Chapter 92 The bonfire of the Hopeful Waterwheel and Corn Carnival gradually died down...
The bonfire of the corn celebration gradually died down, but the joy of the harvest and the anticipation of a better future continued to ferment in the hearts of every resident of Hope Town, like a fine wine.
However, the weather the next morning caught everyone off guard. The temperature soared at an unreasonable pace, and the scorching sun, like a giant searchlight, relentlessly baked the earth. The Starlight wheat, which was in the crucial stage of jointing and heading, and was about to ripen, looked listless due to lack of water, and the heavy ears of wheat had lost their usual luster. The second crop of Shifu potatoes, which had just been planted, had tender potato seedlings that drooped, as if they would be dried into specimens at any moment.
"If this continues, this year's harvest will likely be reduced by more than half." The members of the agricultural planting team squatted by the field, grabbed a handful of the dry, white soil, their faces full of worry.
They mobilized almost all available manpower and used every available container—earthenware pots, wooden buckets, and even water bags sewn from animal hides—to transport water from the huge reservoir in the central square to the distant farmland, trip after trip.
The cement road leading to the farmland was packed with people carrying water from morning till night. Everyone's clothes were soaked with sweat and overflowing water, their steps were heavy and weary, and their breath seemed to ignite the air.
Although the construction of the waterworks has freed them from fetching water from the stream as before, saving them considerable distance and the hassle of water purification, the rapid expansion of farmland means that relying solely on manual water carrying remains too time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Everyone worked from sunrise to sunset every day, exhausted to the point of collapse, and could barely guarantee the irrigation needs of the most valuable experimental fields and a small portion of the core farmland. Most of the newly reclaimed land could only wait helplessly for the heavens to grant them a blessing.
That evening, as the last rays of the setting sun disappeared below the horizon, all the core members of the agricultural planting team spontaneously gathered in Old Bud's yard. The atmosphere in the yard was somewhat somber.
“Uncle Bard, we can’t go on like this.” A young man named He Gen, with dark skin but extremely nimble hands and feet, broke the silence first. He was one of the first refugees to learn planting techniques from old Bard and is now a backbone member of the agricultural team. “Even if we work ourselves to death, we still can’t irrigate such a large area. This efficiency is too low!”
“Yes,” another silent youth, also Kailan’s cousin, Lin Feng, who was skilled at communicating with plants, chimed in, “I can feel the moisture in the soil draining away rapidly, and the roots of the wheat are crying out to me that they are thirsty. If we don’t do something soon, they will wither.”
Everyone started discussing it, offering all sorts of ideas.
Some suggested that several reservoirs could be dug near the farmland to store the water, which could then be retrieved when needed, saving people the trouble of traveling back and forth.
Some suggested that the power of the rock-walking lizards could be used to pull large carts filled with water to irrigate the land.
Some young people even suggested that the Silent Ones could try using their magical natural powers to create artificial rain.
These ideas, though brimming with a spirit of exploration, were quickly rejected by them one by one. No matter how many reservoirs they dug, the water would still have to be carried there bucket by bucket by people; while the Rock-Walking Lizards were strong, they were better suited for pulling heavy loads, and asking them to do delicate work like watering the fields would likely flatten the entire area, not to mention that they were currently busy traveling frequently between Hope Town and Blackrock City; as for artificial rainmaking, Elder Farador had long ago said that the power of the Silent Ones came from nature, and that it was about following nature, not defying fate.
Just when everyone was at a loss, old Bud remained silent, drawing something on the ground with a twig. After a long while, he finally raised his head, his cloudy eyes gleaming with wisdom.
“I’ve thought of an old method.” He pointed to a simple topographical map on the ground. “Our water source is in a low-lying area, and our farmland is in a high-lying area. If we had something like the well pulley we used to use, only bigger and able to turn on its own, to continuously lift the water from the low-lying area and send it to the fields in the high-lying area, wouldn’t that save a lot of effort?”
This idea is simple yet full of wisdom.
"Yes, it's an automatically rotating windlass."
"What force can be used to make it spin on its own?"
"Wind? Or, as the mayor said, the power of water flow?"
With these initial ideas full of brilliant insights and unsolvable technical problems, Old Bud, He Gen, Lin Feng, and others, as representatives of the agricultural group, went to find Lin Yue, who was busy in the office that night.
When Lin Yue listened to their cacophony of reports and looked at the crooked but imaginative sketches they had drawn on the ground, he was deeply impressed.
He always believed that he was the only technological advantage in this world, or at least in Hope Town. He overlooked the fact that the wisdom of the people was the true driving force propelling the wheels of history forward.
"You guys...you guys are really amazing," Lin Yue exclaimed sincerely. He looked at Old Bard and the others with admiration and excitement in his eyes. "Your idea is fantastic. It completely solves this huge problem."
He immediately shared his more systematic and scientific ideas about waterwheels without reservation.
He told them that the automatically turning windlass that old Budd mentioned also had another name: a waterwheel. He then added and optimized their ideas in detail, incorporating their specific details about how to use water flow to impact the blades, how to lift water through buckets, and how to set up elevated water channels.
"Mayor...you...you mean, this thing...can really be made?"
"Yes!" Lin Yue answered decisively, "Structure and principle-wise, it's absolutely feasible. But..."
He changed the subject and turned his gaze to Shi Quan, who had been called over to participate in the discussion along the way.
"However, the core and challenge of this concept lies in how to efficiently and stably transmit the rotational power of the waterwheel. This requires an extremely precise and robust transmission system, including gears, bearings, connecting rods..."
“Uncle Stone Fist, only you can do this. Although I can draw the general shape, the specific details, such as the meshing angle of the gears, the wear-resistant material of the bearings, and how to transmit huge torques without breaking... these are no longer as simple as making an axe or building a furnace.”
All eyes were focused on Stone Fist.
Stone Fist fell into a long silence.
He understood Lin Yue's meaning better than anyone else. The seemingly simple waterwheel sketch contained mechanical principles that were remarkably similar to the hydraulic devices used by their dwarven race to drive mine hoists and underground ventilation systems.
Previously, Lin Yue would provide the blueprints, and he only needed to rely on his experience and skills to bring them to life. Although he borrowed some dwarven techniques, he was essentially an executor.
Now, Lin Yue has presented him with a fundamentally flawed technical challenge. This requires him to proactively reveal the core technologies that the dwarves consider secret and do not share.
He was caught in an unprecedented internal struggle.
On one side are the traditions and oaths of the dwarves for thousands of years, and the unwavering protection of the skills passed down in their blood.
On the other side was Hope Town, the home that gave him a new life, gave him respect, and allowed him to rediscover the glory of a craftsman. It was Lin Yue's trusting and expectant gaze, Gray's silent but firm support, and those sincere and simple partners who, despite their different races, were all working hard for a better life.
His stubborn heart wavered drastically at that moment.
After a long while, he slowly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes flashing with a desperate glint.
He slammed his hand on the table, the force of which made the ceramic cups on the table jump.
“Done,” he roared in a thunderous voice. “It’s just a broken waterwheel! What’s so great about it? I could make one for you with my eyes closed.”
"However, I have one condition. The most crucial transmission mechanism of this waterwheel, from design to forging, must be completed by me alone in a separate room in the blacksmith shop. During my production, no one, including you, is allowed to step into the blacksmith shop, let alone ask any questions. Just prepare whatever materials and manpower I need. No one else is allowed to ask any questions."
“No problem,” Lin Yue nodded solemnly. “Uncle, rest assured, all of us will be your strongest support. We will provide whatever you need. We will never interfere with you from showcasing your true skills.”
While Uncle Stone Fist was making the core components of the waterwheel, other preliminary preparations for the waterwheel were also underway. First, ceramic pipes needed for the future irrigation system were fired. Then, the pipes were laid on the main water supply pipeline from the waterworks to the farmland. Additionally, a reservoir was dug and a sturdy waterwheel base was built. Finally, a huge waterwheel with a diameter of over five meters and hundreds of water buckets were produced.
Meanwhile, Shi Quan was forging the core components day and night.
The sounds emanating from the blacksmith's shop were no longer the simple "clanging" sounds we often heard before, but rather a complex mix of rhythmic sounds, sometimes heavy like muffled thunder, sometimes crisp like raindrops, and the friction of metal against metal.
Tie Niu became Shi Quan's only liaison officer. Every day, he could only pass the prepared food and water through a small window at the door. Each time, he could see Uncle Shi Quan's bloodshot eyes and his somewhat ferocious expression due to extreme focus.
Time passed day by day.
With everyone's concerted efforts, the outer perimeter of the waterwheel has been basically completed.
The enormous waterwheel was firmly installed on a sturdy base, like a silent giant, quietly waiting to be awakened.
Finally, the tightly closed door inside the blacksmith's shop slowly opened.
Stone Fist came out.
He had lost a lot of weight, and his already messy beard and hair were now even more tangled. His face was covered in soot and exhaustion, but his eyes shone with an astonishing light.
Behind him, Tie Niu and his men were using all their strength to lift out an incredibly heavy metal component wrapped in thick animal hide.
The installation process was personally directed by Shi Quan.
When the complex gear transmission device was perfectly installed on the central shaft of the waterwheel, everyone held their breath.
"...Open the sluice gate and release the water."
Lin Yue stepped forward personally and, together with Li Ge, slowly opened the sluice gate of the water diversion channel.
Clear water gushes merrily out of the channel, crashing against the blades of the giant waterwheel.
At first, the waterwheel only swayed slightly.
But as the water continued to flow, it began to slowly rotate.
Crunch... crunch...
Like a giant that has been asleep for thousands of years, it is slowly awakening.
Scoops of clear stream water were scooped up and carried high into the air, then poured into the high-altitude water pipes with a "whoosh".
The waterwheel spun faster and faster, becoming more and more stable.
The enormous gears began to mesh and turn, emitting a series of reassuring and powerful "clack-clack" sounds!
The transmission rod connected to the millstone began to work, and the huge millstone slowly began to rotate on its own without anyone being there.
What's most exciting is that the clear stream water flowing from the high-altitude water pipes, along the ceramic pipes, seems to come alive, automatically and evenly flowing to the distant, parched and cracked farmland.
It nourishes the seedlings that yearn for sweet rain.
"Water...water has come out! Good heavens! The field has suddenly become flooded."
An old farmer could no longer contain his excitement. He knelt down on the edge of the field, letting the clear spring water soak his trousers, tears streaming down his face.
People hugged each other, shouting and jumping, freely expressing their joy and excitement.
They did it, they really did it.
Stonefist, the greatest contributor to all of this, only glanced longingly at the enormous creation that was slowly turning, like a heart, supplying life and power to the entire Hope Town, when he saw the waterwheel successfully running.
Then he silently turned around and walked back to the blacksmith's shop.
No one noticed that as he turned around, a drop of something—whether it was sweat or a tear—silently slid down and disappeared into his tangled beard.
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