Chapter 711: Zhu Yue's Conjecture

Late night.

Most people in the camp were asleep; only the patrol torches moved back and forth along the wooden wall.

Zhu Yue's hut still had an oil lamp lit.

Three wooden boards lay spread out before him.

The first board recorded the fragmentary pulse about 'enemy blade acceleration' that he had first received.

The second was the more fragmented 'concept' signal received this afternoon.

The third was drawn by himself.

On it were a crude diagram of the furnace structure, ideas for improving the air‑blast duct, the fuel‑to‑ore ratio curve, and… some bold guesses about that blue crystal.

His gaze moved back and forth among the three boards.

The charcoal pencil turned unconsciously at his fingertips.

"High temperature……oxidation‑reduction……"

He muttered softly.

The iron‑smelting process is that iron ore (mainly iron oxide) at high temperature is reduced by carbon, which takes away oxygen, producing iron and carbon dioxide.

This is a typical oxidation‑reduction reaction.

Carbon is the reducing agent; iron ions are reduced.

So……

He looked toward the corner of the hut.

There lay a small cloth bag containing a few fragments of the smallest, darkest‑shimmering blue stones he had picked up at the edge of the polluted mine.

These stones have a distinct crystalline shape.

They emit some kind of energy, or rather 'pollution'.

This energy can erode living things and suppress ordinary flames.

But it seems……it could be weakened or even eliminated by more concentrated, intense heat?

Zhu Yue's line of thought gradually became clearer.

"If……we suppose this blue crystal is also a kind of 'substance'."

"Then its erosive and energy‑absorbing properties may stem from its unique 'internal structure'."

"Crystal structure determines its physical and chemical properties."

"High temperature can provide the energy needed to alter a substance's structure."

"Ordinary flame temperature is insufficient, so it can only suppress, not destroy the core structure."

"And more intense heat—such as the white‑hot coal fire under our full blast—might reach a critical point sufficient to destroy that 'abnormal structure', rendering it inert?"

He picked up a blue fragment and brought it close to the oil lamp for careful examination.

In the lamp light, the fragment's interior showed extremely fine, vein‑like patterns.

They were not impurities.

They resembled more an……internal ordering?

"If I could understand its structure……" Zhu Yue's eyes sharpened, "Even a rough grasp might let us find a more efficient way to counter it."

"For example, using a specific temperature range?"

"Or, having it react with some other substance at high temperature to produce something harmless?"

He set the stone down, grabbed the charcoal pencil, and quickly added notes to the third board.

"Hypothesis one: the azure blue crystal possesses a special structure that gives it its 'erosive/absorptive' trait and is relatively stable."

"Hypothesis two: extreme high temperature can supply the energy threshold needed to break that structure."

"Hypothesis three: if we can partly understand its structure, we might find a 'catalytic' or 'targeted destruction' method, lowering the required energy and raising purification efficiency."

Having written this, he paused a moment.

These are speculations based on the modern scientific framework.

But this world clearly possesses some……less‑scientific powers.

For example, the faint effect of the stone formation.

That seems related to 'collective will' and 'symbol resonance'.

It belongs to another layer of 'order' or 'rule'.

Is the scientific side's 'high‑temperature destruction of structure' and the mystical side's 'will‑ resonance opposition' two different paths?

Or could they be unified at a deeper level of rules?

Zhu Yue's head ached from thinking.

There's too little information.

"We need more experiments." he told himself.

"Not just burning snakes with fire, but burning stones."

"We must systematically test the effects of different temperature ranges."

"We should try heating mixtures of crystal fragments with various substances and observe the changes."

"Even……we should try conducting the same experiments within the influence of the stone formation to see if the results differ."

This would consume large amounts of precious manpower, fuel, and time.

But Zhu Yue felt it was worth it.

If his hypothesis direction is correct, even a small advance could be crucial for future responses to more severe pollution, and even for directly confronting enemies who wield the azure power.

He blew out the oil lamp and lay down.

In the darkness, his thoughts became even more active.

Those fragmented pulse signals, like keys, opened some dust‑sealed drawers in his knowledge base.

Gradually linking together "iron‑working practice," "observation of abnormal phenomena," and "basic scientific principles."

Although the linked chain is still very vague, with many breaks.

But at least, there is now a possibility of linking.

There is now a direction to focus on thinking and verification.

This is a big step forward compared to merely passively enduring the pollution and blindly trying to resist it.

"Beyond the light curtain…"

He gazed at the darkness above the hut's roof, thinking silently.

"What you've sent isn't just a few concepts."

"It's the prototype of a 'tool.'"

"It's the beginning of 'understanding.'"

He knows that he doesn't know when the next signal will be sent, and there may never be another.

He must make good use of the ripples stirred by this "echo."

Before the enemy truly launches a full‑scale invasion.

Before the survival line is tightened completely.

As quickly as possible, turn the speculation into a method that can be held in hand.

Even if it is only the most rudimentary method.

The night grew deeper.

The camp was utterly silent.

Only on the ground beside Zhu Yue's hut, where the conjectures and symbols drawn with charcoal lay, in the unseen darkness, they seemed to emit a faint, imperceptible, rational glow.