In the back mountain of Xuandu Temple.
The original ruins had long been flattened and transported away. A large number of building materials were piled up. Huge steel cable cranes stood up. Under the control of the craftsmen, heavy objects of thousands of pounds could be easily moved. The progress of the project was greatly accelerated.
"The Mo Family's Mo Skill really deserves its reputation. With such a sharp weapon in hand, it can be said to be the gospel of the craftsmen in the world." Yuwen Bo looked at the accelerated work and exclaimed. One person controlling the steel cable cranes was comparable to the strength of ten people. No wonder the Mo Family's village could develop so rapidly and was named the first village in the world by His Majesty. The Mo Skill probably contributed a lot.
Meton nodded and said, "The power of machinery is several times better than that of manpower, and the efficiency is several times better than that of manpower. This is the charm of the Mo Skill."
In the machinery of the Mo Family, the steel cable cranes became a new profitable point. In the Mo Family's village, orders for steel cable cranes from both sides of the canal were piled high. At the same time, the supporting containers were developed rapidly. Except for the smaller models, they were almost the same as those of later generations. ,
It could be imagined that on both sides of the canal in the future, long cranes would extend into the canal and lift goods from the barges in the canal. They would directly turn to the shore and put them on the carriages on the shore. Then they would be pulled to the destination without stopping. It was many times faster than the previous loading and unloading of the coolies.
Even in some large warehouses in Chang 'an, such cranes had begun to be put into use.
Yuwen Bo was thoughtful and said with emotion, "Once the cranes come out, I'm afraid that most of the coolies at the dock will lose their livelihood."
Meton was silent for a moment and shook his head. "No matter how good the machinery is, it needs people to control it. After the brick road is opened, the traditional speed can't keep up with the demand. The era of speed is coming. If it's incomplete, it will eventually be eliminated."
Yuwen Bo sighed. He knew that Meton was right. The opening of the brick road increased the speed of the Tang dynasty by several times. High speed inevitably brought high efficiency. The cranes were just born.
Since the opening of the brick road, a large amount of rice was continuously transported from Luoyang to Chang 'an by four-wheeled trucks. The price of rice in Chang' an had fallen three times in a month. Even during the Spring Festival, the price of rice in Chang 'an was only one penny higher than that in Luoyang, which was unimaginable in the past.
Even the price of grain and wheat gradually leveled with Luoyang. The food crisis of Guanzhong was resolved in a short time. This caused the court to be even more determined to build brick roads.
Meton inspected the construction site and nodded with satisfaction. Yuwen Bo was worthy of being Yuwen Kai's descendant. He did have considerable talent in construction. For Meton's drawings, he could understand them at a glance. Meton didn't need to waste any more effort.
"Marquis Merton!"
Just as Meton finished his inspection and was about to leave, the Longevity Taoist appeared in front of Meton.
"Oh! So it's Fellow Daoist Longevity! " Meton and Chang Shengzi were very familiar with each other. The secret hair-coloring technique that the Mo Family and the Dao Family collaborated on was highly sought after in Chang 'an City, and they made a lot of money every day. It could be said that their cooperation was quite pleasant.
"In the future, the Firearms Division and the External Alchemy Sect will be neighbors. Now that the Firearms Division has not been completed, Marquis Merton, why don't you come to my humble abode for a cup of hot tea?" Chang Shengzi still had the demeanor of an immortal and was elegant, but his tone was particularly warm.
The Firearms Division was built on Taoist Shenxiao's territory before it was expanded. The reason it was chosen was that it was secluded and suitable. On the other hand, the gunpowder formula was not a secret to the Taoist External Alchemy Sect. It was easier to manage it together.
Meton's expression changed. He laughed and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you."
Chang Shengzi was further away from Taoist Shenxiao. When the gunpowder exploded, he was not affected.
Walking into Chang Shengzi's Taoist temple, Meton's eyes lit up. Chang Shengzi had benefited from the hair-coloring technique and could be said to be a source of income. The entire Taoist temple was well-decorated and elegant.
The two of them sat down and a young Taoist immediately served them hot tea. However, the two of them were not in the mood to drink tea.
Meton took a sip of tea and placed it on the table, "Fellow Taoist Chang Shengzi, you didn't invite me here just to taste tea, did you?"
Chang Shengzi smiled bitterly and said, "Merton has sharp eyes. I'm here today to ask Merton to point out a path for the External Alchemy Sect."
"A path?" Meton frowned and asked in confusion.
Chang Shengzi smiled bitterly and said, "To tell you the truth, Merton, the External Alchemy Sect is now at the end of its rope."
Meton came to a realization after hearing Chang Shengzi's complaints. The huge explosion had caused the External Alchemy Sect to suffer heavy losses, and the establishment of the Firearms Division had reduced the support from the imperial court by more than half.
Now, the External Alchemy Sect had few talents, was short on funds, and had no achievements. It could be said to be in a precarious situation, on the brink of death.
"It can be said that if it wasn't for the financial support of the Secret Technique of Hair Dyeing, it would be impossible for the External Alchemy Sect to operate," Chang Shengzi sighed.
Meton came to a sudden realization and said, "If that's the case, the External Alchemy Sect urgently needs a Dao technique that can replace the refining of gunpowder. Not only can it restore the External Alchemy Sect's confidence, but it can also provide financial support for the External Alchemy Sect."
Chang Shengzi felt a little guilty and said, "If that's the case, it can't be better."
Merton laughed and said, "What's so difficult about that?"
Chang Shengzi was surprised and said, "Please enlighten me, Marquis Merton."
Meton smiled mysteriously and said, "The External Alchemy Sect is sitting on a mountain of treasures without knowing it. They also don't know that the External Alchemy Sect has always had a secret technique that allows the External Alchemy Sect to make a lot of money every day. That is the External Alchemy Secret Technique of the External Alchemy Sect."
"The Secret Technique of Alchemy!" Chang Shengzi was puzzled. It could be said that every alchemist was very familiar with the Secret Technique of Alchemy. Alchemists used the Primordial Fire to refine gold in order to achieve immortality.
However, ever since Meton proved that refining elixirs to achieve immortality was a mistake, the Secret Technique of Alchemy fell into decline. He could not understand how the Secret Technique of Alchemy could become the key to saving the External Alchemy Sect.
Meton said seriously, "As the saying goes, gold has no feet, and no man is perfect. However, the External Alchemy Sect's Secret Technique of Alchemy can refine the impurities in gold, making it infinitely close to pure gold."
Chang Shengzi was puzzled and said, "But what's the use of this? No matter how pure the gold is, it's still gold. Instead, because the impurities are refined, the weight is reduced and the loss of gold increases.
Meton smiled and said, "What Taoist Chang Shengzi said is the truth. The ordinary gold that we hold and the refined gold that we hold are indeed of equal value in the eyes of ordinary people. However, in another place, the refined gold's value will increase greatly."
"That is jewelry!" Meton did not keep them in suspense and directly said the answer.
"Merton said that the refined gold is used to make jewelry." Chang Shengzi was puzzled.
Meton nodded and said, "That's right. The purest gold in the market today is the official gold ingot that is made of ninety percent pure gold. If the External Alchemy Sect uses the Secret Technique of Alchemy to refine it further, they will be able to make ninety percent metal, ninety-nine percent gold, or even full gold. The jewelry stores in Chang 'an City will definitely scramble for it. The External Alchemy Sect only needs to do some work and they can just sit there and collect money. "
Although they were both jewelry, Meton knew that the difference between full gold and full gold in the future was not only in terms of price, but also in the buyer's mentality. Even if the actual value was almost the same, more people would be willing to buy the purer full gold.
"Let the External Alchemy Sect refine gold for the jewelry stores?" Chang Shengzi frowned. Although he was tempted by Meton's suggestion, he could not bring himself to ask the Alchemy Sect to lower themselves to serve the merchants.
Meton said seriously, "Whether it is Taoist Alchemy or developing the Art of Immortality, they are all things that consume the most money. If the External Alchemy Sect wants to develop, money is the most important thing. If the External Alchemy Sect is willing, Meton can pull strings and sell the Secret Technique of Alchemy to the jewelry stores. However, this is a one-time deal, not a long-term deal like the Secret Technique of Hair Dying."
Thinking of the wealth that the Secret Technique of Hair Dying could bring, Chang Shengzi gritted his teeth and said, "Let's do as Marquis Merton said!"
If the Secret Technique of Alchemy was firmly in their hands, the entire External Alchemy Sect would not need the Secret Technique of Hair Dying to support it. With enough money, the External Alchemy Sect that did not know how to differentiate between grain and grain could devote themselves to scientific research and experiments.
Upon seeing this, Meton could not help but sigh. Who would have thought that the previously swindling Chang Shengzi would be supporting the External Alchemy Sect by himself?
Meton's heart moved and said, "If the External Alchemy Sect is successful in developing the Secret Technique, we can cooperate with the School of Mo and use the Secret Technique of Hair Dying as a model."
"Thank you, Merton!" Chang Shengzi said gratefully.
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