Inspiration from the Capture of the Blade-Tusk Beast

How does a refrigerator reduce the pressure of high-temperature, high-pressure liquid?

When I played with water as a child, if I opened a valve and used my finger to block part of the pipe, the pressure difference inside and outside would make the water spray out. That process should count as "pressure reduction," right?

So, pressure can be reduced through "throttling"? Hmm, I'll call it a "pressure-reducing valve" for now.

So the process should be: low-temperature, low-pressure vapor—compression zone—high-temperature, high-pressure vapor—heat dissipation zone—medium-temperature, high-pressure liquid—pressure-reducing valve—low-temperature, low-pressure half-liquid, half-vapor—refrigeration zone—low-temperature, low-pressure vapor—compression zone. In other words: compression, condensation, pressure reduction, evaporation—the four stages of a refrigeration cycle.

There's also the refrigerant. Was it called Freon? It seemed to be something outdated, and I only remembered the name anyway.

Then let's first think about what characteristics a refrigerant should have.

First, its chemical properties must be stable. Better yet, it should be non-toxic and non-corrosive.

Second, considering the volume of the compression zone, the refrigerant's cooling capacity per unit volume needs to be relatively high.

Third, its density should be low, to reduce the energy loss in the compression zone.

Finally, it needs to conduct and release heat efficiently.

Um... that doesn't seem very useful. The only thing I can easily get right now is water. Was water ever used as a refrigerant in my previous life? Right—carbon dioxide should also be fairly easy to obtain. If I can solve the other problems, I'll experiment with these two first.

The compression zone... let me think about what its operating state should look like.

Blade Tusk quickly entered meditation and began imagining the compression zone's operating model in his mind.

The compressor is the most complicated: a rectangular cylinder, a compression piston fitted against the walls, with an intake and exhaust port above...

For the throttle valve, a sandglass-shaped pipe plus a capillary tube should do.

The heat-dissipating condenser fins are a little troublesome. I need to consider thermal conductivity. Their shape is simple enough, though—they're basically a fence.

The evaporative cooler should be similar to the heat-dissipating condenser fins. Its thermal conductivity also needs consideration.

In his meditation, aside from the overly complex "compressor," for which he had only worked out a rough outline, the other components were basically logically self-consistent.

Returning from meditation, Blade Tusk recalled the "refrigeration cycle" he had simulated in his mind and murmured, "The materials and energy... those are the greatest obstacles."

"Without metal ore, without rubber, I can't even build the most basic steam engine, let alone anything else."

Just then, a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. Blade Tusk opened it in puzzlement and looked outside.

Standing outside were the weary-faced Head Witch Doctor and Middle Witch Doctor.

"You two Witch Doctors are back? You weren't hurt, were you?"

"We weren't hurt, but that beast was too cunning. Catching it drained far too much of our energy."

Middle Witch Doctor dusted himself off and complained.

"It's nothing serious. Do you want to come take a look? You've never seen a Blade-Tusk Beast before, have you?"

Perhaps Head Witch Doctor had heard something from Middle Witch Doctor. He carefully observed Blade Tusk's mental state before cautiously extending the invitation.

"Sure. Let's go have a look."

Blade Tusk, who had yet to climb out of his bottleneck, did not refuse the Witch Doctors' kindness and followed them straight away.

The Blade-Tusk Beast was locked inside a square container covered in animal hides.

By the time Blade Tusk and the others arrived, it had already been moved to the entrance of the basement not far from the Witch Doctors' small courtyard.

Judging from the warriors' current preparations, they seemed to intend to lock it in the basement together with the container.

Old Witch Doctor, who had been the only one present earlier, appeared to have just widened the basement entrance with magic. He was now bestowing low-level boosts such as strength and endurance upon the warriors responsible for carrying it.

Seeing Blade Tusk arrive, Old Witch Doctor pointed at the container, which was half the size of a house, and said, "Cast a smoothing spell on the base so they can push it inside."

Blade Tusk nodded. He used magic to make the bottom of the cage incomparably smooth, then stepped forward and touched it with his hand. Only when it felt no less slick than ice did he nod in satisfaction.

From here, they could already vaguely hear movement coming from within the cage.

Carefully, he reached out and lifted the hide covering it, peering inside along the shaft of light.

What met his eyes was a ferocious beast somewhat similar to a saber-toothed tiger from his previous life. It was tightly bound by vines and appeared to have been drugged unconscious. It was snoring in its sleep, utterly devoid of majesty.

"Vines."

The instant Blade Tusk saw the saber-toothed tiger, he did not feel much shock. Even though it was a monstrous creature as tall as his chest and four meters long from head to body, excluding its tail, it could not compare to the thought that had flashed through his mind the moment he saw those vines.

Blade Tusk immediately dropped the hide in his hand and merely said, "I thought of something. I'm going back first."

Then he turned and hurried away.

The three Witch Doctors sighed in concern, but did not try to persuade him further. They simply remained behind and silently continued their unfinished work.

Rushing back to the meditation room, Blade Tusk impatiently began sorting through the fleeting thoughts that had just flashed through his mind.

"Vines. Materials. Magic. Photosynthesis..."

He bent low, aimed his palm at the ground, and chanted, "Mana conversion, plant synthesis, prepare; starting position, three centimeters before the palm, prepare; standard-specification shaping, target toughness 130%, hardness 120%, prepare; extend forward at standard speed, prepare."

With the chant complete, under the interaction of inside and out, a vine burst from the ground at a fair speed and stretched toward its intended direction.

Blade Tusk scooped it into his hand and slowly sensed the vine's various properties.

"After Vine Spell is cast, the vine breaks out of the earth. We can control its growth speed, its direction of growth, and even the vine's hardness and toughness—all of that falls within the spell's scope of control."

"Plants are the most direct users of solar energy in our simple understanding."

"The reason our 'plant-type' spells can grow so quickly is that a certain rune group can surely be broken down to reveal runes related to 'photosynthesis.'"

"Likewise, the controllability of toughness, hardness, and such also shows that, during the 'shaping' stage, related rune groups have been hidden away..."

"If we could excavate the details of rune groups related to photosynthesis, toughness, hardness, and so on, rather than merely using the broad 'plant shaping' rune group as we do now, the precision of control would rise dramatically."

"Once that precision surpasses a certain critical point, there'll be far more we can do."

"A photosynthetic power pool, a hydraulic steam compression system, a leaf-based condensation heat-dissipation structure, plant-vein pressure-reducing capillary throttling channels, a trunk-hollow cooling chamber..."

"As long as I can control every part of a plant, making everything from its properties to its appearance grow into the form I need, wouldn't that be a so-called fully automatic plant refrigerator?"

"And that's only the beginning. Conductive wood, high-temperature-resistant wood, wood harder than steel... Perhaps plant industry is something I can imagine as well?"

"Right. Before, I was too fixated on my previous life. A bountiful treasure lay right before me, yet I insisted on clinging to the methods of my previous life."

"...But I can't put it that way either. Without reflecting on my previous life, how could I efficiently make use of the 'treasures' this world possesses?"

"So the two should complement one another. I must also keep striving in my pursuit of the knowledge from my previous life."