106 Dungeon Gentleman (1/2)
”You designed all this?” Ye Qingxuan glanced around at everything scattered throughout the workshop.
”Yeah, you know, I’m the nationally recognized failure. Nothing works out no matter how hard I try to be a musician, so to kill time, I just make some weird things.
”There are a lot of mentions of machines from before the Dark Ages in ancient texts. All of them are so amazing they sound like myths. Apparently, they could shrink people and put them in a small box so you could watch them sing and dance. ‘Till this day, people still believe that people in the past could shake a steel box and create a pretty girl to enjoy the night with. It was such an incredible era…” As Charles spoke, his expression became dazed, but when he realized that he was getting off topic, he coughed and quickly refocused.
”Anyway, please don’t mind. I just wanted to make some things and maybe make some money, but I actually put a lot of money into this and now I’ve got loan sharks on my back, but I still made some pretty cool stuff.”
He pointed at the giant bat-like iron structure with a membrane pulled over it, ”Look at this one. It’s a flapping aero-machine! I got the inspiration from the Wright Brothers! I jumped off of the Tower Bridge with this and flew for more than a hundred meters!”
”…Senior, the Tower Bridge is one-hundred meters tall. It would probably be the same as if you had just jumped down directly.”
”Uh, let’s not worry about specifics. Look at this!” Charles pointed at the mechanic carriage in the corner, ”This carriage doesn’t need the power of horses. You can power it just by hand! Isn’t it great? It’s a totally revolutionary innovation!”
Ye Qingxuan’s face twitched, ”Senior, bicycles have existed for a long time. What did you change other than turning the pedal into a bar for hands?”
”I changed a lot, alright? Look at this! It’s seriously revolutionary!” Suddenly excited, Charles jumped onto the carriage. He lifted a machine the size of a melon and placed it before Ye Qingxuan.
”Look, an aether engine! I designed an entirely new motor system so it’s powered by the aether! The metal inside is magnetized, creating a magnetic field that produces an electric current. This is just a model but it can…uh, it can kind of work, probably? But unfortunately we’re in a chaotic aether zone and it’s not stable enough. I can’t make it completely soundless.” As he spoke, he stepped onto the motor. He stuck a handle inside and began spinning it furiously. Brought on by the spinning handle, the motor began shaking. As if it was already starting to run, it produced a thunderous and deafening sound!
Ye Qingxuan was unsure if they had the same definitions for words, ”It’s not soundless…it’s practically a freaking explosion!”
In early times, when man first started researching mechanic power systems, they had thought it would be a revolutionary and world-changing invention. All of humanity would benefit from it. But soon, the natural environment cruelly rejected the power system. It was okay in the safety zone of the mainland, but once the density of aether was raised to a certain point, the activity would multiply exponentially. If the density rose too high, it would create the Dark World, which was the black zone on the map. The aether would react to any sound there. It was a vacuum, entirely void of sound. Even the sound of clothes rustling would lead to unforeseeable changes, not to mention the sounds of multiple power systems activating. The uncontrollable aether would create disastrous results. The most common was…explosion, explosion, explosion!
”Senior, your inventions will be seen as weapons!”
Charles face fell under Ye Qingxuan’s heartless criticism, but he became excited again quickly. Pointing at a small thing on the aether engine, he said, ”Sh, don’t talk. Use your heart to feel…”
Ye Qingxuan stared at the glass shade the size of a thumb sitting on the aether engine. Some type of metal thread inside slowly lit up. It flickered with the weak light of a candle, but at least it lit up.
”What do you think? Isn’t it awesome?” Charles gestured excitedly, ”This is an entirely new type of illumination. You can turn the heat of gold thread into light! I experimented with hundreds of materials before I found the best match. Do you want to know? Do you wanna know?” He batted his lashes in anticipation. He seemed to be waiting for a chance to brag, his eyes saying, ”All you have to do is ask and I’ll tell you.”
Ye Qingxuan helplessly looked away, ”Am I even allowed to say no?” He could not bear to remind Charles that the ‘masterpiece’ he had worked so hard to light up was not even as powerful as a new student’s rune effect. He could only try changing the subject, ”Uh, Senior, didn’t you say you have something for me?”