novel bin Chapter 18: It's time for some technological shock!
Chapter 18: It's time for some technological shock!
The command spread like an electric current throughout the entire underground base.
The massive and sophisticated war machine of Great Xia began to operate at an unprecedented speed.
In just six hours.
Two blueprints embodying the pinnacle of industrial wisdom of the Great Xia Dynasty, and a metalworking technique manual, were printed on a special fiber cloth as thin as a cicada's wing yet incredibly tough.
It was carefully rolled into the size of a quail egg and vacuum-sealed with food-grade material.
Zhao Gang handed the heavy "egg" to Lin Mo with an extremely solemn expression.
"Comrade Lin Mo, over there... it's all up to you."
He paused again and lowered his voice.
"Remember, your safety is always the top priority."
Lin Mo solemnly accepted it and smiled.
"Brother Zhao, your talk of entrusting my son to someone and bidding farewell makes me feel like I'm about to land in Normandy."
"Isn't it just going to another world to sleep and maybe do some technical export on the side?"
"This is a really scary prediction I'm making!"
Zhao Gang laughed and scolded, "You brat!"
"The mission is secondary; your life comes first."
"By the way... you don't need to put it in your mouth right now."
Lin Mo: "..."
......
The rich, fresh scent of plants enveloped Lin Mo.
He opened his eyes and saw the familiar dome of the Elven treehouse, made of living plants.
Without a moment's delay, Lin Mo sat up.
He skillfully spat out the spool that was protected by sealing wax from his mouth.
He now needs to find Fendona.
As you push open the door, sunlight filters through the gaps in the massive tree canopy, casting dappled shadows.
With the respectful guidance of the elven guards, Lin Mo quickly found Fendona.
She wasn't in a magnificent palace, but outside a makeshift workshop.
Something seems off.
Inside and outside the workshop, the most skilled craftsmen of the Elven race were gathered, all looking dejected.
They stood around a pile of broken bow arms and shattered arrows, looking dejected and at a loss.
Fendona's face was etched with exhaustion and anxiety. In her beautiful eyes, the innocence of a young girl had been worn away by the harsh reality, leaving only a resolute expression.
"Fendona".
Lin Mo spoke.
Fendona turned around and saw him. A glimmer of light appeared in her dim eyes, and she forced a smile.
"Lin Mo, you've arrived."
Lin Mo's gaze swept over the broken bows, and he grinned:
"You guys... I get it, I brought a little something to cheer you up!"
Fendona's body trembled slightly, and she couldn't help but feel curious.
She stared at Lin Mo.
"What is it?"
Suddenly, something occurred to her, her pupils dilated instantly, and even her voice trembled slightly.
"Is this the...help you were talking about before?"
Lin Mo nodded, opened his hand, and handed over the roll of special fiber cloth that was as thin as a cicada's wing.
Fendona carefully took it. The feeling in her hand was extremely peculiar; it was neither silk nor hemp, yet it was exceptionally tough.
She slowly unfolded.
The next second, she and the several elven master craftsmen who had gathered around her all widened their eyes.
The blueprints did not contain any familiar elven runes, nor any known script.
Instead, they are incredibly intricate graphics filled with strange lines and structures.
Each part is disassembled individually and presented clearly in three-dimensional views from different angles.
The assembly steps are broken down into simple actions, accompanied by a clear scale and arrow indicators.
These graphics exude a rigorous, industrial aesthetic that seems out of place in this magical world.
Lin Mo secretly rejoiced: That's right, that's the expression.
"This is..." Fendona looked up at Lin Mo, her voice carrying a hint of inquiry.
"Bow." Lin Mo's answer was concise and powerful.
He pointed to one of the most complex drawings.
"It's called a compound bow. See it here, and here too?"
Lin Mo's finger touched the structural diagram of the pulley system.
"By using these two small wheels, you can draw a very, very heavy bow with very little effort."
"Once you've maxed out your aim, you can even pick your toes while aiming with ease, minimizing energy expenditure."
A master craftsman, with a white beard and appearing exceptionally old even among the elves, frowned.
"impossible!"
He was the most renowned master craftsman in the tribe, Eld.
He vehemently denied it, his voice filled with the anger of having his family's traditional craft sabotaged.
"The power of a bow comes from the elasticity of the bow's limbs and the strength of the user's arms!"
"Adding these cumbersome wheels only ruins the bow's balance and beauty! It's a desecration of the bow! A betrayal of the way of nature!"
Lin Mo rolled his eyes inwardly, too lazy to argue, and then looked at another set of drawings.
"This is called a repeating crossbow; its structure is relatively simple."
Its value lies in its speed.
Lin Mo's tone was steady and firm, full of confidence.
"One load, ten bolts. When the demons charge close, your archers can use it to riddle the enemy in front of them with bullets in a single breath."
Upon hearing this, there was an instant silence.
The terrifying imagery reminded all the elves of the low-level monsters that surged forward like a tidal wave on the battlefield, fearless and relentless.
He recalled the horrific sight of his comrades being torn apart in close combat.
Master Eld's lips moved, but the words of rebuttal stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word.
Fendona's breathing became rapid.
She clutched the blueprints tightly in her hand; the thin fabric seemed to weigh a ton at that moment.
She looked at the old craftsman and gave the order:
"Master Eld, please lead your craftsmen to immediately produce one according to these blueprints!"
Master Eld's face was filled with reluctance, but seeing the princess's resolute expression, he finally lowered his proud head.
"...Yes, Your Highness."
The efficiency of the elven craftsmen is astonishing.
They may not understand the principles of mechanics, but they possess an innate, terrifying intuition about materials and structures.
Under the on-site guidance of Lin Mo, who served as both the "client's representative" and "technical translator," they overcame all difficulties.
"No, no, no, this angle isn't for aesthetics; it's to maximize the lever arm! Yes, like when you pry open your neighbor's wall!"
"The precision of this slot must be absolute; it's crucial to the energy release efficiency! Any larger tolerance and this bow will become a slingshot!"
They used ironwood, the kind used for making bows and arrows, for the bow body, and the silk from the mutated spiders they raised to make the bowstring. They also forged adamantite ore into pulleys and mechanisms.
Three hours later.
Amidst the mixed gazes of awe and skepticism from all the elven craftsmen, the first uniquely shaped composite bow was born.
It's time for some technological shock.
It was full of cold, mechanical feel, completely different from the traditional, elegant longbows of the elves, and even... a little ugly?