infodatos Chapter 197 The Development of "Airplanes"
Chapter 197 The Development of "Airplanes"
Chapter 197 The Development of "Airplanes"
Catherine Grey was preparing her lesson in her teacher's office at that moment.
Since obtaining her bar license, she has proven that her level of expertise has surpassed that of most of the school's teachers, so it was natural for her to become a teaching assistant for the teachers while still a student, helping them mentor students.
Around her desk were many fresh flowers and snacks.
As a young, sweet-looking, and promising girl, Catherine Grey has many suitors at school, including many from famous noble families, so she receives many love letters and flowers every day.
However, she was not interested in any of these things. She never opened a single love letter, gave the flowers to the school's gardener, and shared her snacks with her classmates and office staff, which saddened many innocent young men.
Of course, Backlund University, as the highest institution of learning in the Kingdom of Rune, represents the highest academic level in Rune.
However, there were also some arrogant and self-important noblemen who were furious at her disrespectful behavior. They unreasonably blocked her way and tried to drag her, only to be beaten black and blue in front of everyone, leaving them looking like wolves and foxes.
After that incident, Catherine Grey received far less harassment, but her popularity only increased. People of this era had never seen such an energetic and strong woman before, and for the first time, they experienced the charm of her unexpected personality, to the point that she is now even showing signs of going mainstream.
"Miss Grey, there is a young baron named Evan outside who is looking for you."
Upon hearing this announcement, the previously noisy office suddenly fell silent. Everyone was eagerly anticipating the spectacle, wondering how Catherine Grey would once again refuse an invitation from a nobleman.
To their surprise, Catherine Grey, though seemingly surprised, put down her pen and left the office.
Everyone in the office exchanged surprised glances, then rushed to the window to watch as Miss Catherine Grey boarded a carriage, hand in hand with an exceptionally handsome nobleman.
This caused the men who witnessed the scene to let out a wail, while the women felt a sour taste in their mouths, as if the midday sun had dimmed and the sky had darkened.
Hearing the faint mournful sounds outside the carriage, Evan smiled and looked at Catherine Grey before saying:
"I didn't realize you were so popular at school. Looks like what happened last time had the opposite effect!"
Catherine Grey smiled wryly; she was now even more famous than before, and people recognized her wherever she went.
"I really don't understand what you guys are thinking. I thought showing some violence would scare some guys away, but I didn't expect it to attract more attention."
Previously, she had been harassed by some suitors, which was extremely annoying. In addition, she had successfully promoted to a "Barbarian" of Sequence 8. So she deliberately found a target of high status, provoked his anger, beat him up in public, and then asked Evan to help her settle things.
Her original intention was to discourage some suitors and, at the same time, see if she could create a savage and violent image in other people's minds to make it easier for her to digest the potion.
However, unexpectedly, it backfired, making her even more famous. In addition, some people created comics of her holding a life-sized hammer, which ultimately led to her breaking into the mainstream.
The downside of going viral is that now wherever she goes, people recognize her, and some even follow her, which is impossible to stop and is seriously affecting her ability to see Grandpa Collins.
Evan smiled at this. He had warned Catherine Grey before that her sweet appearance and approachable demeanor, combined with her skill in violence, would easily appeal to people and divert their attention elsewhere, but unfortunately she hadn't listened.
Catherine Grey made a brief comment, then came to her senses and asked:
"Why did you suddenly come to the school to see me today? Is there something you need?"
Evan had never visited her at Backlund University before; he always used a habitual method of contacting her, such as marking her name.
"Two things. I recently attended an extraordinary gathering of high-ranking powerful individuals, and I'd like you to ask Mr. 'Craftsman' if he'd be interested in attending. I can act as an intermediary!"
The vampire clan to which Ms. Amanda belongs has a long-standing partnership with the Horn family, and he doesn't believe that Ms. Amanda didn't invite Robert. Evan even suspects that the party was co-hosted by Robert and Ms. Amanda.
Because he didn't have enough leverage, Evan continued to try to win over the demigod "Craftsman" behind Catherine Grey.
So I've been very troubled and can only increase my investment in Catherine Grey.
However, Amanda's gathering was an opportunity, a chance to win over this mysterious demigod, the "craftsman."
Even if he couldn't directly win over this demigod, introducing him to the gathering would still be useful to Robert and Ms. Amanda, and for Evan, it would be like the meat rotting in the pot, so it wouldn't be a loss no matter what.
When it came to Grandpa Collins's question, Catherine Grey suddenly became serious and pressed Evan for many details about the party.
She also felt that Grandpa Collins was too much of a shut-in, spending all his time holed up in the cave researching and manufacturing machinery, and should come out and move around more.
Evan told Catherine Grey everything he could, and she was quite intrigued by what he said, so she quickly pressed for more information:
"Since this party is so high-class, may I attend?"
Evan gave a wry smile. Even he had gotten in through connections; Catherine Grey was merely a Sequence 8.
"Barbarians," how could they possibly join?
But he knew that if he wanted to persuade the demigod "Craftsman," Catherine Grey's persuasion would be crucial, so he didn't completely rule it out, but rather said somewhat awkwardly:
"That gathering requires an introducer and has certain requirements for participants. Your current rank is too low, making it difficult to join, but—"
Catherine Grey was already somewhat disappointed, but seeing that Evan hadn't finished speaking, she quickly asked:
"But what?"
"However, if you can persuade the 'craftsman' behind you to join in, and have him put in a good word for you..."
They should be able to make an exception.
Catherine Grey wasn't oblivious either; she realized that Evan was trying to coax her into helping him persuade her.
She originally just wanted to inform Grandpa Collins, and whether or not to participate was up to him; she wouldn't interfere. But now she's been persuaded by Evan.
Seeing that Catherine Grey nodded in agreement to help persuade her, Evan breathed a sigh of relief. He then continued:
"Another thing is that the research on new sky weapons in the Backlund University lab project list you gave me before, have you? The relevant team hasn't been disbanded, has it?"
Evan once asked Catherine Grey to use her position as a teaching assistant at Backlund University to keep an eye out for any valuable investment opportunities.
Unexpectedly, there were an unusually large number of projects. A while ago, Catherine Grey gave Evan a huge amount of information, which really made Evan's head spin.
But what really caught Evan's attention in this investment document was a research plan for a new type of sky weapon.
Currently, all countries in the Northern Continent have air forces, with airships as their main equipment, but they are not an independent branch of the military, but rather an adjunct to the army.
This is because the inherent defects of airships make them more suitable as transportation tools than as combat vehicles. This determines that in the army of the Kingdom of Rune, air forces can only serve as an adjunct to the army.
In the Northern Continent, the nation that places the greatest emphasis on air power is the Fusak Empire. They use airships as independent combat platforms and vigorously develop their air forces because their royal family is the Evanhorn family, which controls the Hunter's Path.
The Fusak Empire can utilize the "Gathering" authority through the Hunter pathway to share its abilities and compensate for the airship's shortcomings to the greatest extent possible.
At the debriefing meeting following the defeat of the Kingdom of Rune in the war against the Fusak Empire in the Southern Continent, someone explicitly mentioned that the Fusak Empire possessed airships. This gave them a significant advantage in terms of rapid support, transporting strategic materials, and providing fire support, which was a major reason why the Rune army was ultimately unable to continue fighting.
This is why, despite the fact that after Emperor Roselle initiated the Industrial Revolution, the Kingdom of Intis and the Kingdom of Rune, who benefited the most, were forced to acknowledge that the Fusak Empire was the most powerful country in the Northern Continent.
Warrior + Hunter + Airship is an almost unbeatable combination in world warfare; anyone who fights this combination will suffer a loss.
Rune's response was to fully leverage its strengths, massively expand its navy, capitalize on its advantages and avoid its weaknesses, take advantage of the Storm Church's control over the sea, and exploit the weakness of the Fusak Empire's industrial cities being located along the inter-sea coast to create an equal force.
The result of having equal power is that, without the determination to break off relations, the conflicts between the Fusak Empire and the Kingdom of Rune are resolved on the southern continent, stopping short of a full-blown conflict. The defeated party automatically concedes, while the victorious party does not pursue the matter excessively.
On the surface, it seems like the problem has been solved, but politicians and military personnel are people who tend to think of the worst-case scenario.
Once the two countries truly break off relations and start fighting, targeting each other's most vulnerable points, the value of bottles and jars will diminish, and the so-called prestige will become a joke. The Kingdom of Rune will still find it difficult to have effective countermeasures against the threat from the sky.
So when Evan saw the development plan for the new type of sky weapon in his hand, his eyes widened immediately, because the accompanying concept drawings were very close to the propeller plane in Evan's memory.
However, the reality was that the research plan was rejected after being reviewed by the Department of Defense, and the entire research team was almost disbanded.
Evan was very puzzled by this. If the Kingdom of Rune had the means to deal with the airships of the Fusak Empire, it would definitely support it with all its might. Why would it reject this research plan?
After investigation, Evan discovered that the problem still lay with the "Hunter." The Fusak airship force, empowered by the "Hunter," could not be dealt with by aircraft that could only use ordinary guns and cannons.
The Hunter's enhancements to weapons and equipment are so great that even having other demigods lead aircraft into the air wouldn't produce much better results.
With this resource, it would be more practical to build more anti-aircraft weapons.
The Royal Family of Rune and the Ministry of Defense had also considered training extraordinary individuals with the Hunter Path to enter the military. After all, no matter how rare the extraordinary characteristics of demigods with the Hunter Path were, the three major churches and the Royal Family could still provide them.
However, after evaluation, it was still considered to be a losing proposition, because the suppression of those with the same path was extremely strong, almost to the point of being powerless to fight back. Unless an angel with the "Hunter" path was cultivated, it would be impossible to offset the advantage of the Fussac Empire on the battlefield.
However, Evan had no such worries. There was no "Hunter" in the world who could suppress him. Once the "Hunters" of the Fusak Empire could no longer suppress him, the battle between the two sides would be a matter of how advanced their weapons were and how strong their combat power was.
In this way, the propeller aircraft development program, which was considered useless by the Department of Defense, became invaluable in Ivan's eyes.
Catherine Grey hadn't expected Evan to be interested in the plan that had already been rejected by the Department of Defense. She had only included the plan in the list provided to Evan because Grandpa Collins seemed to be interested in the design as well, so she just slipped it in.
"The research team doesn't seem to have been officially disbanded yet; after all, the Department of Defense hasn't made an official announcement. Are you really determined to invest? This isn't a small amount of money!"
"It's too early to talk about making a decision on investment now. Let's meet with the head of the research team first! How far is that research team from here?"
Evan actually had some doubts about that aircraft design drawing, so he wanted to ask about it in person.
"It's not too far from here. After all, their project is too big. Without funding from the Ministry of National Defense, they can't conduct experiments and verifications. So they don't need to go to experimental sites in the suburbs. The entire research team is at the university."
It was clear that Catherine Grey had fulfilled her duties diligently in carrying out the tasks assigned to her by Evan. She was fully aware of everything, even the research plans that Evan had casually shoved into the list, and she explained the relevant details without hesitation.
Evan nodded and said, "Seeing is believing. No matter what, we have to go and see. Lead the way!"
Catherine Grey stopped trying to persuade her. She was just a "lawyer." She could help her employer a lot, but the final decision was for the employer to make. She would never overstep her bounds; it was a matter of professional ethics.
Before long, guided by Catherine Grey, the carriage arrived at an open space. There were some scattered houses around the space, and people wearing white coats and glasses were coming and going.
The open space was divided into zones, where many teams were experimenting with their inventions and creations, creating a vibrant scene.
Guided by Catherine Grey, Evan arrived at a laboratory. Upon entering, unlike the bustling scene outside, the laboratory staff were all silent, and the atmosphere was extremely tense and deathly still.
It is clear that they are already aware of the Department of Defense's assessment of their project.
"Only half of the original number of researchers are still here now; those who are no longer here have probably gone elsewhere to find other opportunities."
Seeing Evan curiously observing the idle researchers, Catherine Grey quietly offered an explanation.
Soon, Evan met Professor Murphy, the head of the laboratory. He was a bit overweight, but you could still see his handsome looks from when he was young.
What puzzled Evan was that his appearance and clothing were very characteristic of the Intis people, which made Evan wonder if the project was rejected by the Ministry of Defense due to prejudice.
Perhaps sensing Evan's doubts, Professor Murphy took the initiative to shake hands and then said:
"My parents are from Intis, but as everyone knows, the political situation in Intis is too chaotic, and there are frequent riots, so my parents moved to Rune."
I was born in Rune and have lived there my whole life, so I am 100% a Rune.
"Professor Murphy is an academician of the Royal Academy of Sciences of the Kingdom of Rune and a recipient of the Roselle Invention Prize, making great contributions to the kingdom."
Catherine Grey also offered an explanation to Professor Murphy.
Evan quickly shook hands with Professor Murphy and said apologetically:
"Judging people by their appearance is a human flaw; I was being rude."
"No need to apologize. I've actually gotten used to it. I heard you came here for our aerial weapons project?"
3
Professor Murphy was very magnanimous and did not pursue Evan's rudeness. Instead, he went straight to the point and talked about the topic he was most concerned about.
In fact, when he was forming this research group, some people had already advised him that the project might not be so easy to pass, but he did not listen.
Sitting in Professor Murphy's office, Evan casually glanced at the banners of honor and gleaming trophies hanging around him, then said:
"I am indeed very interested in the research plan you submitted and I think the rendering you drew is great. I am not questioning your research ability, but I have never heard of similar research before. You suddenly produced a very detailed rendering, which is very intriguing."
Evan's words startled Catherine Grey, who was standing nearby, because they could easily be interpreted as accusing Professor Murphy of plagiarism. So Catherine Grey nervously looked at Professor Murphy.
But to Catherine Grey's surprise, Evan's words didn't enrage Professor Murphy. Instead, his eyes lit up as he looked at Evan, and then he smiled and said:
You're right, that rendering is indeed not my work; it's the masterpiece of Emperor Roselle.
After Emperor Roselle died, his manuscripts were scattered among the people, and my parents collected one of them, which is the rendering you saw.
I studied his renderings a long time ago and felt that the things in them perfectly matched the fluid dynamics he had mentioned before, making it an absolutely groundbreaking weapon that could be made.
From this point on, humanity will conquer not only the land, nor merely the sea, but also the sky.
Evan thought to himself, "Just as I thought." When he saw the rendering today, he immediately recognized it as a biplane propeller plane that appeared in World War I in his previous life. No wonder the rendering looked so similar; it turned out to be a legacy of Russell.
Having obtained the information he wanted, Evan stopped rambling and spoke directly:
"Professor Murphy, I'd like to invest in your Sky Weapon project, but as you and I both know, it's an enormous investment. Even if I put in ten thousand gold pounds, it would probably be a complete waste. So, I'd like to find a compromise!"
"A compromise? How?" Professor Murphy looked at Evan with interest. Because of the question Evan had just raised, he thought Evan was also an expert. In addition, building airplanes was his childhood dream. The Department of Defense's investment was obviously out of the question, so he was very accommodating to the potential investor.
"Your project was designed from the very beginning with the goal of developing weapons, so much of the research involved is actually unnecessary."
Let's simplify this research for now. First, build it and make it fly, and then significantly improve its maneuverability.
"If we have good maneuverability, I can organize flying competitions to showcase its superiority over airships to various dignitaries, thus drawing the attention of the Ministry of Defense back."
Professor Murphy nodded repeatedly at Evan's words. With his STEM background, he felt that Evan's method was very reasonable and feasible. Catherine Grey's eyes widened as she looked Evan up and down, as if she felt she should re-evaluate him.
With just a few words, Evan essentially brought the project back to life. The only question is whether the plane can actually be built.
"I believe that with the current technological reserves, there should not be too much of a problem in building the aircraft that Emperor Rosell envisioned in person, but there are some problems with the testing."
To make an aircraft fly, its weight must be reduced as much as possible. On the other hand, it needs a huge amount of energy that is easy to carry and can save a lot of space.
The energy contained in coal is absolutely insufficient, as it takes up too much space. Airships can use coal to boil water and produce steam, but this is absolutely not possible for aircraft. Therefore, only phlogiston can be used as fuel.
However, phlogiston is a strictly prohibited contraband. Without the support of the Ministry of National Defense, how can we obtain the relevant phlogiston for experiments?
Evan frowned. This was indeed a problem. There was no oil in this world, something that Emperor Roselle, a pioneer of time travel, had personally verified.
This led the world's energy development into a completely unfamiliar area for Evan, resulting in the emergence of "phlogiston," something that, according to Evan's previous education, made no sense at all, yet actually existed.
Because of the advent of phlogiston, steam in this world has been used in all sorts of creative ways, even leading to things like high-pressure steam rifles that challenge Evan's understanding.
Now that Evan wants to build airplanes, phlogiston has become an unavoidable problem.
However, this problem was not a big problem for Evan. Although phlogiston was a military controlled product, it was not rare due to its special characteristics, and there were ways to get it, whether through formal or informal channels.
"I'll handle this. Is there any other problem?"
"Once you can solve the phlogiston problem, the only remaining question is how much money you can invest."
?
Professor Murphy was overjoyed that Ivan had taken over the phlogiston problem so easily.
Seeing Professor Murphy's expectant gaze, Evan smiled, took a check out of his pocket, placed it on the coffee table, and pushed it in front of Professor Murphy.
Professor Murphy picked it up and saw a '3' written on it, followed by four 0s.