In Iron Smelting Plant, Paul, Berns, Conrad and others looked at the red-hot sword embryo on the workbench in silence.
Blacksmith Herman picked up a hammer and hit the sword embryo hard.
After a sound of metal shattering, the sword embryo turned into fragments.
Also broken were the hearts of Paul and Conrad.
Herman said helplessly, "Lord, that's it. The forged sword embryo cannot be forged at all, and it will break if you use even a little force."
"Why? Why is this happening?"
Paul couldn't believe it. How could the iron he worked so hard to refine become scrap metal? "Herman, could it be that your skills are not up to par?"
"Lord Earl, I have been forging iron for more than ten years, and most of the swords in the Lord's Manor were made by me."
Which step was the mistake? Paul was a little anxious. He paced back and forth in the room, thinking about every process in ironmaking.
At this time Conrad said, "Lord Earl, could it be because there are too many impurities in the pig iron?"
"Impurities?"
"Yes, after all, we use your newly invented 'coke' to make iron. Maybe... there is something in it that is different from the charcoal we used before, and then it was mixed into the molten iron?"
"Oh! Conrad, you are such a genius, you hit the point as soon as you say it."
After Conrad said this, Paul remembered a piece of information he had read before. It said that pig iron made with coke is not suitable to be converted into Wrought Iron, because the coke will bring impurities to the iron, which will make Wrought Iron brittle and crack during forging.
At the same time, he also remembered the solution to this problem-Puddling Process.
To use this method, you must first build a Reverberatory Furnace (Reverberatory Furnace), and then use Reverberatory Furnace to melt the pig iron. This furnace can directly use Raw Coal as fuel, and the iron will not be in direct contact with the Raw Coal used as fuel, so the impurities in the coal will not have a harmful effect on the metal.
After the pig iron is remelted in Reverberatory Furnace, use a stirrer to continuously rotate on the hearth to stir the molten iron, and through the decarburization effect of the circulating air in the furnace, until it becomes malleable Wrought Iron. In this process, because the contact between metal and fuel is avoided, the Wrought Iron impurities generated are greatly reduced.
Paul expressed his thoughts. Although they didn't understand what decarbonization meant, everyone felt that the count's method was worth a try.
So the craftsmen in Iron Smelting Plant built a Reverberatory Furnace according to the Paul shot as quickly as possible. They melted and stirred the previous scrap iron. After several days of experiments and process improvements, they finally produced the Wrought Iron that was recognized by the old blacksmith Herman.
Paul also breathed a sigh of relief. If he couldn't pass this level, all his previous investment would be in vain.
Under his instructions, the 51st District Arsenal began to try to use iron to cast cannons, because iron is cheaper than copper. Once the iron cannons are successfully developed, the cost of the cannons will be greatly reduced and the number of cannons in the Arda army will be increased.
As time goes by, the old year is finally coming to an end, and people in Lakeheart Town begin to prepare to celebrate the New Year, but some are happy and some are sad.
The little princess Irene was lying on the window sill, staring blankly at the heavy snow outside the house.
Lia just came home from get off work - she found a job as a teacher in Ves Institute. Seeing her like this, he asked in a low voice, "Miss, are you homesick?"
"Missing home? Humph! I don't. This is my home."
Lia sighed, knowing that the little princess was just trying to show off her words.
"Your Highness, how about... we go back to Crystal Radiance?"
"Return to Crystal Radiance? Lia, do you want me to surrender to my father? No, I, Irene Rodney, will never make any compromise."
"Then let's send a letter to Crystal Radiance to let them know that we are safe?"
"Send a message? Do you want them to come to Northwest Bay to catch me?"
Lia thought to himself, it seems that Princess's resentment has not gone away, so it is better not to get into trouble with her.
So she went to prepare dinner silently.
Irene looked at the female guard walking to the kitchen, feeling that what she had just said was a bit rude, and she felt a sense of guilt in her heart.
Her heart is very complicated now. On the one hand, she still has unresolved resentment, and she is afraid of being taken back by her father for political marriage. On the other hand, she really misses her relatives, sister, mother, everyone she is familiar with in Crystal Radiance, and even her father who is still resentful, especially during the important days from Advent Day to the New Year.
"Ah... it's really annoying!"
Irene felt a little crazy.
Just when the little princess was worried, what she didn't know was that many eyes were staring at her.
In a house across the street, two figures were talking.
"The inspection is over, there is nothing unusual around!"
"Thank you for your hard work!"
"Alas, the little princess's troubles have made it difficult for us to celebrate the festival."
"What are you saying? Protecting the safety of the Royal Family members is our basic duty. Even if the princess is in Royal Capital, don't we still have to be careful during the holidays?"
"That's true, but I still want to do something more exciting, such as working undercover as an undercover rebel to spy on the enemy, instead of taking care of runaway children all day long."
"If you say that again, I'm going to snitch on you. We will do whatever the higher-ups tell us. Don't be picky."
"Okay, okay, I get it. By the way, we have to be more careful in the future. Today I was interrogated by the 'police' here for a long time. Fortunately, I was quick to respond and kept the conversation flowing, so no questions were asked."
"It seems that Earl Greiman is paying more and more attention to the security in the territory. This is a good thing. The better the security, the safer Princess will be. There is no problem with our identity, and nothing will happen for a while. Besides, we are not spying on the secrets of the lord's family's property or the affairs of his army. We are not afraid of the shadows."
"But I'm afraid of being caught as a stalker and a voyeur."
"Shut up, hasn't this been discovered yet?"
"Speaking of which, the changes here are really big! I heard from the locals that half a year ago this was a place where rabbits didn't poop."
"Oh, this is all thanks to that young lord. I have also inquired a lot about his deeds."
"What a magical guy. Even the royal princess of the kingdom is willing to work under him."
"The things he has tinkered with are indeed quite attractive. If I were a scholar, I would also like to get close to him. Have you ever seen the so-called 'open class' at Ves Institute? That microscope, my God, it is so amazing!"
"Oh, stop it. Thinking about those little bugs makes me sick to my stomach."