Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest-Chapter 260 - 29: Cutting-edge Technology Points

The Hydroelectric Hammer could not satisfy the mass production of plate armor.

It was simply because plate armor had very high material requirements.

Although the Hydroelectric Hammer could forge a steel plate, the entire process required patience and meticulousness, and it easily resulted in uneven thickness, which made shaping difficult.

The real way to mass-produce plate armor was through the Rolling Machine and rolling pins.

Two rolling pins rotated, with a gap in between. A steel plate of a certain thickness was fed into the gap, and with the force of the two rolling pins rotating, the thick steel plate was forcibly compressed and thinned.

Roman stayed in Coal Iron Town for half a month.

In the third month of spring, he managed to create a Rolling Machine—the most primitive model, a manual version.

It wasn’t that the technology was inadequate, but rather the materials were insufficient.

Materials are the cornerstone of technological advancement.

If the steel rolls lacked strength, hardness, toughness, or wear resistance, then it would be impossible to press out homogeneous steel plates.

In the end, Roman used Magic Steel as the material for the steel rolls, and only then did it meet the requirements.

The reason manufacturing was difficult was first that Roman’s demand for Magic Steel was so high, he had no spare; otherwise, he would have already started mass-producing Magic Steel Armor on a large scale.

Second was that Roman subconsciously had not considered this direction; the knowledge he possessed did not cover Magic Materials.

Third, a Rolling Machine consisted of more than just rolling pins. It included a complete frame, transmission system, lubrication system, etc.

This was a whole set of technical concepts.

In other words, a complete Rolling Machine weighed several tons.

This was considered a super small Rolling Machine crafted by Roman, having reduced its size; otherwise, it would not come down from a weight of ten or more tons.

And those large Rolling Machines weighing several hundred tons were considered normal.

In an era where Hydroelectric Hammers had not yet been widely popularized, the Rolling Machine was more advanced than a blast furnace and could be considered high-tech in a certain sense.

Of course, if the ancient empire from hundreds of years ago really had extremely advanced forging and metallurgical technology, that would be a different story.

After all, Roman couldn’t be certain that in this world, no one had developed another metallurgical system using those extraordinary materials.

Anyway, regardless of the system or technology involved, if it could be used, it was considered good technology.

In a way, the development of superalloys, like composite materials with strength and hardness, might not necessarily be inferior to Magic Steel or Mythril among other extraordinary materials.

This was called turning decay into wonder.

However, the harsh reality was, forget superalloys, Roman couldn’t even produce cold-hard cast iron rolling pins.

But luckily, he still managed to complete the Rolling Machine.

This also meant that the foundation for mass-producing plate armor was laid.

The ideal method would be the Cold Forging Method—normal temperature steel plates compressed to a thin layer by the pressure of rolling pins.

Steel plates produced in this manner were superior in both appearance and quality compared to those made through hot forging.

Moving forward, Roman would arrange for soldiers to come to Coal Iron Town in small squads, where blacksmiths would measure their sizes and forge personalized plate armor that fit snugly.

Excellent steel plate materials could greatly reduce the blacksmiths’ failure rate.

Previously, when blacksmiths created plate armor, they exercised great caution, as the varying carbon content in steel and different processing techniques highly tested forging skills.

A set of plate armor required a blacksmith’s dedication for as long as a year and a half.

Therefore, the cost was too high and the price expensive.

Even some Third and Fourth Rank Transcendents could not afford a full set of plate armor.

However, once an item began to be produced in mass quantities, it was possible to greatly reduce all associated costs.

With the Hydroelectric Hammer and Rolling Machine, a competent blacksmith, taking into account each individual’s body shape, could forge a set of half-body plate armor that protected the torso within ten days, followed by the processes of quenching and tempering.

The cost of time and labor was significantly reduced.

After confirming that the Rolling Machine was functioning properly, Roman immediately returned to Origin Manor without stop.

Because the first batch of compensation from Riptide and the Church Court had finally arrived.

Various sparkling gemstones, refined Magic Stones like a cluster of stars, Gold Coins, and Silver Coins filled several large boxes.

The sight of such wealth was enough to stop one’s heart.

Even Roman found it difficult to remain rational and calm with such a vast fortune laid out in front of him.

He took a few deep breaths and turned to send the Gold Coins, Silver Coins, and Magic Stones off to be smelted.

Seth then moved various gemstones back to the bedroom and began to study how to maximize the use of these gemstone resources.

Five hundred blue gemstones, only of medium quality, not poor but not particularly great either.

This meant the knowledge Roman could transfer was limited.

For example, with Ruto, Roman shared knowledge of iron refining because he was a qualified blacksmith who had some understanding of the industry upstream from iron ingots.

Having prerequisite knowledge made things easier, serving as a lubricant, and the infusion of knowledge was a natural progression.

Without prerequisites, it was like forcing a square peg into a round hole; Roman’s was too substantial, a mismatch in size, making the process crude and awkward. It wouldn’t be painful but couldn’t plant the seeds of knowledge, a so-called miscarriage.

However, after two years of development,

He had still managed to train a group of fundamental talents.

What to do now?

Eradicate illiteracy!

Ruthlessly eradicate illiteracy!

Origin City’s administrative power had been overloaded since last year.

Especially after the Spring Rain battle, Roman had to shut down the schools to keep Origin City running.

There was just too much to do!

More than two thousand soldiers were dead or injured, some discharged, others killed in action.

Discharge procedures had to be processed, right? Pensions had to be distributed, right?

If you were illiterate and given a list of identities, how could you understand the soldiers’ names, home addresses, or family relationships? To whom would you deliver the pensions?

How strong would grassroots administrative power need to be to convey information accurately to each household?

For Roman, personal conduct became less relevant.

If there were public complaints and on investigation, the offender was found to have acted egregiously, they could be simply hanged, very simple and crude.

But without the ability to read, there was no solution at all.

He had once mandated that all administrative personnel carry a literacy primer with them and consult with folks like Seth and Jimmy on words in their spare time.

Gradually, those individuals came to recognize dozens or hundreds of words.

Roman had only deployed a little over fifty Angels Envoys in the administrative system.

There were more in the military than anywhere else.

Then there were those assigned to the various major production departments.

Lastly, there were the less promising Angel Envoys whom Roman chose to let go their own way.

Roman first selected the administrative department’s Angel Envoys, giving each one a Blue Gemstone to boost their foundational literacy.

Then he aimed to enhance the production skills of the Angel Envoys in every major department.

The Ministry of Agriculture, the Breeding Department, the Casting Department, and the Manufacturing Department.

Production skills were extremely important, essentially equivalent to productive forces.

Roman was willing to call it a sort of under-the-table brain upgrade.

In the past, Roman had barely maintained the situation with diligent work from Balrog, Yaki, and Ruto. freёwebnoѵel.com

The pressure of production on these ministers was immense, and they also had to transfer their knowledge to others, having to work even when sick.

It was time to help them share the load.

But production technology differed from literacy.

Literacy was simply about recognition, a little impression would suffice, a passive Skill.

But production technology was an active Skill...

Being able to pass on a single skill was good enough.

Suppose Roman transferred the process of tofu making.

Then you give them a bucket of soybeans to turn into tofu, and they’ll likely be baffled.

What is tofu?

Roman had to demonstrate the process himself, and then the Angel Envoys would come to a realization.

So this tender white substance was tofu.

The Angel Envoys who had knowledge imbued in advance would master the technology more easily than ordinary people.