Chapter 90 How to break the deadlock
Yu Huatang took the lantern mechanism diagram handed over by the Persian Merchants Group. She carefully looked at the intricate and complex design on it, and then passed the diagrams to others. Many craftsmen who came to watch the fun were glad that they did not take on this competition.
This lamp is truly a masterpiece!
After returning to the government office, Yu Huatang immediately opened the diagram of the lantern mechanism and said, "I guess you've seen it too, but do you have any ideas?"
Xu Fu said, "Senior Sister, the delicate frame here is difficult to handle. Look, although they also used traditional frame methods, they added a special concave and convex structure to the finished product. I think it must be a unique Persian mechanical technique."
Yu Huatang nodded and asked one of the enamel masters to speak again. The master said, "The ingenuity of this lamp's mechanism lies in the natural combination of the refraction of the glass and the agility of the mechanism. So once the light source is combined with the unique color of the enamel, it will give people a stunning feeling. If we want to succeed, we must work hard on the materials and the painting."
Yu Huatang agreed with the old master's words and said, "I agree with what Master Yuan said. I also had a preliminary idea on the way back. Their mechanical technology drives the lamp to operate continuously, which is why there is a dazzling light. If we use a more flexible framework and combine it with our unique twenty-eight constellations, we should be able to win."
Xu Fu said firmly, "Then Senior Sister, just do it. We will fully cooperate."
"Okay." Yu Huatang no longer refused. He stood up and sat at the desk and started drawing the skeleton.
The skeleton of this lamp is easy to say but very difficult to make. She first needs to draw three suitable drawings. After the drawings are out, she needs to work with them to build the skeleton and test whether it can operate freely.
A day had passed from the drawing to the three rounds of testing. On the last test, the skeleton failed again after running eleven rounds.
The original design required the lamp to rotate twelve times and be matched with the twenty-eight constellations in order for the mechanism of the lamp to bloom. Now it only rotates eleven times, which means that their mechanism cannot make the lamp bloom, and naturally it cannot compare to the Thousand Machine Lamp.
That day, Yu Huatang let them take a short rest.
She sat alone in the open space behind the government office. In order to prevent them from being framed, Zhao Yan specially separated an open space here so that she would not come into contact with other people until the end of the game.
At this time, Wang Zhubu was reporting their situation in the front hall. "Xu Fu said that Miss Yu has been tested several times, but she hasn't made a decision yet."
After saying that, he glanced at Zhao Yan's expression, but still couldn't see anything.
It was completely different from what he had said before. He couldn't let it go. What should he do? Wang Zhubu couldn't help but sigh. This Lord Zhao was really thoughtful...
When it was time for the afternoon shift at the government office, Zhao Yan avoided everyone and went to the backyard alone. As soon as he entered, he saw wood chips and bamboo strips all over the ground.
Several of the masters are old and are taking a rest now.
Xu Fu didn't sleep, he just glared at Zhao Yan in dissatisfaction, and didn't have anything else to do.
After all, this was the government office, and he was only in his teens, so he didn't dare to provoke Zhao Yan.
After passing two thresholds, Zhao Yan saw her staring at the fish tank.
She was surrounded by a tranquility, a world of silence, with only her and the fish. He took the step forward and then retracted it, not daring to disturb her at this moment.
She watched in front of the water tank for a long time. The fish were biting each other, the head ending, the tail joining, round and round, without stopping. She counted the circles unconsciously, "Ten, eleven, twelve..."
"twelve……"
Suddenly she stood up, her face lit up with a unique glow. She turned and trotted over. When she reached the door, she realized it was him. Perhaps he had discovered something truly remarkable. For a moment, she forgot their relationship and couldn't help but say happily, "I've figured it out. I know how to do it. The twelve mechanisms are actually one piece. Just like a fish, we just need to connect the ends and secure them with a loop, and they'll be able to rotate on their own. We'll make some notches on the skeleton according to the twenty-eight constellations, so they only rotate twelve times, and then rotate back twelve times again. That's it!"
She spoke happily, completely forgetting the estrangement between them. He couldn't help laughing with her. Seeing some of her hair falling on her ears, he couldn't help but tuck it behind her ears.
She was immersed in joy and didn't notice his little thoughts at all.
After she cheered for a while, she finally calmed down and said, "Sir, I'd like to trouble you to find me some more bamboo shoots. The ones for this experiment have been used up."
"Okay." He naturally pulled her forward and said, "Since we've made some progress, you might as well take a rest. I see you haven't slept well these past two days."
Yu Huatang didn't realize how close they were. She just shook her head happily, "It's not too late for me to sleep after we're done. Besides, this is just the first step."
"Okay," he said. "I'll do as you say."
He pretended to take out a bag of cakes from his arms and said, "I asked the kitchen to prepare some. You can eat something first."
Yu Huatang was focused on the skeleton and didn't pay attention to these things. He took it with one hand and stuffed a large piece into his mouth.
"Why are you in such a hurry? There's no need to fight for every minute." He was afraid that she would choke, so he quickly poured her some water and fed it to her mouth himself.
After she finished drinking, she hurriedly said thank you and went to the inner courtyard.
He didn't chase after her anymore. She had her own world. He was so happy that he naturally wouldn't disturb her.
The tea in the quilt was not finished yet. It was what she had left. He did not mind it. He took it and drank it all in one gulp, then returned to the front hall.
By sunset, Yu Huatang had finally finished drawing the skeleton. Although it was only a prototype, several master craftsmen nodded solemnly after looking at the drawing.
They took advantage of the night to experiment with various materials together, until the final enamel was added, but the lamp stopped working.
"It seems that the weight of enamel is still too heavy. We need to find other materials."
A master said, "The Thousand Machine Lantern's dazzling brilliance is entirely due to the colored glass and enamel. If we removed the enamel and relied solely on the twenty-eight constellations to operate the mechanism, I'm afraid it would be far inferior in appearance."
Yu Hua nodded after hearing this. "The beauty of a lamp lies in its appearance, and the mechanisms make it even more impressive. So if we can find a material that's lighter than enamel and can refract light into a rainbow of colors, then the appearance will be a winner."
"Tomorrow is still a day away, and everyone is tired, so let's rest first. I'll figure out the rest."
Without any hesitation, they said goodbye to each other and returned to the room prepared in the government office.
Night fell. After washing up, Yu Huatang did not go to bed. She was actually a little worried about the material she had just mentioned.
The brilliance brought by enamel and glass is incomparable to that of ordinary materials, which is why most people are unwilling to take part in the competition. On the surface, such competitions are about technology, but in fact, they are also about innovation and ingenuity.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
