How to Survive in the Roanoke Colony-Chapter 72: Contrasting Reports (2)

Struck by this brilliant idea, I sat up without realizing it.

For instance, isn't it better to recruit three or four people to operate a cultivator for fifteen or sixteen hours a day, rather than me alone operating it for two or three hours before moving on to other tasks!

Meanwhile, someone operates the chainsaw, someone drives the Hijet, someone sprays pesticides—wouldn't that be perfect?

We've already built boats and greenhouses with plastic. There's no need for me to carry all these various tools alone while saying, "I must hide that these are modern items!"

By passing on these various technologies to some trustworthy people, not only will productivity increase tenfold, but my work-life balance will also be restored!

Barely suppressing my excitement, I began organizing this genius idea in my notebook. Yes, let's start slowly. Beginning with the easiest to teach, the least strenuous, the safest...

==

"This is what we call a chainsaw."

Yes.

I started with the hardest to teach and the most dangerous.

The reason was absurd. It was because logging with a chainsaw was the most exhausting work.

I too... want to be free from hard labor.

"Ooh... ch-chainsaw!"

"That's right, Oitotan."

The guy in front of me right now is not at all trustworthy, but at least he has a position and a name. Not a bad condition for entrusting a tool of the "angel."

I took Oitotan and several other "chainsaw user" candidates to a nearby forest.

"Oitotan, take it."

"Y-yes!"

Perhaps due to the tension of possibly handling an angel's tool soon, sweat was pouring down Oitotan's face.

I patted his shoulders to help him relax before handing him the chainsaw.

"Now... what did I tell you?"

"Here, touch this to start the engine, and the ignition is done by touching here..."

"Wait. You need to engage the brake first."

"Ah!"

Tsk... this feels unsafe.

Still, I've trained him day and night for several days, so it should be fine.

After giving Oitotan one last word of encouragement, I said:

"As I mentioned, with a chainsaw, instead of extending your arms to work, always keep it close to your body and apply force."

"Ah, understood! I'll do exactly that!"

Whirrrrr!

G-good. At least the engine started safely.

It's just trimming some tree branches. I gave thorough safety training, so no one should get hurt...

"Ah, ah! You shouldn't work with the tip of the blade—"

Clang!

Ah, kickback (when the chainsaw guide bar suddenly jumps up).

Fortunately, Oitotan wasn't hurt. That's because Oitotan instantly dropped the saw due to its recoil.

That doesn't mean everyone was safe, though. A chainsaw blade can rotate at speeds up to 20 meters per second. The saw that flew off with that force sailed through the air.

And the flying chainsaw...

"Aaaaagh!"

"P-pull it out! The chainsaw is lodged in Nemo's shoulder!"

"Oh, oh, oh my goodness!"

...ended up like that.

==

Alright.

I've definitely learned one thing.

Never, ever put potentially lethal equipment in the hands of beginners.

In this era, there's no YouTube, no systematic teaching materials, no proper teachers, and no academies to provide all those things.

In other words, people have to learn by instinct.

I can learn by instinct. I have unlimited lives.

But others don't.

This isn't some fugu sashimi recipe—we don't need safety precautions for heavy machinery that are perfected as people die. I'd rather handle all these potential murder weapons by myself, even if it's exhausting.

"Hijet, chainsaw, excavator, forklift, weed trimmer..."

Only after thoroughly listing these potential murder weapons could I finally grasp the situation. Ah, so that's why they say not to make enemies with your neighbors in rural areas.

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Anyway.

Pesticide sprayer, fertilizer spreader, pesticide mixer, cultivator, crop duster, water pump...

Others, excluding me, should only handle these relatively "safe" items.

That... isn't limited to just the simple use of farm equipment.

"A-a-are you alright?"

"..."

"N-Nemo, your arm flew off! Y-y-your arm...!"

"First support Nemo and quickly collect his arm too!"

...I felt this before when I asked blacksmiths to replicate a two-stroke weed trimmer engine for field clearing. The technology of the 20th and 21st centuries wasn't something that could be replicated with the crude handcrafting skills from before the Industrial Revolution.

A 20th-century tin can surpassed everything about the most sophisticated machines of the 16th century.

I'm never going to try replicating dangerous technology with 16th-century blacksmiths again. Especially anything with explosion potential.

When the engine exploded, I nearly died.

Whoever it is, I'll make sure they only handle safe technology. Otherwise, I'm not human.

"Mr. White, watch carefully from now on. I'll show you how to use a cultivator. You can determine forward and reverse with this gear here."

"Forward... reverse..."

Of course, now I'll only entrust these "safe technologies" to truly trustworthy people.

I don't know yet, but who knows if there's a way to kill someone even with a pesticide mixer? The killer I saw in a movie once killed three men with just a pencil.

Anyway, seeing John White quickly become proficient with the cultivator makes me feel proud. Before gripping the cultivator handle, White even made the sign of the cross while mumbling some Bible verse...

Indeed.

There's one more reason why I should entrust this equipment only to trustworthy people.

Power.

In this world, I'm the only one who has these things, and I'm the only one who knows how to use them, so handling modern equipment might look like some heavenly power to people.

In such a situation, carelessly giving authority to someone ignorant could lead to unpredictable consequences. It's best to entrust it to someone trustworthy who won't cause accidents in the long run.

...Yes. I should create something like a certification system.

Since I won't be recruiting many people anyway, they can take an exam in front of me, and I'll directly conduct a ceremony to confer qualifications. Like appointing master craftsmen.

What should I call this? Agricultural Machine Technician? But that's for people who make and repair agricultural machinery. Similar to heavy equipment operator... that's it.

Watching people respond with tears and applause as White operates the cultivator, I say to White:

"Congratulations. You've now taken your first step as an 'Agricultural Equipment Operator.'"

"Pardon? Did you say, ahem, Surgeon (Operator)?"

...Huh?

The high-performance language patch made by Fansuku Software immediately gives my intuition a signal that something is wrong.

The word 'Operator' referring to a 'technician' only has the meaning of a surgeon right now.

In other words, I need to give White some kind of title here.

...What should I call it?

Something appropriately authoritative.

Something familiar to people of this era.

Something that looks like it's engaged in professional work...

Um...

...I've got it.

"Ah, I meant Knight of Agricultural Equipment."

"Pardon?"

'Knight.'

And so began the first investiture ceremony for an Agricultural Equipment Knight in the New World.