Before they could meet the dwarves, Alfoy approached Vanessa with a question. "Now that we've improved the success rate so much, do we really need a large-scale incubator? Couldn’t we just make smaller incubators for the farmers and teach them the right conditions? That’d be enough, wouldn’t it?" It wasn’t a bad idea. Teaching the farmers to maintain proper conditions would already increase meat production significantly. "And it’s not that I’m lazy or anything," Alfoy added, "but it just seems more efficient this way." But Vanessa shook her head firmly. "We'll certainly use that method as well. It’ll increase the farmers’ income. But if we run this on a large scale in the estate, we can produce way more than if we leave it to individual farmers. That’s what Lord Ghislain wants." The mages swallowed hard, realizing the scale of this operation. Producing meat on such a scale would bring prices down, making it affordable for everyone. Imagining the impact, they suddenly understood the magnitude of the project Vanessa was spearheading. When Vanessa decided on something, there was no room for objections. She confidently led the mages into a meeting with the dwarves. Already preoccupied with developing new materials, Galbarik looked at her skeptically. “A scale? Water gates? You want to build all that into the incubator?” “Yes, we need extremely precise mechanisms.” Excited, Vanessa began to explain her concept and the apparatus she envisioned to the dwarves. The key was to measure water’s weight as it evaporated, triggering a water gate to release more water as needed. "So, we’ll monitor the water’s weight, and if it falls below a certain threshold, a gate will open to refill the water." "Hmm. So we’re talking about embedding scales throughout the incubator?" "No, maintaining a consistent temperature and humidity across the entire incubator is essential. We’ll drill holes evenly around the floor where the eggs are placed and position water tanks below. Could you set up a system to measure those weights?" "Ah, so we only need to install a scale beneath the water tanks,” one of the dwarves mused. “When it falls below a certain weight, the gate opens, and water is refilled automatically." "Exactly. By evaporating water, we’ll control humidity. We’ll handle temperature separately, ensuring the same warmth as a brooding hen. That way, we can save on runestones." She showed them her design, where a layer beneath the egg platform would be fitted with scales and water tanks. Even though the design was theoretical, the dwarves easily grasped the concept. Excitement sparked in Vanessa’s eyes as she continued. “It’ll be hard to get it right on the first try. With the incubator’s size, we’ll need to experiment to find the exact water requirements. But I’m confident we can make it work.” Her words radiated determination, and her passion spread through the room. Developing new technologies was a joy for the dwarves, and they eagerly joined in the discussion. "We’ll need a separate space to monitor and refill the water levels from the outside." "We should create vents to release excess moisture to prevent over-humidity." "How many magical temperature-control arrays are we adding?" Vanessa provided the standard values, while the dwarves fine-tuned the details to bring her vision to life. After days of collaboration, they created a precise, large-scale incubator design that surpassed the previous ones in complexity and size. “Good. It’s nothing we haven’t done before,” Galbarik said confidently. The dwarves had experience working with weighted mechanisms. This time, however, precision would be crucial, which posed a new challenge. Still, calling it difficult would be an insult to their pride. With the dwarves’ trademark confidence in hand, they prepared to begin construction, knowing they could minimize the required labor by simplifying maintenance tasks. This incubator was large enough to hatch tens of thousands of eggs simultaneously, promising an unprecedented yield if successful. Due to its complexity, the project demanded a significant budget, so they promptly sought out Claude to ask for funding. Stunned by the cost, Claude crossed his legs arrogantly and demanded, “How can you ask for this amount upfront? The costs for runestones, labor, and materials alone... Isn’t this a bit excessive? Couldn’t this end up being a waste?” When Claude started to protest, Vanessa presented her research data and calculations. The dwarves added detailed explanations about the complex machinery. ‘What... are they even saying?’ The documents were the result of intense collaboration between mages and dwarves, so no matter how smart Claude was, he struggled to understand it all in one go. He grasped the concept, however. ‘This... actually seems promising.’ Finally, yielding, Claude approved the budget with a reluctant warning. “If this fails, it’ll be a disaster! Every attempt costs a fortune!” “Don’t worry! We’ll succeed!” Vanessa declared with confidence, diving into the work alongside the dwarves. Given its size, achieving the ideal conditions was difficult. Despite meticulous construction, the wide space in the incubator made it hard to maintain consistency. The hatch rate was around 50%, and even then, the eggs hatched at different times. After several failed attempts, Alfoy spoke up, disheartened. "Can’t we just accept it like this? Fifty percent isn’t bad." "No. That would defeat the purpose of building a large-scale incubator," Vanessa replied. “Exactly! This is about our pride as well,” Galbarik added. The two were so determined that the others couldn’t dissuade them. All except one person. “How much money is going down the drain here? Are you sure this will work?” Claude ranted daily, constantly pressuring them for results. With each costly modification and runestone consumed, he grew more frantic. Even though the estate earned a lot, they were spending even more. With money pouring into this project, Vanessa began to doubt herself. ‘What should I do... I’m causing the estate a huge loss. Maybe I shouldn’t have insisted.’ Vanessa was well aware of how much money she was losing. Her cautious nature made her despise wasting resources, especially after the last big mistake she’d made. She was pondering whether to stop when Ghislain arrived. Having heard that things weren’t going smoothly, Ghislain had come to check on the project. “My lord!” “Hey, Vanessa. I hear you’re working hard these days?” “S-sorry. I keep failing... and I’m spending too much money...” Seeing her lower her head in distress, Ghislain responded with a casual wave. “We have plenty of money. Just keep going.” “But... the overseer says we’re running out of funds...” “Oh, he’s just a worrier. He always plays it safe. If we need more, I’ll find a way to get it. Just keep at it. Remember, when those northern barbarians curse something...” “Someone dies?” Vanessa smiled, recalling his earlier words. Ghislain cleared his throat and continued, “Exactly. So, don’t stop until you succeed. You already nailed the smaller incubators, right? You’re close. If the small ones worked, the large one will, too.” “Y-yes... The smaller ones... Ah!” Vanessa’s eyes widened as a thought struck her. With her mind racing, she didn’t even notice Ghislain quietly leaving, aware that now was the time to let her work uninterrupted. Repeating her realization aloud, Vanessa murmured to herself, “The small ones worked... So, I could make it even smaller?” She had been too focused on hatching large quantities all at once. “If I make the spaces smaller...” She decided to find the maximum size that would still allow her to maintain the optimal temperature and humidity, then combine several smaller units into a larger system. After all, the goal was simply to hatch a large number of eggs, not necessarily in one massive unit. Scaling down would make it easier to maintain the right conditions. Even if the units were smaller, they would still be much larger than the incubators farmers were using. ‘This time, I’ll make it work!’ Reenergized, Vanessa immediately set to drafting a new blueprint. When she announced the new design, which would require starting from scratch, Claude threw a fit, but she ignored his protests and pressed on. ‘I’m so sorry, overseer... I’ll make sure it works this time, I swear.’ Though she hid it well, Vanessa was a wreck on the inside. ‘We have all the data from the smaller prototypes. As long as we don’t exceed the maximum space, we can use that data.’ So, Vanessa poured even more resources into creating a large incubator composed of multiple chambers. Naturally, each chamber required its own temperature and humidity controls, making the project more resource-intensive. They even gathered every egg available in the estate—a total of 3,000 eggs. If this failed, the loss would be substantial. The mages and dwarves, now red-eyed from exhaustion, watched over the incubator with bated breath. Then, on the expected day... ...Crack! Crack, crack! The chicks began to emerge from their shells, mirroring the success they’d seen in the smaller incubators. “Woohoo!” Mages and dwarves cheered, throwing their hands in the air. Excluding a few eggs that were flawed from the start, the hatch rate was nearly 100%. Though there was a slight variation in timing, thousands of chicks hatched successfully in one go. “We did it! We did it! Hahaha!” News of their success spread throughout the estate, sparking celebrations. Never in the kingdom’s history had anyone successfully hatched so many eggs with such a high success rate. Locals and farmers gathered to witness the astonishing sight, cheering and laughing. “It actually worked! Look at all these chicks!” “We have to move them to a warm place right away!” “Unbelievable! I can’t believe we actually did it!” Pleased, Ghislain turned to Claude with a satisfied smile. "See? It’s just a matter of persistence." “...” Claude had nothing to say. Seeing the result, he felt a bit guilty for hounding Vanessa. Pleased with the success and feeling guilty, Claude quickly changed his tune. “Wow, Vanessa did it! She’s amazing! I knew she would! Vanessa, you’re the best!” Even when Wendy shot him a disapproving look, Claude acted as though he hadn’t noticed. Following Claude’s lead, the entire crowd chanted Vanessa’s name. "Vanessa! Vanessa!" "The meat magician!" "Truly the miracle worker!" Blushing at the praise, Vanessa shyly accepted the applause. Although the dwarves had contributed, it was Vanessa’s determination that ultimately drove the project to success. Even Galbarik and the other dwarves acknowledged her efforts, applauding her. Of course, Alfoy wasn’t one to stay silent. “I was the one who made the biggest difference!” Determined to receive some praise himself, Alfoy did his best to flaunt his role. Since everyone had worked hard, the crowd also clapped for the mages and dwarves. Alfoy took the opportunity to brag a bit in front of Ghislain. "See? Of course, I led it, so it was bound to succeed... yeah!” Ghislain nodded noncommittally and asked, “Sure. Good work. But... what’s that you’re holding?” “Oh, this... This is ‘Koko’... my pet chicken.” Embarrassed, Alfoy explained, revealing a well-fed rooster he’d raised from the first successful chick as a keepsake. It had grown on him so much that he’d even named it and carried it around with him. "...Well, take good care of it." With an amused smile, Ghislain looked around at everyone and raised his voice. “Alright, it’s a day to celebrate! Everyone who worked on this project, eat and drink to your heart’s content! There’ll be a generous bonus for all of you!” Ghislain was known for rewarding accomplishments handsomely, and at his announcement, cheers erupted. “Yeah! Party time!” There was plenty of cheap grain liquor, and enough chickens had matured during the experiments to feed everyone for the day. Belinda took charge of preparing the food and drinks herself, organizing the celebratory feast. Though it wasn’t a formal banquet, the workers were more than happy to gather around the hatchery, drinking and enjoying a much-needed break. While everyone else settled in to eat and drink, Alfoy, with a mild obsession for cleanliness, chose to wash up first. Fresh and ready, he turned to find his feathered friend. “Ah, finally clean. Time to grab a drink. Koko, let’s... huh? Koko? Where’d you go?” Emerging from the barracks, Alfoy was shocked to find the enclosure empty. His beloved pet Koko was nowhere to be found.