Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon

Chapter 220: Chapter 219: Major Development

Chapter 220 -219: Major Development

“There are still plenty of interesting things, you should know that our world is composed of microscopic particles,” Xue Quan found a chair to sit down, “currently, the smallest particle that can be discovered is a quark, but this ‘smallest’ is not a result of observation, rather, the phenomenon of confinement prevents us from dividing further. Have you heard of quark confinement?”

Chaoyang nodded, this knowledge was not common sense, but not too obscure either. In simple terms, if the quarks that make up a particle are seen as little balls, then the energy required to pull one of those balls out will instantly turn into two to three balls, filling in the original gap while combining to form new particles. The mutual transformation of energy and matter at this scale becomes almost a barrier, preventing quarks from existing individually.

Not being able to isolate individual quarks also means they cannot be further subdivided.

“And some of the matter samples we’ve collected here have encountered a barrier similar to quark confinement at a larger scale. They already cannot be observed at the atomic level, as if some special force field interferes with the equipment, a phenomenon researchers have never seen before. This makes me recall something,” Xue Quan looked towards the northeast, “the fog covering the New Continent.”

“Which samples have this problem?”

Chaoyang could certainly find out if he wanted to investigate, but now it was obviously more convenient to have someone summarize and report the information.

“You could probably guess. Glowing Stones, artificial constructs, spirit lamps, solidified substances from fissures, all have this characteristic,” Xue Quan answered truthfully, “As for things like stones, sand, and iron tools, their microscopic structures are essentially consistent with those on Earth.”

In other words, this world has two sets of microscopic structures, and they can be compatible with each other.

It was interesting, but it wasn’t his main focus.

“That’s all basic research, but what about the application level?” Chaoyang was more interested in the progress of practical projects.

“As far as I understand, the research institute has made breakthrough progress in the disassembly and replication of the steam core, a kind of artificial construct,” Xue Quan said with a smile, “It really requires talented individuals to manufacture it, the reason for which we have yet to learn. Among the hundred thousand people currently being screened in Beifu, two suitable candidates have been found, so I guess the prototype should be developed soon.”

This answer satisfied Chaoyang quite a bit.

A steam construct might not seem to have much use at a glance, but those with a bit of understanding would realize the huge potential it contains. Firstly, its core can spontaneously generate steam, and it can also transform water into steam without a noticeable heating process; the water seems to be suddenly endowed with a great deal of energy and boils instantly, while the core itself does not heat up much. This means that it can start much faster than a purely mechanical steam engine, and in the hands of people like Leisk and Cui Zhen’en, there’s even no need for a water tank, and the structure can be greatly reduced in size.

And a heat engine that can be miniaturized is inherently competitive.

Chaoyang suspected that it had not been widely used in personal transportation, like steam motorcycles and steam cars, purely due to the greed of capitalists. Because a steam construct was just too expensive, one would have to save for ten years without eating or drinking to afford one with an average local salary and only companies and nobles could afford such commodities.

Of course, the greatest advantage of an artificial construct was the potential for “resource localization of production.” Products from the Earth world were indeed mature, but bringing them to this world was costly, like replicating a car which could consume about 300-500 wishing powers, and transporting one car over would cost four to five times that amount. A hundred thousand wishing powers might seem abundant but couldn’t withstand such waste. After all, the characteristic of industrial products is that they are good and cheap; bringing finished products from Earth is putting the cart before the horse.

“If I’m not mistaken, what Paradise needs most right now is agricultural machinery, right?” Xue Quan spoke again, “Although everything is easier after mastering the core, factories’ construction and production will need to be fine-tuned, and the initial output is likely not going to be very substantial.”

“That’s right,” Chaoyang nodded, Xue Quan was indeed smart, or rather, his behind-the-scenes advisory team was very good at seeing the bigger picture from the small details.

In this month’s time, he had already made a general plan for Magnificent Castle, and if he wanted to earn more wishing powers, the most important thing was to address the survival issue of the city’s million residents. By seizing the properties of the nobility and merchants, Paradise now held a large amount of capital and had complete control over the city’s development rights. Using these funds, plus the professionals provided by the inspection team, the companies that used to offer jobs not only stayed afloat, but operated even smoother, and most residents could hardly feel the change occurring.

However, food cannot be conjured out of thin air.

Magnificent Castle had always been an isolated port city hanging over the sea, with most resources depending on the Old Continent, especially staple grains such as wheat, potatoes, and corn. Currently, all the food put out on the market is from stockpiles, and the city’s grain reserves can last at most another three months.

Theoretically, if maritime transport were to be disrupted, the residents of Magnificent Castle would be completely unable to feed themselves through farming. This is because the areas enveloped in fog are dangerous due to the possibility of attacks by creatures within the fog, and with the limited size of the clear land in the suburban areas, the yield is naturally pitiful.

But now things are different.

The Causal Sect’s ceremony eliminated the fog, and as Leisk never sounded the Fog Horn, a great deal of fog-free zones appeared around Magnificent Castle. These zones could undoubtedly become excellent farmland if cleared.

A plot of land large enough to feed a million people.

“As long as the direction here can be settled, there will be no problem with the design,” Xue Quan paused, then added, “However, the higher-ups have put forward a new request…”

Chaoyang raised an eyebrow, “I’ve said before, a contract is only valid if both parties agree; you should be aware of the consequences of upping the ante.”

“Of course, this can be discussed; it’s not a hard condition,” he gestured with his hand, signaling Chaoyang to calm down. “We fully respect Paradise’s decisions, but contracts can be amended with addendums, can’t they?”

“In that case, let’s hear it.”

“Actually, it’s quite simple. If any new remains of the parasitic species are discovered here, we hope Paradise can transfer them to Earth.”

The parasitic species… refers to those potted plant-like evil beings that didn’t stiffen after death and had black cloth strips growing out of their bodies. Because their black whiskers, resembling tentacles, looked like parasites, and because the Causal Sect internally called them “seeds,” they obtained that official name.

And their remains, evidently, meant those cloth strips.

“Is this thing very special?”

“As special as the previous Glowing Stones. After absorbing enough electrical energy, it can change its properties with the magnetic field, going from extremely soft to as hard as steel,” Xue Quan explained. “This response process is incredibly fast, taking only a few microseconds, much like its performance in real combat. This unique property is of little use to Magnificent Castle, but it has a very broad prospect over there, so we hope to treat it as a resource like the Glowing Stone, to be included in the scope of trade.”

This indeed wasn’t a big issue.

Whether it’s bringing physical items from here back to Earth or transporting things from there to another world, it only consumes wishing power. The black cloth strip remains they had collected all came from the city riot the night before the final battle, totaling only about a dozen or so, which wasn’t too much of a burden for Chaoyang.

He closed his eyes slightly, pretending to communicate with the organization, and after more than ten seconds, he nodded, “Paradise agrees. The next batch of ore is sent out, and it will include these items. However, if in the later research it is found that these black cloth strips are useful to Paradise, they must be supplied to Paradise for use as a priority.”

“No problem,” Xue Quan agreed readily.