Chapter 1004: New Design
“You don’t need to mind what I’m using it for. Just provide the materials, and I’ll pay you. I’m not lacking money right now,” I said.
“Heh heh, naturally, I shouldn’t inquire about what a guest does. But Old Golden Tooth considers himself friends with you, Miss. If I’m not mistaken, these materials are for making guns, aren’t they?” Old Golden Tooth asked.
I looked at him in surprise. Normally, people would only suspect that alloy steel and wood were for making weapons. Even with lenses, it might just be for telescopes or magic items. Yet, Old Golden Tooth immediately guessed that I intended to make guns.
“Don’t look at me like that. I mean no harm. Heh heh, it’s just that an alloy requiring such toughness, malleability, smoothness, and rust resistance is usually only needed for guns. While there are other possibilities, this is the most likely one,” Old Golden Tooth explained.
“You know quite a bit,” I said, which was my way of confirming his guess.
“Heh heh heh! Goblins have some research on firearms manufacturing. To be honest, I got all these materials from a fellow goblin friend who’s a gunsmith. He even said you’re more likely to be making a gunpowder-ignited firearm than a steam gun,” Old Golden Tooth revealed.
He guessed remarkably accurately. However, it was true that making a steam gun required extremely high-pressure and high-heat resistant metal. Even if it wasn’t the material for the steam chamber itself, the pressure when steam is expelled is immense. Metal that is easily deformable and malleable would definitely warp when used as a gun barrel. The materials alone could hint at some of this.
“Even if you know this, what do you want?” I asked, confused about his intentions.
“My point is, perhaps you, Miss, need the help of a professional. Gun making is a very complex craft, requiring specialized equipment and craftsmen. And we goblins happen to know a thing or two about researching black powder,” Old Golden Tooth said with a smile.
So, he was here to solicit business for his fellow goblins. He must have thought that as a witch, I would know nothing about gun making. Unfortunately for him, I already had everything planned.
The crucial point was that I didn’t trust this so-called goblin technology. While they might have done some research on black powder, goblin black powder products were notoriously unstable and prone to accidental explosions. Goblin technology was famous for its shock value.
As long as I didn’t want the gun to blow up in my hands, it was better to stay away from goblin technology. So, I smiled and politely declined Old Golden Tooth’s offer.
“What a shame. If you need a gunsmith in the future, you can come find me,” Old Golden Tooth said regretfully. “Regarding the workshop rental, I’ve already spoken with Old Fegen. However, he’s currently overwhelmed with a lot of orders. Although he agreed to let you use the workshop, he can’t leave, so you’ll have to share it.”
“That’s fine, I don’t mind,” I replied. Actually, it was perfect. If he was there, even if I didn’t know how to operate his machine tools, I could ask him for help.
“Then you can head over directly. Old Fegen is waiting for you at the workshop,” Old Golden Tooth said.
So, I gathered my materials and paid. It wasn’t expensive, only costing a few silver coins. I then handed over a batch of new potions for Old Golden Tooth to sell, including my newly concocted growth potion and yield-increasing potion.
Old Golden Tooth was once again a source of unexpected pleasant surprise. My alchemical potions were of the same high quality as my magic potions. Furthermore, I had specifically requested that they be sold at a low price, with a limit of three bottles per person.
Since I wanted others in the Church of Gluttony to spread the gospel of Gluttony according to my plan, I should also lead by example and put in my own effort.
Afterward, I headed towards Old Fegen’s workshop. From a distance, I could see white smoke billowing from the workshop’s chimney, and the sound of vigorous hammering echoed from within. It seemed they were busy with work.
I knocked on the door. Old Fegen opened it from the inside, and a wave of heat washed over me. I saw him covered in sweat, his face smudged with soot and grime from the furnace. His skin was blackened, indicating he was exceptionally busy.
“You’re here. Come in. Don’t disturb my work, and don’t touch the finished products carelessly. Otherwise, you’re free to do as you please,” Old Fegen said.
I knew dwarves were generally hot-tempered, so his words were quite polite. It was probably because he had seen me modify a sleeve gun before and acknowledged my skills.
“Understood.” I walked into the workshop. The furnace inside was burning fiercely, and the huge bellows were constantly pumping air into the flames. The steam engine above was operating under high pressure.
Old Fegen paid me no mind and went straight to his anvil. He raised a heavy hammer and began to strike a semi-finished weapon in front of him, which looked like a large scimitar.
Beside him were rows of finished weapons. Many of these handcrafted weapons had personalized details and some exceptionally whimsical little designs.
For example, one saber had a trigger on its hilt. If pulled, it could directly launch the blade to surprise an enemy.
And the lance behind it had gunpowder packed into the spearhead. The spearhead was essentially a fuse igniter. I estimated that in actual combat, either the lance would be launched like a rocket, or it would be held up and detonated upon impact with the target.
“These are custom orders from clients. With the recent increase in monsters, the orders have piled up. I’m busy all day, I don’t even have time to drink beer,” Old Fegen complained while hammering, as if more orders weren’t a good thing.
Only a dwarf could wield such a heavy hammer and strike with such force continuously. Although I had drunk a strength potion and could barely lift that hammer, I probably wouldn’t be able to swing it more than a dozen times before getting exhausted.
So, I decided not to engage in such a physically demanding task. I would start with the intellectual work first. I took out Mr. Zhang’s blueprints and laid them out on the workbench, then began to focus on modifying the design drawings.
I had reviewed the blueprints last night and had a general understanding of the design. Mr. Zhang had told me the blueprint he gave me was a copy, and I was free to modify it as I pleased.
Although I had made changes on-site last night, I lacked professional drawing tools. And I couldn’t just draw perfect circles and squares like Older Brother Jayad, who didn’t even need a compass.
This workbench was equipped with professional tools: calipers, protractors, and compasses. The desk itself had engraved grid lines for easy drawing.
First, I would fulfill my promise to modify the steam engine. I was too lazy to modify this old-fashioned steam engine on the blueprints, so I drew a new one – a novel steam turbine.
Using the knowledge I had deduced in my mind, I selected the most advanced technology available. Then, based on the actual size of the ship, I installed a new type of steam turbine. This was almost equivalent to a completely new design.
In fact, it was a new design. I estimated that even if steam turbines already existed in this world, the one I was drawing would be far more advanced. It integrated a vast amount of theoretical technology, making it even more sophisticated than the turbine engines on modern aircraft carriers from my previous life.
