dognovel Chapter 527 Change
Chapter 527 Change
On the desolate open space on the plain outside Helmingen, the remaining bushes trembled in the cold January wind, and messy footprints were imprinted on the land where the morning frost had not yet faded.
Hundreds of onlookers craned their necks, their eyes focused on the giant object slowly unwinding on the sky.
Minister of Casting Stephen stood on the makeshift viewing platform, with a light white mist rising from the collar of his mink coat. He held a telescope in his left hand and observed the hot air balloon gradually rising above him.
"I didn't expect it to really rise. I thought I would have to wait half a year."
Stephen heard the weapons director's signature rough voice coming from behind him.
The officer, who always liked to carry his sword on his shoulder, rarely restrained his temper at this moment. He looked at the hot air balloon nervously, fearing that it would suddenly fall.
What is being conducted at this time is an experiment of flying to a height of 20 meters above the ground, and this thing called a "hot air balloon" is hovering in the sky under the watchful eyes of everyone.
A hot air balloon is mainly divided into four parts: the balloon, burner, basket and control device.
The balloon is made of three thousand pieces of linen carefully sewn together, and the seams are doubly reinforced with brass buckles and linen ropes.
The burner is fixed at the bottom of the balloon, using charcoal and wood as fuel, and the gushing flames are directly poured into the balloon. There is an openable air inlet at the bottom of the balloon, and the air expands and rises when heated, and the hot air is discharged through the valve when cooled to control the height.
The basket uses a lightweight rattan woven frame with a manned platform suspended at the bottom. The current design can accommodate 2-4 passengers. The buoyancy distribution is changed by adjusting the relative position of the balloon and the basket through ropes. It is also equipped with disposable sandbags to assist in lifting.
The lookout in the balloon pressed the brass telescope to his eyes while his frozen fingers slid across the calculation pad:
“You can clearly see the windmill three kilometers away.”
The operator adds charcoal into the burner from time to time to ensure that the hot air balloon always maintains an altitude of 20 meters.
Finally, a trumpet sounded from below. The lookout leaned over the edge of the hanging basket and looked down to see the flag bearer on the viewing platform waving a red and white flag frantically.
The operator immediately stopped adding charcoal, and the flames from the burner quickly shrank to dark red embers.
The balloon began to deflate slowly, and a whimpering sound was made when cold air poured in from the air inlet valve.
The moment the basket touched the ground, the cheers from the crowd almost blew away the canvas tent of the viewing stand.
A few days later, newspapers across the country reported the successful test flight of the hot air balloon, along with a picture of the hot air balloon taking off from the ground.
The newspaper was sold out as soon as it was released. Even if printing houses in various places printed more copies, they were out of stock within two or three days. In addition to wanting to see what could take people to the sky, people also began to imagine how hot air balloons would change people's lives in the future, which successfully sparked a flying craze among the people.
Of course, it was not just the people of Helderland who noticed this. Some foreigners living in Helmingen also took notice of this.
Although the Holy Kingdom of Helderland has established normal diplomatic relations with all the surrounding countries, it is still difficult for citizens, including Mitlan Yoda, to enter, except for countries that are part of the Northern Alliance.
Even the ambassador's family members have to report and pass the inspection of Wesker's intelligence department before they can be handed over to Theodore for approval.
At the same time, this entry document is time-limited and requires regular visits to the relevant departments in Helmingen to extend the entry period.
The snowflakes in Helmingen soaked the bluestone streets with their chill, but the scholars from the Yoda Empire had no intention of appreciating the unique style of this border city.
They gathered in the attic of their rented apartment, where the crackling of the wood fire in the fireplace could not dispel the anxiety that permeated the air.
The concerns of scholars are not unfounded. Since the end of the two-year border war between Helderan and the Yoda Empire, this northern kingdom has burst into amazing creativity as if it had been kissed by the God of Light.
While the Yoda nobles were still arguing over some territorial disputes, the Helderans had already built a hot air balloon that could fly twenty meters high.
What was even more embarrassing for these intellectuals was that their homeland not only did not learn lessons from the war, but instead reinstated serfdom under the impetus of the aristocratic parliament.
Finally, some scholars with some status and ability to take action could not bear it anymore. After half a month of secret coordination, more than 30 Yoda scholars jointly wrote a 20-page proposal.
The dense handwriting on the parchment recorded their deep sorrow about the current state of the empire: from the stifling of social mobility by serfdom to the suppression of civilian advancement by the current bureaucratic system, each argument went straight to the foundation of the empire's rule.
When these suggestions were brought to the table of the Council of Nobles, the vast majority of nobles and officials had only one word in mind - bold!
A certain noble slammed his hand on the table, causing the parchment to make a harsh sound under the scraping of his nails.
"How dare they question the great institution of serfdom?"
His voice sounded like a roar squeezed from his chest. His skinny fingers scratched across the paragraph in the memorial criticizing serfdom, leaving several deep creases on the paper.
"Have they forgotten that it was the serfdom that ensured the empire's food supply over the past few hundred years? Otherwise, wouldn't those unruly people have handed over the food obediently?"
His accusation plunged the chamber into a dead silence, with only the firelight in the fireplace dancing on the scarlet velvet, reflecting the gloomy faces.
You have to know that every one of the nobles present agreed with serfdom. To criticize them for this now would be a slap in their faces.
"What's even more ridiculous is the second one!"
Another angry voice came from the right, and a fat figure stood up suddenly, slamming his jeweled gauntlet on the table, causing the quill in the ink bottle to jump.
"Let common intellectuals participate in governing the country? Let the villagers discuss state affairs?"
His fat fingers poked at the paper, and his spittle spattered on the scarlet velvet.
"Are we going to leave the making of imperial policy to those country bumpkins who can't even write properly?"
When the words "officials should regularly participate in agricultural handicraft practices" were read, there was a burst of laughter in the meeting hall.
A certain noble with a sword suddenly stood up, and the sound of armor clashing echoed under the dome.
"It seems that some people want to have a taste of the imperial law!"
"enough!"
A majestic voice suddenly sounded, and Count Castori made the decision directly:
"Whoever dares to propose a change in the system of serfdom ... shall be prepared to be tried for treason!"
The entire aristocratic parliament immediately turned into a denunciation meeting. All the aristocratic officials started to criticize the intellectuals for breaking the law and not respecting the aristocrats. In the end, they quickly came to a conclusion:
Whoever dares to change the laws of the empire will lose his head!