Chapter 225: Rainbow Bridge Wish, Composite Magic Circle, Ground-effect Aircraft

The use of spiritual energy by professionals is only the most insignificant part of the supplies that Chen Mo transports back to his hometown.

Many technologies that are enough to cause earth-shaking changes have already taken shape in laboratories; the main remaining considerations are cost and matching degree.

For example, the controlled nuclear fusion technology that uses a “super Mage Hand” combined magic array for confinement has gone through thirteen iterations, and the technology is now very mature.

The only trouble is that the magic array needs to consume Magic Power Spirit Crystals.

In other words, although power generation fuel is no longer very expensive, Spirit Crystals on Blue Star are more valuable than gold; the key point is that this stuff relies entirely on Chen Mo’s transport from the Starlight World.

That is far too uncontrollable.

On the desks of Dong Xia’s Technical Department, they have drafted hundreds of contingency plans for unexpected situations.

So, mature as the technology is, it still cannot be used for now. Dong Xia’s overall planning is that unless a Spirit Crystal incubation and production Base can be established in Dong Xia’s homeland on Blue Star, this can only remain a backup technology.

And for similar reasons, a large number of new technologies transported from the Starlight World, which currently still rely on Special materials, special energy sources, or special environments, have all become high-end and splendid-looking but not-yet-applicable technical Reserves in Dong Xia’s vaults, whose true deployment time is unknown.

Of course, not all Starlight-related technologies are like this.

For example, the 【Ci Hang】 Engineering Office-led Project 【7101】, which mobilized more than a hundred laboratories and Research Institutes.

This technology originated from that fleeting glimpse Chen Mo had during his flight from disaster: the Rainbow Stone Great Bridge over the River of Crystal.

A giant arch bridge spanning more than three kilometers, without a single Bridge Pier or cable.

A miracle of architecture—or rather, of magic architecture!

From that day on, this image lingered in Chen Mo’s mind; he was always committed to figuring out the construction principles, to the point that when the Mercenary Guild of Hanhai Territory opened, among the top-pinned Missions there was one item: 【Provide the magic construction technology of the Rainbow Stone Great Bridge】.

Some who are familiar with Chen Mo’s past say that this is because the Lord deeply misses Captain Peiwen, who fought midstream and was both mentor and friend. In any case, everyone in the Territory knows of the Lord’s obsession with that bridge.

But in the Starlight World, which has no internet search, trying to uncover the technological origin of a wonder is easier said than done; thus, the matter was delayed indefinitely.

Until Master Anthony of the Magic Academy became Hanhai Territory’s Chief technical advisor and a Blue Star Foreign Academician.

Master Anthony Herrick specializes in spiritual energy research; giant constructions and super-wonders are not part of his field. But since he had received Hanhai’s commendation, Medals, Honor, and funding support, the Old Man naturally would give something back within his ability.

This included lending Hanhai Territory’s library a large number of Magic Academy journals from his personal collection—《Arcane Stream》.

Hanhai Territory’s library can in fact be understood as Dong Xia’s data Gathering office stationed in the Starlight World. It continuously collects large volumes of written materials from all over Starlight, as well as orally passed-on audio-Video materials, and periodically transports them to Dong Xia.

The massive number of papers in 《Arcane Stream》 became the best channel for Dong Xia’s scientific research departments to study Starlight magic Technology. And in an issue of 《Arcane Stream》 from twelve years ago, the library staff responsible for recording discovered clues about the Rainbow Stone Great Bridge.

They immediately reported it to Chen Mo.

In this document from the Shuang Lan branch of the Magic Academy, the basic structural principles of the Rainbow Stone Great Bridge are explained.

It is a dual composite Magic Array. Engraved on the core nodes of the main Structure of the bridge is what is called the “Amber Force Field Anchor,” which, through spiritual energy-based “Stabilization” and “Connection,” firmly binds the existence of the bridge into a single whole, maximizing the offset of deformation and displacement tendencies caused by gravity.

It is as if you built a Castle out of blocks; once the “Amber Force Field Anchor” is applied, you can lift one block at the top of the Castle and pick up in one piece what should have fallen apart into scattered blocks.

Interestingly, the Mages seem to have long been aware of structural deformation at different temperatures; the “Amber Force Field Anchor” uses a flexible “Connection” rather than a rigid “Connection.”

The other technology, called the “Seer Water Element Support” Magic Array, is also known as the “Grip of Flowing Wave.”

Once this array is activated, spiritual-energy magic laws are evenly applied under the bridge, drawing Energy from the abundant Water Element environment in the river to create a buoyancy-like lifting Effect.

Thus, the Rainbow Stone Great Bridge can have no Bridge Piers and yet maintain powerful support.

In this paper, the author specifically notes that “Seer Water Element Support” has a twin brother, “Seer Fire Element Support.”

Mage Seer believes that among the mainstream Elements in nature, Water Element and Fire Element are the most “lively and active” and “full of tension” among the basic elements.

Earth Element is too “inert” and “stagnant,” while Wind Element is too “scattered” and “unsettled.” Fire Element represents ultimate “expansion” and “ascension” force, while Water Element has inherent “repulsive” and “supporting” characteristics.

By using specific Magic Arrays to activate and guide these forces, one can achieve opposition to gravity.

According to Magic Academy publishing convention, the theoretical analysis is very clear, but there is no content on how to construct the Magic Array. To apply it, you have to find the relevant Mage and pay to Purchase it.

However, now that they had found the original source, the rest became easier.

Chen Mo asked Master Anthony to come forward as an intermediary. After agreeing to a series of conditions, the Old Man used some of his own Technology plus a large amount of Money, Spirit Crystals, and Magic Materials provided by Hanhai Territory to finally obtain the construction methods for this dual composite Magic Array.

Dong Xia’s Spiritual Energy Research Institute treated it as a treasure, immediately starting replication and analysis. After nearly half a year, they fully mastered this Technology and assembled Dong Xia’s own composite Magic Array.

Well, though from materials to Technology the Magic Array was fully localized, Spirit Crystals still had to be provided by Starlight.

What could this Magic Array technology be used for? Building more bridges over rivers, or applying it to offshore drilling platforms?

No need. Dong Xia’s own Technical Skill is entirely sufficient; why build a bridge that consumes Spirit Crystals?

Just as this technology was about to become yet another “Reserve Technology,” the Northern Ship and Ocean Engineering Research Institute participating in the project put forward a bold idea at an Internal seminar.

“Can we apply this technology to a Ground Effect Vehicle?”

A so-called Ground Effect Vehicle can also be called a seaplane. It uses the characteristics of reduced induced drag and significantly increased lift-to-drag ratio when flying at low altitude, greatly saving propulsion power while gaining higher payload and longer range.

The most representative example is the great project of the Northern Two-headed Eagle Empire in the previous red era, the famous “Caspian Sea Monster.”

An aircraft over a hundred meters long that had to skim close to the Sea Surface to fly!

Its failure to be widely deployed is closely related to its awkward positioning: fast, but not as fast as an airplane; heavy-lift, but not as much as a Warship; highly affected by weather conditions—slightly higher waves make it difficult to use; limited by having to skim the surface; and once an accident occurs, it is a major accident…

In short, it was one of many genius inventions of that special period of the red Two-headed Eagle, which ultimately went into a dead end amid rapidly advancing Equipment development.

Now, the Northern Ship and Ocean Engineering Research Institute recalled this behemoth.

“Previously our Ground Effect designs took the path of Miniaturization, because those giants consumed far too much power. Now, could we use ‘Seer Water Element Support’ as auxiliary support—dynamically relying on Technology, statically on Magic—to open up a new route?”

After several rounds of internal debate, this idea received support from the Military.

To save Time, the Military directly instructed the Foreign Affairs Department to seek the Purchase of the full set of “Caspian Sea Monster” data from the Two-headed Eagle.

The Two-headed Eagle has always been extremely wary of Technology transfer to Dong Xia.

Dong Xia is simply too uncanny: technologies they themselves do not use become highly successful in Dong Xia’s hands; Equipment in which they took the lead, once studied by Dong Xia, ends up leaving them far behind; even large-scale Equipment they failed to complete can be repaired and reconstructed by Dong Xia to rapidly form top-tier Combat Power on Blue Star.

However, the current Two-headed Eagle is in terrible shape. The time they were fleeced by the White-headed Eagle drained their strength; later, brothers turned against each other and clashed in war, while they were subjected to various suppression and sanctions, leaving them needing Dong Xia’s support across multiple Dimensions.

Yet even so, the Two-headed Eagle remained deeply reluctant.

So, familiar with their style, Dong Xia’s negotiation team opened with a completely unrelated Suggestion.

“We want the blueprints and Technology for the Miriya ”

“That is impossible! It is our nation’s town-securing Divine Artifact!”

“A town-securing Divine Artifact parked in another country’s hangar and blown to pieces?”

“…That was not our fault. All right! I can build it for you, but I cannot provide the Technology!”

“Come on!” The Dong Xia negotiator in charge of this Communication shook his head helplessly. “You no longer have the manufacturing capability for the Miriya.”

“You must understand, our various Research Institutes are submitting their project proposals for the coming year. This is directly tied to our funding allocations. I need a big Project to support us!”

“Exactly, it has to be big—big in size, big in scale, big in reputation—only then can I secure a larger sum of Funds.”

After painstakingly explaining their own Technological development logic to the other side, the Dong Xia representative again made a new request:

“Otherwise, give me the Blizzard’s Technology?”

“No, no, my old friend, that is absolutely impossible!”

“The North Wind God?”

“Are you joking?”

“Well then, I have brought so much Money. You have to at least give me something that looks decent, right?”

In short, after several rounds of bloated, complicated, and sleep-inducing negotiations, Dong Xia finally used Money and some military Technology to exchange for several types of technology considered to have “no Value to Dong Xia’s strategic airlift capability.”

Among them there was no “Caspian Sea Monster,” but there was the slightly smaller Flower-tailed Pigeon.

The introduction of this Technology saved Dong Xia a lot of trial-and-error Time in large Ground Effect Vehicle development.

For Dong Xia, which has the world’s most advanced supercomputers and top-tier Wind Tunnel clusters, once they have the basic model and key parameters, reverse derivation, optimization, and even innovation all follow naturally in one smooth stroke.

Just when Dong Xia was fully digesting the Technology and rapidly advancing Ground Effect flight tests, a small accident occurred that completely upended their progress in this field.

Chen Mo established a Relationship with the Sea Tribe.

On the way to the Silver Country, because the Naga Clan was attacked by an unknown Human Fleet, they unexpectedly approached the southward-marching Fleet of Lord Chen Mo.

Through a Weapon Performance, the Lord temporarily turned hostility into friendship, and they established a provisional Cooperation.

During this process, the Naga Clan assigned a small group of Sea Tribe to move with Chen Mo’s Fleet, including a young Tidal Sorcerer of the Naga Clan.

That Child was named Xilan, with rare sea-blue scales and big, blinking eyes. She usually liked to follow the Fleet surfing along the Sea Surface, and when she got tired, she would climb On the ship to rest.

Also a young Little Girl, the lively and cheerful Xilan quickly became friends with the blindfolded and bored Liushuang, and thus often tagged behind the Lord to scrounge food and drinks.

Chen Mo, as always, pretended to chat idly and carelessly, but in fact was painstakingly prying into various inside stories from the Sea Tribe.

In this process, Liushuang played an important supporting role. First, the two little girls grew close, able to talk about anything; second, Liushuang was genuinely asking out of pure curiosity, her questions entirely without strategic purpose.

One second they were discussing which line of the Sea Tribe’s tidal songs sounded better; the next, they were talking about how many people were in their Families.

This one spoke of inland Mountain Ranges and strange beasts, making Xilan, who rarely went ashore, full of longing. That one spoke of conflicts among the Sea Tribe, making Liushuang, who had lost her Hometown, sigh endlessly.

As they chatted, Lord Chen Mo, as the main host, would occasionally interject casually.

“I am a bit curious. With such a vast ocean, how do you Sea Tribe determine your Territory Boundaries?”

“How many are there in your Naga Clan? Where do you rank among the Sea Tribe?”

“Who are you on good terms with? The shark folk? Oh, the worst Relationship, right? Why such deep resentment?”

“Got it, got it. By the way, I have always wondered: do the Mermen on the Continent have anything to do with you Sea Tribe?”

Several Lounge Chairs were fixed on the Deck. The Sea Breeze, mixed with salty Water Vapor, brushed their cheeks. After a bout of chatting, Xilan would jump into the sea, float and dive for a while, then leap high, grab the specially reserved rope at the ship’s side, flip back On the ship, have some Pastry and a drink, and continue sprawling there to rest.

Then Liushuang casually asked that question.

“With the ship moving so fast, how can you still keep up?”