Exploring Technology in a Wizard World

"Pop!"

Following Bobbobovic, Richard returned to the ground, his feet landing with a light sound.

Watching Bobbobovic leave, Richard shook his head, then walked into the stone building of the Blue Lake Estate and entered the study inside.

Once in the study, Richard sat down at the desk, took out a quill, ink, and scroll, and began to write.

Despite the brief time spent exchanging combat techniques with Bobbobovic, he managed to collect a lot of information.

For instance...

"Scribble scribble..."

"A spellcasting distance of ten thousand meters can indeed effectively evade visual detection by the enemy during the day. However, considering that the combat time is in the afternoon, nearing dusk, the light is not entirely sufficient, and with some cloud cover, the ten thousand meters as a spellcasting distance cannot be regarded as an absolute safety measure.

If in a highly unfavorable battle environment, such as at noon with a clear sky and no clouds, the casting distance needs to be increased accordingly.

Generally, due to physiological constraints, the human eye's clear vision distance is 25cm. People with normal vision can achieve a resolution of one two-thousandth to one five-thousandth, meaning they can distinguish a one-meter object at two thousand meters.

Wizards, with certain spells, can enhance their vision slightly; a reasonable enhancement can expand the casting distance to twenty thousand meters, or twenty kilometers.

On Earth, in aerial combat, fighter pilots can visually spot enemy aircraft at an average distance of eight thousand meters. Twenty kilometers are already considered long-range combat in strict terms, which is one of the critical indicators of third-generation fighter combat on Earth—the constrained long-range combat.

And spells with a range of 20 kilometers successfully shed their label as close-range fighting missiles, advancing to medium-range missile status.

Medium-range magic missiles evidently possess more power than close-range ones, and are also more complex. They require more free energy elements to maintain flight and more magic rune magic to control flight posture. As a result, the size increases to implement such functions.

If enough data is gathered and the flight procedure of the magic missile is specifically modified to provide various states of acceleration and target-tracking capabilities, then using medium-range magic missiles against an enemy would create an inevitable zone, provided the enemy is within a reasonable power band. This means, once locked onto a target, the magic missile is guaranteed to hit, unlike today's slight miss by Bobbobovic.

Speaking of misses, the detonation fuze of the magic missile should also be upgraded. Currently, the warhead's magic rune simulates the effect of a contact fuze, meaning the magic missile must make actual physical contact with the target to successfully detonate.

This fuze effect is currently sufficient, but upgrading to a proximity fuze would evidently be more effective. That is, the magic missile doesn't need to physically contact the target; it will automatically explode once it gets within a preset range.

Thus, if the enemy tries a thrilling and slight evasion of the magic missile, an upgraded fuze will present them with a big surprise.

Proximity fuzes are categorized based on their working mechanisms, such as static magnetic proximity fuze, electrostatic proximity fuze, acoustic proximity fuze, pressure proximity fuze, optical proximity fuze, etc. Selecting which one to focus on for fuze upgrades requires detailed research.

Besides, many other areas also need research to better complete the fighter mode.

The first point is that the perception method should be upgraded. As the casting distance increases, it poses an impediment to enemies' sense, and hinders one's own perception, which needs resolving.

The second point is the speed upgrade. The greater the casting distance, the longer and more challenging it becomes to successfully gain distance. Without a significant speed boost, using casting distance to suppress the enemy won't be easy.

The third point is considering stealth performance, reducing the chance of being locked onto by special spells...

The fourth point...

"Scribble scribble..."

Richard continued writing.

If nothing unexpected happens in the time to come, this will be what he mostly dedicates his time to, apart from the Truth Society.

Yes, if nothing unexpected...

…

Unexpectedly, it often occurs where and when you least imagine, bringing surprises or shocks, depending on what the unexpected event entails.

Sometimes, it leads to death; other times, it yields unimaginable wealth.

...

Jialan City is a city surrounded by mountains on three sides, as everyone knows.

Therefore, it's rich in minerals. This is why Richard came here with his steward, Jia Lie, to settle and use the valuable minerals to solve the storage energy magic material problem, successfully creating the first miniature magic tracking missile.

However, not everyone considers the minerals of Jialan City to be treasures.

The nobles with mining rights, for example, regard minerals simply as commodities stored in large mountain warehouses and, more than mining them, think about how to sell them for a high price.

While miners who live by mining see minerals as goods they can earn money from by extracting them from the mountains and exchanging them for money from mine owners to make a living.

There's not much difference between randomly swapping minerals for timber, cobblestones, or other things.

About thirty miles west of Jialan City, amidst continuous mountain ranges, there's a small town called Shambhala.

This town's name includes "Shambhala," but it bears no connection to anything fragrant.

In this town, various buildings are haphazardly scattered without any planned layout. Sewage flows everywhere, filth is spread across the ground, spreading an unbearable stench. The alley behind the tavern seems like an open-air latrine, with yellow stains covering the walls and hardened black excrement and vomit on the ground.

Yet, in such a dire environment, tens of thousands of miners live. They work in dozens of mines of various sizes located around the town, selling their physical labor for meager wages.

Older miners or those with families often lead frugal lives, sending their hard-earned money home to support their wives and children. In contrast, younger, unburdened miners may squander their earnings in taverns, casinos, or spend it on the bodies of third-rate street girls.

If no unexpected events occur, Shambhala would continue existing like this for many years until the nearby mines are exhausted and the miners move to a new location to start again.

But, an unexpected event suddenly occurred.