Hot Air Balloon
"Veronica, do you remember what I taught you about what happens when air is heated?"
Victor had by then snapped out of his work and noticed Veronica's words.
"Of course, you know I have a photographic memory. When air is heated, its volume expands and its density decreases."
"That's right, this hot air balloon is made using this principle."
"Look, it consists of three parts: the airbag, the burner, and the basket."
"When the burner is turned on, the internal space of the airbag is heated. The air expands in volume and decreases in density when heated. When the density of the hot air inside the airbag is less than that of the cold air outside, an upward net buoyancy is generated."
"So as long as the net buoyancy provided is greater than the weight of the basket below, this airbag can carry the basket below into the air."
Veronica quickly understood the principles behind hot air balloons.
Victor nodded in satisfaction and continued.
"The burner can burn fuel to spray flames to continuously heat the air in the gas chamber. The rise and fall are controlled by adjusting the heating intensity—it rises when heating is stopped and falls when the top valve is released to discharge hot air."
"As for the burner, I think we can use pressurization to atomize the fuel, mix it with air, turn it into a combustible gas, and then ignite it through a pipe to create a jet effect. It's not difficult to do; all you need is an air pump and a control valve."
"Veronica, you're amazing! I didn't expect you to design a preliminary plan so quickly. But you can take a look at my burner drawings; you can make some modifications to them."
"Let me see, oh, there are eight parts in total: fuel tank, air pump, air release valve, filler screw, regulating valve, nozzle and spray pipe."
"Sunflower Oil is the most suitable fuel, and high-purity alcohol is also an option, but it's too expensive. The air pump is used to pressurize the fuel tank, so the fuel tank also needs to withstand high pressure. The piston and valve inside the air pump aren't a problem for us; the design of Internal Combustion Engine Number One can be used. As for the vent valve, we need to experiment with it carefully. We don't know how much pressure Sunflower Oil needs to vaporize and be discharged smoothly. The filler plug and regulating valve can directly use the existing design of Internal Combustion Engine Number One without much modification. The nozzle and nozzle itself aren't difficult to design. I think we can design the nozzle to have a longer curve to accelerate fuel combustion."
Veronica proved to be a genius, quickly providing feasibility suggestions based on Victor's plan.
Seeing Veronica's performance, Victor decided not to let Number One use the Calculation Module to optimize the design anymore. He entrusted the entire hot air balloon project to Veronica for design and implementation, which would greatly benefit her future research.
"But Victor, I'm not sure what material would be best for the airbag."
Veronica tilted her head and continued.
"Silk might be the best material, as it is strong, lightweight, and heat-resistant, but it is too expensive and not moisture-resistant. To make an airbag that can lift 100 kilograms, you would need at least 200 square meters of silk, and one square meter of silk would cost at least 10 gold coins, which would add up to 2,000 gold coins, which is too unrealistic."
"Linen is breathable and wear-resistant, but it is not as strong as silk. A square meter of linen is very cheap, costing between 5 copper coins and 1 Silver Coin. Making a 200-square-meter airbag would cost at most 8 gold coins. With the burner and the basket, the total cost is no more than 30 gold coins, which is enough to equip a large number of units."
"However, in terms of cost, the cotton cloth produced in Two Rivers Territory is cheaper, but its heat resistance is not as good as that of linen."
Veronica rubbed her head, her long, light golden hair changing shape in her hands, with strands occasionally being pulled, which made Victor feel sorry for her. Veronica always did this when she was thinking. Fortunately, she had a lot of hair, so there was no risk of going bald.
Suddenly she slammed her hand on the table and shouted.
"I've got it, Victor. I can make it by mixing flax and silk. I can use silk at the joints to increase the strength of the airbag, and I can also use silk around the burner to improve the heat resistance of the airbag."
"In this way, only 20 to 30 square meters of silk are needed, and the cost of a single hot air balloon can be controlled within 300 gold."
"Victor, turn the ship around right now and let's go back to Two Rivers Territory to build a hot air balloon. Many things are readily available, and ten days will be enough for me to make a prototype. I'll also take a test ride then."
Victor smiled wryly and stopped Veronica.
He had anticipated that telling Veronica about the hot air balloon would elicit great enthusiasm from her, but he hadn't expected her reaction to be so intense. It seemed Veronica had a dream of flying.
"Veronica, you promised me you'd come to Iron Mountain Fortress with me. Why are you going back on your word?"
"That's different. Hot air balloons are different. I want to go back."
"No, you'd better stay here obediently and come with me to Iron Mountain Fortress."
"Please, Victor, my viscount."
Veronica moved closer to Victor, her eyes full of tenderness. She tugged at Victor's sleeve coquettishly and said, "Victor, take me home."
As she spoke, she tiptoed slightly, her arms wrapping around Victor's neck like vines, her lips parted slightly, her breath sweet as orchids. "Haven't you always wanted me to wear that dress? I'll promise you, okay?"
Looking at the beautiful woman in front of him, Victor realized for the first time how strong she was; he couldn't even break free from her arms.
However, in the end, Victor resisted Veronica's temptation with his strong will.
He took Veronica to Iron Mountain Fortress not just to let Veronica relax and rest for a few days, but also to do something very important.
Seeing that Victor remained unmoved, Veronica understood Victor firm stance and had no choice but to resign herself to giving up the struggle, deciding to wait until she returned from Iron Mountain Fortress to conduct the experiment again.
Victor and his crew had been sailing at sea for two days. The new hull modification was a success, and the ship was indeed fast, though a bit bumpy. Fortunately, Victor and Veronica were both in good physical condition and did not get seasick.
During the two days of the voyage, Victor used Gale and Two Rivers Territory to communicate. Gale made many trips between the fleet and the Wood Fort Town in Two Rivers Territory. With its powerful search capabilities and sense of direction, it was always able to find the fleet and return to Wood Fort Town in time.
On the morning of the third day, when Gale came to the fleet for the fourth time to deliver a message, Victor simply told Little Paru to take Gale to rest for a day and not to deliver messages for the time being, because the fleet would reach Northwind City in three hours.
Victor will then take Veronica and her entourage directly to Iron Mountain Fortress, with Little Paru and Gale going along as well.