Chapter 377 Millian’s Mission (Two in One! Please subscribe!)
It was a little shaky when I first got on it. To be honest, I hadn’t ridden it for a long time, so I was still a little rusty.
You know, before Bruno traveled through time, the flower-growing country had already built a well-off society in an all-round way, and most of the bicycles on the market were gear bikes and mountain bikes. Both the riding comfort and the comprehensive quality in all aspects have made great progress.
As for the so-called "28-bar", he had actually only seen it from the innermost part of his garage when he was young, and it was already covered with a layer of dust.
So, when I first started riding, I was a little uncomfortable with it.
But Bruno's move scared Mundell and the craftsmen beside him.
"Quick! Guards, follow the Duke. Don't let him fall!"
Seeing this, the Idar agents and the Duke's guards present rushed forward and trotted along beside Bruno.
Matteo Holden and the others were naturally not idle either. In the eyes of the craftsmen, the Duke's selfless behavior was clearly to provide them with data for the first actual test! In this way, on the campus of Idar Public University, Bruno rode in front, with Idar CIA agents on both sides, followed by a group of soldiers and craftsmen from the Institute of Basic Industries.
…
Dormitory building.
Lennon Cohen had just met several of his roommates. After introducing themselves to each other, they planned to walk around the campus together before classes started.
But as soon as they walked out of the dormitory door, they saw a large group of people running around the campus, as if they had become a beautiful landscape of the East Campus.
What are they doing? Lennon Cohen felt that one of the people in the team looked familiar, so he rubbed his eyes and took a closer look...
Wuhu!
He seemed to see a familiar face in the crowd. It was Matteo Holden, the vice president of the Polytechnic Institute, who had met him in the restaurant at noon! Could this be... a midday run? Anyway, according to Lennon Cohen's knowledge, he had only heard of morning and night runs. Sure enough, Idar Public University was an academic sanctuary that was completely different from other places! "Cohen, do you know what that is doing?" Lennon Cohen's roommate looked at the people running in the distance, a little confused.
"There's one person there whom I've met before. He seems to be the vice president of our Polytechnic Institute."
Hearing this, several roommates couldn't help but open their mouths in surprise.
As they were talking, the huge crowd suddenly turned around and ran towards Lennon Cohen and others.
seem……
Were there Idar soldiers among those people? As the crowd gradually approached, Lennon Cohen and his roommates gradually saw those people clearly and heard some faint shouts.
There are soldiers, craftsmen, researchers, and...
etc……
What is that? Lennon Cohen noticed that at the front of the crowd, surrounded by several Idar soldiers, a young man in elegant clothes was sitting on a novelty, speeding towards here, with his legs on both sides, kicking back and forth.
This newfangled contraption seemed to have two large wheels, one in front and one behind, which were spinning rapidly without any animal power to pull them.
"Your Excellency the Duke, the Duke... please ride slower..." the craftsmen in the crowd shouted breathlessly.
Lennon Cohen turned around and asked his roommate, "Did you hear that? They just called... Duke?"
“It seems so…”
"I think so, but... it's not very likely. Maybe we heard it wrong..."
Young faces, gorgeous clothes, and guarded by a large number of Idar soldiers.
Although everyone present found it unbelievable, the same thought came to their minds.
The young man riding on two big wheels is probably the current Duke of Idar, Bruno Stuart!
only……
While his roommates were amazed at the image of Bruno Stuart, Duke of Idar, Lennon Cohen was staring at the two big wheels of the bicycle in a daze.
Being so close, Lennon Cohen could see it clearly. Just by the movements of the Duke's feet, the two wheels turned rapidly, seemingly effortlessly.
The craftsmen and researchers following behind the Duke were already running out of breath and sweating profusely.
No manpower is required, and it moves quickly, extremely labor-saving!
Lennon Cohen seemed to be able to see that in the near future, in addition to the common ox carts and horse carriages, a new means of transportation would appear on the land of the Principality of Idar and change the lives of all the people!
…
After walking around the East Campus of Idar Public University twice, Bruno stopped with a feeling of being unsatisfied.
Except for Agent Idar and the soldiers who accompanied him, the long line of craftsmen who followed behind were already exhausted and out of breath.
"The quality of this bicycle is pretty good!" Bruno praised, patting the seat with satisfaction.
Hearing Bruno's words, Mondale quickly complimented him: "Your Excellency the Duke is also very good at riding a bike. If it were someone else, they would probably fall off after just a few rides. You are like a frog on a steel pipe. You are really amazing!"
"Why does your fart sound so weird..."
Although when Bruno proposed to let the Basic Industrial Research Institute design and develop a bicycle, someone had already mentioned the idea of directly introducing magic into it to create a "magic bicycle" similar to the electric bicycle in the previous life, but Bruno rejected it without hesitation.
The reason for the rejection was simple: cost! Who were bicycles made for? Obviously not for the nobles who were always surrounded by people when they went out, nor for the wealthy merchants who could afford to buy carriages and hire drivers.
The most likely potential customers for bicycles are the current working class in the Principality of Idar.
Their families cannot afford to raise livestock or hire a coachman. If their workplace is far from home, the time they spend on the road every day may increase as the infrastructure and urban renewal plans of the Principality of Idar are being fully implemented.
The emergence of bicycles will undoubtedly provide ordinary civilians in the Principality of Idar with a possible choice.
So, at this stage, Bruno actually doesn’t have high requirements for bicycles.
As long as it is strong and durable, and the production cost can be kept as low as possible, so that even ordinary people can afford it, that is enough!
finally……
Matteo Holden, who was exhausted, finally dragged his tired body over and said, "Duke... Your Excellency Duke, is there anything else wrong with this bicycle?"
Although the run just now was very tiring, Matteo Holden's heart was already filled with joy.
"Without considering the cost, there are indeed some shortcomings." Bruno nodded.
"Please give me your instructions. I will lead the craftsmen to overcome the difficulties and do my best to improve them!"
Upon hearing this, Matteo Holden immediately said seriously.
"Let's talk about tires first..."
Bruno paused, squatted down, squeezed the front wheel of the bicycle, and then continued:
"If I'm not mistaken, the tires of these two wheels should be solid, right?"
"They are indeed solid." Matteo Holden nodded quickly and said, "You mean... they shouldn't be solid?"
"Solid tires made of hard rubber like this can certainly be used, but they have major shortcomings in terms of shock absorption and other aspects. So... have you ever thought about trying to produce a pneumatic tire?"
In the previous life, it took people forty years to realize this problem, from solid tires to pneumatic tires.
But in today's Principality of Idar, with Bruno's forward-looking vision, he can directly give guidance to the craftsmen, allowing them to realize the existing problems and make improvements.
This is true for tires, bearings, and other components.
"Inflatable tires..." Matteo Holden seemed to realize something and couldn't help muttering to himself.
"Of course," Bruno continued, "Now that the bicycle has been built, you have two main tasks left."
"One is what I just mentioned. Today's bicycles can only be ridden, but they are far from being easy to ride. You should use this as a prototype and continuously improve various components, including tires."
"The other is to control production costs and mass-produce bicycles. When developing bicycles, I told you very clearly that bicycles are positioned as 'a means of transportation that ordinary people can afford'. So you have to put more effort into cost control."
"Don't worry, Your Excellency the Duke. We will do our best to achieve the goal of mass production of these bicycles as soon as possible!"
…
With the farewell of many craftsmen, Bruno led his attendants out of the gate of Idar Public University.
To be honest, the speed of bicycle development was beyond Bruno's imagination.
Because tires are not actually the most difficult part, bearings are the biggest obstacle in the development of bicycles.
Before this, the carriages of the Principality of Idar also had bearings, but they were sliding bearings.
Although the name of the sliding bearing sounds very high-sounding, it is actually a wooden stick inserted into the hole in the center of the wheel, and then the two ends are supported by metal or wood to prevent the wheel from running away during driving.
In order to reduce the friction generated during driving, a large amount of oil must be applied for lubrication.
If you don't apply lubricant, it will not only be tight but also impossible to move.
But now, it is clear that while forging steel, the Idar Steel Works in the Golan Heights has initially acquired the ability to produce ball bearings!
This is great news for Bruno.
Not only do many magic machines need ball bearings, but if we want to move towards magic cars in the future, then bearings are an indispensable part! "Millien's cake shop... seems to be planned to be opened near the university town?" Bruno suddenly changed the subject and remembered something.
"Yes, it's near the East Campus."
"Let's go over there and take a look."
In order to help Millian Morris settle down in Idar Public as soon as possible and allow this noble lady who came from afar to earn some pocket money, Bruno specially provided Millian with several cake and dessert recipes in the form of technical investment.
The cake bakery named "Eugenie Cake Shop" by Millie was also built in the university town area on the south bank of the Idar River.
Although Bruno looked down upon such a small profit, he still held a certain share, so it made sense for him to take a look when he had nothing else to do.
After all... we're already here.
Although the university town has just taken shape, it has already developed in an established manner.
Eugenie Cake Shop is also one of the most eye-catching buildings in this area.
Although it is called a cake shop, there are not many wealthy families in the Principality of Idar, so the main business is baking white bread and other types of new bread.
Not only the merchants near Idar City, but even some bakeries in the Merlin District would come here from time to time to purchase goods.
In the past, white bread would definitely have no market. After all, the only thing ordinary people could afford was coarse and hard black bread.
However, with the rapid development of the Principality of Idar and the influx of a large number of refugees, the sales of both black bread and white bread showed a very obvious upward trend.
The sale of these breads naturally became the main source of income for Eugenie Cake Shop.
When Bruno arrived, Millian Morris had just finished her task at the array research laboratory and was concentrating on the workbench, making a tempting-looking cake with her own hands.
Ever since she learned how to make cakes from Bruno, Millie's love for sweets seemed to have been magnified countless times in an instant.
Unlike Bruno who has always maintained an indifferent attitude towards sweets, the nobles of this era almost all have an extremely strong passion for sweets.
The cake with lots of cream, jam and sugar fascinated Millie even more.
"Actually, you can try adding some fresh fruits to the cake, otherwise you'll get sick of it if you eat too much," Bruno suggested.
"oh……"
Bruno's words startled Miriam. She shuddered and looked at Bruno with some resentment: "My Lord Duke, why did you come here so suddenly without telling me in advance..."
"I saw you were so engrossed just now, so I asked the servant to disturb you. However... making cakes is making cakes, and this is just for you to earn some pocket money. You must not neglect the control of your mental power!" Bruno emphasized.
"I know. Lord Arnel has already told me that I will go to Dorne Port with him. I want to see how strong the mental power of those snails is!" Millie patted her chest and assured confidently.
"And... this is not pocket money, Your Excellency. The monthly turnover of the cake shop alone can bring in a lot of gold coins. If we save this money, we can pay off the mortgage very quickly!"
"If you have settled the matter in Port Dorne, I will help you with the mortgage!" Bruno rolled his eyes and said in a deep voice.
"It's a deal!"
Hearing this, Miriam seemed particularly surprised.
If I can save this money... well, I'll have a lot of pocket money! I'll have a break, no more today, I've finally got the outline of the rest of the post in order.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
