CH 254

Chapter 254 – Petitions From the Front

While the goodwill visits by the local leaders continued, I convinced Sylphy and the others that it would be boring and wasteful to stay in the room all the time, so I went to the Research and Development Department.

The Research and Development Department is the driving force behind the rapid progress of the new Merinard Kingdom. Naturally, the importance of this department is very high, and since it is well guarded, there is very little chance that I would be caught in a honey trap prepared by the local leaders. Basically, outsiders are not allowed to come here.

For my protection, Grande also came to the Research and Development Department, and I remodeled a corner of the Research and Development Department’s laboratory and set up a cushion-filled space for Grande to relax, but… that’s about the only thing that has changed. Generally speaking, I was back to my old routine.

“I’ve been getting petitions from soldiers on the front lines.”

“Feedback like that is important. What’s it about?”

“They say they’re tired of eating block cookies. They want something new to eat.”

“Oh, now you mention it…”

Since ancient times, the relationship between the military and food has been inseparable. 

In addition, to block cookies, I also proposed and put into practical use a behavioral food package that standardized rations for a platoon (grain, dried meat, dried vegetables, seasonings, etc.) and packed them in a single box. However, it is not very convenient because it requires making a fire and using cooking utensils.

“In other words, what is needed on the front lines is a new kind of portable food that is easy to prepare, tasty, and versatile, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. It is a very difficult issue.”

“Well, yes.”

The block cookie was a biscuit-like mobile ration inspired by the Cal*rie Mate. The cookies were not unpleasant to eat, and they were not hard like rocks.

“First, I’d like to propose adding flavors to the block cookies…”

‘Then we’ve already implemented that. Things like dried nuts or dried fruit kneaded into the dough, or cheese powder added to the dough before baking.”

“Oh… then you’re asking for something radically different.”

“Yes. Do you have any ideas?”

“Hmm…”

Isla’s big eye stare at me, and I groan as I ponder. When it comes to preserved food with improved taste, preservation, and transportability, bottled or canned food is the first thing that comes to mind. However, I think it is difficult to mass-produce bottled and canned foods with the current technical capabilities and production system of the Merinard Kingdom. If there were vein holes here and there where magic power gushes out inexhaustibly, as in the rear bases of the Great Omit Wilderness, I think it would be possible to build factories for mass production…

“Is it difficult?”

“It would be difficult in many ways to put it to practical use right away, but as an idea, I suggest canned food.”

I began to explain the outline of canned food to Isla and the other members of the Research and Development Department.

“Basically, the majority of food spoilage is caused by the growth of microorganisms.”

“Microorganisms?”

“Microorganisms are tiny creatures that you can’t even see. They are actually the cause of some diseases, but I’ll leave that aside for now. The canning process, which I will explain now, is a technology to preserve food for a long time by thoroughly killing these microorganisms during the manufacturing process and then sealing the canned food in a sealed airtight container.”

Using a piece of chalk, I wrote a simple description of the canning process on the large blackboard in the Research and Development Department. The first step is to clean the raw materials. In order to achieve long-term preservation, the ingredients must first be thoroughly cleaned.

Next, the internal organs of meat and fish and the skin and seeds of vegetables and fruits must be removed. In the absence of automatic processing machines, this will have to be done manually. Mass production requires hiring a large number of workers, who must, of course, be thoroughly clean and healthy. It is impossible to process food while coughing or sneezing. Naturally, contamination with foreign matter is also unacceptable. To maintain quality, thorough sanitary control is necessary.

“It’s already difficult at this point.”

“But if you succeed in putting it to practical use, you will be able to preserve meat, fish, vegetables, and fruits for months or even years without them spoiling, ready to eat as soon as you open the can, won’t you?”

“…Hmm.”

Isla is silent, her large eye narrowing with difficulty.

“Then we fill the cans with the cleaned raw materials. The structure of a can looks like this.”

I had studied the structure and manufacturing process of canning before and watched videos, so I dug up my memory and wrote on the blackboard about the structure of the cans.

The basic process involves attaching a lid to a thin cylinder of metal that serves as the can’s body, then tightening the can body and lid together to seal them. This process is called winding. To improve sealing, it is recommended to use a slime material as a sealant at the edge of the lid. It is not impossible to make a machine for tightening the lid by using golem technology. However, the angle of the roller for tightening and the angles of the lid, and the tightening part of the can itself would need to be researched.

“Before sealing a can like this, it is necessary to fill it with seasoning liquid, oil, syrup, etc., to release air. If air remains in the can, it may cause the can to spoil or burst during the heat sterilization process. In the case of meat, it may be better to sterilize it by steaming it for a long time in the can before filling it with the seasoning liquid, etc.”

I recall that in the video, they said that meat and fish should be sterilized by heating at a higher temperature for a longer period than vegetables and fruits.

“Then, after filling the can with seasoning liquid or oil and sealing it, the can is further sterilized by heating it with steam for a long period. As I mentioned earlier, microorganisms that cause spoilage are weak against heat. The can is then filled with seasoning liquid or oil to eliminate the air necessary for the growth of microorganisms and sealed with a lid to prevent the food from being contaminated by new microorganisms. The food is then sealed and heated at a high temperature for a long period to kill all microorganisms. In this way, the microorganisms that cause food spoilage are thoroughly eliminated and killed so that the food can be preserved for a long time.”

Because we are dealing with raw materials, the processing work must be done quickly. A conveyor belt system is also necessary, and above all, it is no good if the process of sealing the food into cans is time-consuming. Considering the time required from the procurement of raw materials to processing, the factory should be located close to the raw material procurement location.

A myriad of tasks needs to be completed, from basic research on processing technology to setting up a processing site, construction, and… arranging personnel and raw materials.

“I understand that it is very difficult to make canned goods by hand. But considering the future, we should definitely be able to make canned food.”

“I agree. If it can be preserved for a long time, it could be exported.”

“If we can stockpile perishable foods in the form of canned foods, we can prepare for famine.”

The Research and Development Department members, who had heard the outline of the project from me, began lively discussions.

“The concept of microorganisms is interesting. Foods that have been treated with purification magic are less likely to spoil, and when purification magic is applied to injured people, their wounds are less likely to deteriorate. It may be that purification magic removes not only dirt but also invisible microorganisms.”

“The same is true of the miracle of purification that the priests deal with, but there was a miracle of perpetual preservation among the higher level miracles, wasn’t there? Maybe it is a miracle of eliminating microorganisms and then keeping them at bay.”

“If we purify the food to be processed and the workers with the miracle of purification, we can manage the sanitation control, can’t we? If all it takes is to seal the food so that no air can get in, I think you can make a normal stew or something like that, apply a thorough purification spell, and then put it in a can and seal it.”

“Hmm… this process called winding and tightening is great, but it’s difficult to fabricate. It is easy to make a thin sheet of metal and bend it into a tube shape, but how do you join it together?”

“I think we can use alchemy magic to join them together. I think it is easy if the metals are of the same material. The same goes for the lid. I don’t think it would be that difficult to make a special processing magic tool.”

The members of the Research and Development Department came up with ideas from their respective fields to find a solution for canning from the perspective of this world’s technology-magic. The heat sterilization process can be greatly simplified by using purification magic, which can easily eliminate microorganisms. It may indeed be possible to use purification magic to thoroughly sterilize processed food.

And as for the creation and sealing of the canned food, alchemy magic is used? Certainly, once the can body and lid are joined by magic, there is no need for a tightening process. I, for one, am impressed by this technique. There is no need to use a roller while pressing the lid against the can in order to perform the winding process. It’s enough to just pop the lid on a can full of processed food and use a special magic tool to join them together.

“…The power of magic is amazing.”

The fact that the various problems that I thought would be difficult to solve can be easily solved with the unknown technology of magic, I can only mutter this half-heartedly.

“The idea and knowledge of Kosuke are more amazing. We can discuss how to solve these problems because Kosuke explained to us how food spoils, why canned food does not spoil, and what kind of technical problems there are in canning. Kosuke’s knowledge and ideas are irreplaceable.”

“I agree. When it comes to preserved food, we can only think of baked bread, dried meat, dried fruit, and so on. It would take a miracle to preserve cooked food for a long time without it spoiling.”

“That’s for sure. Now we have to actually make it and see if it really doesn’t go bad. I mean, what material should I use to make the canned food? Is steel good enough?”

The blacksmith’s question prompted me to dig up from my memory what I knew about cans for canning.

“Iron is fine, but depending on the contents and how long they are stored, they may corrode, so it is better to plate them with tin if possible. Also, it would be better to have handles on either the top or bottom edge because it would be better to be able to use a can opener to open the can. I think a handle on the top would also stabilize the cans when they are stacked.”

“Tin. Tin is easy to make.”

“You can do it with alchemy, too. Which is better in terms of cost?”

The blacksmith and the alchemist begin discussing the processing method of the can and the tin plating method. It seems that there is a method of dipping a steel plate into a melted tin for simply plating, but it seems that plating using alchemical magic is more even and less wasteful. The magic tool for plating has already been developed, but of course, the cost of manufacturing and operating the magic tool is quite high, so they are considering which one would be better.

“I think we can manage something. I thought canning would be difficult, so it wasn’t my main plan.”

“Is that so?”

“I was going to suggest something like freeze-dried food or instant noodles.”

I thought freeze-dried food could be made rather easily with magic. If we were going to use magic for freeze-dried food, we should have thought of using magic for canned food production as well.

The idea for fried noodles came from so-called instant noodles or cup noodles. I thought, why not freeze-dry the soup into powder form and pour hot water together with freeze-dried or deep-fried noodles to make it possible to eat warm noodle food on the front line? This, of course, would require some trial and error, but I thought it would be less difficult than mass-producing canned food.

“That’s interesting to me too. I’d like you to explain it to me.”

“Okay. Let me explain about this one too.”

I picked up the chalk again and began to explain the concept of instant noodles and freeze-dried foods.

As a result of my knowledge disclosure that day, the Research and Development Department was to conduct extensive research on canned food production, instant noodles, powdered soups, and freeze-dried foods.

On the same day, Sylphy and Melty were informed, and it was decided that the budget and manpower would be allocated as much as or more than the development of weapons such as air boards, air bikes, mobility devices, and magic guns.

I, with my knowledge, was selected to lead the development of these processed and preserved foods, and I was to be busy for some time.