Chapter 622: Chapter 528: Great Strength and Flying Bricks, Dennis’s Explosive Propulsor
An hour later, at the royal capital, Lynn stepped into the Magic Research Institute and was warmly received by Deputy Director Tim, who took over as acting director after Vittorio left.
When Tim learned that Lynn had come looking for Dennis, he began to pour out his complaints.
“Assemblyman Lynn, this time you’d better also persuade Master Dennis. He was doing quite well with his propeller aircraft, continuously increasing its top speed with very pleasing results, the maximum cruising speed was approaching four hundred kilometers per hour. Yet, for some reason, he abruptly switched to researching a kind of explosive thruster…”
The Alchemy Research Institute was initially supportive of Dennis’s new endeavor, but his explosive thruster was as volatile as its name suggested…
In the past year, there had not been a single day of peace in the lab allocated to Dennis: small-scale explosions were incessant, and at worst, the lab had suffered complete destruction.
Although accidents are common in magic research, the frequency of these incidents was far too high!
The continuous noise severely disrupted the research of other wizards, not to mention the personnel casualties. Over sixty official wizards were injured, and the number of apprentices had surpassed one hundred…
Considering the kingdom’s current shortage of personnel, it was a period when every official wizard was worth their weight in gold, many holding several positions. The injuries of a significant number of wizards affected more than just the progress of a single project.
As Tim continued to share his grievances, Lynn was quite surprised. Surely, even jet aircraft research shouldn’t involve such a terrifyingly high frequency of explosions; now, even he was unsure what exactly Dennis was up to.
The workshop was large and rudimentary, with nothing but a framework in place—according to Tim, there was no need for excess decorations, only walls sturdy enough to withstand the rough treatments, no point in building it too well since it might just blow up at any time.
Tim’s thoughts were indeed foresighted, because as the two of them reached the workshop’s entrance, a violent explosion sounded from within. The doors burst open, and they were greeted with a strong shock wave from the blast.
A sharp piece of metal, mixed with the shock wave, sped toward them at high velocity. However, just as it was about to reach them, the metal fragment’s speed suddenly shifted from extremely fast to extremely slow, finally hovering mid-air.
Lynn reached out and pinched the fragment in his hand before stepping forward into the workshop.
The entire Alchemy workshop was smoky and grim, its ground, walls, and ceiling pocked and uneven from the aftereffects of numerous explosions, with its original appearance no longer discernible.
“As expected…” Tim followed Lynn inside, shaking his head helplessly.
If Dennis hadn’t made outstanding contributions to the improvement of steam engines, internal combustion engines, and propeller-driven fighters—which had given many council members a sliver of hope for his new achievements—this dangerous research project would have been halted long ago.
Due to the recent explosion, the inside of the Alchemy workshop was a complete mess. Luckily, there were no injuries this time, as accidents had become somewhat routine.
An Alchemist noticed Lynn and Tim as they entered and immediately notified Dennis of their arrival.
The two did not have to wait long before Dennis, who had received the report, came over with his team. Each person was covered in dust and soot, but their expressions were incredibly exuberant.
Upon seeing Lynn and Tim, Dennis grabbed their sleeves excitedly, “Quick, quick, your timing is perfect! My research succeeded, my research succeeded!”
Tim, who was about to offer a sarcastic remark, swallowed his words, his expression shifting to one of uncertain surprise. Could it be that Dennis had actually made the explosive thruster work?
The elated Dennis led them to the inside of the workshop, eager to show them his new accomplishment—a thruster approximately two meters long and forty centimeters in diameter.
However, the middle half was curled outward like a twisted pastry. The recent explosion had clearly originated there!
“Is this what you call a success?” Tim asked, pointing at the severely damaged thruster, his face a mixture of bemusement and concern.
“Of course, it’s a success; you should know it operated for a full minute, a whole minute!” Dennis’s voice rose several octaves, trembling with excitement.
This time it hadn’t simply detonated but had actually operated, a breakthrough from zero to one, signifying they were incredibly close to a finished product!
“I fear it’s still quite far off,” Tim said, exasperated. What was one minute good for? This was nothing short of wasting precious resources and manpower…
Dennis completely disregarded Tim’s opinion, commanding half-bodied creatures and Alchemists to inspect and repair the thruster, while summarizing the lessons from their failure. He also launched into a detailed explanation to Lynn about the design concepts of the new-style thruster.
Traditional propeller aircraft convert engine rotational power into thrust. As the propeller spins, the blades push large amounts of air backward, generating forward force…
Yet, Dennis believed the efficiency of wind-driven propulsion was too low. Moreover, as speeds continued to increase, he began to sense a limit, leading him to resolutely shift his focus to researching a newer type of propulsion device.