Ryu, who had successfully established the school, had moved on to the next project.
The modification was to mitigate the impact felt on the ground from the long journeys of the carriages.
Gathering artisans, Ryu decided to refine the design he had drawn, bringing it to a technically feasible level.
Ryu’s idea was to separate the wheel section and the carriage (the part people ride) of the carriage, suspending the carriage on a structure made of iron and wood with arch-shaped shock absorbers at four points front and back.
Of course, iron springs and simple wooden bow-shaped suspensions were also added between the carriage and the wheels.
This design aimed to reduce the weight from above and dampen the impact from below.
The challenge was to verify its strength practically.
The artisans were excited and eagerly began working on Ryu’s proposal.
Everyone was confident that once completed, this carriage would be the first of its kind in history.
That’s how innovative Ryu’s proposed carriage was.
Although for Ryu, it was a natural idea with suspension from the beginning, considering the current structure of carriages, it might not be easily thought of.
To the craftsmen, this 10-year-old lord’s son was seen as a genius.
Alongside the production of the new carriage, Ryu was also contemplating something simpler than a carriage.
It was a two-wheeled cart with a different purpose from a handcart – a “rickshaw”.
While a handcart had the advantage of maneuverability with its single wheel, a rickshaw lacked that but offered stability.
Ryu demonstrated it to the artisans soon after shaping it through earth magic iron refinement.
It didn’t seem particularly novel, and everyone seemed to have had the idea in some way.
However, the wooden construction was heavy, and it had not gained much popularity. Therefore, Ryu decided to register it with the Commerce Guild.
Though it seemed unnecessary to pull it manually when horses could do the job, for tasks that didn’t require the power of a horse or for those who didn’t have horses, the lightweight rickshaw with an iron framework and thin wooden panels seemed appealing.
Ryu quickly commercialized it and had merchants advertise it.
Contrary to expectations, it didn’t sell well in the city but found its market mainly in rural areas.
The rickshaw, which could be pulled with light effort without the need for feed like horses or cows, appealed to the people in the countryside.
“Hmm. Why isn’t it selling well in the city?”
While Ryu was pondering the reason, Leanne pointed out one thing.
“The city is narrow, and carriages use the roads. So, rickshaws might take up space and become an obstruction. In that case, hand carts with good maneuverability as before would be better.”
Upon hearing that, Ryu compared it to something from his previous life.
“It’s like using a regular car and a moped separately in daily life, and then saying, ‘I don’t need a light car anymore!'”
“M-moped… C-car? I don’t really understand, but if it makes sense to you, that’s good.”
Leanne couldn’t grasp Ryu’s explanation, but she decided not to ask further.
The rickshaw quietly caught on in rural areas among traveling merchants.
While borrowing money for a carriage was impractical, and dealing with various goods was challenging, the rickshaw became a topic of discussion due to its ability to carry a slightly larger amount of goods, making it cost-effective and convenient.
Through practical feedback from traveling merchants exchanging information, the rickshaw further spread throughout villages.
On the other hand, the carriage prototype didn’t work well.
The discussion arose that relying on iron as the main material for the frame supporting the carriage was both costly and technically challenging.
Therefore, they opted to change to a wooden frame, reinforcing it with iron plates to support the carriage.
The suspension supporting the carriage adopted a leaf spring system.
Several layers of leaf springs were stacked, connecting both ends to the body, and the structure fixed the axle in the center of the curved leaf spring to absorb shocks.
This design emerged after trial and error, as the initially proposed spring was deemed impossible with the current technology.
After such trial and error, the “Riding Comfort Model 4 Improved” (temporary name) was completed.
Setting aside Ryu’s sense of naming, when Ryu, his father Farza, and mother Cecile rode it together, they drove through the town.
“Wow! There’s hardly any impact!”
Farza exclaimed, impressed by the suspended wooden reinforced frame and leaf spring that absorbed significant shocks.
His father, who had experienced the back and forth between the royal capital, couldn’t give higher praise.
“The ride is genuinely comfortable! The vibrations are soft.”
Cecile was also deeply impressed, as she had been masking the jolts with cushions until now.
Satisfied with their reactions, Ryu headed straight to the Commerce Guild and registered the patent.
