Daily Rewards! Transmigrating into a novel as a side-character!

Testing the completed trigger mechanism, I channelled a small amount of mana through the grip. The Orichalcum wires glowed faintly as energy travelled to the sear, which released smoothly without requiring any physical pressure. The Resonite feedback chips hummed quietly, indicating successful energy transfer.

This crossbow would revolutionize ranged combat for Noble to Elite-rank awakeners, offering them a weapon that could compete with higher-tier opponents through clever application of their existing mana reserves.

What made this product particularly valuable was my ability to mass produce it. After creating the prototype and confirming its effectiveness, I could send the design to my father and have our estate's craftsmen begin manufacturing copies.

I wasn't starting from scratch or needing to negotiate with other influential families for production assistance. The advantages of being part of a ducal house were truly countless, we had the resources, skilled workers, and distribution networks already in place.

I inspected the crossbow with satisfaction. This specimen had cost approximately 50 gold coins in materials and taken only thirty minutes to craft. The cost-to-performance ratio was excellent for what would likely become a premium weapon.

Furthermore, the cost was so high was because I didn't have the proper channels to buy the items I needed in bulk. When that was put into perspective, the price would become even cheaper, resulting in a higher net profit yield.

After testing the structural strength of various components, I was satisfied with most aspects except for the bolt groove, the channel where arrows were placed. The current design had a fixed size, which meant users couldn't accommodate different arrow types. There were heavy bolts for Armor penetration, light bolts for speed and accuracy, specialized bolts with different heads, but my current groove could only accept one standard size.

I decided to incorporate an adaptive mechanism inspired by the lock-and-key enzyme system from biology. In living organisms, enzymes have active sites that change shape to perfectly accommodate their specific substrate molecules. The enzyme's flexible structure allows it to "embrace" the correct molecule while rejecting others that don't match.

Of course, the crossbow would reject structures that aren't like the arrows, but apart from that it would accept most arrows.

I could create a similar system using the flexible Quicksilver Steel which was known for its flexible yet strong mercury-infused alloy.

The bolt groove would have flexible walls that could detect the dimensions of whatever projectile was inserted and automatically adjust to grip it perfectly. Small sensors would measure the bolt's weight and dimensions, then signal the Orichalcum-enhanced walls to shift into the optimal configuration.

The mechanism would work through mana feedback loops. When a bolt was placed in the groove, tiny Resonite crystals would vibrate at frequencies corresponding to the projectile's physical properties. These vibrations would trigger the shaped memory alloy components to contract or expand, creating a custom-fitted channel for each individual bolt.

This adaptive groove would accommodate everything from heavy siege bolts to light arrows, maximizing the weapon's versatility. Users could switch between ammunition types mid-combat without needing different weapons or manual adjustments.

The engineering challenge excited me immensely. I immediately began working on the prototype mechanism, carefully shaping the memory alloy strips and positioning the sensor crystals. The groove would need multiple adjustment points to handle the wide variety of bolt designs available in this world.

Creating this adaptive system would increase production costs, but the added versatility would justify premium pricing. A crossbow that could use any available ammunition would be an absolute game changer to adventurers and guards who couldn't predict what situations they might encounter.

I heated the forge again and began crafting the delicate components needed for this innovative bolt-fitting system.

I finished crafting the second prototype just as my reserved time in the blacksmithing workshop expired. The adaptive bolt groove mechanism had taken longer than expected, but the results were worth the effort. The crossbow could now accommodate various ammunition types seamlessly.

After cleaning my workspace and securing my tools, I gathered both prototypes and left the academy grounds to test them properly. Field testing would reveal any flaws that the basic workshop examination might have missed.

The moment I stepped outside the academy gates, my assigned guards approached immediately.

"Young Master." They both saluted me with respect.

"I'm heading to the forest, I have a weapon that I want to test."

Both guards looked deeply troubled by my request.

"Young master...Given the recent attacks on your family's carriages, perhaps testing your weapon within the academy's safer training grounds would be more prudent." The guard said with obvious concern laced in his voice.

"The risk is manageable," I replied firmly. "We'll stay in the forest's outer perimeter where only Noble-rank beasts roam. Nothing there should pose a serious threat to any of us."

The guards exchanged meaningful glances, clearly uncomfortable with my decision but recognizing they couldn't directly refuse their lord's only son.

"Very well, Young Master," the second guard said reluctantly. "We'll maintain close proximity and retreat immediately if we encounter anything suspicious."

"Agreed. This is purely a weapons test, not a hunting expedition."

We made our way toward the forest that bordered the academy grounds. The outer sections were relatively safe, used regularly by students for practical exercises and material gathering and by low-rank hunters that hunted for their living.

As we walked, I mentally reviewed the crossbow's specifications. The mana amplification system needed real-world validation, and the adaptive bolt groove required testing with different ammunition types under actual field conditions.

On the way to the forest, we stopped by a weapon's shop to purchase the different arrows I wanted to test before continuing on our way to the forest.

Despite being in the city, the guards still maintained alertness in case of any surprise attacks in the city. Although such attacks seldom happened, they did happen, so it wasn't an impossibility.

After some time, we arrived at the border of the city. We were now officially outside the city, and in the monster infested forest.

A smirk formed on my face, as I prepared to test my new inventions.