Infrastructure Throne

Shen Qingze walked quickly to the door, Yan Zui clasped his hands together and breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly sneezed and muttered in a heavy nasal voice: "What are you dawdling in?"

Without saying a word, Shen Qingze untied the thick woolen scarf around his neck, wrapped it around the opponent's, and tied a strong knot.

Yan Zui felt like a quilt was wrapped around his neck with a piece of cake, and no wind could get in. He scratched the soft wool, which was still warm with lightness.

"Stop shrinking your neck. Are you a turtle?" Shen Qingze took two steps forward, seeing that he was still in a daze, she couldn't help but cocked the corners of her mouth and made a joke.

When Yan Zui reacted, the other party had already strolled away Shi Shiran.

Yan Zui slowly followed behind, pulled up the scarf, wrapped it around his chin, buried half of his face in it, took a deep breath, and smelled a warm and soft scent from the tip of his nose, which belonged to Shen Qingze.

※※※

The experimental area is behind the workshop, and a large piece of wasteland is surrounded by a wall. The trees have been cut down, the turf has also been shoveled, and a layer of thick and fine sand has been laid.

Sera had already ordered the apprentices to prepare three types of gunpowder with different proportions, all in the form of black powder, wrapped in sackcloth, and stuffed into three identical small clay pots.

There are fine holes drilled in the mouth of the tank, and a piece of thick hemp rope is involved as a fuze.

The three apprentices ignited the fuzes one by one, and threw the small clay pots towards the designated target location—the three pots rolled in the air, drawing a long parabola.

The first clay pot was planted in the sand, and there was a muffled sound, the body of the pot cracked, and a burst of black smoke came out of the crack, without even seeing a single spark, it was a dud, and everyone shook their heads in unison.

The second clay pot exploded violently in mid-air, and the pot shattered into countless sharp fragments, plunging into the sand like raindrops, scaring the apprentices and throwing themselves behind the low concrete wall before escaping.

Sera silently recorded the explosion time and the range of the flame on the parchment, with a note: the fuze is too short.

In the expectant eyes of everyone, only the third one fell into the designated position and exploded. Unfortunately, only one corner of the wooden stake erected there was blown off, and a little flame sprang up from the gap, which soon went out again.

Sierra finished recording, carefully observed Shen Qingze's face, and pulled the collar embarrassedly: "My lord, I have tried many kinds of ratios, but this gunpowder is always unstable, and it seems that it still can't meet your expectations. The power of..."

Luo Xin had never seen such a thing before, with a dull expression on his face: "There is still such a weapon. If it hits someone's head, how can there be any way out?"

Jin Daxin nodded with concern.

Yan Zui once led the guards to fight bloody battles with the orcs, so he is very sensitive to the attack power and range of weapons.

This kind of thing that can explode from a long distance made his eyes light up. Hearing Luo Xin's speech, he shook his head: "The aim is not accurate, how can it just hit the enemy's head? If it hits empty, there is no lethality at all."

Although Lance doesn't know alchemy, he is very active in technical thinking: "If the method of projectile can be improved and the power increased, it will be a much more terrifying weapon than a crossbow."

He secretly glanced at Shen Qingze who was thinking, and his two green pointed ears trembled. Lance still remembered when he, his brother and a group of goblin orc craftsmen had just arrived in Abyss City.

Even though they have already decided to be loyal to Shen Qingze, facing an unknown strange city and unfamiliar people, the two brothers are unavoidably worried about the future, fearing that what awaits them is another pit of fire.

Soon, they were shocked by the scene beyond imagination.

The scale of the smelter on the outskirts of the city has expanded again and again, and the number of employees has also increased.

Early in the morning, the workers would wear neat work attire, run with chants, and sing some encouraging songs while running. The tunes were simple and catchy. factory, but barracks.

Both breakfast and lunch are provided by the cafeteria, whether it is the manager of the management or the factory director, Mr. Li, they are no different from the workers.

When it was time to go to work, Lance visited the smelting room with the arrogance of being the patriarch of the goblin orcs, and was immediately overwhelmed by the roaring water blowers and blast furnaces day and night.

The method of steelmaking surprised him even more - even in the most precious smelting cheats in the clan, there is no similar method, which is simple and crude, yet highly efficient.

Lance couldn't figure it out, it should be a strictly confidential smelting method locked in a treasure chest, but Shen Qingze didn't seem to care, and had no intention of avoiding their brothers at all.

While being moved, Lance still couldn't help being confused, did Shen Qingze trust them too much, or was he too stupid?

The iron factory in Yuanliu City has a fine division of labor, strict work and rest, and a harmonious atmosphere. Each process is carried out in an orderly manner, and rewards and rewards are issued on time.

Compared with the smelting workshop in Pearl City, it is the difference between heaven and hell!

There are no overseers with whips, no slave rooms for slaves, and no torture tools specially used to punish lazy workers, but workers rarely slack off.

The scale and number of people are obviously smaller than the workshops in Pearl City, but the shipment volume and quality are much higher than the former.

Lance seemed to understand a little bit, but fell into more confusion.

How did the officiant do it?

Unexpectedly, there are great geniuses among human beings.

While Lance was frowning and thinking seriously, Sera called the apprentices over, took the sackcloth wrapped with gunpowder powder from them, and held it in front of Shen Qingze.

Shen Qingze gently twisted a little, rubbed it, his fingertips were immediately stained black by carbon ash, and his brows frowned slightly: "Powdered gunpowder is very easy to get wet, which will affect the power of the explosion. You can try, mix the gunpowder made into granules."

Sera was startled: "No wonder..."

"There is also a cloth bag, why not try raw silk, it is wear-resistant and more conducive to conducting sparks, it is an excellent combustion aid." Shen Qingze sighed, "It's a bit expensive."

"As for the power..." Thinking of the posture of the apprentice throwing the clay pot, which was a bit like a grenade, Shen Qingze laughed, "In addition to the proportion, it also has something to do with the sealing of the container."

"An explosion generates a large amount of energy in an instant. The narrower the space, the greater the damage it will cause. If the seal is not good, the energy will dissipate in advance, and naturally it will have no power."

"So that's it!" After speaking, Sera seemed enlightened, "This is what you said, the matter changes into a new form, and the black gunpowder transforms into an invisible gas, so they 'disappear' after the explosion?"

His eyes lit up, and he blurted out: "Since clay pots are not good, how about making iron balls?"

Lance interjected from the side: "The method of throwing by hand is too dangerous, and the range is not far. It's better to fix the gunpowder on the heavy crossbow and shoot it out like an arrow!"

Shen Qingze: "..."

This slingshot idea, you are so talented!

He found a branch, and with a few strokes on the sand, he drew a simple mortar.

A few people gathered in a circle to watch, Jin Da frowned blankly and pondered, unable to understand.

On the contrary, Sera suddenly realized after hearing Shen Qingze's introduction of the mortar: "You mean, use the power generated by the explosion of gunpowder to push the iron bullets in the barrel out?"

"Smart." Shen Qingze glanced at him approvingly, this ability to draw inferences from one instance to another is simply amazing.

Lance widened his eyes and murmured:

"It turns out that you have thought of a better way a long time ago. My lord is too powerful! I actually used my superficial knowledge to make a fool of yourself in front of you... Humans are really hidden dragons and crouching tigers, maybe we goblin orcs are too conceited..."

Shen Qingze coughed lightly: "I didn't think of it, I was just picking up people's teeth."

Seeing Luo Xin looking around, Jin Da asked, "What are you looking for, sir?"

Luo Xin whispered to his ear: "Fortunately, Chief Teng is not here, otherwise the priest must be tied to the armament factory, so what about our glass factory and porcelain kiln?"

Before Jin Da could answer, an earnest call sounded like a bell from behind:

"Master Priest!!! We have found you!"

Luo Xin thumped, turned around and saw the tall and burly Teng Changqing and Xiao Meng coming hand in hand.

Xiao Meng bowed to Yan Zui first, and habitually stood behind him.

Teng Changqing rushed over, slipped on his knees, and hugged Shen Qingze's thigh excitedly: "My lord! If you can make this thing, you will be my father!"

Jin Da and Luo Xin said in unison: "Get out!"

Shen Qingze: "..."

Yan Zui slowly took off the riding whip from his waist, folded it in half, patted his palm lightly, and squinted at him and said, "Commander Teng, the horses in the barracks don't seem to be fed enough, why don't you go and have a look..."

Teng Changqing blinked blankly: "No way? I just sent someone to feed it."

Shen Qingze's face turned dark: "Shhhh!"

Only then did Teng Changqing let go of the opponent's thigh and scratched the back of his head: "This subordinate is excited for a while, it's too rude, hehe..."

Shen Qingze dropped a probe speechlessly:

[Teng Changqing, the military logistics officer of Yuanliu City, defense power 319]

This guy's face is probably indestructible!

Yan Zui casually picked up a broken fragment of a clay pot and played with it in his hand: "How powerful is this weapon? Will it be useful to use against beast slaves if it is installed on the city wall?"

When mentioning the orc race, everyone's expressions became solemn, and Lance dropped his pointed ears in embarrassment.

Although there are many tribes of the orcs who are hostile to each other, and may not be completely hostile to humans, his position is still strange.

But as long as Shen Qingze promises not to take the initiative to attack goblin orcs, he doesn't care. If it is used to deal with the hostile tribe of goblin orcs, the two brothers immediately agree with it.

Shen Qingze looked far away, and said slowly in a cold tone: "Its power will continue to increase with the improvement of technology, and its lethality will become more and more terrifying, beyond your imagination."

"By then, cold weapons such as swords, guns, swords and halberds... will be eliminated by the times."

Everyone gasped and took a few breaths to digest this sentence.

Yan Zui looked at him thoughtfully: "So, you don't care about the outflow of those steel swords. You already knew that the future will be the age of firearms."

Shen Qingze's eyes swept over everyone's faces one by one, and he said decisively: "The formula of gunpowder and everything mentioned today must be kept strictly confidential. This is the order, do you understand?"

Sierra and the others trembled in their hearts, and bowed solemnly: "I will obey!"

The experimental area was an open space with almost no shelter, and the cold wind was blowing wantonly around his body. After standing for a long time, even Shen Qingze felt his hands and feet were numb from the cold.

Yan Zui and Xiao Meng paid special attention to the military field, and discussed firearms with great interest.

When he spoke, his nasal voice was very heavy, which was slightly different from Shen Yue's usual voice. When he called Shen Qingze's name, it sounded more like he was acting like a baby.

Shen Qingze looked at Yan Zui's face that was whitened by the cold wind, pursed his lips: "It's getting late, I'm here today, go back."

※※※

Back at the City Lord's Mansion, Shen Qingze was like a clock with its screws tightened, unable to rest for a moment.

He first processed the documents reported by several factories, checked the land to be reclaimed in the coming year, and the crops to be sown. After a hasty dinner, he copied a copy of the knowledge he had compiled about gunpowder and artillery, called Jin Dakuai Horse to Serra.

The winter is getting colder and colder, and the charcoal basin is lit in the house. The cold chill is still pervasive, and it is even more bitterly cold at night.

Shen Qingze drank a few mouthfuls of ginger tea before he felt better.

This place is not happy with the earthen kang in the north, when falling asleep, the whole bed is icy cold, Shen Qingze rolled herself up in the bed, covering it for a long time before she felt a little warmth.

Even Yaya and Abai were unwilling to nest in their chilly nest, insisting on squeezing onto the bed to enjoy the warmth of their master.

He was lying on the bed, feeling drowsy and fatigued, thinking for a while about promoting kangs in the city, and thinking about improving firearms and cannons for a while.

In the end, he vaguely recalled Yan Zui's ears flushed, breathing in a rabbit fur scarf, he held the duck in his arms tightly, rubbed against its furry neck, finally calmed down his breathing, and fell into a deep sleep...

※※※

The next day, early in the morning.

Shen Qingze struggled to get up from the bed, wrapped in a thick sweater and went to have breakfast, until he ate all the food slowly, the seat belonging to Yan Zui was still vacant.

He frowned secretly: "Did the City Lord go to the school ground?"

Jin Da shook his head: "The city owner seems to be ill. I saw Fan Mizhou escorting the doctor downstairs this morning. Do you want to visit him?"

"Ill?" Shen Qingze frowned more and more tightly, "I'll go and have a look."

Yan Zui's room is at the end of the corridor on the third floor, and Shen Qingze once entered his bathroom by mistake.

When he came to the door of the room, there happened to be a servant bringing in a new charcoal basin to change, but Shen Qingze stopped him: "Let me do it."

This was Shen Qingze's first time stepping into Yan Zui's room.

The warm-toned thick silk curtains greet the eyes, and the camel-colored velvet carpet under the feet is worn out, and the color is a little yellowed. The pear wood wine cabinet against the wall is full of bottles and cans of self-brewed wine.

There is a huge mahogany desk by the window, a layer of paint has been worn away near the edge of the drawer, revealing the original color of the wood inside. There are several stacks of documents neatly stacked on the desk. The stack that has not yet been approved takes up half the area of ​​the desk .

If these furnishings are normal...

Shen Qingze walked around the screen silently, and continued to look inside——

A children's rocking horse dangled in the corner of the inner room rug.

On the drawer, there is a cloth doll of a puppy, a stuffed stuffed rabbit, and two arm-long mahogany swords hanging on the wall.

Walking into the bedroom, there are four charcoal basins in the corners on both sides.

There was a large wooden bed in the center, with the bed curtains raised from both sides, and a black head was faintly exposed where the pillow was sunken.

A bamboo and wood duckling was quietly squatting on the bedside table, and the red ribbon tied around its neck was particularly conspicuous.

Shen Qingze pursed her lips, her expression was indescribable.

When Yan Zui usually dealt with the nobles in the city, he always had a strong wrist and looked down upon all sentient beings.

Who would have thought that the mighty city lord on the outside is extremely afraid of the cold behind his back, needs ducklings to accompany him in the bath, and small toys can fill a bedroom's delicate bag.

Shen Qingze changed the charcoal basin, walked lightly to the bed, there was a glass of water and a bowl of porridge on the tray on the other side of the bedside table, he only took two bites before putting it aside.

Shen Qingze reached out and touched the bowl wall, it was still warm.

The dark head on the bed moved, and a pair of sleepy eyes appeared from under the quilt, looking at Shen Qingze and blinking blankly.

Shen Qingze leaned closer, and asked in a low voice: "Is it cold? Do you have a fever? Get up and eat the porridge first..."

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand to touch the other person's forehead, and suddenly he was held by the other person, and he yanked him into his arms!

"Hmm -" Shen Qingze was caught off guard and lost his focus, threw himself on the bed, and hugged him full of people through the quilt.

Yan Zui rubbed his hot flushed cheek against his neck, muttering something in his mouth.

He seemed to be immersed in some kind of sweet dream, the corners of his mouth slightly turned up, his eyes closed, and he fell asleep again: "ZZZZ..."

Shen Qingze: "..."