The speed was enough to startle not only Li Tai but also Fang Er.
The two sat in the courtyard, staring at the gold-collecting ship for a long time, lost in thought.
After a long while, Li Tai's eyes lit up as he said, "Mountain Chief, what if we add an outer shell to this thing?"
Fang Er: ???
It seemed like a good idea to try!
At the very least, adding an outer shell would prevent the risk of suffocation during high-speed flight.
No sooner said than done, he took a tape measure from his study and threw it to Li Tai: "Measure the dimensions, and we'll get the blueprints out tonight!"
Seeing that his suggestion was approved by Fang Er, Li Tai was extremely excited.
As the external dimensions of the gold-collecting ship were meticulously recorded in a notebook, the two of them hunched over in the study, contemplating the design of the shell.
They considered shuttle-shaped, round, and even irregularly shaped designs.
Looking at the final plan, Fang Er scratched his head with a pencil. This thing looked so familiar~
A UFO?!
Yes, they had settled on a flying saucer-like exterior!
Without needing to consider propellers or other components, it was simply a matter of adding an outer shell to the gold-collecting ship, and a flying saucer shape was most appropriate.
The flattened edges would effectively reduce air resistance.
The raised central section could perfectly accommodate the gold-collecting ship while also expanding some space.
This transformed the single-pilot gold-collecting ship into a multi-person aircraft.
The next morning, Zhao Gang, Mo Ming, Liu Eryang, and others were all summoned.
In the courtyard, blueprints were spread out on a stone table, and everyone formed a circle, listening to Fang Er explain the points to be noted.
The entire flying saucer shell had a diameter of over ten meters and was made of welded aluminum alloy.
To ensure the gold-collecting ship could still absorb solar energy when enclosed, the top was a glass canopy.
Considering flight safety, the glass also underwent tempering.
Tempered glass is produced by first cutting ordinary annealed glass into the desired dimensions, then heating it to around 700 degrees Celsius, close to its softening point, and finally cooling it rapidly and uniformly. After tempering, uniform compressive stress forms on the surface of the glass, while tensile stress forms internally, significantly increasing the glass's bending and impact strength, making it about four times stronger than ordinary annealed glass. Once tempered, tempered glass cannot be cut, ground, or damaged in any way, as this would disrupt the uniform compressive stress balance and cause it to shatter.
Additionally, a layer of extremely fine metal wire was incorporated into the glass as a liner to enhance its strength.
After handing over these tasks, Fang Er sent someone to summon Ma Yu, the grandson of Old Ma, from Shenyang Academy.
"Mountain Chief, you were looking for me?" Ma Yu bowed respectfully in the courtyard.
After several years, the little snot-nosed kid who used to be constantly seen had grown into a young man. Coupled with his daily visits to the fields, the boy's tanned skin made him appear particularly sturdy.
Fang Er smiled and nodded slightly, then led him into the study.
On the desk lay a pile of corn seeds, with tobacco seeds and chili seeds placed beside them. Two rubber tree saplings leaned against the wall.
As soon as he entered the room, Ma Yu noticed these items and immediately moved closer, his curiosity piqued.
"Mountain Chief, did you bring these back from overseas?"
"That's right!" Fang Er said, walking over to sit behind the desk, pointing to the pile of corn seeds. "This is called corn. Its growth period is only about 120 days, but we can't plant it here yet."
"I need you to take them and sow them in Liúqiú."
"These are just the original seeds; not only is the yield low, but they are also quite mixed."
"What you need to do is select plants with different characteristics, use different methods for hybridization, and select the highest-yielding ones."
He then pointed to the tobacco seeds and rubber tree saplings, briefly explaining their uses. The chili peppers were something Ma Yu already knew about, so no further explanation was needed.
Ma Yu's ambition was to cultivate high-yield crops, and this task was perfectly suited to his interests.
He excitedly patted his chest and guaranteed, "Mountain Chief, rest assured, your student will do his utmost!"
Fang Er nodded. "For this matter, it would be best if you informed your teacher and had him accompany you."
"Furthermore, if there are like-minded companions in the academy, you can bring them along. Consider this a test given to you by the Mountain Chief."
"If you achieve success, the Mountain Chief will personally award you."
Song Yingxing was now leading a group of students at the academy, and Ma Yu was one of his students. With their involvement, Fang Er was quite confident.
Indeed, when Ma Yu conveyed the message to Song Yingxing, he immediately selected over a dozen students to accompany him without a second thought.