Chapter 615 - 481: Microscope

"Mr. Hong, how’s the thing I asked you to make coming along?" Lin Miao arrived at the manor’s iron forge workshop.

"You’re here, master." Mr. Hong, busy at the furnace, with a gleaming physique and muscles, oily and shiny, held a hammer in his hand, fully focused on striking the iron embryo in his hand. Suddenly, he looked up and saw Lin Miao, his face lit up with surprise.

Lin Miao chuckled: "I came to see you, and incidentally to see what you’ve made for me—I want to use it now."

"Master, for the things you’ve asked me to make, I can’t neglect them. However, some small items might not meet your precision requirements..." Mr. Hong said awkwardly.

Lin Miao has high precision requirements for components. Although Mr. Hong tried his best, there was still a discrepancy in meeting those demands.

"No worries, just bring them to me." Lin Miao nodded; as long as they can be made, precision can be achieved later when the technical level improves.

"Please wait, I’ll get them for you." Mr. Hong wiped his hands on a leather apron and turned to enter the house next door.

Lin Miao didn’t follow him in but instead watched Mr. Hong’s apprentices crafting iron pieces with keen interest.

Actually, what Lin Miao desires most is to forge his own weapon. Though Mr. Hong’s skills are good, they are far inferior to the Shen family in Hedong.

Of course, the Shen family forges weapons for the court, and they are also a top family in Jianghu, providing top-level weapons for its people.

In Jianghu, there is a saying of "Southern Hu, Northern Shen," where the Hu family of Medicine King Valley excels in processing medicinal herbs, and the Shen family in Hedong profits from weapon forging.

The Shen family has quite a few skillful craftsmen; their forging technique might not be the highest, but it represents the highest level in the world.

Hence, the Shen family is hereditary titled as "Crafty Artisan" Marquis.

Lin Miao has no connection with the Shen family, so it’s currently impossible to invite them to forge something for him. Besides, it’s uncertain if the finished product will bear the surname Lin or Shen.

Rather than this, it’s better to nurture Mr. Hong since he still has a lot of smelting and forging knowledge in his mind. Though not professional, he at least knows some directional information.

Once the direction is determined, everything becomes easier.

Mr. Hong is not stupid; he’s only missing a guide.

Lin Miao might not be the best, but he is here to be this guide. Mr. Hong is also skilled in martial arts cultivation, where iron forging is a practice of external martial arts.

Of course, some who practice inner martial arts also forge iron.

But those are very few.

Lin Miao didn’t teach Mr. Hong any inner cultivation heart method. Every blacksmith has a breathing technique suited to them, formed through prolonged ironwork and exclusive to an individual. Even if the same breathing method is learned, its final manifestation differs for each person.

Lin Miao taught Mr. Hong a hammer skill, Chaotic Cloak Hammer.

Because of this, Mr. Hong’s martial arts advanced significantly, and his forging technique improved as well.

"Master, everything you asked for is here. I made double of each, although I’m not sure what you’re using them for..." Mr. Hong came over with a wooden box, filled with the microscope components Lin Miao requested him to make.

Lin Miao opened the box for a glance; it contained neatly arranged "microscope" parts, from the base, arm, tube, stage, to the critical objective and eyepieces—all without the lenses installed.

Thus, Mr. Hong was clueless about the purpose of these, but he followed the master’s instructions.

As long as he performed his tasks well, life was much better here than running his own blacksmith shop.

Uncertain about how the assembly might turn out, but a preliminary look suggests no major issues. Once a handcrafted lathe is available, crafting these components will be much easier.

"Thanks, Mr. Hong. Later, collect your reward from Madame Mei’Er!" Lin Miao closed the box, picked it up, and left.

...

The most important parts of the microscope are the eyepiece and objective. The one Mr. Hong made is a single-lens microscope; he can’t make a multi-lens one given his current skill level.

As for how many times magnification, that depends on the actual assembly outcome.

Now that Xia Zhu and Sun Youwei have arrived, he no longer needs to oversee the quarantine treatment personally, except for critical patients that Xia Zhu and Sun Youwei cannot handle.

Currently, he is focused entirely on assembling the microscope.

This task is very delicate, only he can complete it, and he knows exactly what is needed.

He instructed not to let anyone disturb him and settled into his workspace at Miao Manor, which he specifically built as his laboratory.

This laboratory was crafted as a place for his interests.

It’s also the manor’s secret area.

Yue Mei’Er even named it "Hundred Skills Hall."

The name isn’t important, nor is Lin Miao concerned; what’s vital is having a space to calmly do what he desires.

There’s a similar place in the Lin residence but on a smaller scale, capable of making small items only. For larger projects, he must come here, though he hasn’t used it much.

Mainly due to lack of free time.

Now, the consultation hours at Yongning Hall have been adjusted, giving him relatively more leisure time and more opportunities to come here.

No more chit-chat.

Taking out the parts, placing them on the meticulously crafted tool bench Yue Mei’Er made for him, and the various tools Mr. Hong created as well.