Chapter 30: The Spaghetti Code of Inscriptions
158 0 9
X
Reading Options
Font Size
A- 15px A+
Width
Reset
X
Table of Contents
Loading... please wait.

The performances finally concluded, and the patrons began to leave, their legs a bit unsteady from the alcoholic drinks. Most patrons staggered home, while some decided to head towards the adjacent building right beside the Midnight Orchid Manor to spend the night. This establishment, named Orchid Haven, shared a connection with its neighboring tea house, providing patrons with an extended night of enjoyment in the enchanting company of beautiful girls.

"Mr. Orion, do you want to go to the building next door?" Liu Jian asked.

"No," Orion replied.

"Um... how about you, Mr. Luo?" Liu Jian inquired.

"No," Luo Fengwei responded.

"..." Liu Jian fell into a brief silence.

"Do you want to go, Young Master Liu?" Orion asked.

"Um... no," Liu Jian answered.

"Then let's just head back," Orion suggested. "Mr. Luo, here are the things that I want you to make." Orion retrieved several spare parts from its storage ring, placing them on the table.

The retrieved metallic spare parts varied in complexity and size. Orion intended to assess the quality of the items made by Luo Fengwei. Some required high precision, demanding meticulous attention to detail in their crafting process, serving as a test for Luo Fengwei's craftsmanship, while others had more lenient precision requirements.

"Whoa... such high-quality craftsmanship," Luo Fengwei exclaimed, marveling at the factory-made spare parts.

Although he didn't know the use or purpose of these metallic objects, Luo Fengwei grabbed and observed each of them closely with his eyes. He also used his spiritual sense to probe the intricacies of the spare parts. Impressed, he continued praising them—the surface was smooth and shiny, the thickness even, the round ones perfectly circular, and the straight ones flawlessly aligned. Additionally, there are also several holes, each shaped nicely and fitting perfectly into the overall design.

As he examined them, he wondered internally, Is the metal melted and then cast into a mold, or is it forged and hammered? Just how were these made?

"Here are some useful information that will help you make these metallic objects," Orion said as it retrieved a scroll from its storage ring and handed it to Luo Fengwei.

Luo Fengwei received the scrolls, checked it, and after a while, he said, "Mr. Orion, I will do my best, but I might need several days to make it." He acknowledged that it would be a very challenging task to create something of such quality, something he had never made before. Luo Fengwei then stored all the spare parts in his storage ring.

Orion nodded. "You can take it easy. It's fine." Orion then turned towards Liu Jian. "Young Master Liu, it seems that I will extend my stay in the city."

"No problem, Mr. Orion. You are always welcomed in our Liu family, and you can stay as long as you want," Liu Jian assured.

The three of them left the Midnight Orchid Manor. Luo Fengwei, after bidding farewell, immediately used his movement technique and disappeared, returning to his workshop. Orion and Liu Jian then headed back to the Liu family mansion riding a carriage.

After returning to the guesthouse, Orion checked Wang Lingxin and fixed her blanket. After that, Orion retrieved various items and objects from its storage rings, planning to spend the rest of the night on experimentation.

There were many topics in the queue for research, experimentation and development, such as further research about LQ, dantian, unique ores and metals native to this world, slime lamp that have potential to become spare parts for lighting, modifying drones, learning about blacksmithing, metallurgy and inscription, and many others. However, with limited time, Orion had to carefully prioritize its focus and efforts.

It's almost sunrise, and Orion decides to conclude the research, storing all the various objects and items scattered on the table and cleaning up.

It was a rather fruitful night; during the experiments with LQ (Liquefied Qi), there were several successes and failures. Orion concluded that when using the equipment and tools from this world to make LQ, it always failed, but when using equipment from Earth, it always succeeded.

Although Orion still can't determine if the success is due to the equipment being from Earth or because of its material, the equipment from this world for distillation is made from varying materials such as wood, copper, clay and bronze meanwhile the equipment from earth that Orion use is made from glass. It will need further research, but at least Orion now understands why it seems that no one else in this world has discovered about LQ yet.

Orion retrieved a scroll along with writing utensils, initiating the task of documenting detailed information about wolframite ores and tungsten. The comprehensive record included insights into the process of converting wolframite into tungsten and outlining various applications and processing techniques for tungsten.

On Earth, the processes related to tungsten are known to be intricate and often involve advanced technologies. It will depend on Luo Fengwei if he could replicate modern techniques or even develop new ones based on Earth's knowledge or not, even Orion is not confident to produce tungsten with its current condition.

Not long after Orion finished writing in the scroll, Orion heard rustling sound from the bed. Wang Lingxin had woken up, though she still appeared sleepy. Orion instructed Wang Lingxin to clean up and brush her teeth. Afterward, she had breakfast delivered by the Liu family servants.

Today, Orion planned to visit Luo Fengwei's workshop and asked if Wang Lingxin wanted to tag along. However, she expressed her reluctance, preferring to stay at the guesthouse due to her dislike for Luo Fengwei.

To ensure Wang Lingxin wasn't bored, Orion retrieved a tablet from its storage ring and presented it to her. With this tablet, Orion could keep an eye on her, communicate, and even teach her. Orion planned to allocate some of its attention to teach Wang Lingxin via the tablet. This way, Orion could visit Luo Fengwei's workshop while simultaneously instructing Wang Lingxin. The initial focus would be on teaching her how to read and write, as she lacked this skill. Orion had formulated a curriculum for elementary-grade education.

In this world, there is something akin to a school, but attendance is limited to those from affluent families. Unfortunately, there is no provision for public schools catering to ordinary people like Wang Lingxin.

Wang Lingxin held the tablet and was awestruck by it, especially when Orion's voice emanated from the device. Then tablet displayed various scenes—a school of fish swimming, birds soaring in the sky, and even Wang Lingxin's own image. The revelation left her jaw dropped, and she scrutinized the tablet from different angles, wondering if it was akin to a magical mirror.

Orion, in a playful mood, took a picture of Wang Lingxin using its camera, sent it wirelessly to the tablet, and noticing her surprised and curious reaction, Orion then sent another picture of her edited image, this time adorning a beautiful dress. When Wang Lingxin saw the transformed picture, she was rendered speechless, staring at it in silence for a while.

"Beautiful..." Wang Lingxin finally uttered in admiration.

"Master, master, master! What kind of magical tool is this? Is it a magical mirror? Why does your voice come from it? Are there fish and birds in it? Why is my face in there? Can you make me the beautiful dress like in this magical tool?" Wang Lingxin bombarded Orion with a series of questions.

"It's called a tablet computer, but you can just call it a tablet. As you can see, this tablet can do many things, and also, I can't make that dress," Orion explained.

"Wow... tablet! Master, why can't you make that dress? Can you make it in the future?" Wang Lingxin asked with pleading eyes.

"Um... I don't know. I will try, but I don't promise you," Orion replied.

"Yay! Master, thank you!" she exclaimed.

"Now, you will stay here and study, and I will teach you through this tablet. With this, we can communicate even if I am not here. Understand?" Orion instructed.

"Eehhhh... study? I don't want to!" Wang Lingxin protested.

"Hm..." After thinking for a while, Orion added, "If you study seriously and diligently, then tonight I will tell you the Cinderella story. But not just the story, you can watch the animation from this tablet, like this," Orion controlled the tablet to display a simple animation of a girl depicting Cinderella dancing.

"Master, can you make me as Cinderella? And wear that previous beautiful dress?" Wang Lingxin asked.

"Uh... sure, I can use your face as Cinderella's face," Orion replied.

Orion then retrieved a simple backpack made from animal skin. "Use this to store the tablet and don't show the tablet to other people, understand?" Orion instructed.

"Yes, master," Wang Lingxin replied.

Orion then left the guest house, allocating some of its AI to create Cinderella animations and control the tablet via 5G connection. Departing towards Luo Fengwei's workshop, it didn't take long for Orion to arrive. Luo Fengwei's disciples noticed Orion's arrival and immediately swarmed around to greet Orion. Little Wei, one of the disciples, then led Orion to Luo Fengwei's house.

"Master, Mr. Orion has arrived," the disciple announced as they entered the house.

A clanking sound and the fast steps of Luo Fengwei were audible, and he soon show himself, "Mr. Orion, welcome to my humble house. Please forgive me; the place is a bit messy." Luo Fengwei warmly greeted Orion.

"Greetings, Mr. Luo. I hope I'm not too early. How's the progress with the ores?" Orion inquired.

"Hehe you are not too early at all. As for the ores, it's rather complicated and challenging. It may take a while to make some progress," Luo Fengwei replied.

"As for the things you want me to create, it will also take a while. Maybe I can finish one today," Luo Fengwei admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed. Although Orion had already provided the sample, blueprint, information about the composition of metals used, and other useful information, he was encountering some challenges, and while he could produce the items, the quality couldn't match the sample provided by Orion.

"I will also help you and give some pointers and feedback. Oh yeah, I also want to learn more about blacksmithing and inscription, so I would like to observe you and your disciples working. Also, is there an empty room that I can use?" Orion asked.

"Sure thing, definitely," Luo Fengwei replied. Luo Fengwei then told Little Wei to clear out a room in the workshop for inscribing inscriptions on weapons and armor, giving Orion a space to work.

Luo Fengwei didn't find it strange when Orion expressed interest in learning about blacksmithing and inscription. He mistakenly assumed that Orion already possessed knowledge in these areas, thinking that Orion hailed from a distant place with different blacksmithing and inscription techniques and wanted to learn about the local techniques and knowledge.

Orion then handed a scroll containing more detailed information about wolframite and tungsten to Luo Fengwei. Luo Fengwei, as part of their deal, gave Orion several storage rings containing a large amount of various resources, materials, books, scrolls, and hundreds of thousands of spirit stones. Orion was very satisfied with the exchange. By sharing information, Orion managed to obtain a significant amount of valuable information and resources from Luo Fengwei. It feels like robbing Luo Fengwei, but as a robot, Orion doesn't feel guilty, and Luo Fengwei also agrees and is willing and happy about it.

Throughout the day, Orion stayed busy. Luo Fengwei consulted Orion on spare parts, ores, and blacksmithing, while Luo Fengwei's students occasionally asked questions. Thankfully, Luo Fengwei had warned his disciples not to bother Orion too much, resulting in only a few inquiries. Meanwhile, Orion observed Luo Fengwei and his disciples in their blacksmithing and inscription activities and learned a great deal from them.

The primary professions associated with inscription were blacksmiths and inscriptionists. While most blacksmiths had some knowledge of inscription, it was typically not as extensive as that of dedicated inscriptionists. Blacksmiths often focused on inscriptions related to weapons and armor. On the other hand, inscriptionists devoted more time to the study of inscription, enabling them to add inscriptions to various items, create talismans, and design array formations. Luo Fengwei, as a blacksmith, his knowledge about inscription is not bad.

In a room within the workshop, Orion delved into scrolls and books obtained from Luo Fengwei. Luo Fengwei generously provided Orion with almost all of his scrolls and books about inscription as part of their agreement. Only important scrolls and books related to Luo Fengwei's sect were excluded from the exchange.

After hours of research and experimentation Orion concluded that, despite its seeming complexity, inscription patterns resembled an electrical circuit, with inscription scripts akin to source code or a program. By combining both, it can produce some effects. After more in-depth research and experimentation, Orion deduced that the current inscription system used was not optimal and appeared rather messy, similar to spaghetti code. Orion wondered if it could improve the efficiency or maybe develop a new inscription system.

9