Chapter 75: Preparations
Sam was done assembling the machine and is examining if is working properly. The machine is a manual pressing machine.
A pressing machine is used for creating things from sheet metals. The machines which are operated by hydraulic power are used for making the frames for cars and other automobiles. The large-scale ones are even used in making some parts of aircrafts.
Manual pressing machine is a small- scale version which operates with human effort. These manual pressing machines are used for making things which are small and doesn't need much precision in dimensions.
What Sam has in front of him is a manual pressing machine, but it is a bit larger in size. Basically, the manual pressing machines will be small enough to be used by humans directly, because the effort that can be applied from the human hands is limited and cannot be used to make any big objects.
But Sam's manual pressing machine is of large size. It is as big as a hydraulic press in model world. Why did he make it in this size though? Because, the humans here can make the effort required to operate this machine.
The machine has two columns on both sides which are mounted on a solid metal bed. The bed doesn't only support the columns, it also has a work holding device which is also a die. A die in this machine is like a mould. It has a shape which the final product is required to be made.
Then there would be upper die which is the opposite shape of the lower die. It is movable and the columns act as guideways for its vertical movement.
There is a wheel on top of whole frame. It is parallel to the ground. When the wheel is rotated, the upper die is moving down and when it is rotated in opposite direction, the upper die will move upwards.
The upper and lower dies will be in such a shape that if one has a cylindrical hollow, then the other will have a cylindrical protrusion with almost same dimensions. The dies if put together will be a fit.
So, when a sheet metal piece is placed in between both of them and force is applied to the dies, the sheet metal will be turned into the shape in which the dies are designed.
For example, if the dies are with cylindrical protrusion and hollow. The final product will be in shape similar to that of cylindrical cup. This operation is also called drawing operation.
After making sure that the machine is alright, Sam took out a sheet of fire bronze from his storage. Why is the fire bronze being in sheet form? That is because, the fire bronze is a metal which is soft and is mainly used for making the metallic covers. It has a good affinity with fire elemental energy. Since, the metal doesn't have any major properties in suitable for making direct weapons and armours and only for making some auxiliary products, the artisans aren't willing to make much effort to make refine the ore directly.
That is why, the artisan tower will let the young artisan apprentices practice their fire control by refining this type of ores and they will sell them in these processed forms.
Sam took a circular piece which he had already cut previously and placed it on the work piece holder. Then he held the wheel and started rotating it. The upper die started moving and soon the deformation of the small sheet metal started.
Sam withdrew the upper die and removed the metal piece on the work holder. Now the work piece is in a shape of small cylindrical metal cup.
The metal cup has four inches diameter and the depth is one inch.
He turned towards Watt and Jack before taking out a big sheet of fire bronze. There are several circular markings on the sheet.
"Both of you have only one thing to do till the evening. Cut out the pieces off of the sheet and use the machine to make these hollow cups.
After one sheet is done. Replace the dies with another set. There is another sheet with different dimensions and you have to make them also in the same way. If you find any problem with the machine, you can find me."
After saying his piece, Sam went away without even looking back. Jack and Watt exchanged a look and started working. At first, they really felt interesting. Making a shape out of the sheet with a single press. Even though the machine is very different and they haven't seen that before, they felt that it is quite efficient. But after sometime, they felt bored to do the same thing again and again.
Meanwhile, Sam went to the room and entered the divine dimension. He took out the crystal bamboo plants and started planting them in various elemental zones. These crystal bamboo plants are quite unique in nature. They actually, don't have any special characteristics. They are of neutral by nature, but if they were grown in a place abundant of fire elemental energy, they will change colour and gain characteristics of fire elemental energy. Then that bamboo can be used for short term preservation of fire elemental consumables.
These crystal bamboos are mainly used to serve wine with spiritual energy. That means, the fire elemental spiritual wine, can be served in a fire elemental crystal bamboo and the effects of the wine will be preserved and wouldn't be dissipated for a certain amount of time. The bamboos will lose these effects after they are removed from the tree.
Right now, Sam is in a corner of the neutral zone in the divine dimension where he planted ten bamboo plants. He dug a hole near the plants and buried all the carcasses of the poisonous beasts. He laid a formation to supply abundant spiritual energy to them. Generally, these crystal bamboos will grow very fast. They will reach their full limit in just twenty days and for Sam it will be done is ten days.
Sam came out of the dimension and started preparing for tonight.
When the night came, two birds soared in sky and created a sleepless night to all the guards in the Western region. The Novice supervisor of the Black pond, felt like his world collapsing. In a single night all the information network of the Black pond in the western region is gone. Now, he also joined the search along with the supervisor of Eastern region.
But this time the matter isn't simple, the superiors of the supervisors also got alerted and came to a conclusion that someone is targeting them. When the matter is taken to the manager of the Black pond, he immediately became alert and fl.u.s.tered.
"How can they get the details of members? Even if they have a spy, no one in the organisation know all the details of the members. How can they know these details?" A middle-aged man is shouting in the highest floor of the Black pond restaurant. This man is precisely the one who offered the VIP card to Sam when he visited.
Before him, there are four Novice peak stage cultivators are standing with their heads held down. There are three men and a woman. All of them are wearing black clothes. After the manager went silent, the woman spoke.
"Boss, even we don't know the complete details of members. We only deal with our respective regions. You are the only one who knew all the details and if you don't tell them yourself, there is only one way for them to get these details." When she was finished, the manager opened his eyes wide.
"No, they can't." He immediately stood up and went to the room next door. He went inside and opened another secret door in which there are a few racks with scrolls. He went through a shelf and screamed in rage.
"NOOOOOOOOO…"
He immediately came back to the room and looked at the four people with rage filled eyes.
"They stole our monthly report. Apart from us five there is no other person who knows where the monthly report is. Who is the spy?"
When the four people heard the manager's words they immediately panicked. They didn't dare to react to deny first. Instead, they just stood there in silence. After a brief silence, the manger spoke again.
"I am giving you a week time. You better investigate who the spy is. Otherwise, I will kill all four of you." His voice was cold and ruthless.
"Yes, Boss." Four of them immediately said in unison and left.
At the same moment, both Sam and Jack are sitting in the study and are talking to each other.
"We aren't going to do anything in the next few days. Right now, the whole organisation will be in a mess. They might have found out about the missing scrolls and they will be investigating. They will be busy in investigating and restructuring the organisation. They will be even be in high alert for our next attack. So, we will not do anything for now. We will proceed after the banquet is over." Sam said while Jack nodded in understanding.
"Shadow mice." Sam called over.
Three small shadows floated over and came onto the table.
"Next two days, you guys will be in charge of finding the meeting spots of these Novices. I need the details regarding on what times they will be holding these meetings."
After he was done, he sent Jack and went to his room to enter the divine dimension. In the second floor there a more than hundred cylindrical cups which, both Jack and Watt made. He looked at them helplessly.
Then he started drawing runes on the floor. He needs to inscribe all of them. When he was done with the first inscription, he said to himself.
"I should master etching as soon as possible." Then he continued drawing another inscription circle.
Sam spent all the time in the tower for ten days. That means one day has passed outside and night came again.
Sam came out of the tower and went to the crystal bamboos where he buried the carcasses near. The crystal bamboos are already grown to a considerable size.
Sam took out the cauldron with the poisonous mixture he made and retrieved a huge wat of liquor.
Then he made a small hole in a bamboo section, he placed a small normal bamboo tube and started pouring the poisonous liquid in it. After the section was half full, he observed some resistance and he used the wind energy to remove the remaining air from the section and forced the liquor into it.
After that, he stuffed the hole with some green leaves.
What Sam is doing is using a Chinese technique, to age a liquor in the bamboo to get a unique taste. But he is using this technique to create a liquor of poison.
After one section is done, he started filling other sections in same manner.
When he was finally over with this task. He went back to the inscription work. He went on and on with the same inscriptions again and again. He only finished when there is only one day left for the banquet.
Sam went to look at the bamboo sections and started collecting the liquor. All the time, he tried his best to control the wind around him to not get infected from the fumes.
After collecting all the liquor into a wat, he went upstairs into the second floor of the tower and looked at the two piles of cylindrical cups. He felt exhausted at the thought of what he has to do now. He only has ten days after all.