Chapter 235 The Perfumery that Changed the History of Firearms
"This marriage between the two is... an extraordinary and unparalleled destiny, a fate that... should only exist in the heavens, and is rarely witnessed by ordinary people..."
Old Gao wore a standard professional smile, uttering auspicious words he had never heard before, while his eyes were fixed on a large hole in the ground.
That big hole was made by the slightly thin girl in front of them, who stomped on the head of the old Taoist priest who was pretending to be unconscious.
The girl sat opposite the old Taoist priest, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes gazing tenderly at him, unaware that drool was dripping from the corner of her mouth, she just kept smiling.
Will they have children?
"Ah! What do you want to ask, young lady?"
"Bang!"
Seven cracks appeared on Gao Laodao's table, and it looked like it was about to fall apart.
Will the two people listed on the betrothal scrolls have children?
“Yes…yes…there is a child…a boy…” Old Gao felt that his professional ethics, built up over a lifetime, had vanished in an instant.
"What? A boy? Do the divination again..."
Old Gao looked utterly miserable. He felt he should go back to his hometown in Jiangxi. The people of Dayuan were too ruthless. They would send out cultivators to bully mortals all the time, they had no shame at all.
"It's a girl, it must be a girl! This is a marriage ordained by heaven and earth, truly unpredictable..."
"Bang!"
A wooden box was tossed onto Gao Laodao's table. The girl left satisfied. A group of immortals, who had been frightened like quails, gathered around, their faces full of admiration. Under such tyranny, she could still be so smooth and flawless. Gao Laodao truly deserved to be called a "half-immortal."
"Old Gao, what's in the box? Open it and let's see!"
Old Master Gao was still in a daze, but he immediately snapped out of it after opening the box. A pink pearl the size of a longan was placed in the center of the box, shining brightly in the sunlight.
"It was worth it!" Old Gao stuffed the box into his pocket, abandoning his idea of returning to his hometown. He was determined. It was true that the people of Dayuan were ruthless, but they were also really rich. As long as he was willing to take a beating, getting rich and having women on both sides was not just a dream.
Everyone in the Prince Heng's mansion except Qin Mo was busy. There were only two months left until the eighth day of the fourth month. Although it was to marry a concubine, the dignity and respectability of a prince could not be compromised in the slightest. The messy rules and the items needed made Qin Mo feel overwhelmed.
Xia volunteered to help Lin Ruoxi prepare her wedding dress and dowry. She did it very carefully and meticulously, making Lin Ruoxi feel that she had made the right choice in making such a good friend.
But Lin Ruoxi soon sensed something was wrong. Xia often started spacing out, sometimes giggling at her wedding dress, and even laughing out loud while gnawing on a pig's trotter. When asked, she would just smile mysteriously and say nothing, only to resume giggling a little while later.
Everyone was busy preparing for the wedding, but Qin Mo couldn't take it anymore, so she simply hid in the elven settlement and started working on another matter with Ximan.
Two rifles were placed on the workbench, their bodies covered with simple yet elegant patterns, full of the characteristics of the Elven race.
"This is an improved version of the Da Yuan Type 1 rifle. Following His Highness's method, the percussion cap was used to replace the flint port and powder bath, which greatly improved the firing efficiency and also improved the rain protection."
Seaman spoke eloquently about a gun that was basically the same as a rifle; the shy alchemist of yesteryear had become full of confidence.
Qin Mo picked up the rifle and examined it closely. Although it simply replaced the flintlock mechanism with a mercury fulminate percussion cap, it was undoubtedly a breakthrough in the history of firearms. Even with the best maintenance, flintlock rifles still have a one-twentieth misfire rate.
During the "rain-toe shooting" technique, only skilled archers can use clothing or other rain-protecting tools to shield themselves from the rain, quickly dry the gunpowder pool, fill it with ignition powder, and then fire swiftly to successfully shoot. The difficulty is no less than that of a skilled archer shooting an arrow.
The difference with a percussion cap is that it has an extremely low misfire rate, can be fired smoothly even in the rain, and, more importantly, due to the burning rate of the gunpowder, percussion cap firing is more responsive and easier to aim and fire than flintlock pistols.
"This is a firing pin rifle that I tried to design based on Your Highness's drawings. I must say, Your Highness's idea is truly ingenious. By using paper cartridges instead of gunpowder and adding a percussion cap, the bullets are loaded from the rear of the gun, increasing the rate of fire by more than three times."
The other rifle delighted Seaman. Qin Mo skipped the breech-loading flintlock pistol and took out the breech-loading needle gun. The bullet, gunpowder, and percussion cap were packaged in cardboard to form a fixed cardboard cartridge. The shooter could load the cartridge regardless of his position, and no longer had to stand and risk being shot by enemy arrows.
"Has the sealing issue for this type of breech-loading gun been resolved?"
“Your Highness, the archers won’t mind a little bit of leakage. But if you want to achieve an absolute seal, you’d need a master blacksmith to make it. Do you really want that guy Gray Forest to grind and produce them one by one? He can’t make more than a few dozen a month.”
Ximan didn't care about Qin Mo's question at all. Compared to leaking a little bit of fireworks, the soldiers would definitely choose the breech-loading rifle with a faster rate of fire and a more concealed shooting posture.
“Sieman, as an outstanding firearms designer, thinking of every soldier is your most steadfast belief. You think it doesn’t matter if a little bit of smoke leaks out, but they are not you. If a cloud of smoke explodes just inches in front of their face, do you think they won’t get burned?”
Seeing his beloved work being nitpicked by Qin Mo, Ximan felt angry but dared not vent his anger. When Qin Mo gave him the drawings, he asked him to find a way to solve the air leak problem, but he couldn't think of a good solution. Now he was helpless against Qin Mo's criticism.
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