The next afternoon, I was melting iron blocks over the furnace, pouring the glowing liquid metal into specially shaped molds. Beside me, Lina kept feeding oxygen into the flames, raising the temperature even higher.
There was something I had remembered not long ago—just how long would it take us to walk to the nearest town? If we wanted to save time, we needed a convenient, energy-saving means of transportation.
A bicycle.
There were no rubber trees near the village, so real rubber tires were impossible. I had no choice but to use wood instead. The frame would also be made from wood.
First, I refined iron to create the gears and chain. Making them out of wood would take forever and fail constantly—especially the chain links. I would probably go insane before finishing even one.
I shaped molds for the gears and chain using clay, then poured the molten iron into them and let them cool.
"Lina, let's head home."
"Mm."
We could have cooled them faster with magic, but the sun was already setting. It was time for dinner, so I left everything until the next day.
When another day passed, I finished polishing the gear and chain pieces. I needed to determine the exact length of the chain first, I began working on the frame and wheels.
The wheel's structure used a large and a small hollow wooden ring connected by eight wooden rods arranged in an alternating pattern. Finally, I wrapped the outer ring with leather. One wheel completed.
The frame began as an upside-down Y-shape. Holes were drilled into the two upper ends for the wheels, while the remaining end would become the front fork.
Next, I made two triangular pieces, each corner drilled through. One corner held the wheel and small gear, another held the large gear and pedals, and the last connected to the main frame.
The main frame itself used two thick wooden rods with different holes at both ends—one vertical set for connecting the front fork, the other horizontal for attaching the triangles.
Finally, I crafted the handlebars and the seat. With that, the wooden body was complete.
Just making one frame took an entire month. Drill a hole with just a little too much force and the wood snapped. Measure even slightly wrong and I had to start over. After countless adjustments, I finally finished—though it still needed the gears, chain, and pedals.
To test its strength, I sat on the unfinished bike. Bracing myself, I pushed hard against the ground with one foot and quickly lifted it. The bicycle rolled forward a few centimeters, intact. After a few more tries with no signs of cracking, I turned to Lina.
"Lina! It worked!"
"That's great! I want to try too!"
I got off and let her sit on the frame. I pushed her from behind, and seeing it move smoothly filled me with joy.
At long last, it was time to mount the important components.
First was the brake system. I had heard of ceramic brake pads in my previous life. Fortunately, the village made pottery, so clay worked perfectly.
The brake lever was carved from wood, the brake pads fitted on both sides of the wheel with a small gap, and the connecting wire was made of copper. Pulling the lever tightened the pads against the wheel, increasing friction and slowing the bike down.
Next were the gears—the chainring in front and the freewheel in the back.
The freewheel consisted of two layers: the outer gear with sloped tooth ramps, and the inner gear with two tiny copper pieces attached to springs. The springs nearly drove me insane—they were so small I almost lost my mind making them.
When the outer gear turned forward, the copper pieces pressed against the flat parts of the ramps, forcing the wheel to spin with it. But when the outer gear stopped, the inner gear continued rotating along the curved ramp.
I installed both chainring and freewheel on the left side of the bike. The ramps rotated clockwise, so mounting it on the right would stop the mechanism entirely.
The pedals and cranks were cast from aluminum—wood was too fragile, and aluminum was lighter than iron.
Lastly was the chain. I had assembled sets of ten links while Lina was bathing… simply because I had nothing else to do.
I joined three of those sets, making a chain of thirty links. After looping it around both gears, I pulled it tight—too loose and it would slip off—then connected the ends together.
"Finished!"
I clenched my fists and shouted the moment the chain clicked into place.
Now it was time for the real test. I aimed for a tree more than ten meters ahead. Reaching it without touching the ground would mean success.
I sat on the seat, gripped the handlebars, placed one foot on the pedal, took a deep breath, and pushed down hard. My other foot followed immediately.
The wheels began turning. The bicycle surged forward. Lina vanished from the edge of my vision as I steadily pedaled toward the tree.
When I reached it, I pulled the brake lever. A sharp screech rang out, and the bike slowed to a stop. I set my feet on the ground.
(…S-Success! I didn't touch the ground even once—made it all the way!)
Joy overflowed from my chest—just like the first time I ever learned to ride.
"Lina! I did it!" I waved excitedly.
After turning the bike around, I rode back to her. I had sanded the tires into a rounded shape earlier—otherwise, turning would have been dangerous.
I stepped off and helped Lina onto the seat, explaining everything I had just learned. She picked it up immediately—of course she did—but I still warned her carefully.
"Lina, be careful."
"Okay."
She circled the house several times. Everything worked smoothly, thanks to the graphite I used as lubricant to reduce friction.
By then, the sky had grown dark. I would make the second bicycle tomorrow. With the experience I had now, the next one would be much faster.
I called out to Lina as she continued riding around.
"Lina, it's evening."
She pulled the brake and stopped in front of me, hopping off the seat.
"Lina, are you happy?"
"Happy!"
She grinned brightly, clearly satisfied with the bicycle. Seeing her joy made my hard work feel completely worth it.
I stored the bike in the storage hole, then headed inside with Lina. After washing our hands, we began preparing dinner.