Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 153 A Boiler with a Processing Error

The detailed plan took another day before the two began physical modifications to the locomotive on the deck. As the latitude increased, floating ice had appeared on the sea surface. The wind outside the cabin became biting cold, and Su Ming dismantled some of the cabins to build a huge work shed on the deck.

On Earth, Miao Xin did not return home after leaving the Da'an North Base. Instead, she went to a hardware and electrical machinery market in Shenyang and purchased a large number of electronic components needed for modernization in batches.

Wearing a silicone headgear and wig, wrapped in a hooded down jacket, a mask, and fogged-up glasses, Miao Xin defied the power of the Dark Sea, completely evading the salesperson's detection. She successfully completed negotiations at the machine shop and placed an order for the parts needed to upgrade the Youth Civilization Unit.

Once the custom parts were finished, Miao Xin rented a truck to load them and transport them to her rented warehouse, where Su Ming completed the inter-space teleportation.

There wasn't much residue, so she bought a shovel and found a place to bury it.

"It's almost Chinese New Year here," Miao Xin reminded him. "But the boss said if we rush the work, they can keep some workers on duty until before the New Year. Of course, the processing fee will be higher, and they'll require a deposit in advance."

Su Ming didn't say anything. If it could be solved with cash, it was a minor matter. He could always visit a few more kind-hearted benefactors.

However, the cooling of logistics will cause many inconveniences to the movement of goods. During the assembly and trial operation of the Youth Civilization Unit, adjustments will be made continuously and orders will be placed constantly.

So we should still move forward.

[Where's the boiler?] Almost a week has passed, and Su Ming asked Miao Xin to inquire about the progress.

Miao Xin quickly replied, "It's finished. The manufacturer has arranged for a truck to deliver it; it will arrive tonight."

【it is good. 】

Finally, they had reached this point, and Su Ming began to feel hopeful.

****
That evening, Miao Xin saw a truck covered in snow drive up and park at the designated location.

In this ordinary small town, the streets were still bustling at seven o'clock in the evening. The driver got out of the car and went into a roadside restaurant to eat.

The vengeful spirit activated the Nether Sea and conducted a large-scale exploration.

"No problem," she told Su Ming.

Miao Xin can now detect and pay attention to her fluctuations and perceive the malice in human nature, which makes her various "daily activities" much easier.

The escorts also jumped off the vehicle, stretched their legs, and exhaled white steam.

"Yes, go ahead," Su Ming said.

Miao Xin stepped forward and greeted the man, "Hello, I am the recipient."

"Hello, Ms. Jiang! I'm Kong Ruifeng." The other party took out a bag of documents from the bag he was carrying. "These are the relevant instruction manuals, and the USB drive contains the code for the industrial control program. There was too much time to compile them into a booklet."

Having taken over control of the troublesome little guy, Su Ming began to examine it closely. The newly manufactured boiler showed signs of being rushed, and it hadn't even been painted.

"The trial run has been completed; the steam pressure was 3 MPa and the steam temperature was 420 degrees Celsius," Kong Ruifeng said with some pride. "It's significantly higher than your initial requirements!"

Upon hearing this, Su Ming frowned slightly. He placed his hand on the boiler and began matching materials for the All Things Transmission. Immediately, his expression turned extremely grim.

He angrily threw the folder of documents in his hand at Kong Ruifeng, "Didn't I say! The boiler body must be made of carbon steel, carbon steel! Why is pearlitic steel still being used!"

Su Ming emphasized in the requirement list that the main body of the boiler must be made of Q245R carbon steel, and some parts can be made of Q345R.

Kong Ruifeng was also stunned. "This pearlitic heat-resistant alloy is much better than carbon steel!"

Su Ming really wanted to kick him a few times. If he could use good materials, why did he have to keep emphasizing it? Pearlitic heat-resistant alloy, could you dare to increase the molybdenum content any higher?!

The truck that had accompanied him on his journey through the other world, along with the metal materials it had transported, was almost completely used up. Where was he going to find more molybdenum now?

Su Ming was too lazy to waste any more words and turned to leave. Kong Ruifeng panicked and immediately stopped him to explain, "Our factory doesn't even have low-end materials like Q245R. Pearlitic heat-resistant steel is already the worst we can get."

Behind the rapid industrial transformation lies the frenzied advancement of materials science. Alloys with complex compositions have long permeated every corner of manufacturing, becoming commonplace for those working in the field.

Things that can be bought directly from the market for a fee are irrelevant in terms of their production level. Just like no one pays attention to the fruit sold at a street vendor, whose varieties are quietly changing every year.

"Why didn't you report this to us!" Su Ming rebuked.

"Madam, this order of yours is really strange. The timeframe is extremely tight, and it doesn't specify the intended use," Kong Ruifeng hurriedly explained. "It's my fault for being presumptuous, thinking that some leader was simply ignorant. I thought that using better materials secretly wouldn't cause any problems—I truly cannot understand why this is required! Please, give me a chance to rectify this!"

Su Ming was genuinely furious, but looking at Kong Ruifeng's tired face, he didn't want to say anything more. To produce such a completely new boiler design in less than seven days, even if it was done by modifying existing equipment, must have been a work in progress, working day and night.

He considered it for a moment, then decided to wait another seven days?
It is now deep winter. In three months, the snow in the North will begin to melt, followed by a muddy period. They must complete the prison break and leave decisively before then, no matter what.

In addition to travel time, time must be allocated for executing the plan, as well as contingency reserves.

So we can't wait!

He turned to Kong Ruifeng and asked, "I'm giving you a new order. Can you deliver it within two months?"

Kong Ruifeng was delighted to hear this, but when he saw the requirements Su Ming handed over, he suddenly froze: "50 MW steam turbine, 6 MPa steam pressure, 470°C superheated steam temperature, condensate recovery, and compatible with different types of solid fuels."

These requirements are nothing compared to the fact that the main body must be made of carbon steel, pushing the limits of the material. There are a whole host of design challenges to solve, not to mention the subsequent construction and commissioning of the equipment.

"Remember, use Q245R, not pearlitic, not martensitic, and definitely not a nickel-based alloy," Su Ming said, enunciating each word clearly. "Can you do that?"

"Two months." Kong Ruifeng pondered for a moment, then suddenly made up his mind, "Okay!"

"I look forward to seeing you again," Su Ming said.

He relinquished control of the troublesome child and was about to leave when Miao Xin called him back, "Wait a moment."

【oh? 】

"My father asked me to give you a message," Miao Xin said.

****
In the White Triangle workshop, Su Ming cut the link, his expression a mixture of emotions.

"What's wrong?" Violet asked.

“The plan has been disrupted,” Su Ming explained about the boiler. “Of course, the prison break can still proceed. It’s just that I’m severely hampered by the lack of materials! So many good things can’t be used.” As he spoke, he slammed his fist on the table in frustration.

“Molybdenum hasn’t been developed into many uses here,” Zijin said. “You’re using too much, and the amount that our world’s laboratories can produce is far from enough.” Su Ming’s plan is to start building a rare mineral supply chain after solving the manpower problem, and to complete the periodic table of elements in order to completely solve the messy material needs of modern industrial products.

But this is not the only problem.

“It’s not just about collecting various elements,” Su Ming said. “The material structures of the two worlds are too different. I have atomic-level manipulation capabilities, but I’m powerless when there are too many. The more advanced the equipment, the more serious this problem becomes!”

Just like the collection of gallium, what is ultimately obtained is still a mineral in a compound state. It still needs to be broken down into free elements with the help of Su Ming's magic before it can participate in the construction of summoned creatures.

A moment of silence fell over the workspace.

Zijin put down the blueprints in her hand, walked to a white whiteboard standing against the wall, and used magic to erase the contents on it.

Her fingertips lit up as she wrote a line of words.

"Model Import", "Material Matching", "Build Combination".

"What?" Su Ming asked, raising his eyes. This was the process by which he summoned the device from Earth.

Violet circled "Construction and Combination," explaining, "This step is currently the one that consumes the most magic power for you. It's because you need to modify the materials, which consumes a lot of magic power."

Even without synthesizing new compounds, the microstructures of substances vary greatly, not to mention the wide variety of crystals and various nano and macromolecular configurations.

"But in reality," Violet circled the other two points, "the order of matter extracted from Earth and transmitted to our world is what makes you truly irreplaceable!"

Su Ming was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood what the scholar meant, as if struck by a thunderbolt: "Let others synthesize the materials and share my workload!"

Alchemists also exist in other worlds. As long as the elements are gathered and a sample is provided, these alchemists can use methods from another world to replicate materials that closely resemble the target being teleported to. For example, various alloys and semiconductor materials, thereby significantly reducing the magic power Su Ming consumes during the "construction and combination" phase.

“Yes, we’ll establish a raw material supply chain here,” Violet replied, “which will significantly improve efficiency and allow for a qualitative leap in the scale and quantity of transmission!”

The scene described by the violet was so alluring, but—

“To acquire more new equipment, we need to build our own supply chain,” Su Ming said. “Building a supply chain requires people and territory, and acquiring people and territory depends on transporting equipment from Earth.”

"You mean a vicious cycle?" Violet raised an eyebrow.

“No.” Su Ming shook his head.

He stepped forward and wrote down the three words "personnel," "territory," and "power," arranging them into a triangle.

“I made a mistake,” Su Ming said. “I kept thinking of replicating the original dimensional portal to return to Earth. But the success of the Emerald Cliff was actually a fluke—to recreate that fluke would cost many times more!”

What conditions were clear at the time, and what were unclear? These needed to be found through experiments. How to determine the landing point of the teleportation portal, and how to stabilize the dimensional rift—unless Su Ming was willing to gamble his life on probability, he would have to follow the scientific research process diligently.

“I’m following this resource planning,” Violet said. “This is my area of ​​expertise.”

“But I didn’t realize that.” Su Ming wrote “Portal” in the middle of the triangle. “I always have the mindset of taking shortcuts. But skipping the necessary conditions and gambling on probability is wrong.”

Zi Jin looked Su Ming up and down for a while, "Why are you acting so differently today?"

"I got scolded by Miao Xin's father," Su Ming said. "He criticized me, saying that if I continue with this mindset, I will only achieve nothing. To achieve a goal of this level of dimensional exploration, one must be prepared to face the real difficulties. Otherwise, I might as well find a place in another world to stay and spend the rest of my life."

"Sorry. It might sound like I'm kicking someone when they're down, but I think he's right," Violet said, covering her mouth with a smile.

Su Ming rolled her eyes at her.

Violet circled "Personnel," indicating, "We're working on this." Then she circled "Territory," asking, "Brown Gold Island?"

“Brown Gold Island could be a production site,” Su Ming said. “That place is indefensible. If it becomes a capital-intensive area, it will restrict White Bone Fortress to going anywhere.”

After thinking for a moment, Zi Jin said, "I have an idea. After we rescue them, we can go to the Polar City. I have a good relationship with the ice dragons and winged people there."

“‘Good relationship’ is really rare,” Su Ming remarked.

Zi Jin rolled her eyes at him. Her hand paused on the "Power" option. "Establish a power?"

Su Ming shook his head. "At least settle things with the enemies. We're reserved about the Star Empire, but do you think they'll let us go unless we tear them to shreds?"

Zi Jin laughed, "Being able to achieve this is no different from establishing a power base."

Su Ming gave a wry smile. "Whether I can do it or not is one thing, but I have to abandon this short-sighted mentality of seeking quick success and instant benefits. I need to have a corresponding understanding of what kind of goal I set."

"Furthermore, you knew perfectly well that I had misunderstood the concept of dimensional teleportation arrays." Su Ming turned to Zi Jin, somewhat angrily, "Why didn't you tell me!"

“Because you’ve always been on this path, increasing your strength and allocating resources, never deviating from it,” Zi Jin said. “Actually, I think Miao Mu is being a bit nosy.”

She gave Su Ming a playful look. "You chose to come to the North to provoke the Divine Might Prison; even though there was a problem with the boiler, you stubbornly continued with the plan. Don't tell me you're unaware of the risks you'll face on this trip—you're better at sensing danger than I am!"

Su Ming was silent for a moment. "So, what about you? Are you willing to do these things?" he asked. "Given your current situation, you should have other plans after escaping the pursuit, right?"

Su Ming has a goal of returning to Earth, but that's not essential for Zi Jin. The other world is vast; she's sure she can find a place to go.

Zi Jin was clearly in a good mood. She opened her arms and twirled around with a dance-like step. "Su Ming, I like research, I like traveling, I like novel foods, and I also like trampling my enemies under my feet."

“These have been the most comfortable days I’ve had lately!” She lifted her skirt with one hand, presenting the back of her hand to Su Ming. Then she turned her palm up, saying, “This is my answer.”

"So, it's a mutual invitation?"

"If Hanster doesn't mind being buried on the road, I'm not afraid of any cost!"

Su Ming reached out and placed his hand in Zi Jin's palm. The girl took his hand in return and then pulled him toward the long table.

"Alright, let's continue calculating the configuration we just worked on."

"Hey, weren't you going to teach me to dance?" Su Ming said, dissatisfied.

"You're overthinking it. I wouldn't do that."

(End of this chapter)