Monarch of Solitude: Daily Quest System

Chapter 19 - Magic Meets Science

The concept of weaving was simple. However, the process was labour intensive. It required accuracy and meticulous planning to create patterned work if desired. Rino wasn't an expert. He didn't intend to use a weaving machine to participate in the tapestry competition. All he needed was for the machine to weave black cloth. Black is the only suitable colour for an undead. It was practical and classy. Anyone who disagrees would be a fool.

The weaving machine had one job. It had to alternate the rows of vertical strings pulled taut on the weaving frame. That way, the horizontal threader could easily run through rows to the alternating vertical threads in time to the alternating speed.

Normally, needles were used to push and pull threads in his weaving machine designs. However, Rino didn't know where to find metal or how to process them yet. He could only use magic to fill in for that part of his plan. Thankfully, shadow tendrils can be very accurate if Rino put his mind to the task.

Regular weaves only had one beam on the top and bottom. That was what Phil included in his tutorial. Ark watched as Rino gathered the wood and tree sap he needed. Rino faltered a little when he realised he didn't have nails or springs for the design. The troubled inventor paused for a while but quickly overcame the hurdle by opting for moveable wooden parts and precision engineering. It was easy to do it using pressurised water magic.

As Rino worked, Ark couldn't help but like Rino a little more. While the lich had a difficult personality to work with, he was very good at what he did. As someone who had to look at the bigger picture, he could put aside personal differences to achieve the goal. It was a little sad that Stephanie was too narrow-minded to understand the importance of collaboration.

The wood was cut into even lengths using water slicer magic. Rino checked the strength of the wood and made even markings on the wood with a wider gap than normal looms. He was going to alternate vertical strings on each frame later. Once the tree sap dried on both frames, Rino placed the smaller frame in the bigger frame. He aligned it perfectly, finding the centre of both frames to impale it with a wooden axle so that they could spin back and forth.

The design impressed Ace. This sort of mechanics wasn't very commonly used. In fact, it was usually used for doors or windows. Nobody thought about applying these physics to a weaving machine. If only Rino was a little more willing to share his ideas with the masses, civilisation would progress tremendously with his creations. This small world needed him even if Rino didn't know it yet.

Rino hammered the wooden axle into the side of both frames before locking the extra bits in place using tree sap. He tested the smoothness of the rotation and found it satisfactory. Now, to connect it to a foot pump and a pulley wheel system to constantly rotate the frames back and forth at an angle.

Rino spent a good hour setting up the weaving machine, adjusting the strings he used. It wasn't easy to find the right angle and size. If the pulley wheel moved too quickly, there was a chance of the strings on the frame snapping from too much tension. Rino didn't want to be limited by speed, but he had to be careful when fine-tuning his design. For now, the frames were empty, but already, he could see several major issues.

It took too long for the frames to meet at the same point after a while. The space between the frames was very narrow at the centre portion, with the wooden peg riveted into the frames. Rino sighed. This design would not work. He had to change the design to a frame that moved completely and not just from the centre. This might be tricky.

Over the next four hours, Ark and Ace watched how Rino tossed aside five prototype designs, each looking more complex than the last. However, with every failure, they could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Rino smiled. This was it! The frames moved in tandem to the speed of his foot pedal. The number of rotations to the interlocking frames were finally at the right ratio. The frames were able to move at a fixed height and distance. The threads would not snap under tension. Most importantly, the horizontal thread passing through each cross-section can move smoothly in both directions in time to the changing frames. It was perfect!

"I dub this the Weave Monster Sechs!" Rino laughed and rejoiced.

He found out that silk was the strongest thread he had and braided them to form sturdy ropes for the pulley mechanism. This was the manual labour powered part.

If the Gods looked a little closer. They would notice that the Weave Monster had several magic circles drawn onto the frame. Rino was using magic circle gates for the tugging and pushing of the horizontal thread. Each gate would activate a strong pulling force just enough for the length of the thread grabbed by a shadow tendril to reach the end. Then, the gate would shut and cut the thread automatically. The next gate at the other end of the frame would activate, repeating the process until the fabric is complete or the magic supply is stopped.

The moment Rino named his invention, the side quest marked itself as completed.

Ping!

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Side Quest #4

Objective: Build a loom.

Tutorial here.

Reward: Recipe for basic dyes.

Claim your reward here.

===

Rino grinned in satisfaction and claimed the reward. It would be a lot easier if he had needles, nails, and air magic to work with, but what the hell! This was good as well. If he ever needed to weave a lot, this baby would do everything he needed. The frame was as big as him, so making curtains, bedsheets, and capes would not be a huge issue. If anything, Rino was now slightly concerned about the overly little amount of threads at his disposal, except for silk.

Before he could take a break, the system prompted him that he had a new side quest.

Ping!

===

Side Quest #5

Objective: Weave a cloth.

Tutorial here.

Reward: Basic Pottery Crafting Recipe.

===

It wasn't even midnight, but he had a new quest. Thankfully, he now knew how to make dye. Fortunately, black dye was easy to make. All he had to do was find some oak galls to crush and boil before dumping as many silk threads as he could into it.

Time to make his underwear and cape!