Transmigrating to the Three Kingdoms as Lu Bu: I Have a Pseudo-Apocalypse System

In the spring of the 407th year of the Han calendar (206 AD), the Imperial Workshop in Luoyang was bustling with activity.

The craftsmen at the textile research institute gathered around a new loom, which was weaving cloth. However, what they were producing was not ordinary linen or silk, but a denser, smoother, airtight fabric.

Standing beside the loom, Ma Jun held a piece of woven fabric in his hand, examining it from all angles. Then he said to the craftsman beside him, "Let's brush on another layer of tung oil and see how it goes."

The craftsman took the cloth, brushed a layer of boiled tung oil evenly on the surface, and let it dry for an hour.

Ma Jun picked up the cloth, folded it into the shape of a pocket, blew air into it, and the pocket bulged up. It took a while before it slowly deflated.

Ma Jun's eyes lit up: "It's done!"

He turned to Lü Bu behind him and said, "Your Majesty, the airtight cloth has been successfully developed. I used a new type of loom to triple the density of the warp and weft threads, and then brushed it with three layers of boiled tung oil. The cloth is airtight and can trap air."

Lü Bu stepped forward, took the cloth, and carefully felt it. The fabric was thick and smooth, indeed airtight. He nodded: "Good, next up is the hot air balloon. I'll draw up a blueprint, and you can make it accordingly."

Lu Bu drew a large airbag on a piece of paper, with a wicker basket hanging below it. The bottom of the airbag was open to heat the air. The basket could hold a person or a bomb.

Ma Jun looked at the blueprints and asked, "Your Majesty, how much fabric should be used for this airbag?"

Lu Bu said, "Let's make a small one first, just big enough to carry two or three people. If the airbag is too big, it'll be a waste of fabric if it doesn't fly. We'll make a bigger one after the small one's test flight is successful."

Ma Jun cupped his hands and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."

For the next two months, Ma Jun led the craftsmen to work day and night.

They first sewed a huge airbag out of airtight fabric, shaped like an inverted pear with an opening at the bottom. The surface of the airbag was covered with a net made of hemp rope, which held the entire airbag, and a wicker basket was tied to the bottom of the net.

The wicker basket is woven from bamboo and wicker strips. It is round, about 3 meters in diameter and 1 meter deep, and is sturdy and durable. A wooden board is laid at the bottom of the basket, and people can stand on it.

The heating device was designed by Lü Bu. It was an iron stove filled with charcoal, with an iron pipe connected to the top, through which hot air was pumped into an air bladder. The stove was placed in a wicker basket, with piles of charcoal next to it.

Ma Jun also made a simple thermometer to measure the temperature inside the airbag. He hung the thermometer on the side of the wicker basket for easy observation.

With everything ready, one day in early April, Ma Jun came to the Imperial Study, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, the hot air balloon is finished. I have test-flown it several times at the test site in the north of the city, and it can fly without any problem carrying three people. I humbly request Your Majesty to go and see it in person."

Lü Bu was overjoyed: "Good, I'll go take a look right away."

He led Jia Xu, Chen Gong, Zhang Liao, Guo Jia, and others on horseback to the testing ground north of the city.

The test site was located 5 kilometers north of Luoyang City, surrounded by high walls. Inside was an open space of over 100 acres. In the center of the open space was a huge airbag, deflated and lying on the ground, with wicker baskets and a tin stove next to it.

Several craftsmen were adding charcoal to the furnace, while Ma Jun directed several other craftsmen to use a long bamboo pole to pry open the bottom of the air bladder and let the hot air in.

The airbag gradually inflated, growing larger and larger until it became a huge sphere, floating high in the air. The surface of the airbag was coated with tung oil, which shimmered in the sunlight. The wicker basket beneath the airbag hung steadily about one meter off the ground, secured by a rope.

Ma Jun ran over, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Majesty, the hot air balloon is ready."

Lu Bu circled the hot air balloon, touched the air bladder, glanced at the stove and charcoal in the wicker basket, and asked, "How high can it fly?"

Ma Jun said, "Your Majesty, I have test-flown it a few times, and the highest I can fly is 200 meters. I dare not fly any higher, for fear that the airbags cannot withstand it."

Lu Bu nodded: "200 meters is enough. I'll go up and give it a try."

Upon hearing this, Jia Xu immediately stepped forward to stop him: "Your Majesty, you mustn't! Although this hot air balloon has been test-flown, what if something goes wrong? Your Majesty's life is of utmost importance; how can you risk it?"

Chen Gong also said, "Your Majesty, Wenhe is right. Your Majesty is the ruler of the country, how can you risk your life? Why not send a few soldiers up to try?"

Lü Bu waved his hand: "If I don't go, no one else will dare to. Besides, I have a divine granary bestowed by heaven. If it really falls, I'll put the contents of the granary underneath me, so I won't die from the fall."

Jia Xu and Chen Gong looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Lu Bu walked to the wicker basket and stepped inside. Ma Jun followed him in, teaching Lu Bu how to control the fire and how to maintain the height.

Lü Bu said, "I can go up by myself; you don't need to come with me."

Ma Jun said, "Your Majesty, I will go up and light the fire for you. It's your first time sitting here, so you're not familiar with it. I'll keep an eye on things from the side to put your mind at ease."

Lü Bu nodded: "Alright."

Ma Jun shouted to the craftsmen outside, "Loosen the rope!"

Several craftsmen untied the ropes binding the wicker basket, and the basket swayed gently and slowly rose up.

The airbag rose higher and higher, and the wicker basket rose with it. Lü Bu stood inside the basket, holding onto the edge, looking down.

On the ground, Jia Xu, Chen Gong, Zhang Liao, Guo Jia, and others grew smaller and smaller, becoming mere black dots. The perimeter wall of the testing ground became a thin line. In the distance, the city of Luoyang, with its palaces, streets, and houses, stretched across the land like a chessboard.

Lü Bu raised his head and looked into the distance. The Yellow River, like a yellow ribbon, meandered eastward. The Mangshan Mountains stretched endlessly, their trees lush and green.

The wind blew past my ears, carrying a slight chill.

Ma Jun squatted in the wicker basket, adding charcoal to the stove. The fire burned brightly, and hot air flowed through the iron pipe into the air bladder, filling it to the brim and making it float steadily in the air.

Lü Bu asked, "How long can this furnace burn?"

Ma Jun replied, "Your Majesty, one charcoal stove can burn for one hour. I brought extra charcoal, enough to burn for two hours."

Lu Bu nodded and continued looking into the distance.

He recalled his past life when he was on an airplane and looked out the window at the same view. But that was at an altitude of nearly 10,000 meters, while now he was only 200 meters high, and the feeling was completely different.

At a height of 200 meters, you can see houses, trees, and pedestrians on the ground, but you can't hear any sounds from the ground. The whole world is quiet, except for the sound of the wind and the whistling of the fire.

Lu Bu took a deep breath, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Fourteen years after he transmigrated to this era, he finally boarded a flying machine.

Although it was just a simple hot air balloon, and it could only fly 200 meters high, it was the first time in human history that someone had flown into the sky.

He knew this was just the beginning. In the future, there would be airplanes, rockets, and spaceships, and humans would fly higher and farther.

But that's for the future. Right now, he just wants to enjoy this rare flying experience.

The wicker basket floated in the air for more than ten minutes before Lü Bu said to Ma Jun, "Let it descend."

Ma Jun manipulated the mechanism to slowly release the air, causing the airbag to gradually shrink and the wicker basket to descend slowly.

Jia Xu, Chen Gong, and the others on the ground breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the hot air balloon begin to descend.