On October 29, 830, common era, a new workshop was about to be put into use.
For everyone, this was truly a cause for celebration. As a result, at least two or three thousand more people came to watch the excitement. If it weren't for everyone having their own production tasks, it's terrifying to think that tens of thousands of people would have gathered instantly.
After the changes at Red Maple Factory, and after the military representatives, government, and even capitalists all withdrew from Maple City, several old factories were forced to close every now and then, but this was the first time they saw a new factory open.
The older workers were all a little teary-eyed, and although the Luminans don't have the ability to shed tears, everyone just needed to understand the sentiment.
In reality, this couldn't be called a workshop, but rather a sealed artificial magnetic field. Once the pulse collider, made by everyone from disassembled spaceship parts, was activated, it would form an artificial magnetic field in this enclosed space, neutralizing the magnetic field inherent in taion ore. Subsequently, these high-quality minerals, which had already undergone ore dressing and acid washing, and then magnetic neutralization, would be directly fed from the workshop's production line into the adjacent, already modified blast furnace for the final smelting.
The blast furnace next to the workshop was also newly built. During this time, Babalu, with all his companions, built it step by step, working three shifts.
Even if the existing engineering technology was very sci-fi, building a blast furnace was, after all, different from building a road. The technical requirements and construction specifications were a completely different set of standards. The fact that Babalu and his companions were able to build it was already a miracle in heavy industry engineering.
We also have to thank the factory for only having problems for a dozen years, not decades or a hundred years, otherwise, if the old technicians had truly all died, even if Babalu had three heads and six arms, and even if Yu Lian had drawn the blueprints, this furnace could not have been built.
However, building it is one thing; whether it can be used is another.
Yu Lian looked at the blast furnace and always felt that it had the flavor of Lego bricks assembled by a three-year-old. It was put together, but it always seemed to have an incongruous feeling, as if various parts were forced together.
If there were a proper Engineer, they certainly wouldn't allow it to pass inspection.
Yu Lian, who was not a proper Engineer, personally went up to inspect it and felt that it could barely be used. The service life and safety of this thing would certainly not be as good as a regular blast furnace, but this was the limit of what everyone at Red Maple Factory could do.
What's more, back then—no, in the future Volunteer Army era—the furnaces everyone used to refine steel and alloys were even more absurd than this!
However, since it wasn't wartime, this thing could only be used for emergencies. Once this order with New Seville was completed, the factory should have some surplus money, and they would still need to invite a professional engineering team to re-lay the production line.
Yu Lian licked his lips and looked back at everyone. Babalu, Buska, Stoker, Xia Xiake, Beikai—these worker leaders of Red Maple Factory were all gathered around him.
He gestured to Babalu with his eyes, but the latter made a 'please' gesture.
Yu Lian no longer hesitated and placed his hand on the start button.
"Begin the first test run!" Captain Yu Lian said.
"The auspicious moment has arrived! May the universe spirit bless us!" Captain Yu Lian heard the oldest and most respected Old Beikai shout loudly, and he quickly pressed the button.
First, there was a rumbling sound like thunder; that was the machine's kinetic energy starting, the reaction of injecting energy into the two pulse machines.
A few seconds later, someone vaguely heard a crackling sound, which sounded like an electrical arc jumping.
A slight commotion appeared in the crowd. Babalu also couldn't help but feel a little nervous, looking at his friend, only to find that he had disappeared at some point.
The sound of the electric arc rubbing in the air grew more intense, seeping from the enclosed space to the outside. Even a Three Rings spiritual energy user like Yu Lian had to put on a pair of goggles to be able to look directly through the window at the magnetic field reaction formed by the pulse beam inside the workshop.
The "natural" magnetic field of the taion ore and the artificial magnetic field formed by the pulse created a chaotic conflict, forming an almost invisible electromagnetic vortex.
There's a problem, it needs to be readjusted! Yu Lian made this judgment, then felt a slight numbness. He directly closed the switch and shouted back, "Put on your protective suits!"
"Captain, we are ready!" Captain Yu Lian heard Stoker's voice and couldn't help but look back, only to find that a dozen core members of the technical team, led by Buska and Stoker, had already put on their insulating protective suits.
What is subjective initiative? This was probably it.
Captain Yu Lian hid a touch of emotion in his heart and immediately began giving orders.
"Buska, the power output is too high! Reduce it to 12 degrees!"
Buska, in his bulky insulating protective suit, rushed to a complex capacitor bank nearby and began to adjust it.
"Stoker, there's some obstruction on the sensor side, inspect it immediately!"
The graduate student also started to move with a few people. He had clearly studied spinning machines, but he was very skilled at handling heavy motors.
Yu Lian, on the other hand, pulled open the small door of the workshop and walked directly in, as everyone watched with expressions of visual wonder. He stood in the electromagnetic vortex that had not completely dissipated, letting spiritual energy flow through every cell, resisting the energy's invasion while observing the state of the taion ore suspended in the air.
A few minutes later, Yu Lian walked out again and closed the large door made of insulating material.
This time, everyone's gaze at him was as if they were staring at a self-walking Dinosaur Bird.
Yu Lian pretended not to see and began giving orders again.
"Buska, increase the input power to 12.65 degrees."
"Stoker, are the sensors normal? What, you're readjusting the resistance? You've already dismantled the hull material? You really know how to manage a household!"
It must be admitted that the average skill level of these factory technicians was far inferior to the future Volunteer Army elites and the tech-savvy individuals on Captain Yu Lian's 'Ranger's Freedom' ship in his previous life, but they knew to prepare in advance, to infer from one example, and to execute his instructions meticulously, one hundred percent.
Fighting alongside these people might be physically tiring, but mentally, it was very relaxing.
"Ten minutes later, prepare for the second start!" Captain Yu Lian said.
"Second start in ten minutes!" Buska loudly repeated Captain Yu Lian's order, like a first mate repeating a tactical command given by the Captain.
At this moment, Babalu also waved his hand, leading his fellow workers to prepare to leave.
"Where are you going?" His master, Old Beikai, asked.
"I'm going to watch over the blast furnace!" Babalu said. Since he said that, he probably didn't think the second start would fail at all.
Old Beikai didn't know whether he should be worried or comforted. However, this respected old Luminous man also knew that he seemed to lack this very drive compared to his apprentice.
His master, the previous worker leader of Red Maple Factory, Tom Wise, probably bypassed him and chose his grand-apprentice Babalu as his successor for this very reason.
"Xia Xiake, please make sure to keep an eye on Captain Yu Lian later!" Babalu instructed again.
The sight of Captain Yu Lian directly opening the door and entering the magnetic storm site just now was truly too subversion normal creatures' worldview, making Babalu's legs still a little weak. Although he had seen many crazy actions from this diverse officer over the past two weeks, he still couldn't get used to it.
Can I keep an eye on him? The Captain of the hunting team and self-defense force reluctantly clicked the carapace on his cheek and responded.
Babalu left with a large group of capable subordinates, looking at first glance as if they were going to have a gang fight. They were miners, but they could also be furnace workers, and naturally, they were the most elite, strongest, and most thick-skinned group in a metallurgical factory.
Thinking about it, they probably should be the strongest fighters as well.
Yu Lian naturally saw Babalu's actions. His gaze lingered on Babalu's back for a moment, then he turned around and began the final mechanical debugging.
At this moment, he once again felt everyone's gaze on him.
These two weeks at Red Maple Factory were probably the two worst weeks in terms of quality of life since he had been reborn.
The staple food every day was basically sweet potatoes and mixed vegetable porridge, at most occasionally seeing one or two Dinosaur Bird eggs.
The sleeping place was a narrow single apartment, and he would accidentally hit the bed frame when getting up. There were no colorful entertainment activities either.
There was no other way. In a city community that had lost large-scale interstellar trade and could only maintain basic life through bartering, this might be the limit of their quality of life.
It could even be said that if it weren't for two consecutive generations of worker leaders, who were ordinary by birth but had the demeanor of saints and were civilian heroes, this factory would no longer exist.
However, these were also the two most comfortable weeks for Yu Lian.
Neither the vast sand sea of New Yumen, nor the luxurious cruise ships traversing the starry sky, nor Earth, the center of the Commonwealth, made him as comfortable as this small city located in a remote corner of the universe.
"This is why you don't want to leave, isn't it?" Yu Lian held the control stick and shouted to Cerdy Stoke.
"Huh?" The other person was wearing a protective suit and couldn't hear clearly at all.
"Shouldn't there be more places like this in the universe?" Yu Lian shouted again.
The other person pointed to his ear and spread his hands.
Yu Lian chuckled and pressed the button down firmly.
The roar of the machine was incredibly smooth, and the flickering of the electromagnetism also inexplicably carried a comforting rhythmic feel. Even when the magnetic field vortex formed again in the enclosed space, it seemed gentle.
Yu Lian no longer needed goggles this time; he could directly look at the halo on the taion ore.
This time, the start was very smooth.
He vaguely heard Buska's cheers and suddenly felt a distinct sense of fatigue.
Yu Lian then suddenly realized that in these two weeks, his average sleep time each day was actually no more than two hours. If he weren't a Three Rings spiritual energy user, he would have collapsed long ago.
Don't worry! After Five Rings, sleep will become a luxury rather than a necessity. At that time, life span will truly have doubled.
Yu Lian let the machine continue to run, moved a few steps away, and found a place to sit down.
With a gentle uncle-like smile on his face, he looked at the cheering onlookers, pulled out a crumpled pack of lao dao (old blade) from his pocket, and put one in his mouth.
"Captain, if there were more places like this in the universe, it would certainly be much better!"
Cerdy Stoke said. He had already taken off his protective suit helmet, looking at the machine that had started to turn, and the workshop faintly flickering with blue electric sparks. His expression was full of yearning, as if he were yearning for his goddess.
Further away, the blast furnace, which everyone had just finished building, had also started. That somewhat awkward, high industrial building, which felt out of place like building blocks, was also operating calmly.
Yu Lian smiled and said nothing. He didn't want to talk right now; he just wanted to enjoy the sense of accomplishment at this moment.
He sat for an unknown amount of time, but then he heard the distant clamor seemingly coalesce into a joyful roar and cheer. The wave of happiness surged from afar, drawing the tranquil Yu Lian into a pleasant mood.
"It's out!" Someone shouted.
"Success! Success!"
"Yay! We finally succeeded!"
"Taishi Alloy! Natural Alloy!"
"It's out of the pot! A good pot has come out!"