Chapter 75: Preparations

Sam was done assembling the machine and is examining if is working properly. The machine is a manual pressing machine.

A pressing machine is used for creating things from sheet metals. The machines which are operated by hydraulic power are used for making the frames for cars and other automobiles. The large-scale ones are even used in making some parts of aircrafts.

Manual pressing machine is a small- scale version which operates with human effort. These manual pressing machines are used for making things which are small and doesn’t need much precision in dimensions.

What Sam has in front of him is a manual pressing machine, but it is a bit larger in size. Basically, the manual pressing machines will be small enough to be used by humans directly, because the effort that can be applied from the human hands is limited and cannot be used to make any big objects.

But Sam’s manual pressing machine is of large size. It is as big as a hydraulic press in model world. Why did he make it in this size though? Because, the humans here can make the effort required to operate this machine.

The machine has two columns on both sides which are mounted on a solid metal bed. The bed doesn’t only support the columns, it also has a work holding device which is also a die. A die in this machine is like a mould. It has a shape which the final product is required to be made.

Then there would be upper die which is the opposite shape of the lower die. It is movable and the columns act as guideways for its vertical movement.

There is a wheel on top of whole frame. It is parallel to the ground. When the wheel is rotated, the upper die is moving down and when it is rotated in opposite direction, the upper die will move upwards.

The upper and lower dies will be in such a shape that if one has a cylindrical hollow, then the other will have a cylindrical protrusion with almost same dimensions. The dies if put together will be a fit.

So, when a sheet metal piece is placed in between both of them and force is applied to the dies, the sheet metal will be turned into the shape in which the dies are designed.

For example, if the dies are with cylindrical protrusion and hollow. The final product will be in shape similar to that of cylindrical cup. This operation is also called drawing operation.

After making sure that the machine is alright, Sam took out a sheet of fire bronze from his storage. Why is the fire bronze being in sheet form? That is because, the fire bronze is a metal which is soft and is mainly used for making the metallic covers. It has a good affinity with fire elemental energy. Since, the metal doesn’t have any major properties in suitable for making direct weapons and armours and only for making some auxiliary products, the artisans aren’t willing to make much effort to make refine the ore directly.

That is why, the artisan tower will let the young artisan apprentices practice their fire control by refining this type of ores and they will sell them in these processed forms.

Sam took a circular piece which he had already cut previously and placed it on the work piece holder. Then he held the wheel and started rotating it. The upper die started moving and soon the deformation of the small sheet metal started.

Sam withdrew the upper die and removed the metal piece on the work holder. Now the work piece is in a shape of small cylindrical metal cup.

The metal cup has four inches diameter and the depth is one inch.

He turned towards Watt and Jack before taking out a big sheet of fire bronze. There are several circular markings on the sheet.

"Both of you have only one thing to do till the evening. Cut out the pieces off of the sheet and use the machine to make these hollow cups.

At the same moment, both Sam and Jack are sitting in the study and are talking to each other.

"We aren’t going to do anything in the next few days. Right now, the whole organisation will be in a mess. They might have found out about the missing scrolls and they will be investigating. They will be busy in investigating and restructuring the organisation. They will be even be in high alert for our next attack. So, we will not do anything for now. We will proceed after the banquet is over." Sam said while Jack nodded in understanding.

"Shadow mice." Sam called over.

Three small shadows floated over and came onto the table.

"Next two days, you guys will be in charge of finding the meeting spots of these Novices. I need the details regarding on what times they will be holding these meetings."

After he was done, he sent Jack and went to his room to enter the divine dimension. In the second floor there a more than hundred cylindrical cups which, both Jack and Watt made. He looked at them helplessly.

Then he started drawing runes on the floor. He needs to inscribe all of them. When he was done with the first inscription, he said to himself.

"I should master etching as soon as possible." Then he continued drawing another inscription circle.

Sam spent all the time in the tower for ten days. That means one day has passed outside and night came again.

Sam came out of the tower and went to the crystal bamboos where he buried the carcasses near. The crystal bamboos are already grown to a considerable size.

Sam took out the cauldron with the poisonous mixture he made and retrieved a huge wat of liquor.

Then he made a small hole in a bamboo section, he placed a small normal bamboo tube and started pouring the poisonous liquid in it. After the section was half full, he observed some resistance and he used the wind energy to remove the remaining air from the section and forced the liquor into it.

After that, he stuffed the hole with some green leaves.

What Sam is doing is using a Chinese technique, to age a liquor in the bamboo to get a unique taste. But he is using this technique to create a liquor of poison.

After one section is done, he started filling other sections in same manner.

When he was finally over with this task. He went back to the inscription work. He went on and on with the same inscriptions again and again. He only finished when there is only one day left for the banquet.

Sam went to look at the bamboo sections and started collecting the liquor. All the time, he tried his best to control the wind around him to not get infected from the fumes.

After collecting all the liquor into a wat, he went upstairs into the second floor of the tower and looked at the two piles of cylindrical cups. He felt exhausted at the thought of what he has to do now. He only has ten days after all.