When two loud explosions echoed in the distance, everyone stopped, looking up at the clear, sunny sky.
How could there be such deafening thunder on a cloudless day?
Only Xiangbei reacted, grabbing Cheng Mo and running towards the northern rocky mountain, "Quick, Cheng Mo, they must be testing black powder."
Running on the beach was slow and laborious. Cheng Mo, a princess carry, lifted her up, and with heightened breath, leaving only a blur, Xiangbei arrived next to Cheng Yu and Cheng Lei, who were hiding behind a large rock.
When the two saw it was Cheng Mo, they quickly stood up to bow. Just as they were about to lift their legs, Xiangbei grabbed them, "Crouch down. Without confirming that all the powder tubes have exploded, no one should move." A few other heads of departments were also crouching not far away, quite well-organized.
"Your Highness, we buried only two powder tubes in the rocks. They all exploded just now, but there's still thick smoke." Cheng Yu carefully reported to Cheng Mo while observing the situation.
Xiangbei peeked over; the white smoke had mostly dispersed, and shattered black stones of various sizes were scattered around. "Now we can go out."
"Yes, Madam." Cheng Yu excitedly rushed out, and the others followed closely. "Madam, Madam, this, can we use it in other mining areas? Right? You said it can't be used for warfare, but we can use it in other mines, can't we?"
"Big Brother Cheng Yu, don't worry. Not only can it be used for mining, but also for road construction, bridge building, and excavation. Just don't use it to load with gold and iron," Xiangbei smiled, showing great understanding of their current enthusiasm, and gave them the answer they wanted directly, "So, Uncle Shan, can we now split rocks to build foundations and repair salt pits?"
"That's great, Miss Xiang, Uncle Shan has been waiting for this moment for a long time." Most of the items on Cheng Shan's checklist were now complete, but he hadn't had a chance to bring it up to her. "However, the amount of lime is not very large, so I just had them open the old kiln. Once it's cleaned up, we can produce more. Miss Xiang, please rest assured."
"Oh, the old kiln. By the way, Big Brother Cheng Hai, in your coal mine, there must be a lot of semi-anthracite when extracting coal, right? These things have small flames, big smoke, and are as hard as stones. I'll call them coal gangue. What do you think? Do you have a lot of these? How do you deal with them?"
"Coal gangue? Yes, we call it stone coal. It produces a lot of smoke when burned, and we don't like to use it. We just pile it up outside the mine, and it smokes all year round. Occasionally, it even catches fire on its own." Cheng Hai remembered that towering pile of stone coal, higher than the nearby hills, and it was quite a headache.
"How about this, Uncle Shan, let's use those two old kilns to stack coal gangue, shell coral stone, and the volcanic rocks blasted out here together. We'll burn them together in the kiln. Whatever ashes or stone chips we get, take them out and mix them with lime, seaweed glue, sandstone, and water. Stir evenly, and we can use it to build and tamp the salt fields over there according to the blueprints. By the way, please transport all the white sand cleared out to the glass workshop."
After explaining these details meticulously, there was nothing else here that required her attention, Xiangbei turned to the young prince,
"If there are no other issues, I'd like to check on my coconut shells. The charcoal produced from them is an excellent filtering material. I'll head to the kitchen camp. Cheng Mo, you don't have to come with me. Stay here and discuss how to open this iron vein together."
"Alright, take care. Have your lunch over there, I'll have someone prepare it for you." Cheng Mo's gentle and attentive care always subtly touched Xiangbei's heart. With a small sense of joy, she walked along the beach, reaching the large stove where coconut oil was being processed. Her lips curled into a bright and radiant smile.
The advantage of being alone is that she can secretly store many things in her space, right? Xiangbei walked to the storage area filled with bamboo and wooden barrels, used her mental energy to collect coconut juice and coconut oil into seven or eight barrels in the Snow Jade Cave. Then, she had someone carry these barrels over to the ship's bay. Now, no one could notice that a considerable amount had mysteriously disappeared.
On the wooden path, Xiangbei met Cheng Mo and others returning.
She had a detailed discussion with Cheng Dian about using diamond dust for grinding and polishing tools. She also handed him a blueprint she had drawn earlier for a single-barrel telescope, instructing him to grind several pieces of rock crystal convex lenses according to the drawing for her.
They agreed to meet in Zebei Town to inspect the samples. Then, she felt a bit homesick.
Home? Had she already considered the place where little girl Tong Xia grew up as her home? Perhaps she really left, and would she live in the modern world using her own body?
"Cheng Mo, I want to go home."