When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 1150 The Outrageous Leonardo

"Den-"

The processing room of Leonardo's research institute was kicked open, and Leonardo, his five students, and his assistants rushed in.

Of the seven students in Leonardo's lab that was once bustling, only five remain.

However, most of them had bloodshot eyes, which meant they must not have slept well last night.

After all, Capone's defection was something none of them had expected.

Capone, that carefree guy who spent his days playing with sports cards, neglecting his studies, almost failing his thesis, and relying on his advisor's connections, actually defected.

However, even after hearing the whole story from their mentor, they were still shocked.

"Mentor, how dare you take on this job?" Latom's face turned pale.

In the workshop, the warm, flickering light of the fluorite lamps illuminated the brass disc on the table.

Five students sat around the copper plate, licking their dry, parched lips, unable to utter a word.

Only the youngest, Kuswania, held the sandpaper, her fingers still trembling slightly: "Teacher, a whole morning to make a dial? And fifty divisions to carve, with errors in each division..."

"That's impossible! Even if we use an optical glass magnifying glass, this is the first time we've used one. If our hand shakes halfway through engraving, the entire dial will be ruined!"

“We did a trial engraving before, do you remember? We got three out of ten engravings wrong, and now this plate is so big…”

Leonardo either didn't hear them or simply ignored the students' murmurs.

He grabbed the copper plate and placed it under the optical magnifying glass.

In the video, the scratches on the surface of the copper plate were clearly visible. He rubbed it with his fingertip, and his fingertip immediately picked up a layer of copper shavings.

"I had already completed the design of the new precision lathe when I was at the Holy See Building; all that was missing was the dial."

We'll grind the grinding wheel first, then process the end face, and finally calibrate, index, and engrave.

It's 9 o'clock now. The copper plate needs to be ground to the right condition before 9:30, and the optical lens needs to be calibrated at the same time.

End face processing begins at 9:30, engraving begins at 10:00, and must be completed before 12:30.

Tom, you take charge of the polishing, and I'll take charge of the end face processing.

"Kuswania, you're so attentive. Adjust the optical lens and clean it thoroughly; don't let moisture affect the view."

His voice was flat and normal, but his students, who knew him well, heard something unusual in it.

"Listen carefully, this time is different from before. We have no room for error. At most, we will let you make one mistake each time."

Otherwise, we won't have enough time, do you understand?

"Understood." At this point, the students and assistants had nothing more to say, nothing more to add.

Just as everyone started getting busy, Leonardo picked up the alarm clock next to him—

This little gadget was made by Capone; he likes to cleverly create little toys.

Leonardo took a deep breath, set the alarm for fifteen minutes, and then went outside.

"If I'm not awake in ten minutes, come and wake me up immediately!"

Leonardo is a mechanical sage, not an iron man, and he doesn't have any mechanical implants; he still needs sleep.

In particular, he is about to complete an extremely meticulous task.

Mechanical engineers of this era, especially the top-notch ones, are all-rounders.

It's not just about design; you also need to know how to assemble it yourself, even how to polish it, and you even need to find sponsors yourself.

Leonardo plans to complete the graduation markings himself, but he will personally oversee the students' crucial tasks.

So after sleeping for less than fifteen minutes, he reappeared in the processing room.

"Teacher, I've finished polishing it."

"Okay." After confirming the student's work, Leonardo looked up at the clock; it was only 9:20. "I'll do the finishing."

The copper disc was embedded in the three-jaw chuck of the laboratory lathe, and as the clockwork hummed, the spindle began to rotate at a speed of 30 revolutions per minute.

Leonardo DiCaprio requires the flatness error of the dial to be controlled within 0.1 to 0.3 millimeters.

This task was originally intended to be done by dwarves, relying on their feel, cutting patterns, and experience.

This unique feel is an innate talent of dwarves, which humans can hardly learn.

However, at this moment, it has been completely replaced by an optical mirror.

As the iron filings fell, Leonardo's sweat dripped down his face.

"Kuswania, look to the side!"

Holding the heavy optical lens in her slender hands, Kuswania strained to observe: "Not yet, not yet... Enough!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Latom, who was standing next to him, immediately pulled the lever, and the steel knife was raised.

Leonardo checked it himself with an optical lens: "Hmm, perfect, less than 0.1 millimeters off."

Despite being somewhat prepared, Leonardo was still astonished when he actually witnessed the capabilities of the optical lens.

As a mechanical engineer, Leonardo knew best that when power is immense, even the slightest flaw can have devastating consequences.

For example, an axle cylindricity error of more than 0.01 mm can cause the locomotive to break, overturn, and derail.

These are all problems that have occurred before.

As machines become more complex, the demand for machining precision increases.

Leonardo has realized that the human eye has its limits, so why not just stop being human?
He has glass eyes.

Flange glass contains air bubbles and iron impurities, has a light transmittance of only 50% to 60%, and absorbs some light, causing the graduation lines to become blurry.

However, Saint-Union's glassmaking technology has largely solved this problem.

Unlike flanges, Saint-Union's research on craftsmanship is not solely the work of artisans.

Even high-ranking scholars, engineers, and all sorts of shamanic scholars and technical priests have to be involved.

In France, people typically organize things themselves, sometimes even having to seek sponsorships and borrow money. But the Holy Alliance is state-led, with the government pouring money into it; how can an individual's efforts compare to those of the state?
Therefore, the glass transparency problem that had progressed slowly for over a decade was solved by Saint-Benedict in just four or five years.

Under an optical microscope, errors invisible to the naked eye are finally visible!
Watching the students place the dial onto the three-jaw chuck, Leonardo picked up a piece of scrap paper: "Finished the calculations? No mistakes, right?"

"No."

"Okay, let's get started."

Soon, with the help of the optical lens, all the calibration points were set, leaving only the final scale adjustment.

“Kuswania, report the angle,” Leonardo said softly.

“First division, 0 degrees, align with the graduation line on the edge of the copper plate.” Kuswania’s eyes were fixed on the baseline on the copper plate.

The moment the carving knife fell, only the humming of the lathe's spring could be heard in the workshop.

Leonardo's breathing slowed to a crawl, his eyes fixed on the image reflected in the optical lens.

The engraving knife made a fine mark on the copper plate. Every millimeter he advanced, he would pause and use the lens to check if it had deviated from its intended path.

It was as if someone had choked them; no one dared to speak.

If we make even the slightest mistake in carving, we'll have to start all over again, and there simply won't be enough time.

The teacher told them, "You only have one chance to make a mistake, but he himself hasn't even had one."

Time passes little by little.

Around 11 o'clock, Leonardo's previously steady hand suddenly paused.

"Oh no!" Latom couldn't help but exclaim.

Leonardo didn't panic. He took out a small whetstone from his pocket, dipped it in some engine oil, and gently polished away the extra mark.

The millstone made a soft "sizzling" sound as it rubbed against the copper plate. Sweat beaded on his forehead, dripping down his cheeks onto the lathe, which he quickly wiped away.

"It's alright, the error is within the acceptable range," he said, his tone remaining calm.

But the students all noticed that his fingers, which were gripping the whetstone, were turning slightly white.

The only sound in the processing room was the clinking of carving knives.

"clatter--"

As the last chiseling sound ceased, the clock on the wall stopped at 11:50.

Leonardo straightened up, staggered, but fortunately Kuswania caught him.

He waved his hand to indicate that everything was fine, and then placed the copper plate under the optical magnifying glass.

The fifty-marked grid is arranged neatly like tree rings, with each mark spaced precisely.

Even the most discerning dwarven craftsmen would probably be unable to shake their heads in disapproval.

"It's...it's done?" Toram rubbed his eyes, unable to believe it.

Leonardo glanced out the window; the sunlight had already climbed onto the eaves of the workshop.

He picked up the copper plate, his fingertips lightly brushing the graduation lines, his voice tinged with a hoarse laugh: "It's not over yet. The graduation plate is done, but the lathe still needs to be installed."

The students' initial joy was instantly extinguished.

Toram said with a pained expression, "Teacher, are we assembling the lathe now? The lead screw and slide post haven't been calibrated yet. If we install them incorrectly, all our previous work will be wasted!"

"There's not much time left." Leonardo had already walked to the lathe, and the sound of a carriage could be heard outside the workshop.

The screw and sliding blade holder were sent by the Holy Mechanism, wrapped in coarse linen.

He ripped open the burlap, revealing a gleaming blacksmith rod. The threads on the rod's surface were fine and even, indicating that it had been made overnight by the best blacksmith in Gray Furnace Town.

“Ella, you and Toram fix the lead screw... Bakal, you adjust the sliding tool post so that the tool post slot aligns with the lead screw thread... The remaining two, go and remove the gears from the spare lathe; we need two drive gears.”

Leonardo took off his coat as he spoke.

Suddenly, the weariness disappeared from his eyes, replaced by an almost fanatical focus.

They seemed to have forgotten their hunger, their weariness, and even Capone's defection.

The afternoon sun shone through the workshop windows and fell on Leonardo's back.

He squatted beside the lathe, holding a small file in his hand, assembling, polishing, and grinding bit by bit.

The sound of the file scraping against metal was sharp and piercing, but he seemed not to hear it, his eyes fixed on the contact point between the slot and the lead screw.

Students would occasionally offer him bread and water, but he would only take a bite or a sip, his eyes never leaving the lathe.

As night fell, more fluorescent lamps were lit in the workshop, illuminating the entire processing area as if it were daytime.

When the midnight bells rang from the town's church, Leonardo finally sat up straight.

He stood there for a full ten seconds before pressing the switch on the lathe.

The spring mechanism drives the lead screw to rotate, and the sliding cutter head moves slowly along the lead screw.

With a soft "click," the knife holder stopped at the preset position.

The entire workshop fell silent instantly, and even the hum of the clockwork seemed to disappear.

"Toram, get me a piece of iron." Leonardo's voice was a little unsteady. He held onto the edge of the new lathe to keep from falling.

Toram hurriedly handed over a piece of wrought iron, and Leonardo adjusted the angle of the knife holder and pulled down the lever again.

The sound of the tool holder cutting through the iron filings was crisp and pleasant, and soon a cylindrical iron billet was processed.

He handed the billet to Ella: "Take a look under the optical microscope."

Kuswania carried the iron billet to the optical mirror.

When the camera was pointed at the iron billet, she gasped, her voice trembling: "The error... the error is invisible to the naked eye!"

Leonardo plopped down in a chair, forcing himself to ask, "What time is it?"

"12:05..."

(End of this chapter)