After seeing the new announcement, Li Hongyun immediately returned to the Orderer space and found the entrance to the new trial illusion.
The entrance to this trial illusion is consistent in shape with the cavalry trial illusion, and is clearly distinguished from the original four basic identity trial illusions.
[Trial of the Divine Machine: Ingenious Craftsmanship]
Seeing the name of this new trial copy, Li Hongyun took a deep breath and prepared himself mentally.
Well, it’s definitely not going to be simple anymore.
The previous cavalry trial dungeon was called "Exploring the Bag to Get Objects", but after entering, I discovered that the task was for players to play General Qin Kaiyun and behead enemy generals in the midst of thousands of troops.
And this time, since it is called ingenuity, I am afraid it will take a lot of twists and turns.
However, this also makes Li Hongyun look forward to the additional talents and skills he will receive after obtaining the identity of this divine machine.
Judging from the name, the word Shenji should come from the Shenji Camp, but it should not simply refer to the soldiers who use firearms. In that case, this trial should not be too difficult no matter how it is arranged.
Because those soldiers were just shooting and firing, and this kind of thing itself did not have much technical content.
Li Hongyun felt that judging from the urinary nature of the game "Ansha", the trial would never be that simple.
If it is "knowing what is happening, you must also know why it is happening"...
Will there be some challenges in this dungeon that require craftsman skills to complete?
This is probably a high probability event.
Li Hongyun thought for a while and had some guesses, but finally decided to take a look at the copy first.
If the identity of Shenji can provide him with a talent for more accurate marksmanship and greater lethality, then the attraction of this subsidiary identity to him will completely surpass that of the cavalry.
…
After passing through the entrance of the trial illusion, Li Hongyun found himself in a large open-air workshop.
There were many craftsmen with strong bodies and dark faces around.
At this time, these craftsmen were not working in full swing, but like a group of tool men, quietly waiting for Li Hongyun to give orders.
Li Hongyun first briefly checked the surrounding environment.
In this large workshop, you can see furnaces, anvils and other common forging equipment, but compared with those in the previous fiefdom, the scale is obviously much larger.
In addition, there are a large number of different raw materials such as iron ore, iron sand, charcoal, and lime on the site.
In the center of the workshop, there is also a very large furnace.
Compared with the furnace that Li Hongyun had seen in the fiefdom before, this furnace was completely different in scale.
So much bigger!
Because these two furnaces actually have completely different uses.
The small furnaces seen in the fief are actually used to smelt formed iron blocks.
Use this small furnace to burn the iron until it is white hot, and then continuously forge it into strips or sheets on the anvil next to it. This is the "ironsmithing" process that players are familiar with.
The super-large furnace in the center of the workshop is responsible for a more primitive step: smelting iron ore or iron sand into thick iron blocks.
Although players could previously build some crude weapons on the furnaces and anvils of their own fiefdoms, the difficulty has actually dropped significantly compared to the real ancient method of iron smelting.
Because the iron blocks they got from the Fortress of the Orderer were all iron blocks that had been processed by craftsmen. The iron blocks themselves had been tempered by the craftsmen in the fort to remove a large amount of impurities and carbon, so their purity was already relatively high. High and has good performance.
Players only need to smelt and hammer these iron blocks again, and as long as they have patience, they can shape them into the shape they want.
Moreover, in the game "Dark Sand", the difficulty has been reduced for players. For example, players have unlimited physical strength during the blacksmithing process, and some boring time can be accelerated and skipped.
In ancient times, physical strength and time were the two thresholds for blacksmithing.
Before the advent of specialized water-powered forging machines, only the strongest men could become blacksmiths, because even ordinary iron farm tools required hundreds or thousands of hammerings. People who lack physical strength simply cannot do this job.
The process of iron making and forging requires a lot of time.
The blacksmiths cannot catch fish or do other things in the middle. They must always observe the temperature and fire. Otherwise, one oversight may lead to the scrapping of an entire furnace of precious iron ore.
Therefore, players' forging in "Dark Sand" is already simplified ancient forging.
It's just that in this trial copy, the difficulty has suddenly increased.
It is no longer a small fight like blacksmithing in the fiefdom, but starting from the most basic sponge iron.
Not far from the workshop, there is a "sword testing platform".
There are three different things on the stage, namely a piece of hard bone supported by a wooden frame, a hanging dead pig, and a piece of stretched leather.
In front of the sword-testing platform, there is a stone tablet with the conditions for passing the first stage of the trial illusion, "Ingenuity" written on it.
Use the weapons you forged to chop these three things with force.
The requirements are that it can cut hard bones without serious bending or breaking, it can cut a dead pig in half with one knife, and it can easily cut through the stretched leather.
During the entire forging process, the surrounding craftsmen are absolute tool men. They will help put in the raw materials, pull the bellows, beat the forging with a certain force and frequency, etc.
Anything that needs to be done by a craftsman can be done well by these tool men.
Moreover, Li Hongyun can also fast forward or directly skip some links that he considers unimportant. All raw materials in the entire workshop are in unlimited supply.
Immediately afterwards, three talent skill cards appeared in front of Li Hongyun.
[Geng·Observation of details (gold): Your ability to observe details and memory are improved. 】
[Geng·Power Generation Skills (Gold): Your power generation skills have been improved and you can use your power more smoothly and accurately. 】
[Geng: Calm and composed (gold): Your emotions are calm and you can deal with danger more calmly. 】
Li Hongyun glanced at all three talent cards and sighed silently.
"It's this kind of all-gold talent again, and every one of them seems to be useful..."
There is no doubt that this trial of subsidiary status is another hell difficulty.
While scanning the entire workshop, Li Hongyun had basically understood the mission goal at this time.
It is to forge a weapon using ancient methods, and then pass the test of sharpness and toughness on the sword testing platform.
Although he doesn't know much about ancient forging techniques, he still has some basic common sense.
The most difficult part of ancient forging technology is the control of details.
For example, how many impurities are contained in the material, how much carbon does the iron block contain, and what is the temperature in the furnace at this time...
There are many ways to confirm such detailed information in modern times, but in ancient times, it could only rely on experience, observation of the color of the flame, or all on luck.
Even a top ancient craftsman cannot guarantee that a furnace of iron ore will be smelted to the required quality, let alone when a magical weapon can be forged.
These three talents are obviously useful.
Observing the details allows him to better confirm the temperature of the fire during the smelting and forging processes;
The force-generating technique allows him to forge iron himself and maintain the most appropriate force throughout the entire process;
Being calm and composed can reduce his tension and anxiety, allowing him to complete the entire forging process relatively calmly.
It's hard to choose.
Just like the Cavalry Trial, if all three talents can be selected, then the difficulty of the dungeon will be considered normal. But if you can only choose one, you need to rely on your own strength to make up for the deficiencies in the other two aspects.
Li Hongyun did not make a choice immediately, but quit the game without hesitation.
"goodbye!
“I’ll come back after I’ve done some knowledge research!”
…
An hour later, Li Hongyun returned to this trial illusion.
In reality, he consulted a lot of information on ancient steelmaking.
There was no way. This was not because he was steady, but because he knew very well that the possibility of clearing this dungeon by accident was extremely slim.
Even if you can pass the level, it will only be after countless trials and errors, and it will definitely take a long time.
Since there is a lot about ancient steelmaking in reality, why not preview it before coming back?
Although many details of ancient steelmaking have been lost, understanding the basic principles will definitely be of great help in clearing this trial fantasy.
After some preparation, Li Hongyun decided to make his first attempt.
He chose the talent of [observation of subtleties].
The reason is simple, "experience" is what he needs most at this time.
Ancient craftsmen needed to use the color of the flame to judge the temperature of the furnace, and the color of the iron ore to judge whether the temperature was up to standard. Even in the subsequent sorting process, they also needed to use the naked eye to observe whether the quality of the sponge iron was up to standard.
All these processes require experience.
At this time, Li Hongyun had zero experience.
He is different from Cui Huowang. Cui Huowang is an expert in steelmaking and often plays with these things in real life, and his starting point is much higher than him; while Li Hongyun has never been exposed to ancient steelmaking and knows nothing about these experiences.
Although you can find necessary information such as temperature and carbon content by looking up information on the Internet, this information cannot be transformed into the experience necessary for ancient steelmaking.
Therefore, Li Hongyun could only use his talent to enhance his observation and memory, and write down all the details in constant attempts.
“The first step is to refine sponge iron.
"The ancient method of refining the Yi sword that I found is to spread the dried iron sand and charcoal layer by layer in the furnace, then light the fire and blow the air continuously;
“It is also said that the ore powder of iron ore can be mixed with limestone as a combustion accelerant, that is, limestone, in a ratio of approximately 2:1 to form raw material powder, and then smelted in the furnace.
"The raw materials given to me in the workshop are ready-made iron sand and limestone powder. As for the shape of the entire furnace, it looks somewhat different from the jade steel furnace of Yi Dao. It is more like a fusion of multiple furnaces... …
"In this case, I will try adding limestone powder first. Anyway, it is absolutely impossible to succeed the first time. You have to constantly adjust the amount of various raw materials and the heat to get a relatively good result.
"Speaking of which, this game is quite friendly. At least it provides me with an unlimited supply of iron sand and other raw materials..."
Li Hongyun directed these tool makers and craftsmen to mix iron sand and limestone powder, and fill the furnace with charcoal layer by layer. After it was filled, the fire was started and the craftsmen began to blow air all the time.
In the process, Li Hongyun discovered that these craftsmen were really just tool men.
Whatever he assigned these craftsmen to do, they would continue to carry it out to the letter; but for things that Li Hongyun didn't say, they would rather stand around than do it.
For example, during the smelting process, a large amount of impurities will flow out from the bottom of the furnace.
These impurities are slag from smelting, and they need to be cleaned regularly after flowing out, otherwise they will be blocked.
It took a lot of trouble for Li Hongyun to arrange all the craftsmen clearly, while he himself carefully speeded up the flow of time or paused to confirm the status of the iron ore smelting.
There is an unlimited supply of high-quality iron sand and charcoal in the game, which is already very friendly.
Because in reality, although iron ore exists in large quantities, their iron content varies.
The main task of iron-making is to extract iron from iron oxides and other impurities, so the higher the iron content of ore, the easier it is to smelt high-quality iron.
General iron ore cannot be smelted directly. It must be crushed, ground into very fine particles, and screened multiple times, so as to ultimately ensure the efficiency of smelting and the quality of the finished product.
Since the ancients did not have large-scale machinery, crushing large amounts of iron ore was quite a troublesome matter. These craftsmen prefer to find gravel with a relatively high iron content for smelting.
As for charcoal, it was not easy to obtain in ancient times.
Not only do you need to build a kiln for firing, but the charcoal burned by different types of trees will also be different. If you want to ensure the burning time, burning temperature and other conditions, you need to carefully select the wood.
Moreover, in the process of burning charcoal, there are also high requirements for the construction of charcoal kiln.
There is also an unlimited supply of the best charcoal in the game, which also saves players a lot of time.
Li Hongyun carefully observed the status of the furnace, including the color of the flame, the approximate temperature, the color of the slag flowing out from the bottom, etc.
The role of combustion accelerants is obvious.
Limestone powder and charcoal work together to reduce iron oxide to iron and form separable calcium salts with impurities.
Since the melting point of impurities in the entire furnace is lower than that of iron, a large amount of impurities will be discharged in a molten state during the smelting process, while iron will not melt at this temperature because of its higher melting point, but will only be softened into blocks. , stay in the middle and lower part of the furnace.
The whole process was very long. Li Hongyun was relatively conservative at the beginning and did not dare to fast forward for too long. He quickly stopped and took a look every time he fast forwarded a section.
But gradually, he lost patience and started to fast forward.
The sun rose and set, and the entire smelting process lasted for three days and three nights.
These craftsmen are waiting around 24 hours a day, taking turns taking care of you. Appropriate amounts of iron sand, charcoal or other materials must be re-added every once in a while, and the residue must be continuously discharged from below.
Of course, Li Hongyun decides how much to add.
It is said that craftsmen with many years of smelting experience can judge the burning conditions in the furnace just by listening to the sound of the fire, and can increase or decrease the input of raw materials according to the situation. You can also check whether the iron sand has turned into spongy rough iron by changing the color of the flame at the bottom of the furnace.
This spongy piece of rough iron is called jade steel during the forging process of Yi Dao.
This is not surprising. After all, the principles of ancient iron-making are roughly similar, and the forging technology of Yi swords was also passed down from China and has been developed locally.
But later, due to the different cultures of the two sides, the casting technology developed differently.
Because the Qi Dynasty and Sheng Dynasty had a large number of armies, they were destined not to spend too many resources on one weapon. They also pursued standard weapons that could be equipped in large quantities. Moreover, due to the popularity of heavy armor, the role of ordinary swords It is also insignificant, and it is far inferior to weapons such as axes and spears in use;
As for the Yi Dao, because the local armor rate was low and the scale of the battle was small, they continued to study the knife forging technology. Finally, they overtook the Sheng Dynasty, and General Deng Yuanjing in turn learned the Yi Dao's system to create the Sheng Dynasty. The standard weapon of the army.
"It's almost there, look!"
Li Hongyun saw that the iron nuggets and charcoal ash were accumulating more and more, and the entire smelting process in the furnace was basically over. He immediately ordered the craftsmen to quickly break open the furnace, remove the slag and charcoal ash that could not be melted, and took out the extremely high temperature from the inside. spongy lump of rough iron.
This process is very painful because the temperature of the furnace is very high. During the process of opening the furnace, the high temperature generated by the flame will burn the skin of the craftsman, making people unbearable.
But these craftsmen cannot wait until it cools down before starting work, because the iron material may solidify with many impurities after it is completely cooled.
"Such a big piece of crude steel..."
Li Hongyun was a little stunned when he saw what the craftsmen had dug out.
Because these crude steels were too big, it was a bit beyond his expectation.
When making iron for the first time, Li Hongyun had no estimate at all about how much iron sand to add or how much crude steel to make. He just mastered the essence of kneading dough. If there is too much dough, add water, if there is too much water, add noodles. He strictly followed the previous findings. Configure it in proportion to fill the entire furnace.
"So what do I do next...
"Well, sorting."
Li Hongyun looked at the several large pieces of crude steel in front of him and roughly determined his next goal.
Judging from the crude steel situation, it seems to be pretty good.
In fact, there are many details in the smelting process. If there is a problem with the proportion of various materials, or the temperature is insufficient due to the entry of moisture, it may cause the entire furnace to be scrapped.
And Li Hongyun may have triggered his European Emperor talent, and the crude steel he produced actually looked pretty good.
But this is only the first step of forging.
The next important task is sorting.
In the process of forging knives using the ancient method, after the crude steel comes out, it can be cut and then taken to the blacksmith shop for repeated forging.
But in the forging process of Yi Dao, there is a more important process after such crude steel comes out, which is selection.
Because there are still many impurities and unqualified iron materials such as pig iron in this crude steel, only a small part of it is suitable for making weapons.
This special material that is most suitable for making weapons is called jade steel in Yi Dao, and it is actually a type of carbon steel.
Its properties are between pig iron and wrought iron. The carbon content in it must be about 1% to 1.7%. The specific carbon content depends on the carbon monoxide content in the furnace and the heating time.
The so-called pig iron refers to iron with a carbon content of more than 2%, which is brittle and easy to break; wrought iron refers to iron with a carbon content of less than 0.05%, which is too soft and not suitable for combat.
In ancient times when iron smelting technology was underdeveloped, some foreign soldiers would bend their long swords after stabbing the enemy and had to straighten them on the ground before continuing to use them. This was because the carbon content of wrought iron was too low and too soft.
Only iron with a carbon content within this range can be called steel, and its hardness and flexibility have reached an optimal balance.
Li Hongyun directed the craftsmen to beat the raw crude steel into small pieces while it was hot, then soak it in water to cool, and then take it apart for observation.
I have to say, these sponge steels are pretty good-looking.
At first glance, it looks like a black stone, but if you look closely, you will find that it has a dense honeycomb structure, much like a sponge. And you can also see that the granular raised parts seem to sparkle with a metallic luster.
“It is best to choose heavy steel blocks with bright silver color. If the edges are rough and there are gray-black debris, it is an unqualified product and cannot be used...
"Um……
"Why do I feel like I'm not up to par..."
“This one seems okay.
"This piece...should be okay, right?"
Li Hongyun checked and reluctantly picked out a few pieces that looked pretty good.
Of course, he was not sure whether he had made the right choice, because this choice itself relied entirely on pure experience and required a large number of failures to accumulate.
"Okay, let's try it with these pieces first."
Li Hongyun clamped several pieces of sponge steel that he carefully selected with iron pliers and reheated them, then placed them on the anvil and began to beat them repeatedly.
His original idea was to do the entire beating process himself.
After all, in this dungeon, the player's physical energy is infinite, so he will not get tired no matter how long he hammers.
And if you beat yourself, you will definitely have a clearer grasp of the strength.
But after hammering for a while, Li Hongyun gave up and chose to leave it to other craftsmen to complete.
Because this process is so boring!
The so-called hard work is definitely not an exaggeration.
This kind of sponge iron must first be repeatedly forged to form a rough block shape. In this process, it is necessary to repeatedly burn it in the furnace until it is white hot, and then beat it while it is still hot, and repeat it many times.
With the continuous beating, the red sponge iron first became regular and turned into a square iron block, and then became flat with the continuous beating.
But you can't stop after flattening it. You have to stand it up again, or fold it into a thick piece, and then forge it repeatedly.
During this process, the iron block will be fully exposed to the air inside and out, and the impurities in the iron block that cannot be softened will solidify on the surface along with the oxides of the iron block every time it is beaten, and continue to Peeling.
Impurities such as carbon that can be oxidized into gases will also escape at high temperatures.
Such repeated beating is the so-called "hundred steel-making" in ancient methods. This is a necessary process and must not be skipped.
Because only through such a tedious process can we ensure that there are not too many impurities in the final product, and the blade will not be easily damaged, broken or rusted.
At the same time, since the carbon content in sponge iron itself is uneven, repeated folding and forging can make the carbon content in different locations uniform, thereby making the quality of the entire knife stable.
During this beating process, iron will also be consumed.
Because as the impurities fall off, there is also an oxide layer on the surface of the iron block, so the more forged it is, the less iron there is. The craftsman must strictly determine the amount required for forging at the beginning, otherwise it will be embarrassing if the iron produced in the end is not enough to make a sword or a knife.
Either the final piece was a little shorter and the entire shape changed a lot; or other iron was used to make up for it.
However, if you make up for it, it will inevitably lead to the entire structure being incomplete and making it easier to break.
…
Finally, as the craftsmen worked day and night, the piece of steel finally seemed to have no impurities.
However, its size had shrunk so much during repeated forging that Li Hongyun doubted whether it could still make a knife of sufficient length.
This is a normal phenomenon. The weight of the final product will be at least half less than the raw material. In ancient China, when crude iron was used to make refined steel, ten times the amount of crude iron was often consumed.
Li Hongyun thought about it, if it didn't work, could he pass the level by making a dagger?
I'm afraid it's enough.
After all, there is a dead pig on the sword testing platform. You have to cut the dead pig in half with a knife to pass. The dagger obviously does not have such a length.
Anyway, let’s give it a try first.
Li Hongyun didn't want to wait any longer. He was now eager to see what the first knife he forged looked like.
So, he took the piece of iron from the hand of the tool maker and started beating it again.
Work hard to pound it into the shape of a knife.
This process is also very difficult and requires many times of beating. But the more times, the better. Once it is beaten too much, the entire blade becomes too narrow and long, and it has to be folded and re-forged.
In that case, a lot of iron would be wasted.
In the worst case, you will find that the blade is getting shorter and shorter as you hit it, which would be embarrassing.
Moreover, the more times the steel block is folded and forged, the better, because too many times will cause the carbon content in it to be too low, turning the steel into soft wrought iron. In modern technology, carbon can be added to wrought iron to save it, but in ancient times, this kind of mistake was basically irreversible.
"Okay, quenching!
"No matter what kind of thing you make, let's try it out first."
Li Hongyun thought about how this thing could be regarded as a "fifty-refined" sword.
The so-called "hundred refinements" actually refers to the number of times the refining fire is heated. To make a hundred-refined sword means to repeatedly heat and forge a piece of iron hundreds of times. The consumption is very staggering, and the production efficiency is also very low, but the quality of the sword produced will be excellent.
In fact, if you want to strive for excellence, you will also need to use a process similar to the "three pieces in one" at this stage.
To put it simply, steel materials with different carbon contents are wrapped around each other to make sharp blades and blades respectively. Different wrapping methods and structures produce different blade characteristics. But overall, this is a higher-end craftsmanship.
For Li Hongyun, he has not even understood the most basic things, so naturally he is not qualified to try such high-end operations.
After heating the roughly shaped knife blank again, put it directly into cold water and cool it suddenly.
Flames and smoke come out, and accompanied by the sound of "bah ba ba ba", the quenching is completed in one go.
The function of quenching is to make the steel knife tough and elastic.
The process of quenching seems easy, but it is also difficult to operate.
The degree of heating, the degree of cooling, the quality of the water, etc. will all have a great relationship. If the quenching is not enough, the blade will not be hard and will easily curl; if the quenching is excessive, the blade will become brittle and will easily chip or break.
Moreover, according to ancient craftsmen, the quality of the quenching water is also very particular. Some water is "strong" and some is "dull". The latter cannot be used to quench fire, otherwise it will destroy the knife.
If you study these contents in detail, it is obvious that they involve knowledge of chemistry and materials science. Li Hongyun did not bother about it. He knew that he was not worthy.
The good news is that he doesn't need to determine the water quality of rivers in various places, but only needs to use the water provided in the game.
"That's it, grind!"
Li Hongyun directed the tool masters and craftsmen to repeatedly polish and sharpen the quenched blade, and finally put it on the handle.
In ancient times, the work of the knife maker only went to the step of making the knife blade. After quenching, it was rough sharpened at most. The subsequent processes also require other craftsmen to finely grind, make the handle, make the scabbard, carve various decorative parts, inlay or paint on the scabbard, etc.
Fortunately, these relatively insignificant steps can all be left to other craftsmen.
Li Hongyun fast-forwarded the whole process.
After some more fiddling, this knife, which could basically be said to be designed and forged by himself, finally appeared in front of him.
Thinking about the many procedures he had gone through, Li Hongyun almost wanted to vomit blood.
too difficult!
This trial alone is the first stage, and in Li Hongyun's opinion, the difficulty is already off the charts.
Really curious what phase two will look like.
Of course, to be fair, this trial may not be more difficult than the cavalry trial.
The Cavalry Trial requires talent. If you don’t have talent, you will still be unable to pass the level no matter how hard you try. However, the Divine Machine Trial requires not only talent, but also factors such as experience, memory, and patience.
Li Hongyun took the knife in his hand and weighed it a little.
"Well... I can't say it's perfect, I can only say it's quite adequate."
As soon as he got his hands on it, Li Hongyun immediately felt the shortcomings of this knife.
In the previous trial illusions, he had also taken the standard weapons of Qi Jun and Sheng Jun, and also captured some high-quality barbarian knives.
Therefore, you can feel whether these knives are easy to use or not as soon as you use them.
A good knife must be comfortable to hold, have a suitable center of gravity, and have a graceful arc...and these are obviously not what Li Hongyun can expect at the moment.
He only has one expectation now, that is, this knife, as long as it doesn't break.
With an anxious mood, Li Hongyun came to the sword testing platform.
First come to the front of the hard bone.
Li Hongyun took a deep breath, shouted loudly, then swung his long knife and slashed hard on the bone!
Just listen to the crisp sound of "clang"!
At first, Li Hongyun thought that he was so lucky to forge a sword that was as sharp as clay and made a sword sound. However, the next second, he saw some unknown object that seemed to fly away from his eyes.
Looking carefully, there was a shallow wound on the hard bone, and the knife in his hand had been broken into two pieces.
"Depend on!"
Li Hongyun was unable to complain.
It took several months to forge the knife, but it broke in an instant.
Although many steps in the game can be accelerated or skipped, Li Hongyun's actual playing time was only a few hours, but he was still a little crushed when he saw that the results of a few hours were so easily reduced to zero before his eyes.
“Forget it, come again!
"On my first try, I have already created a rough shape, which is enough to show my talent."
After learning from the painful experience, Li Hongyun decided to start from scratch.
It seems that the carbon content of this knife is too high, which makes it too brittle, or there are wounds or flaws in the blade, or the temperature of the blade is too high or the water temperature is too low during quenching, so it becomes hard when cutting. It was broken during the process.
Li Hongyun tried hard to recall the process of forging this knife. Thanks to his golden talent, he could clearly recall those details.
"Which step caused the problem..."
Li Hongyun summed up his previous failed experiences and started a new attempt.
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