A heavy rain came unexpectedly, and the rainwater formed a white curtain up and down, and the distant rain forest seemed to be covered with a hazy mist.
The water flows continuously on the deck, forming layers of water ripples as the ship rolls. Water overflowed the steps, but the transom windows and hatches seemed to be blocked by an invisible force. That was because the waterproof formation behind them was at work.
Such showers are very common in Noganis. Although it is the end of the rainy season, you can basically see them once or twice every day.
Fang Yu looked at the pouring rain outside in the alchemy workshop on the ship, while gently shaking the magic solution in his hand to make it appear a dark purple color.
He stood in front of his workbench, put the purple solution test tube back on the shelf, then picked up a quill pen and wrote a number on the paper, cut it out and pasted it on. This is Solution No. 9. A total of seventeen solutions are needed to prepare Tuyuan Crystal, and this is just one of them.
The Earth Source Crystal cannot be used directly. Its ultimate purpose is to make it into a base to carry the 'Stars-Alchemy Array'. Putting it into the magic suspension to precipitate impurities is only the first step. Step - called purification.
One of the disadvantages of the closed-circulation device is that it is too large, and the fundamental reason is that the materials that make up the base of the alchemy array—mostly made of cheap copper and magical silver—operate too inefficiently.
For a single closed-cycle device, this is actually not a drawback in itself, but an advantage. There is nothing wrong with using cheap materials to control costs. Cost is also an important factor that alchemists need to consider when designing a magic weapon.
But when placed on a stackable 'Stars' device, bloat and bulkiness become an obvious problem that must be considered first. Since his mastery of the 'Stars - Alchemy Array' was still very low, it was difficult for Fang Plover to find a solution from the alchemy formula itself, so replacing the materials of the base of the alchemy array became a simple and direct way.
In short, it means spending money to solve problems.
Due to its excellent elemental affinity and ether conductivity, the source crystal base is generally less than one percent thicker than the copper or magic silver base, and this is still limited to the craftsmanship. It is said that some of the Imperial Workshop In the alchemy laboratory, master craftsmen can even make the source crystal base to one thousandth the thickness of the copper base.
Further up, only mithril and dragon soul crystal can further improve the transmission efficiency. But Mithril is already extremely expensive, and the Dragon Soul Crystal is something Fang Yu can't even imagine.
In fact, all source crystals can be used to make the base of the alchemy array. Earth source crystals are not even the best among them. Wind source crystals and water source crystals perform much better, and even more rare. The special attribute thunder source crystal - a variant of wind crystal.
However, Earth Source Crystal is cheaper than other Source Crystals, and Earth Source Crystal has the thick and solid properties of the earth element, which makes it easier to process, making it more suitable for entry-level crystal craftsmen like Fang Plover who are not new.
In short, in the final analysis, they are poor and poor.
Of course, Fang Plover would never admit it. The Seven Seas Troupe had some savings, but money should be spent sparingly. Diligence and frugality were virtues. As for the food, it's not of a low level.
With the Earth Source Crystal, an improved version of the "Zhongxing Device" was put on the agenda. Fang Pultru planned to use this device in the Lancer Plan. Although the Lancer he envisioned was not the same as the Dragon Hunter, Class constructs, but it does not mean that the two should be used separately, but that they should cooperate with each other in a battle.
However, he and the Dragon Hunters are still in the running-in period. This flexible structure with outstanding performance requires equally amazing computing power. Controlling four Dragon Hunters is almost his limit. As for Miss Tata, with the blessing of Fairy Heart, although there is still a large amount of computing power left over, Fang Plover has another plan in mind for this part of the balance, and does not intend to use it for the Dragoon Plan.
Therefore, for the Dragoon Project, how to occupy as little computing power as possible has become a hard indicator that must be included in the design.
The solution that Fang Plover came up with was naturally to use the 'Star Device'——
If the 'Star Device' allows Dragoon to have a certain degree of self-action, thereby greatly reducing the calculation pressure on him and Miss Tata, and even if it can achieve a certain degree of autonomous combat, it will be close to perfection.
It's simple to say, but not easy to implement.
First of all, melee combat must be eliminated. The internal movement structure of the melee-type flexible structure is too complex and requires too many manipulation instructions to achieve it. Moreover, there are too many dependent variables in close combat. If you want to take all of these into consideration, the control law is extremely complicated. Even with the earth source crystal base, the size of the 'Star Device' is difficult to control.
When it comes to long-range, Fang Piao's first consideration is live ammunition, because live ammunition consumes low energy. Although there are a series of problems with loading and carrying capacity, it is not complicated to write the fixed action of loading into the 'Zhongxing Device', and carrying it is not complicated. The amount of ammunition is often not a big problem for medium-sized and above structures.
But in the end he ruled out this plan, mainly because it was difficult to solve a series of problems such as aiming live ammunition, dealing with recoil, and maintaining balance in the air. It was just how the two gun-holding arms worked like a dragon hunter. Let Fang Plover's head be as big as a bucket.
Yes, since dragon hunters do not have the ability to fly, Fang Plover likes to fight in the air and sea by himself. At least he must have a flexible structure that can fly and attack them while roaming - this is where the name of the Ranger comes from. Come.
Of course, he had not considered removing the arms, directly mounting the magic gun on both arms of the construct, and using bullet chains or drums to supply ammunition, but the recoil and balance issues were still as difficult as ever.
In the end, Fang Plover chose the form of magic construct.
But it is not a complete magic structure. A complete magic structure must consider a series of issues such as energy supply, overloading, combination of spells, and internal heat dissipation balance. The demand for computing power is even greater than that of ordinary structures.
In the end, he chose a flying method similar to that of the Annihilator - that is, using the Gay Crystal to provide lift, and then using other means to achieve the ability to fly forward, backward, left, right, and up and down.
Of course, the Annihilator's design cannot be used directly, because the Annihilator's miniature Guy generator is too small and cannot bear the weight of a flexible structure the size of the Rangers he imagined.
Finally, after searching for those design drawings that might be easier for him to obtain, Fang Yu was a little surprised to find that there was a type of structural design that fully met his needs.
That thing is called a 'porter'.
Although the name is a bit shabby, it is actually a type of non-combat flexible structure used in large ports. Its main purpose is to transport goods, and it is a type of special structure.
This flexible structure also uses a Guy generator as thrust, but the Guy generator used is two models larger than the Annihilator and can carry a weight of nearly half a ton, which fully meets his needs.
More importantly, there are ready-made drawings for this Guy generator, and the patent was more than 40 years ago and has expired long ago. He doesn't even need to go to a city with an artisan association to buy it, he can just download it directly from the community.
He planned to directly use the carrier's load-bearing chassis and then improve its propulsion method. After all, the carrier relies on two propellers to propel it. This method is sufficient for transporting cargo in the port, but it is almost like a target when used in battle.
The upper body of the Shield Guardian can be used for the upper body. Although it is cumbersome and inefficient, it at least has high defense. He doesn't expect this thing to fight in close combat, but with the material requirements of a level 15 construct, providing a defense close to that of a level 20 construct can keep the production cost down a lot.
Moreover, the internal space of the Shield Guardian is large enough to accommodate the large core crystals required for the magic structure, as well as a large number of crystal arrays. And these arrays, except for the part that charges and dissipates energy, are almost all the only weapons of this construct——
That is a silver spear.
It can fire a beam of sun ray through the tip of the spear. Sun ray is a sixth-level fire spell in Aitaria. It causes 125-167 points of fire damage without reinforcement, which is roughly equivalent to a level 25 construct. body's normal level.
After the crystal array is charged, it can fire two rounds, but recharging and dissipating heat are very slow. Basically, it can only fire two rounds in one minute, which is four rounds.
However, because the light effect of this thing when shooting is very cool, Fang Plover gave it a resounding name——
Tachyon light spear.
The total weight of the Lancer's upper part plus the spear is 250 kilograms. Plus the weight of the lower body chassis, the Guy Generator is more than enough to bear, so Fang Plover simply added a large shield to it, and then A shield generator was added to utilize the magic capacity of the large core crystal of the Magical Construct.
But even so, adding these two things alone is still not enough, because generally speaking, magic structures have more than one magic attack method to match its large capacity of crystals.
But the Rangers have their own "national conditions" here. Since the control burden of the "Star Device" must be simplified as much as possible, it is not suitable for having multiple attack methods.
Due to the contradictory needs and restrictions, there is no solution for this thing for the time being, and Fang Plover has no choice but to leave it alone - just waste the magic capacity. Anyway, this way the rangers can fly longer without having to worry about it. He needs to return to the Seven Seas Traveler every moment to replenish his magic power, at least not to be labeled as an airport defender.
Finally, there is the issue of the control law of the 'Star Device'.
Since this thing cannot be controlled at all times, Fang Plover first has to let it realize automatic cruising along a certain route in the air - this is quite simple.
The Rangers chose an air curtain propulsion method - in short, it is somewhat similar to the principle of the octopus and squid propulsion method under water, which is to install a few wind element nozzles on the back and legs of the construct. .
This thing can usually consume magic power to absorb the wind element, and then launch it out in the form of airflow. It is actually the thing on the maid lady's arm armor. Fang Yu himself has been using this device on Rocket Flying Fist for who knows how long. He has long been familiar with its use. It can be said that he has rich experience in use and maintenance.
Of course, the device installed on the back of the ranger must be much larger, but the principle is the same, it is just a matter of how much magic power is consumed, and magic power is not a problem at all for the rangers at this moment.
Therefore, in order for the Ranger to realize automatic cruising, you only need to design its rough route and then change the direction of the airflow nozzle. Although it specifically involves a series of internal instructions, for the 'Star Device' on the Earth Source Crystal Base, recording these instructions is nothing at all.
Fang Plover designed three automatic cruising routes for the rangers - centered on the target, flying in a 360-degree circle, divided into two versions with a distance of 100 meters and a distance of 250 meters, respectively corresponding to the maximum range of Yangyan rays. distance and effective distance.
The last cruising route is an avoidance route of the Z-shaped route, and multiple direction changes of the above three automatic cruising routes. And all these commands were completed with only a fist-sized 'star device'.
If placed on the closed-circulation device of the past, it is estimated that the total weight of the closed-circulation device at this time is equal to the Ranger itself.
Then there are the automated instructions for a series of complicated instructions such as takeoff, landing and recharging, as well as aiming and evasive flight in a small area. These instructions are not complicated individually, but together they are too much. Fang Plover has used almost a thousand layers. The recording of the magic circle was completed.
However, the Earth Source Crystal Base showed its power in improving the Star Device. All the instructions were put together, and the size of the closed-circulation device used in the end did not exceed the size of a football.
After the control law was written, Fang Yu placed the closed loop device that recorded it on the ranger's head, connected it with the visual crystal, and added the protective armor and heat dissipation array. From the appearance, it just looked like a Feathered knight's helmet.
Viewed from the front, the armor on both sides of the narrow crystal pupil still has a certain inclination, and it looks like beveled armor. The breastplate part also follows the same principle. From the front, there is a triangular top edge. It is painted silver. It holds a spear in its right hand and a shield in its left hand, which is majestic.
Although the lower part is the chassis of a porter, it has also undergone certain battlefield modifications. On the one hand, baffles and skirts have been added to protect the Guy generator; on the other hand, it is different from the port machinery. Works, although the Ranger is an air combat structure, it still needs to land on the ground, so a bipedal walking device is installed.
But after all, it is not a main land warfare structure, so the bipedal walking device is very simple, just a pair of triangular brackets, with a row of wind element nozzles installed from top to bottom at the back.
Generally speaking, when the Ranger is standing, he looks like a silver knight holding a large shield and a spear; when flying, his center of gravity will tilt slightly forward, making it look more streamlined, as if the knight is attacking. the appearance of it.
However, the large shield is basically just a decoration. The star device cannot be truly self-aware. The operator still needs to give orders to the ranger to switch it from one 'state' to another.
Such as cruising, such as returning, such as maneuvering to avoid, or even firing and opening the shield, it is completely incapable of autonomy. It's just that in this process, the operator's commands are greatly simplified, and there is no longer a need to consume computing power for precise operations.
Because he was unable to make independent feedback on changes on the battlefield, Fang Yu thought for a long time but couldn't figure out how the large shield should work. Finally, he thought about it and hung it on it as a weak protection method. .
What if it happened to block an attack from the front?
It is equivalent to a piece of external armor, the difference is that it can be thrown away at any time.
And even after all the components are installed, the weight of the Ranger is only more than 300 kilograms, which is still quite far away from half a ton.
In fact, this structure is far from sophisticated.
It didn't actually take much effort for Fang Plover to design and produce it - most of the drawings were ready-made, and the modifications he made to it could only be described as crude - basically equivalent to stiffly combining the shield guardian and the porter. Combined together, just add a tachyon spear.
The magic circle stacked in the spear to realize the sun rays can be regarded as the only design of Fang Pilgrim, but it cannot even be said to be a unique innovation, because the magic guide itself is designed to achieve various magical effects. existing.
As for the internal energy supply and heat dissipation array, you can copy it, and the core crystal is also a ready-made blueprint. It is not easy to make an ordinary magic structure that flies with a Guy generator and can attack with Sunfire rays. What special crystal configuration is required.
However, this is also in line with Fang Plover's expectations for the 'Rangers'.
It itself is a structure that cooperates with the dragon hunter in combat, and the dragon hunter is his only core structure at the moment. If the dragon hunter is regarded as his personal guard on the battlefield, the definition of a ranger just fits it. name.
They are just light cavalry that swim up the battlefield to attack.
Rely on low computing power consumption, rely on clusters and quantity to win.
But this does not mean that the Rangers are cheap——
In fact, this is the problem that troubles Fang Plover. He tried his best to use crude manufacturing methods in other parts of the Rangers, saving what he could. For example, the chassis of the porter and the upper body of the level 15 construct Shield Guardian are extremely cheap for them now.
But the problem is that the core of the Rangers is actually the closed-loop device that controls their 'self-action' - or the star device. This thing must be built on a source crystal base to be established. Even the cheapest Earth Source Crystal is still expensive.
What's more, the Tuyuan Crystal must be processed before it can be used. Whether it is the up to seventeen magic solutions used in purification, as well as the scrap rate problem during the slicing and etching processes, it will further drive up the cost.
For example, with the skills and knowledge he currently has, he cannot use a more efficient No. 21 solution, which means that he needs to use No. 4, No. 7, and the No. 9 solution in his hand to achieve the same effect. .
The extra cost for the solution is also sky-high.
Although Fang Yu had long known that alchemy was a waste of money, after reaching Level 22, he couldn't help but gain a deeper understanding of this.
So knowledge is power, and skill level is money.
He listened to the pouring rain outside and looked at the purple solution on the shelf, feeling a little helpless, believing that there was no way to further reduce costs.
But at this moment, he suddenly heard a soft sound coming from behind. When he looked back, he was surprised to find that it was not Sylvide, but an intruder that he had not expected.
The girl named Bei Ji accidentally touched a crystal sample he placed next to the cabinet, and the crystal rolled to the other corner of the wall. The latter raised his head and looked at him with bated breath, looking a little uneasy.
…
