Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 991

991. The Madman with Clear Eyes (16)

“Pardon?”

“For His Majesty to indulge in our delusions… it would tarnish His Majesty’s esteemed name!”

Startled by Hyang’s words, Da Vinci and Gong Yajeong frantically waved their hands, trying to dissuade him. However, Hyang brushed aside their pleas with a mischievous smile.

“I once told Jang Yeongsil something similar, and I suppose I should tell you as well. Don’t you know the ways of commerce? Are you going to keep all this fun to yourselves?”

“But…”

“I will bear any criticism that comes of it, so do not worry. Besides, my involvement might not be so bad for you either, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Pardon?”

Seeing their confusion, Hyang chuckled and explained, “Budget and personnel.”

“Ah!”

Da Vinci and Gong Yajeong’s faces lit up instantly at Hyang’s brief explanation. Even though Da Vinci was wealthy, he was nothing compared to Hyang. Moreover, when Hyang stepped in, even Woo, the head of the research lab and Area 51, would usually back down. In other words, instead of squeezing in time after work, they would receive official recognition and support with personnel and materials.

In the end, Da Vinci and Gong Yajeong prostrated themselves before Hyang and replied, “Please, Your Majesty, guide us, your foolish servants!”

“Guide you? Let’s just walk together.”

* * *

“…And so, I’ve decided to work with Da Vinci and Gong Yajeong. Thus, I am informing the Emperor in advance.”

Hyeon, after hearing Hyang’s words, which were somewhere between a notification and a report, barely managed to compose himself before replying, “Please consider your age. This is all I ask of you, grandson.”

When Hyeon used the term ‘grandson’ instead of ‘I,’ Hyang smiled and replied, “How can I disobey the Emperor’s command? I will do my best.”

Having finished his business, Hyang strode out of the main hall. Watching Hyang’s confident departure, Hyeon sighed softly.

“Haa… To be so vigorous even after passing the age of 81… Tsk!”

Hyeon clicked his tongue and looked at the officials gathered in the main hall. Starting with Han Myeong-hoi, the ministers filling the hall averted their gazes as soon as they met Hyeon’s eyes. At this sight, Hyeon sighed again.

“Haa… Well, what power do you have?”

“We are sorry!”

“It’s already done. Let’s get to work. Which department’s report is next?”

“Yes, next is…”

He seemed to be focusing on work again, but Hyeon’s mind was elsewhere.

‘Ah, damn it! I want to quickly ascend to the Sanghwang [retired emperor] position and flee to Sinji! Woo’s child is now a year old… Ah! I want to go to Sinji! I need to create a front line!’

“Your Majesty?”

“Ah, it’s nothing! Let’s look at the report…”

* * *

‘The Grand Emperor is involved in the work of Da Vinci and Gong Yajeong!’

The rumor that spread from Woo’s office quickly swept through Area 51.

“It’s been a long time since the Grand Emperor stepped forward himself, hasn’t it?”

“At least ten years.”

“Hmm…”

The veteran artisans of Area 51 stroked their chins as they had this conversation.

“Should we get involved, or not…”

The veteran artisans pondered whether to participate with unprecedented seriousness. For the artisans of Area 51, especially the blacksmiths who worked with metal, Hyang was a special existence.

-If you follow his instructions, you will become a master craftsman at some point.

To the extent that this unwritten rule existed, working with Hyang could lead to great advancements.

However, the reason they hesitated to participate was another characteristic of Hyang’s work: its absurdity.

-The reason why the secrecy of his projects is so well maintained. Because no one believes it even if you tell them. Only the speaker is treated like a madman.

Thanks to Hyang’s track record, which walked the line between ‘extraordinary’ and ‘crazy,’ the artisans were conflicted. What made the artisans even more concerned were Da Vinci and Gong Yajeong.

-Openly crazy guy, Da Vinci.

-Gently crazy guy, Gong Yajeong.

“Is the guy who puts people on a flying contraption filled with gunpowder stupid? He’s crazy!”

If Da Vinci was ‘openly crazy,’ Gong Yajeong was no less formidable.

“That guy definitely suits the Jang surname more!”

“It’s fortunate that the Grand Emperor was in Sinji. If he had stayed in the headquarters, he would have been robbed several times over!”

The artisans who saw Gong Yajeong’s personal workshop would say this in unison. This combination of the three?

“This is a real dilemma…”

“It might look better to volunteer than to be dragged in, but…”

The essence of the veteran artisans’ concerns lay here. The younger artisans got along well with Da Vinci to the point where there was already talk of ‘Da Vinci and his gang.’ However, ‘young’ meant the same as ‘immature.’

Supervising the young but still immature artisans was too much for Gong Yajeong alone, and the assistance of veteran artisans was essential. However, there was nothing more exhausting than expending energy on a project with a high probability of failure.

“What should we do…”

While the veteran artisans were deep in thought, a strange rumor surfaced.

-The Grand Emperor has conceived a new power engine!

“A new power engine?”

“Really? Really?”

“We can’t stay still if that’s the case!”

Hearing the rumor, the veteran artisans threw their worries to the back of their minds and sought out Gong Yajeong.

“Let us join in!”

* * *

Having decided to work with Da Vinci and Gong Yajeong, Hyang earnestly rolled up his sleeves.

“First, let’s try launching that model again.”

“Yes.”

Watching the model shake without properly lifting off in the re-run experiment, Hyang stroked his chin.

“Hmm… I see… As expected…”

“What is the problem?”

At Gong Yajeong’s question, Hyang held up two fingers.

“I see about two problems for now. One is that the blades of the propeller responsible for ascending and descending seem too small. We need to make them bigger.”

“Ah! That’s right!”

“And…”

After pausing for a moment, Hyang examined the blueprint and sketch again before continuing, “The problem is the power engine. The steam engine is too big and heavy compared to its output.”

“We also thought that was the biggest problem. But the problem was that there was no other answer. We thought about using gunpowder, but gunpowder…”

As Da Vinci trailed off, Hyang nodded and took over, “We can’t even control it properly now, so gunpowder is completely out of the question.”

“That’s right.”

“Let’s think about this part a little more.”

“Yes.”

And so, they began by increasing the size of the main rotor.

“The problem is that if the engine changes, we have to redesign the rotor from scratch, hmm…”

Hyang frowned, deep in thought.

‘An internal combustion engine is the most correct answer, but there are so many problems, starting with petroleum. No, petroleum isn’t the problem. The most important problem is deriving the concept of an internal combustion engine.’

“And, I don’t like internal combustion engines…”

As he pondered, Hyang suddenly stood up.

“I found it!”

What Hyang had found was the ‘Stirling engine.’ It was the power engine that best suited Hyang’s tastes—the ultimate external combustion engine. Having found the answer, Hyang began to recall and sketch the structure of the Stirling engine.

Five days later, Hyang took the sketch he had drawn and sought out Da Vinci and Gong Yajeong.

“We’ve tried various things while making and improving the steam engine, right? Reflecting on the memories I’ve accumulated, this structure came out. What do you think?”

Gong Yajeong, who had been carefully examining the structure Hyang had presented, asked Hyang, “Is water, no, steam not used?”

“That’s right. Doesn’t the space and weight occupied by water in a steam engine take up a lot? If we can reduce this part, the chances of success will increase even a little, wouldn’t you agree? Is it possible?”

“Hmm…”

Gong Yajeong, who had been staring intently at Hyang’s sketch, smiled and looked at Hyang.

“I’ll have to try it to know, but I think it might be possible. It looks like it will be fun.”

“Is that so? Then let’s start by creating a proper structure.”

And so, Gong Yajeong and Hyang began researching the new power engine. And the artisans who had joined after hearing the rumors shook their heads at the results so far.

“How can you come up with such an idea… He’s definitely not in his right mind.”

The work did not end here. The research lab’s dynamics research department was also given a task. Hyang, who had delivered a primitive Stirling engine model and an experimental results report, added the following words:

-It comes from accumulated experience, so I don’t know the exact principle. Clarify the principles and laws of why this is happening.

“Haa…”

“Holy Mother…”

The imperial researchers who had confirmed the contents of the assignment sighed deeply, and the monks from Europe made the sign of the cross and lamented.

* * *

Thanks to the manpower and budget poured in, the ‘new external combustion engine’ soon revealed its appearance as an engine.

Tada-da-da-dak!

“It seems to be a success.”

“It seems so.”

“Wow!”

Watching the scaled-down model move with a loud mechanical sound, Gong Yajeong and Da Vinci looked relieved, and the other artisans cheered.

“Now, then! Let’s attach it to the flying contraption.”

“Yes!”

The artisans, who had confirmed several times that the model engine was working properly, put the power engine into the newly manufactured model flying contraption according to Hyang’s instructions. The artisans, who had confirmed several times that the power engine was properly in place, sent a hand signal to Gong Yajeong and stepped back.

Gong Yajeong, who had brought a tinderbox, lit the wick attached to the heating part of the engine, took a few deep breaths, and turned the propeller attached to the flying contraption by hand.

Tada-da-da-dak!

Peeree-reek!

The propeller spun with a loud mechanical sound and wind noise, and soon the flying contraption rose upward. The flying contraption, which had risen about two cheok (about 70cm or 2.3 feet) from the ground, soon ran out of power and fell to the ground. In an instant, the workshop was filled with the artisans’ shouts.

“It floated!”

“It floated!”

“Waaaaa!”

Although it was weak and fell again after rising upward, it had definitely risen, not just shaken. Hyang also said to the artisans with a face full of joy, “Shouldn’t we have a drink on a day like this? Everyone, follow me! I’ll buy you a drink!”

“We are deeply grateful!”

* * *

After the success of the first experiment, Da Vinci and the artisans devoted themselves even more enthusiastically to development. However, before long, they faced another wall.

It was the problem of ‘fuel.’

“Coal has its limits.”

“It’s too heavy compared to its calorific value.”

“It can’t help but be heavy. It’s a rock.”

“We need to use something other than coal, should we use charcoal?”

“It’s too expensive.”

“What about oil?”

“Oil is expensive too, isn’t it?”

While they were struggling to find the optimal fuel, someone opened their mouth.

“What about petroleum?”

In an instant, Hyang’s eyes flashed.