Chapter 623 - 400: Ge Hengtai

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng came over, while Duan Rong still held that charred piece of wood, sitting on the stone steps in front of the ruins, deep in thought.

The expressions on their faces clearly showed a hint of impatience.

Zhu Cheng coughed, took a few steps forward, and asked, "Lord Duan, is there something you need from us?"

Duan Rong raised his head and said, "Please come over, and take a closer look at this object."

As he spoke, Duan Rong extended his hand, offering the object to them.

Upon closer inspection, the object in Duan Rong’s hand was nothing but a piece of broken wood excavated from the ruins. Asking them to take a good look seemed like a joke to them.

Zhu Peng was already brimming with anger.

Zhu Cheng, with a slightly better temper, didn’t reach out to take the charred wood from Duan Rong’s hand. Instead, he furrowed his brow and asked, "May I ask, Lord Duan, what is strange about this object? What is it that you want us to see?"

Duan Rong replied, "Although this object is small, it can summon lightning! The true culprit responsible for Lord Zhu Shizhong’s death by thunderbolt is this object."

"What?!"

When Zhu Cheng heard this, his eyelids jumped violently.

"Are you saying that the thunderbolt that killed Lord Zhu Shizhong was deliberately summoned by this object?"

"Indeed!" Duan Rong answered unwaveringly.

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng exchanged glances, feeling as though they were listening to a wild tale. However, they still approached and took the charred piece of wood from Duan Rong’s hand.

Zhu Peng, disliking how dirty the wood was, let Zhu Cheng hold it while he observed from the side.

They quickly discovered that at the bottom of a deep groove on the wood, there was a slender wooden handle protruding from the side. There was also an inconspicuous small hole on the broken wood, with a black needle tip slightly exposed.

Their expressions were filled with surprise, unsure of why this piece of broken wood was arranged with these two strange features.

Yet, they knew that abnormal occurrences often hinted at the unusual, and these delicate, hidden mechanisms wouldn’t appear for no reason.

At this point, Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng’s looks toward Duan Rong had changed.

The impatience and anger previously written on their faces had disappeared.

In such a pile of ruins, perhaps only this piece of broken wood had these two inconspicuous mechanisms. Finding it was akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.

Yet, Duan Rong managed to find it all by himself.

The words Duan Rong said yesterday, which they had thought were madness, were suddenly understood at this moment.

Duan Rong said that the ruins would speak. He also mentioned that they couldn’t see it, and that all the debris needed to be collected and examined.

In hindsight, every word was accurate.

If it weren’t for Duan Rong showing them, urging them to take a closer look—had they done it themselves, they would likely have only given the broken wood a cursory glance, missing its hidden and unassuming mechanisms.

At this moment, Zhu Cheng regretted the most.

He hated himself for not staying with Duan Rong yesterday.

It wasn’t out of sympathy for Duan Rong’s efforts alone. Duan Rong, being able to find this sole hidden clue from such an expansive ruin overnight, must have had a very clever method.

If he had stayed by Duan Rong’s side, he might have picked up a trick or two, which would benefit him in future investigations!

Zhu Cheng bowed slightly to Duan Rong and said, "Lord Duan, you say the intricate mechanism in this wood is the culprit behind Lord Zhu Shizhong’s death by lightning?"

Duan Rong replied, "Indeed!"

With a puzzled expression, Zhu Cheng said, "This object is certainly curious. But the thunderbolt from the heavens is such a terrifying force. How can such a small item summon it? Please elaborate, my lord."

Duan Rong said, "I can elaborate, but whether you can understand is another matter."

Friction electricity, charges from rubbing fur against a rubber rod—a concept taught in elementary physics. Duan Rong was truly unsure how to convey this idea to people of this era.

Zhu Peng confidently said, "Just go ahead, my lord. Understanding it is our responsibility."

Duan Rong said, "Let’s head back to the Ministry of Justice. We’ll also grab some things along the way."

The three of them left the residence of Minister of the Secretariat Zhu Shizhong, and after Duan Rong purchased some miscellaneous items from several shops on the street, they returned to the Ministry of Justice.

It was the same room where the three first met.

After tinkering for a while, Duan Rong held a piece of black rubber, with a fine needle through its center, and addressed the two, "Inside that block of wood was originally this thing, with the needle tip extending from the small hole, pointing towards the sky. The base connects to the wooden handle, reaching deep into the groove."

"Water continuously flowed within the groove, causing the wooden handle to move back and forth, rubbing against a piece of fur inside."

"Just like this!"

With that, Duan Rong took a piece of fur and rubbed it back and forth on the rubber rod.

After a while, Duan Rong used the rubber rod to lift the prepared paper scraps from the table.

Duan Rong said, "See, see? It picked them up!"

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng blinked, feeling as though Duan Rong was performing magic for them.

Noting their expressions, Duan Rong realized this was ineffective, then, with a spark of inspiration, he suddenly said: "Draw the curtains tightly."

"Draw the curtains?"

"Yes!" Duan Rong continued rubbing the rubber rod with the fur while giving instructions.