Chapter 173: Pooling Wisdom and Strength to Forge a Sharp Weapon (33)

Underground laboratory.

"The power is too weak, it can't fly fast; once detected, it's easily intercepted."

"That's right, there's no perfect invisibility in the world; relying on invisibility to defeat enemies is a bit of a gamble."

"Its anti-magic and counter-magic performance are insufficient; if it encounters a large-scale barrier supported by a major transformation array, such as a lightning barrier, it could fail outright."

"Although a 30‑kilometer range is already quite far, being able to go even farther would be better."

"The observation effect of the light‑shadow array is good, but it struggles against invisible targets; moreover, sandstorms and water mist can easily cause blindness."

In the midst of many after‑the‑fact Zhuge Liang‑like analyses, the mages reached a unanimous view.

This type of small flying magical device achieved such astonishing results not because it possesses perfect performance.

But because of appropriate tactics and an unexpected design concept.

Once it is used many times and the opponent figures out its performance, there will be many countermeasures.

Luosen fully acknowledges these shortcomings, which is exactly why he gathered everyone to discuss them.

He clapped his hands and gave a summary.

"No matter what, this weapon's design concept is pioneering, its combat effectiveness is astonishing, and it can minimize soldier casualties to the greatest extent."

"At the same time, we must admit that there has never been a perfect weapon in the world, only relatively better ones."

"My demand is to pool everyone's wisdom, sharpen this new weapon as much as possible, to help Weilan face the next wave of challenges!"

"Of course, I will not stay out of it either; in future research I will continually participate, contributing my wisdom to protect Weilan."

The Duke's wisdom is not ordinary wisdom; it is wisdom capable of reversing a nation's fate.

This is not flattery, but a fact verified many times over.

Thus, many wind‑system mages who knew nothing about building aircraft and felt insecure now have a backbone.

Everyone began to clap.

After the crowd quieted a little, Luosen pointed out several young mages from the crowd.

Five people stepped forward.

Three of them had previously been at the flight‑vehicle research base on White Sturgeon Island.

Two more were newly joined Weilan mages, but they graduated from Kao's Silver Moon Higher Arcane Academy.

Four are high‑tier mages, one is an arcane master—the eldest among them, though he is only 33.

At the same time, they all come from commoner backgrounds.

"You few, come with me for a private talk."

These five are the strongest engineering‑research mages, currently appointed as heads of the various branches of the research institute.

The five mages immediately followed.

Luosen then took the five, touring the research base while chatting with them about his ideas for a brand‑new unmanned aircraft.

"What we just discussed is very valuable, and it is indeed a fatal flaw of this kind of brand‑new unmanned aircraft."

"But I believe you can all see that improving the performance of such a complex magical device, even by a little, is an extremely difficult task, right?"

The five mages all nodded.

They were given important responsibilities, but their abilities fell short, so they studied very hard.

By now they also clearly understood the basic principles of unmanned magical devices.

But the more they understood, the more they felt how difficult improvement is.

When talking about it, everyone feels relaxed; just moving their lips, they can spout piles of reasoning.

But when actually doing it, everywhere are insurmountable thresholds, making people feel a sense of hopelessness with no way out.

Between "Pointing at the Rivers and Mountains" and "Changing the World" lies a gulf that is hard to cross.

Most people can only stand at the edge of the moat and watch the excitement; only those who can truly cross it become the protagonists on the world stage.

Among the five, the sole arcane master is named Bei La De Lin; he graduated from the Kao Silver Moon Higher Arcane Academy, has been teaching at the institute for nearly ten years, and has even been promoted to arcane professor.

His decent position and income have given him a decent life in Kao Silver Moon City.

The reason he gave up everything to return to Weilan is that he admires the Duke's arcane achievements.

And he indeed received the Duke's heavy trust.

He sighed: "Your Grace Duke, I used to think my research on wind mages was fairly deep, but compared to you I feel like a novice meeting a master—I had no idea high‑speed airflow has so many special properties."

Luosen knew he was referring to the gap in aerodynamics and basic gas properties.

He smiled: "Your research on the temperature and pressure properties of gases is also extremely valuable; it's two sides of the same coin of airflow nature, with no superiority."

After a pause, he said: "You earlier said you wanted to increase power—do you have a new idea?"

Belade lin immediately replied: "My idea is the same as for large manned aircraft—using the recoil of ultra‑high‑speed airflow to obtain power—but the implementation differs."

After a pause, he continued: "Since an unmanned aircraft isn't sensitive to endurance, a 50‑kilometer range is already quite good, so I wondered whether we could violently compress the airflow, store it in a tank, and then spray it directly out when used."

Luosen smiled: "That's a very good idea, but compressing the airflow is very difficult, and the final jet speed isn't fast either."

"Indeed, but my idea is to, when needed, heat the gas tank with a fire rune, imparting power to the airflow to make it more violent, and so on~"

As he spoke, he seemed to think of something and suddenly stopped.

Luosen wasn't in a hurry either; he raised his hand to tell the others to stop talking, letting him think in silence.

After a few minutes, Belade lin suddenly said: "Your Grace Duke, I suddenly thought—perhaps we could do without a gas tank, and instead mix hydrogen water and oxygen for combustion, then spray the resulting high‑temperature steam directly out, which would surely give enormous power." Hydrogen water is hydrogen; oxygen is oxygen.

Therefore, Belade lin's inspiration is actually to create an otherworldly version of a hydrogen‑oxygen rocket engine.

This is damn awesome.

Luosen nodded repeatedly: "What an excellent idea!"

"If it truly succeeds, the unmanned aircraft will not only solve its power problem, but perhaps also its endurance."

"I think so too!"

"Then go ahead and follow this path; I'll allocate resources for you."

"Yes, Duke."

Beiladelin looked excited, because this wonderful new idea suddenly opened his mind, and a great many fresh ideas welled up in his head.

Luosen saw that, and said: "Go back to your lab and experiment, Mage."

Beiladelin slipped away in a puff of smoke.

Luosen then added: "Master Xiumo, the gyroscope balance rune is a piece of exceptionally subtle and powerful knowledge, and it's all thanks to your improvements."

Master Xiumo hails from the sea island; he is a man of few words, but very reliable as a mage.

He nodded and said: "Leave it to me, Lord."

Afterwards, there were three other mages, each responsible for the explosion unit, the stealth unit, and the flight control unit.

Luosen also encouraged each of them in turn and pointed out several potentially useful directions forward.

Obviously, his guidance was very useful, enabling the three mages to find a clear forward direction and greatly dispelling their confusion.

Finally, Luosen encouraged: "In the foreseeable future, such unmanned explosive aircraft will be the core weapon for defending the sea island."

"Its performance will directly decide the outcome of a war."

"The safety of Weilan and the fate of its thirty million citizens rests on your shoulders."

The four mages were all commoners by origin, and the good positions at the core had always been monopolized by the nobility.

They never imagined that one day they would bear such a great responsibility.

For a moment, they felt the weight of their thoughts, yet also an overwhelming sense of honor and mission.

Unconsciously, they clenched their fists and pressed their lips together, as if trying to snatch a treasure from the hands of the Creator.

That is exactly the spirit Luosen needs.

He raised his hand and lightly tapped each mage on the shoulder: "Forward, young ones~"

Although he is only twenty himself, he gives the impression of having weathered countless ages, like an elder.

Although the four mages are clearly much older than he, they each feel like fresh graduates just out of the academy, and suddenly feel a sense of being trusted and valued, their blood boiling involuntarily.

They are like young foals encouraged by their elders, throwing themselves into work with great vigor.

Luosen watched their retreating backs and thought to himself: "Those commoners who have just risen from the mud are pure and simple; in a few generations, the mischievous ones will become more numerous."

This first generation of citizens, having yet to see the world, naturally possesses the spirit of Puritans and ascetics.

They are down-to-earth and hardworking; if used well, Weilan's national strength will surge forward like a train.

He also believes that before long, second- and third-generation unmanned explosive aircraft will be produced.

He also thought of Dange across the sea, and secretly sighed.

"That guy is fierce, but wiping out the domestic great nobles in one fell swoop removes the buffer between commoners and the king, which may make handling such complex relations difficult."

He can handle it.

Because he is not only a duke, but also a High Ring Mage, and has won many battles, accumulating tremendous prestige both in the magical world and among ordinary people.

At the same time, he also possesses various knowledge brought from Earth, which can serve as a reference.

What does Dange have?

Losing Weilan, suffering defeat, and facing huge reparations—if mishandled, he could very well drop dead.

It's not that Dange's actions are contrary to the historical trend, but that they are too radical.

"Never mind him; he's courting death, and it's none of my business. I gave him a Ten Rings talisman, which already counts as fulfilling Mother Nature's promise."

Upon leaving the underground lab, there was layer after layer of identity checks.

The scrutiny was extremely tight, and it made extensive use of the High Ring equipment developed by Luosen, the sole purpose being to ensure that state secrets were not leaked.

After all, the situation is now far more complex than before, so no amount of caution is excessive.

Only after more than half an hour did Duke Luosen manage to walk out of the underground lab.

He boarded the electric carriage driven by Ailiya and set off along the slightly muddy suburban road.

Leaving the aircraft research center, which resembled a large construction site, Luosen suddenly felt something and immediately said: "First, don't go back to the castle; go to the woods by Swan Lake, yes, that place."

Upon reaching the edge of the woods, Luosen got out of the carriage and said: "You wait here; I'm going into the forest to see an old acquaintance."

The woods are a fir forest, with tall trees and sparse undergrowth; walking a short distance ahead brings one to Swan Lake, where water and sky blend into one, the scenery exceedingly beautiful.

Soon, Luosen arrived at the lakeside of Swan Lake by following the forest path.

Walking along the lakeside path for a stretch, another person appeared beside him.

With her light gold curly hair, features soft and beautiful, full of maternal grace, dressed in a pale white summer dress slightly altered from before, she was none other than Mother Nature, Qi Ge Rui La Na.

(End of chapter)