In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar!

Chapter 111 Analysis of the Return to the End

Wang Yan arrived at the rising Returning Machine at the bow of the ship, and his gaze was instantly drawn to its intricate structure. The entire fuselage appeared flat, as if it were made of wood joined by mortise and tenon joints, with the joints fitting together perfectly. Even after the violent launch just now, the structure remained as solid as a mountain, without the slightest loosening.

But Wang Yan knew that this thing was the same as the ships of Liyue.

It appears to be made primarily of wood, but in reality, who knows what's hidden inside.

In terms of overall form, the main structure of the Returning Machine resembles an enlarged heavy crossbow, but it does not have a physical arrow loading slot. Instead, it has a complex array base in the center of the crossbow arm.

The base contains several neatly cut thin plates with a slight jade-like luster, on which dense runes are engraved with extremely fine strokes.

These runes shimmered with a faint golden light in the sunlight, as if they were breathing with life within them.

Immortal talismans!

"As expected—the key lies here." Wang Yan murmured to himself, leaning closer to the base, his gaze slightly narrowing.

[Language Proficiency], Start.

The talismans of immortals are runes, not words, so they are not quick to decipher, and can even be quite slow.

But Wang Yan was not in a hurry. While letting the golden finger slowly interpret the talismans on the jade, he carefully checked the non-critical parts of the Returning End Machine.

Although Yun Gui didn't say what to pay attention to, Wang Yan couldn't really dismantle the Gui Zhong Ji, so he could only start with the non-critical parts.

In the game, the Returning Machine doesn't actually look complicated; it's even a bit rudimentary, like a wooden crossbow carved into shape.

However, in reality, the process of returning to the end is still relatively complicated.

Hardwood is no ordinary wood; it has a warm, solid feel and excellent resilience and affinity with the elements.

The hidden metal components are made of a certain alloy, which has extremely high strength and good energy conductivity.

The mechanism that drives the terminal machine to pitch and rotate is an extremely precise gear set and worm gear system. It rotates smoothly and effortlessly, yet can firmly lock the angle. It is clearly a design that has been tested in actual combat.

Unlike normal crossbows which use levers and rails to draw the string, the Returning Machine is a pure energy crossbow. Therefore, it only has energy circuits to gather energy and no bowstring or similar components.

Wang Yan noticed that behind the base of the Returning Machine, there was an inconspicuous slot that connected to a structure below the ship's deck.

Wang Yan guessed that this should be the main interface for energy supply, connected to some kind of energy core inside the ship—it could be a large elemental furnace, or it could be a crystal array that stores pure elemental power.

Without the power of immortal energy, the Returning Machine is less efficient at absorbing environmental energy and can only maintain standby mode and basic rune operation. When it is really firing at high intensity, it will inevitably need external power.

As time passed, the [Language Proficiency] gradually completed its analysis of the runes on the machine.

In Wang Yan's view, the runes on Gui Zhongji's body that were previously difficult to understand became clear and distinct. It was a highly condensed and interconnected energy guidance and constraint system.

The outermost layer of the base, covered with fine, spiderweb-like patterns, is the [Spirit Gathering Pattern]. Its function is to slowly absorb the elemental energy diffused in the surrounding environment, providing a certain amount of energy for the Returning Machine, and it is also part of the energy circulation path.

Located inside the Spirit Gathering Pattern, forming several ring-shaped structures, is the [Source Stabilizing Talisman]. Its function is to initially condense the absorbed energy and stabilize its form, preventing the energy from dissipating or going berserk during the aggregation process.

The most crucial part is a set of complex seal script characters resembling flowing rivers. These are called "Guiding Scripts," which act like precise energy conduits, guiding the energy processed by the "Solid Source Symbols" along specific paths and at specific rates to the firing array at the front of the crossbow arm.

Engraved around the emission array are [beam-shaped imprints]. Their function is to provide final constraint and shaping to the energy at the moment it leaves the base and is about to form an energy vector, ensuring that what is emitted is a solid, sharp energy impact with extremely strong penetrating and explosive effects, and avoiding the formation of scattered light clusters.

Meanwhile, some [Recoil Repelling Spells] are scattered on the base of the Returning Machine. These are protective runes that counteract some of the recoil generated during launch and prevent energy backflow from damaging the machine's structure. They also protect the operator from the impact of energy leakage to some extent.

Through observation, Wang Yan quickly sketched out a complete picture of the operation of this terminal aircraft in his mind:

The operator cranks the rotating wheel, and the gear set drives the crossbow arm to adjust its angle and lock onto the target.

Once the activation command is issued, the ship's energy surges in through the interface, undergoes initial collaborative processing by the Spirit Gathering Pattern and the Source Solidification Talisman, and is then guided to the front end by the Guide Script.

The beam-shaped seal activates instantly, compressing and shaping the surging energy into a destructive beam of light;

Finally, the counter-recoil spell takes effect simultaneously, offsetting the recoil and protecting the machine and personnel.

This is a complete system that integrates energy harvesting, condensation, guidance, shaping, emission, and protection.

"Wonderful! As expected, different countries use supernatural powers in different ways. Compared with the mechanisms I saw in Sumeru, the immortal mechanical arts have a more profound use of runes. Impressive, impressive."

The runes that Wang Yan learned from Farusan were mostly related to elemental power, and were considered relatively basic elemental runes.

The runes on the Returning Machine—Gathering Spirit, Solidifying Source, Guiding Flow, Binding Shape, and Reflection—cannot be achieved by a single elemental rune.

It has transcended the category of "elements" and begun to involve some other extraordinary concepts.

The Academy may also have similar rune technology, but Wang Yan has not yet learned it to that level. In any case, the Returning to the End Machine in front of him has indeed given Wang Yan a small shock from the immortals.

However, amidst the shock, many ideas also surfaced in Wang Yan's mind.

He stood up and looked at the sailors beside him: "I'm sorry to have kept you in vain."

The sailor shook his head: "It's alright, sir, have you made up your mind?"

"Okay, all done."

"Then I'll put it away."

The Returning Machine is, after all, a weapon, while the Wavebreaker is a merchant ship. It's best to put away the weapon, especially since we're already close to the Liyue Sea.

With the sailors' assistance, the return mechanism, which had been standing at the bow, was retracted back into the ship's hull.

This concept of a concealed machine gun should not appear on a wooden sailboat.

Liyue seems to have a strong preference for using ancient artifacts to employ extraordinary technologies.

He turned his gaze back to Yun Gui, who was still directing the rescue of the attacked merchant ships, helping to salvage cargo, and aiding the injured.

Wang Yan didn't disturb them and went straight back to his room.

Taking out paper and pen from the box, Wang Yan began to write and draw.

He wanted to try using the runes from the Returning Machine on his own crossbow. If he succeeded, perhaps he could later use the Returning Machine's technology on other creations.

Before long, Wang Yan finished the first draft.

Looking at the manuscript, Wang Yan felt something was amiss. If one were to use energy beams like Gui Zhongji, then—it seemed unnecessary to retain the crossbow string and mechanism—

"Why don't I just design it like an energy pistol from science fiction? It can fire energy bullets directly."

After some thought, Wang Yan tossed the first draft aside and began to redesign it.

Time passed little by little.

On deck, Yun Gui finished her business and found that Wang Yan was not there. She asked a sailor nearby and learned that Wang Yan had returned to his room. Without thinking much of it, she went to attend to her own business.

Wang Yan, on the other hand, devoted himself entirely to the design of the new manuscript.

He threw away drafts one by one, muttering nonsensical energy formulas under his breath.

It can only be said that Wang Yan's research in the field of the extraordinary is still too superficial.

It wasn't until a sailor brought dinner that Wang Yan was able to barely manage to draw a passable manuscript.

(ai)

"Forget it, my foundation is too weak, and my understanding of Liyue's Celestial Scrolls is too one-sided. Perhaps, when I get to Liyue, I'll need to find more books about Celestial Scrolls to read, or—find someone to teach me."

As the initial excitement faded, Wang Yan put away the manuscript, abandoning his idea of ​​achieving everything in one step.

The foundation is too weak; even replicating the original is not guaranteed, let alone miniaturizing it.

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