Before mounting the new power source, there was something Wan wished to confirm.
“I want to see with my own eyes if this new airframe can truly fly.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. We will prepare it.”
At Wan’s command, the artisans began to disassemble the flying machine and load it onto the iron horse. In a way, Wan’s order could be seen as wasteful, as they were repeating a test that had already succeeded. However, not a single artisan complained.
“A flying machine! A flying machine! If we succeed, this will be something to boast about for generations to come! For generations!”
“To truly succeed, we must test it one more time, and then one more time again!”
They all knew that the more experiments and tests they conducted, the more problems they could find. And the more problems they solved, the higher their chances of success became. The only issue was the budget. But with Wan personally present, the budget was not a significant obstacle. After all, it had been a habit of the Imperial family since the time of Hyang—no, since Sejong—to open their own pockets when necessary. And so, the artisans excitedly disassembled the flying machine and loaded it onto the train.
“To the testing grounds!”
“A test! A test!”
Watching them, Wan chuckled and spoke to the head artisan beside him. “To be so fond of tests… you are all truly unusual. I still have vivid memories of when the current emperor was a student; he would shudder at the very mention of the word ‘exam.’”
At Wan’s words, the head artisan replied with a troubled expression, “This kind of test and that kind of test are two different things, Your Majesty…”
“It was a joke, a joke. Why must you take it so seriously?”
“Ah, haha, hahaha…”
Behind the head artisan, who was sweating and laughing awkwardly, the official scribes assigned to record the events wore similar expressions as they wrote it all down.
…and so, the Emperor Emeritus eased the artisans’ tension with a lighthearted joke.
The scribe notes: As the saying goes, a stone thrown by a boy can be a matter of life and death for a frog. Those in high positions must be ever mindful of their words and actions…
“Scribe, what are you writing so much about?”
“N-nothing, Your Majesty!”
***
Wan, the artisans, and the iron horse laden with the test aircraft headed southeast. Their destination was the land inhabited by the Cherokee tribe, a place that, in the history before Hyang’s intervention, was called North Carolina. Another interesting fact was the location the Area 52 artisans had chosen for their testing ground. It was the very same place where the Wright brothers had conducted their flight experiments in the other history.
“This testing ground is quite far from Area 52. Is there a reason you chose this particular place?”
“Most of the winds that blow here are gentle, and the sandy beaches are soft, so even if a landing goes wrong, the risk of serious injury is low.”
“I see. It must have been difficult to find such a place.”
“The artisans of native descent helped a great deal.”
“I see.”
Five days later, the train carrying Wan arrived at its destination.
“We greet His Majesty, the Emperor Emeritus!”
As Wan stepped onto the platform, the waiting Cherokee chiefs, the provincial governor, and the administrators in charge of the Cherokee region welcomed him. Wan, with a smile on his face, exchanged greetings with each of them. After greeting the peace chiefs dressed in traditional Cherokee attire or Imperial clothing, the war chiefs in their Imperial army uniforms, and the officials in their court robes, Wan concluded the reception with a look of genuine regret.
“If I had my way, I would wish to enjoy a banquet with you all, but I am greatly saddened that I cannot. Instead, I will be staying at the Area 52 testing ground on the beach for some time, so let us speak there.”
At Wan’s words, the chiefs and officials all bowed their heads in unison. “Your grace is boundless!”
“Then, I shall take my leave first.”
As the carriage carrying Wan disappeared into the distance, the chiefs and officials, who had held their respectful posture until then, straightened up and let out long breaths.
“Phew. Now we can breathe.”
“We must strive to ensure the Emperor Emeritus suffers no inconvenience during his stay.”
“Indeed. We must work hard.”
“Is it not a given that we must endure hardship when serving the Emperor Emeritus?”
Though their words were complaints about the hard road ahead, the faces of the chiefs and officials were shining brightly. This is an opportunity! We cannot let this chance slip away!
For the chiefs and officials, who were constantly besieged by all manner of petitions from the Cherokee people, this event was a golden opportunity that could not be missed. In the past, they had tried submitting memorials or visiting the palace in New Frontier to plead their cases directly. But the volume of memorials coming from all over New Frontier was beyond imagination, and the number of people seeking an audience at the palace was enormous. It was so bad that after arriving at the palace and announcing one’s visit, one had to wait a minimum of five days to meet with either Hyang or Wan. This was the case even though the tribal chiefs and provincial governors had been granted considerable discretionary authority. Therefore, Wan’s official visit was an opportunity that the Cherokee chiefs and the regional administrators could absolutely not afford to lose.
***
The artisans who arrived at the testing ground with Wan diligently prepared for the test. After reassembling the flying machine and running through check after check, they reported to Wan.
“Is that so? Then let us begin.”
Wan, who was rising from his seat, turned to the Cherokee chiefs who had just arrived to see him. “Would you not like to watch together?”
“It would be our honor!”
And so, in a test attended by Wan and the chiefs, the flying machine flew magnificently into the sky. Pulled by a line attached to a steam-powered winch, the aircraft ran along a launching rail and then soared smoothly into the air.
“It’s up!”
“It’s flying!”
“Hoorah!”
As the flying machine lifted off safely, the artisans let out shouts of joy and cries of “Manse!” They were even more thrilled to have achieved success in front of Wan and the other ‘high and mighty’ figures. After circling steadily overhead, the aircraft also succeeded in landing safely. The machine, using landing skids, slid to a halt, and the artisans rushed to move the airframe to dry land.
Satisfied with the successful test, Wan offered his praise to the head artisan beside him. “You have truly worked hard. Now, let us mount the power source and begin the real challenge.”
“Leave it to us, Your Majesty!”
As the head artisan, filled with courage, ran back to the site, Wan turned to the Cherokee chiefs who had accompanied him. “What do you think?”
“We have seen it several times before, but we are filled with admiration every time.”
“Indeed. For a man to fly in the sky… it is a wondrous thing.”
Nodding at the chiefs’ words with a smile, Wan subtly cast out some bait. “This flying machine will be used for more important purposes in the future. That means the people who know how to build it and the workshops that produce it will be treated with increasing importance. Of course, it will not happen in a day or two, but would not those who prepare in advance reap a more bountiful harvest?”
The Cherokee chiefs, understanding Wan’s meaning, all bowed their heads in unison.
“We are overwhelmed by your grace for giving us such precious advice!”
“We will gather our young talents and send them to Area 52!”
“We will discuss with the other chiefs and prepare a suitable site for a workshop!”
“Thank you, thank you.”
Having successfully reeled in the Cherokee chiefs, Wan muttered to himself, I’m using the Emperor Emeritus’s teachings again here.
When an opportunity arises, you must seize it.
***
Though the successful unpowered flight had filled the artisans with courage, the next problem was not an easy one.
“Good heavens… to receive a new power source and be unable to use it. How foolish!”
Various types of new engines had been sent from the mainland. However, not a single one was a perfect fit for the flying machine built in Area 52. They were either too big, too small, or too heavy.
“In the end, it means we have to use this framework to build one ourselves.”
The artisans in charge of the aircraft’s power source quickly packed their things and returned to Area 52. The one silver lining was that the materials sent from Area 51 included data on power output and weight. Based on this data, the artisans began to design a new engine for their flying machine, but before long, they ran up against a great wall.
An engine powerful enough to lift the aircraft would be larger than anticipated. To mount this engine, the airframe would have to be redesigned.
“It requires a redesign?” Wan asked.
The head artisan replied, “Well… the engine is so heavy that the structure where it’s mounted must be reinforced, which in turn throws off the center of gravity… so yes, it must be redesigned.”
“Hmm… I see. I understand. Continue your efforts.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After the head artisan left, Wan stared out the window with a deeply disappointed expression. “They say nothing in this world is easy… tsk.”
Clicking his tongue, Wan turned his gaze back to his documents. “At times like these, I must lose myself in work!”
…And though he said he would lose himself in work, before long, Wan found himself obsessed with this problem as well. The flying machine was something he had been fixated on since his days as Crown Prince.
“Starting with a redesign will take too much time… The answer is to make minimal modifications…”
Believing that ‘preserving the existing design as much as possible’ was the right answer, Wan began to search for a clever solution that would satisfy this condition. “Hmm… this is not easy.”
Frustrated, Wan rose from his seat and went to the window to look outside. As he gazed at the seascape and the artisans at work, he suddenly flinched.
“Ah! Eunuch!”
“You called, Your Majesty!”
His expression suddenly brightening, Wan hastily summoned a eunuch and gave an order. “Bring me the head artisan!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
A short while later, when the head artisan entered, Wan got straight to the point. “The power source. Must there be only one?”
“Pardon?”
Seeing the head artisan’s expression, Wan explained his idea more simply. “When moving a heavily loaded cart, sometimes a horse or an ox pulls from the front, but other times, people are attached to the front and back to move it, are they not? Let us try that. Let’s split the power source in two and mount engines at the front and back of the flying machine. One pulls from the front, and the other pushes from behind. Instead of one heavy engine in a single spot, they will be at both ends, which will also help with balance. And since we are splitting one engine into two, they will be lighter, will they not?”
“Eh? Oh? Oh! Ah!”
Letting out a series of strange exclamations at Wan’s words, the head artisan’s face soon broke into an incredibly bright expression as he nodded. “With that, it should be more than possible!”
Not long after, the blueprint for a new flying machine incorporating Wan’s idea was delivered to him.
“Hmm… hmm. Hmm! This looks good!”
Satisfied with the newly submitted design, Wan ordered the head artisan, “Let us build it according to this!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“And have a copy made for me. I need to send it to Seoul to show off a little!”
At Wan’s words, the head artisan replied at once. “I will have a copy made and sent up as quickly as possible!” Finally, a chance to land a blow on those arrogant bastards at Area 51 who are always showing off!
And so, the captain of the express ship, once again given an order to sail, grumbled to his navigator, “You know, these days, it feels like we’re not an express ship anymore, but a regular ferry service.”
***
Meanwhile, in Seoul, Hyang received the blueprint and put a hand to his forehead. “What is this monstrous hybrid…”
*He mixed a biplane with a Dornier’s Do-335!*