The Bet

Qian Renxue stared at the vivid illustrations in the internship manual, silently astonished.

She hadn't expected that the method of using the blast furnace could be demonstrated through illustrations.

Such a presentation was much simpler and more concise compared to dull text.

Moreover, it was clear at a glance. Even someone who was illiterate could understand it.

This school is quite interesting, Qian Renxue developed a strong interest in it.

At this moment, the little girl guiding Qian Renxue led her to the other side of the blast furnace.

On the wall of the blast furnace, a round pipe extended, connecting to a small blower.

The blower, much like a bicycle wheel, had foot pedals. Students only needed to apply force with their feet to drive the blower.

In reality, the furnaces in the workshop all used mechanical blowers.

The blowers before them were specially made for students' internships. They could be linked together like a string of candied haws, sending all the air into the blast furnace.

Aude, standing beside Qian Renxue, saw the clover-shaped blower and burst into laughter.

"Can this even be called a blower? It's too much of a joke!"

Nowadays, high-end blowers are made from sheepskin or cowhide.

Just like human breathing, they blow air into the furnace with every inhale and exhale.

This bizarre-shaped blower doesn't even use a bit of sheepskin or cowhide. How could it possibly work as a blower?

Hearing Aude's laughter, Qian Renxue frowned slightly and asked, "Steward Aude, what are you laughing at?"

Aude couldn't stop laughing as he pointed at the blower and explained, "This blower is truly strange. I've never seen anything like it."

"Really embarrassing, you've never even seen a blower. Let me demonstrate!" A cheeky little kid came over, speaking bluntly.

He then made a face at Aude.

Sitting on the blower's frame, he pedaled the blower's drive shaft and began to exert force.

The blower slowly started to speed up, and smoke began to pour from the chimney of the blast furnace.

"Hmph!" Aude angrily flicked his sleeves in response to the child's mocking.

With the crown prince present, as the palace steward, he couldn't stoop to the level of a child.

Seeing the child's actions, the other kids eagerly joined in.

They pedaled the drive shafts of the blowers like bicycles.

The combined effort of the seven or eight children generated a strong wind.

The wind was sent into the blast furnace, causing it to puff out black smoke and sparks.

At that moment, the little girl brought over a crucible and placed it in front of Qian Renxue.

She introduced it to Qian Renxue, saying, "This is the pot for holding molten iron."

She pointed to a small opening on the other side of the furnace. "In a little while, the molten iron will flow out from here. We just need to wait patiently."

"Hmm," Qian Renxue nodded faintly.

Nearby, Xiao Shunzi, hearing the little girl's words, let out a disdainful snort.

Coming from a family of blacksmiths, he was already clear about it by now.

Ye Tian's iron-smelting process wasn't much different from that of other blacksmiths.

At most, the blower was slightly more advanced.

And this could produce refined iron? Absolutely impossible!

He looked at Ye Tian coldly, "You're truly wasting the crown prince's time!"

Facing Xiao Shunzi's repeated taunts, Ye Tian frowned slightly.

"And what if I can produce it?"

"Then will you eat poop like that other guard?"

"Hehe, and what if you can't?" Xiao Shunzi squinted as he asked.

"How about we make a bet?"

As a merchant from East Sea City, the other party must have a lot of money.

This was a prime opportunity to rip off this arrogant merchant.

As long as he kept an eye on the furnace and didn't give Ye Tian a chance to swap anything, this bet was absolutely a sure win!

A sure-win bet – it would be a huge loss not to take it.

Hearing Xiao Shunzi's provocative bet, Ye Tian secretly chuckled.

What a conceited fool.

A person who only believes in their own experience will eventually submit to the truth.

"Alright, let's make a bet," Ye Tian agreed calmly.

Hooked. Xiao Shunzi was overjoyed and immediately said, "If you lose, you must give the crown prince an item worth 100,000 gold coins!"

This was a classic case of borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha.

In Xiao Shunzi's eyes, 100,000 gold soul coins would be enough to bankrupt Ye Tian, this arrogant merchant.

It was the perfect ending for such an arrogant man!

Taking Ye Tian's money and offering it to the crown prince – nothing could be better.

If the crown prince was pleased, he could rise to prominence thanks to this gift.

"Fine. But since it's a bet, you should also offer something of value."

"I don't ask for much. If you lose, you'll have to do 100 frog jumps around the school."

Ye Tian accepted Xiao Shunzi's wager and laid out his own conditions.

The reason he didn't make him eat poop was because Xiao Shunzi was one of Qian Renxue's people.

You have to consider the owner before hitting the dog. If Xiao Shunzi really had to eat poop, that would be taking it too far.

"I agree!"

Without thinking, Xiao Shunzi accepted.

He didn't even consider the size of East Sea School.

Given his physical condition, doing 100 frog jumps around the school would definitely cost him half his life.

But Xiao Shunzi didn't believe he would lose.

After all, coming from a family of blacksmiths, he knew that this kind of furnace could only produce ordinary iron.

The iron would be full of impurities, extremely brittle, and would shatter with a single blow. It could be used to make farming tools, but not regular weapons.

Let alone high-quality refined iron.

Qian Renxue, standing nearby, listened quietly to the bet between Ye Tian and Xiao Shunzi.

A faint smile appeared on her lips. "Since you two are so sincere in wanting to bet, I'll act as the referee."

"And also..."

Qian Renxue took out a jade pendant from her waist and waved it in the air.

"This jade pendant of mine is a valuable soul tool that has the effect of calming the mind."

"Why not add it to your bet? Whoever wins gets it."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Xiao Shunzi's eyes lit up at her words.

In his mind, the jade pendant was already his.

Moreover, its ability to calm the mind made it priceless!

Ye Tian glanced indifferently at the jade pendant, completely uninterested.

Using external objects to calm the mind was an outdated method.

The pendant was useless to him.

However, given that Qian Renxue was the crown prince, he couldn't appear too indifferent, or it would arouse suspicion.

He feigned excitement, glancing at the pendant repeatedly, pretending to be very tempted.

This made Qian Renxue frown slightly. She had actually intended for Xiao Shunzi to win the pendant.

Xiao Shunzi was a eunuch sent by the Emperor of Heaven Dou to look after her.

Though he was supposed to care for her daily life, he also had the responsibility of monitoring her behavior and reporting regularly to the Emperor.

She had planned to use this opportunity to win Xiao Shunzi over, turning him into her ally.

This would undoubtedly make her plan to seize the throne smoother.

But the expression on merchant Ye Tian's face made her quite unhappy.

That despicable, bribed man, Gu Shizhen, truly deserved to die.

He actually sent this greedy, arrogant man, Ye Tian, to greet her.

After waiting without much interest for half an hour, the molten iron finally began to flow from the blast furnace.

(End of chapter)

P.S

Advance 30 Chapters are up on my Patreon. Do support me there dear readers.

pat reon.com/ReidAstrea