, and it should be able to cool the room better?”
Daniel replies with a nod, “Yes. I doubt it could freeze the room, but it should definitely bring the temperature down.”
Veriuv joins Wenlianna in laughing, though her laughter is relief. Apparently, she was expecting a much higher cost.
Daniel requests, “If you’ll sign here, Miss Veri, I’ll work on it straight away. Lady Wenlianna has offered me a long term employment, so I’ll be finishing this job as quickly as possible. I won’t charge you the full price until it’s tested.”
She sniffles through tears, signing without hesitation. But, she asks, “Lady Wenlianna? You intend to steal him away?”
Wenlianna nods proudly. “He shan’t want for anything, least of all work to keep him busy. But, a gem should be polished, not left in the street. Isn’t that right, Daniel?”
“While I agree with the principle, my Lady, I again must insist you’ve been misled.”
Veriuv requests, “Lady Wenlianna, surely you can’t hoard his talents away. What if I were to need these services again?”
“Frankly, I can do whatever I want. He’ll be my employee once this task is complete.”
“Perhaps, but there’s no way you can enslave him under the law.”
“Enslave him? Ha! He won’t WANT to work for anyone else. Isn’t that right, Daniel?”
“Until I know what the work is, I can’t speak on the matter, my Lady. Miss Veri, if you’ll excuse me for the night, I’ll bring the radiator as soon as it’s completed. I expect it’ll be a couple of days.”
Veriuv stands up, replying, “Thank you again, Daniel. I shall await your return.” She leans in close to him, murmuring softly, “Don’t let her trick you. Slavery is illegal in this kingdom.”
Wenlianna growls, “I would never. Like I said; he won’t want to leave. We’re going to revolutionize this world together.”
Veriuv reiterates, “If you can spare the time, I’m certain you’ll find allies and work in town as well, Daniel.”
“Thank you, Miss Veri. I’ll use my best judgment not to overcommit or overburden myself. Please excuse me and have a good night.” He bows politely, leaving the room.
Wenlianna waits until he’s out of the building to state coldly, “You don’t know anything about him, Baroness.”
“As you said, though. A gem should be polished. But, it also shouldn’t be hidden away.”
Wenlianna looks at her. “Wait and see.”
With that, Wenlianna walks briskly out of the apothecary to follow the otherworlder. Daniel is hiding his true potential. If she can draw out even a fraction of his otherworldly wisdom, the world they’re in might just take a turn for the incredible.
Ironically, both summoned humans from the otherworld have skills that appropriately serve the kingdom. However, only one of them seems to be prepared to serve the whole world.
