If this iron were to fall into private hands, it would be enough to arm a considerable army.

Therefore, for the sake of stability, the entire production process must take place under the watchful eye of Emperor Huizong of Song.

The only part of the process conducted at Old Su's Family was the production of a mercury paraboloid.

This mercury paraboloid was completed by Xu Yun several days ago and is currently stored in a sealed, low-temperature environment, ready for use at any time.

Which means.

Siegfried is primarily responsible for the tube body, spherical lenses, and modifying the Water Transporting Celestial Observation Platform to a Rotating Instrument Clock.

Afterward, Xu Yun tidied up his attire and followed Siegfried in preparation to head to the Artifact Bureau.

Coincidentally.

As the two of them reached the entrance of the Su Mansion, they were met by the approaching Xiaoli.

"Miss Li."

Xu Yun quickly stopped this Little Doudou. It wasn't a school day today, so there was obviously only one reason she'd be here:

"Here to see the microscope again?"

Xiaoli nodded and said:

"I had an appointment with Uncle Su the day before yesterday. Today, I can use the microscope for two hours."

Xu Yun immediately laughed and motioned with his chin towards the outside of the door:

"That's quite a coincidence, Miss Li. Don't go inside. Come along with Master Qi and me."

Xiaoli blinked, her face showing slight reluctance:

"Where are we going? I hardly got this opportunity from Uncle Su..."

"Of course, to get your micro... hey, slow down!"

And so.

Xu Yun and the others followed Siegfried and took a carriage to the Artifact Bureau.

The Artifact Bureau was established 33 years ago, under the jurisdiction of the Military Equipment Supervision, but it did not handle military device preparation.

Its primary production function was to refine non-military ironware.

Common items included iron plows and iron wheel axles used in high-end carriages.

Additionally, items like iron pots or kitchen knives were government-controlled industries at this time, and private production could be equivalent to private coin minting.

Siegfried's department was a bit unique.

Similar to future large-scale research institutions, it generally had no mandatory production tasks but mainly focused on self-development of new types of iron equipment.

Of course.

This kind of research had certain constraints.

For example, there were limits on the annual consumption of iron, and multiple people had to be present during the smelting process. Old ironware needed to pass through several processes for verification before it could be destroyed, and so on.

The Artifact Bureau's location is northeast of Imperial Street, and from a distance, one could see iron-smelting furnaces emitting smoke, exuding a clear atmosphere of primitive industry. (Reference for the architectural layout of Bianjing during Emperor Huizong's period: doi10.16783/j.cnki.nwnus.2009.05.007)

In fact, Xu Yun was always puzzled:

Why was such a department as the Artifact Bureau, which could have large accidents at any time and also pollute the environment, not only established within the city of Bianjing but also only about one and a half li away from the Imperial Palace?

Never mind how much harmful exhaust gas could be produced by the four six-meter-high iron furnaces.

Just the acidic wastewater produced by iron-smelting would flow along the Bian River, severely affecting the daily lives of residents in the northeast area of Bianjing City.

Truly strange indeed.....

Clang, clang, clang——

As Xu Yun and the others entered the Artifact Bureau.

They saw a large number of bare-chested strong men wielding black and hard tools, forcefully striking some round, slightly elastic targets.

Siegfried led Xu Yun and others forward while explaining:

"Mr. Wang, Miss Li, this is the hammering of cauldron bottoms. After the hammering is completed, quenching and reinforcement can begin."

Xu Yun nodded, committing this scene of sparks flying to memory.

This is indeed the pinnacle of ancient Huaxia craftsmanship...

If he remembered correctly.

The quenching technique should have appeared during the Spring and Autumn Period and began to be widely promoted after the Western Han Dynasty, a technology ahead of Europe by over a thousand years.

But in later generations, everything switched positions.

The need to purchase iron ore from other countries could be excused.

After all, this is an inherent resource limitation dating back to the new Archaean age, a situation beyond human alteration.

But some iron-smelting equipment and even methods were outpaced by foreign countries. For example, a technology like FINEX still requires paying patent fees to Prét, which is quite frustrating.

One could only say the pit dug by a certain queue dynasty was too deep, with debts being paid even a hundred years later.

Next, Xu Yun and the others followed Siegfried further, and the surrounding sounds gradually began to quiet down.

A quarter of an hour later.

They passed through a courtyard gate and arrived at a site covering nearly three hundred square meters.

At this very moment.

A large iron tube lay on the ground, about ten meters in length and one meter in diameter.

It was hollow inside, with no other engraving around the surface.

One side of the iron tube was relatively smooth and simple, while the other side was much more complicated, with a great number of intricate mechanisms and push slots.

Obviously.

This was the telescope's tube body.

Siegfried led Xu Yun to the tube body and said:

"Mr. Wang, take a look at whether this tube is up to standard?"

Xu Yun cupped his hands toward him, moved to the edge of the iron tube, and began to inspect the completion state.

To be honest.

The telescope's tube body wasn't particularly complex.

Apart from the main body.

The key structures include the Star-finding Mirror, Guide-star Mirror, and Rotating Instrument Clock, all of which involve issues of precision.

Some could measure with precision to seven or eight decimal places, while others could only reach one or two, leading to a vast difference in prices.

The Rotating Instrument Clock, in particular, was primarily designed to compensate for Earth's rotation, allowing the telescope to consistently be aimed at the same celestial area, thus achieving stable observation.

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