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Chapter 305: The Diorama Box's New Function

Stepping into the library, Zao Ying gasped. Draft papers were scattered everywhere.

A middle-aged man was hunched over a desk, buried under piles of manuscripts.

Beside him, a young gentleman of thirteen or fourteen was vigorously debating something with the older man.

Zao Ying's mind went numb after just a few sentences. "Mass," "coefficient of friction," "lateral force," "longitudinal force"... the words meant nothing to her.

Li Daoxuan, however, caught on to their discussion.

Song Yingxing was indeed a fast learner. It seemed he'd mastered all of elementary mathematics in just a few days, and was now progressing through junior high physics and chemistry.

Though slightly behind Young Master Bai, he was catching up rapidly.

This put considerable pressure on Young Master Bai!

Song Yingxing scribbled furiously on a sheet of paper. "Having learned that objects are composed of things like molecules and atoms," he explained, "I can infer why a spring, when heated red-hot and rapidly cooled, regains its elasticity. It must be due to changes at the molecular or atomic level during the heating and cooling process. It's just that we can't observe these changes yet."

Song Yingxing shook his head. "Difficult, far too difficult... Our glassmakers can, at most, create magnifying glasses that enlarge two or three times. But to see molecules and atoms, we'd likely need hundreds of times magnification. Our glassmakers don't possess such advanced techniques."

Listening to their discussion, Li Daoxuan suddenly remembered: in modern times, when we study physics, biology, and similar subjects, we use microscopes in labs to observe things like cells, bacteria, and atoms, using them in conjunction with textbooks to understand the world.

But his little people lacked these resources. The "celestial experimental equipment" described in the Heavenly Books was beyond their wildest dreams, and manufacturing it themselves was nearly impossible.

How could they progress without experiments?

He had to help his little people!

He opened Taobao, began his search.....

Microscopic microscopes "suitable for little people" simply didn't exist; he couldn't find any. He could only buy microscopes designed for normal-sized humans, which would be far too large for his villagers.

However, Li Daoxuan soon realized that a small microscope, if stood upright, would only be slightly taller than the fifth-floor rooftop of the school building. He could place the microscope right next to the school, and his little people could then climb to the fifth floor's wide terrace, build a scaffold, and ascend to the top of the microscope to look down.

The specimen stage on the microscope, where the objects to be observed were placed, would be roughly at the height of the second floor.

His villagers could climb out a second-story window and place whatever they wished to examine onto the stage.

Using similar methods, his little people could, with some effort, utilize various modern experimental tools.

Excellent. Li Daoxuan added a whole array of physics, chemistry, and biology experimental equipment to his shopping cart and checked out.

Just then, Zao Ying spoke up. "Excuse me... who is Mr. Song?"

Song Yingxing lifted his head from the mound of manuscripts. "That would be me," he replied.

Zao Ying explained, "Instructor He Jiu sent me to find you. He said you could help provide blueprints for bows and arrows suitable for cavalry."

Song Yingxing sighed. "Oh, this petty little task again," he muttered. "Let me think... for cavalry, of course, the Kaiyuan Bow is the standard. Border army cavalry typically uses them. Can't Gao Family Village produce Kaiyuan Bows yet?"

Young Master Bai, standing nearby, chuckled and shook his head. "No, we can't! We've never developed Kaiyuan Bow technology here. Dao Xuan Tian Zun completely bypassed all bow and arrow technology."

Song Yingxing nodded. "Alright, I'll draw one then."

He took out paper and brush, and with a swift, practiced motion, sketched the Kaiyuan Bow in a flash, adding numerous annotations beside it.

Then, he placed the blueprints into Zao Ying's hand. "Here, take them."

With that, he plunged back into his towering pile of manuscripts.

Zao Ying felt a jolt of surprise. *Who exactly is this divine figure? Drawing standard border army weaponry by hand, right here, on the spot? Is that even logical?*

Li Daoxuan watched Zao Ying walk away, her face a mask of bewilderment, and couldn't help but smile wryly. He mused, "This Kaiyuan Bow of yours is still just a temporary measure. Once our flintlock rifles are mass-produced, cavalry will use them too...."

"Dragoons. Are you ready for them?"

Just then, Li Daoxuan suddenly noticed a line of text flashing on the exterior of the diorama box. He initially thought one of his villages was ringing a bell to summon him, but a closer look revealed that the Salvation Index had, without him realizing it, reached a clean 1500 points.

Below the Salvation Index, a peculiar button had appeared: "Expand." This newly revealed "Expand" button was currently flashing.

"Another new feature? Hey, 'Expand'—it couldn't mean what I think it means, could it?"

Li Daoxuan had, in fact, been thinking the box needed expansion.

The box was only a little over two meters long and one meter wide, offering him a field of view limited to 500 by 300 meters. This scope was far too small, and as his territory grew, it became increasingly insufficient.

Lately, he'd noticed that his "rainfall" interventions were no longer keeping up.

Because he could only see within that 500x300 meter area, he could only conjure rain within that tiny section. If the rainfall duration was too short, it wouldn't adequately nourish the land; he'd need to provide several hours of rain every few days.

How could he possibly manage all that?

So, he was limited to providing each village with a large reservoir, allowing the villagers to dig canals and divert water themselves. But the effects of this method were ultimately inferior to direct rainfall.

Now, with the "Expand" function added to the box, it was clearly meant to help him resolve this very problem.

In his ecstatic joy, Li Daoxuan reached out to tap the "Expand" button. But halfway there, he suddenly remembered something and froze.

He surveyed the surroundings of the diorama box....

The box was currently placed in his bedroom; his computer was to the left, his bed to the right, a chair sat in front, and behind it, it abutted the wall.

It was no exaggeration to say there wasn't an inch of spare space around the box. If he were to click "Expand" now and the box grew, the result would either be the box getting crushed or his furniture being ruined.

His furniture being damaged was a minor issue; he could always buy new ones.

But if the box broke!

The possibilities were terrifyingly numerous.

Including, but not limited to:

A disaster striking the miniature world, wiping out all its inhabitants.

The miniature world merging with reality, causing Ming Dynasty villagers to swarm everywhere in the real world.

The two worlds colliding and exploding, annihilating everyone.

The mere thought sent shivers down his spine!

"No, this won't do. I need to move it elsewhere."

Li Daoxuan glanced left and right. His bedroom was too small, no longer suitable for such an operation. It seemed his only option was the living room. He first cleared a large open space in the center of the living room, then dragged the diorama box into it.