Start with a photographic memory and build a memory palace

Chapter 236 Observer Effect

……

Observing the city of Panyu before my eyes.

Another question involuntarily surfaced in Wu Wen's mind:
How big is this virtual world?
Thinking back to my past life when I played online games, these virtual game worlds all had boundaries.

When the controlled game character reaches the edge of the map, an invisible wall will appear, blocking the way.

So he was very curious about just how big this place was.

After all, according to Master Li Chunfeng, the people here are all real people, unlike NPCs in a game who can only exist according to a predetermined setting.

Therefore, these people possess the ability to explore in their daily lives.

Although most people in this period would never leave the place where they lived, there would always be some who would develop in the outside world or have to leave their place of life for some reason.

If the map is not large enough, these people are more likely to discover the clues, which could lead to various problems.

Therefore, Wu Wen was very curious about just how big this world was.

Is it a map encompassing the entire Baiyue region of southern Xinjiang?

That's probably not enough!
Does it also include the Qin Dynasty?

That world is so big!

Even if there is such a large amount of information, based on what Wu Wen knows about the "Lock Mountain Armor," it is questionable whether it can handle such a massive amount of information, and whether this virtual world can even function!
"Master, how big do you think Zhao Tuo's 'pseudo-fairyland' can be?"

As they continued walking down the street, Wu Wen casually asked.

Master Li Chunfeng replied, "This... I'm not quite sure either."

Wu Wen stopped and asked earnestly, "If we leave here and head north, will we be able to see the Great Qin?"

Li Chunfeng also stopped and thought for a moment before saying, "It's probably impossible."

“Master, I’m very curious about the situation outside Panyu City. Why don’t we go out and take a look?” Wu Wen suddenly suggested.

"Hold on!"

Li Chunfeng laughed and said, "Let's explore this city first."

"Weren't you interested in the weapon-forging techniques of the Chu Kingdom the other day? Look!"

Look in the direction Li Chunfeng is pointing.

Wu Wen saw a blacksmith shop at the corner ahead, and the background of the sign hanging at the door was the nine-headed ghost bird, the totem of the Chu Kingdom.

"Let's get to know this place first, and then we can leave and go somewhere else."

Upon hearing this, Wu Wen nodded in agreement.

That's right. I already have many questions about this virtual world. I'll explore it little by little and solve the problems one by one. There's no rush.

The two walked toward the blacksmith's shop ahead.

Upon entering the store.

Wu Wen could feel the heat wave emanating from the furnace.

In the blacksmith shop.

Various ironware of different shapes were displayed, including unfinished swords and rudimentary tools, which gleamed with the cold, metallic sheen under the dim firelight.

A burly, dark-skinned blacksmith was wielding his hammer, striking a red-hot iron block again and again, sparks flying everywhere.

His face was full of focus and determination, and sweat slid down his cheeks, dripping onto the scorching ground and evaporating instantly.

See someone coming in.

The blacksmith didn't stop his work and asked, "What do you want?"

Wu Wen casually picked up a forged woodcutter's knife from the shop, held it horizontally in front of his chest, extended two fingers, and flicked it lightly on the blade. The blade vibrated and instantly produced a crisp sound.

Suddenly his eyes lit up.

The material of this machete is the same as that totem iron plaque!
Holding his wood-chopping knife, he asked the blacksmith, "Did you forge this?"

"Of course it's me!"

The blacksmith merely glanced at it sideways, gave a brief reply, and then continued forging.

"Tell me, how did you forge this knife!"

Upon hearing Wu Wen's question, the blacksmith suddenly stopped what he was doing, turned to look at him, and asked impatiently:
"Hey you, you're not here to buy anything, are you? How to forge is my skill, why would I tell you!"

At this moment, Li Chunfeng stepped forward, smiling as he tried to smooth things over:

"My disciple asked this question because he admired the skill of your craft and the fine wood-chopping knife you made. Please don't be angry!"

Upon hearing this, the blacksmith resumed his work.

Seeing his master turn around and glance at him, Wu Wen realized that his question had been too presumptuous.

Perhaps because he has been in a high position for too long, he tends to demand things of others from them in a superior manner when dealing with problems.

"Shopkeeper, are you from Yan?"

Wu Wen remained silent, while Li Chunfeng smiled and asked the blacksmith.

"What Yan people? I don't know what you're talking about," the blacksmith replied blankly.

Wu Wen frowned slightly upon hearing the answer that he did not know what "Yan people" were.

"With such amazing blacksmithing skills, I wonder which master you studied under?" Li Chunfeng asked again.

"I didn't study under any famous master. This is a family heirloom skill that I learned from my father when I was a child," the blacksmith said.

Li Chunfeng continued, "May I ask where your father is now?"

"He's gone." The blacksmith's expression was somewhat somber.

Upon hearing this, Li Chunfeng's face immediately showed a regretful expression.

"You've asked so many questions, are you going to buy anything or not?"

Seeing Li Chunfeng asking so many questions, the blacksmith said impatiently again.

Li Chunfeng smiled slightly: "We'll buy it. We'll take the exact same wood-chopping knife, but I have one small request."

"Speak!" the blacksmith urged.

"You need to forge it for me right now. My master and I are curious about your forging skills, so could we observe your forging process?" Li Chunfeng said.

"That's it?"

The blacksmith replied nonchalantly, "If you don't mind the heat, you can watch from the side."

"Thank you!" Li Chunfeng raised his hand in thanks.

then.

The blacksmith put down his work, took out the iron ingot he had already forged, and heated it in the furnace.

As the temperature slowly rises, the iron ingot gradually turns red-hot, resembling a piece of charcoal that has been thoroughly heated.

The blacksmith used tongs to steadily pick out the iron ingot, placed it on the anvil, and swung his hammer, striking it powerfully again and again.

Each time the hammer fell, it was accompanied by a crisp impact, and sparks flew everywhere.

The blacksmith's arm muscles were taut, veins bulging, displaying immense strength.

His gaze was focused and resolute as he stared intently at the iron ingot, as if engaging in a silent dialogue with the block of iron in his hand.

Wu Wen and Li Chunfeng stood aside, watching quietly.

Wu Wen's eyes followed the blacksmith's movements closely, not missing a single detail.

He was secretly amazed; this seemingly simple pounding motion contained countless skills and experience.

Li Chunfeng narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he was thinking about something.

He would sometimes glance at the blacksmith's technique, and sometimes lower his head in deep thought, as if searching for some kind of secret.

“Master, look at the rhythm and force of his hammering; it seems to have a unique cadence,” Wu Wen said softly as he approached Li Chunfeng.

"Yes!" Li Chunfeng nodded.

Over time.

Under the blacksmith's hammer, the iron ingot gradually changed shape, slowly becoming the prototype of a woodcutter's knife.

The entire process was quietly observed and recorded by Wu Wen, who also simulated and deduced it in his mind.

Before long, a brand new wood-chopping knife was completed.

The blacksmith put it aside, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked tired.

Wu Wen stepped forward, picked up the woodcutter's knife, examined it carefully, and gently stroked the blade, feeling its delicate texture.

"What a fine knife! It's exactly the same as the previous one," Wu Wen exclaimed.

The blacksmith smiled and said, "If you're satisfied, here's the money: five hundred coins!"

Wu Wen had no money on him, so he turned to look at his master, Li Chunfeng.

"Wait a moment, I'll go get it!"

With that, Li Chunfeng left the blacksmith shop, not knowing where to get the money.

Wu Wen waited in the shop, while examining the newly forged wood-chopping knife in his hand.

The instability of metallic materials is due to a defect in the metal called a "dislocation".

When a metal is subjected to a unidirectional external force, dislocations will move and accumulate, quietly forming irreversible deformation and cracks, eventually leading to sudden fracture.

This damage disrupts the material's stability, much like a chronic disease affecting metals.

How can we overcome this inherent defect of metallic materials?

Based on Wu Wen's observations and deductions.

This blacksmith uses special forging techniques to control specific process parameters of the metal's reciprocating torsion, introducing a stable submicron-scale dislocation structure with an ordered spatial gradient distribution inside it.

This is equivalent to implanting a carefully designed submicron-scale three-dimensional "collision barrier" network into the metal material, thereby hindering dislocation activity.

Wu Wen called this special forging technique used by blacksmiths "cyclic torsion" technology. Its characteristic is that it can greatly improve the stability of metal materials without changing the shape, size, or surface condition of the metal.

The "steel skeleton" built inside the grain, with structural units only one-three-hundredth the thickness of a human hair, can be called a dislocation cell.

Dislocation cells play a crucial role during the deformation of metallic materials.

When external forces strike, a dense "collision-resistant wall" forms inside, as if injecting automatically evolving nano "shock absorbers" into the metal's skeletal network, giving the metal the superpower to "become stronger when faced with strong forces".

Moreover, the entire strengthening process can be carried out uniformly, without causing damage due to localized deformation.

"What amazing weapon-forging techniques of the Chu Kingdom! Truly breathtaking!"

Wu Wen sighed inwardly.

Although he had previously observed and learned about the internal structure of this special material.

Knowing this is one thing, but actually trying to create it is another; one cannot immediately analyze and deduce the specific method.

Now that we have seen the corresponding forging method,

He was truly amazed by the Chu state's method of weapon forging.

Because its forging method clearly elevates the manufacturing process of this special material from the laboratory stage to the industrial stage.

If we follow the manufacturing method derived by Wu Wen through reverse analysis, it is merely an experimental method, meaning it can only be obtained through a limited number of experiments.

However, the forging method of the Chu state's weapon-making techniques used by the blacksmith in front of him clearly shows that he has thoroughly studied it.

It's like the saying, "The greatest truths are the simplest, and the greatest skill appears clumsy."

Through a violent aesthetic, a rough and brutal hammering method.

This allows for fine-tuning of materials at the microscopic level.

Then, they created the corresponding material with unparalleled skill.

Therefore, Wu Wen couldn't help but admire and respect this.

—

Waited for a long time.

The blacksmith repeatedly urged Wu Wen to ask when his master would bring the money.
at last.

Li Chunfeng arrived late.

"Sorry for the wait."

He took out a string of Qin Banliang copper coins from his pocket and handed them to the blacksmith. The blacksmith counted them and found there were exactly five hundred coins, so he happily accepted them.

"Walk slowly!"

After seeing Wu and Wen off, the blacksmith went back to his work.

—

This virtual world is really a great place!
The Chu forging technique, which had long been lost in the real world, was unexpectedly encountered so easily upon arriving in Panyu City.

This means that by exploring further, we can encounter more technologies or things that once existed but have been lost.

Walking on the streets.

Wu Wen handed the machete in his hand to his master.

"You can keep it. I'm not interested in this path," Li Chunfeng said with a smile.

"Master, where do we go next?"

Wu Wen concealed the machete behind his hand and asked.

"I wish to go and take a look at the dragon vein."

Dragon vein?

Upon hearing this, Wu Wen recalled that when he first arrived in Nanyue, he had encountered a dragon vein outside Panyu City, called Baiyun Mountain.

"Ok!"

Wu Wen nodded, and then he and his master headed out of the city.

Because they had spent too long observing the forging of machetes at the blacksmith's shop, it was already dark when the two arrived at the shallows at the foot of Baiyun Mountain.

then.

Wu Wen and his master Li Chunfeng rested here for a while and lit a bonfire.

Night falls
The bright moon climbed over the mountain.

Wu Wen stood in front of the campfire, looking up at the starry sky.

Observing the heavens is something Wu Wen, as a disciple of Louguan Dao, does every day.

Looking at the stars scattered across the night sky, Wu Wen couldn't help but marvel once again at how realistic this virtual world was.

The people in the city were sacrificed with living people, which was already quite realistic, but I never expected that the stars in the sky would be so realistic as well.

"Today's celestial phenomena, and yesterday's..."

Suddenly, Wu Wen stood up abruptly, his eyes fixed on the sky.

"what happened?"

Seeing that Wu Wen was acting strangely, Li Chunfeng immediately stood up and asked him.

"Master, look at the sky!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chunfeng looked up at the starry sky.

after awhile.

Finding nothing amiss, he looked down at Wu Wen and asked, "Is there anything wrong? What's wrong?"

“Master, don’t you think the biggest problem is that there is no problem?” Wu Wen said with a serious expression.

Upon hearing this, Li Chunfeng immediately realized what was happening.

Yes! How could there be no problem?

He looked up at the stars in the sky again.

This is Zhao Tuo's fake fairyland. How can the stars in the night sky be the same as those in the real world?

There is another possibility.

This virtual world is updated in real time, so the celestial phenomena in the sky are the same as those outside.

But as Wu Wen observed his surroundings, he immediately ruled out that possibility.

Because the environment here is the same as in reality.

How could Baiyun Mountain in the virtual world at this time be the same as Baiyun Mountain in the Tang Dynasty in the outside world?
Looking back on his experiences on his way out of the city, Wu Wen instantly came to a conclusion.

Zhao Tuo's virtual world actually only consisted of one city, Panyu.

Wu Wen thought he had left Panyu City, but in reality, only the surrounding environment had changed according to his own perception.

Whatever you imagine the area outside Panyu City to be like, that's what it will become.

Therefore, everything he saw after leaving the city was familiar.

Logically speaking, Wu Wen should have encountered something unfamiliar as he walked from the city.

But the truth is quite the opposite; everything he experienced and saw was based on memories stored in his mind.

It's fortunate that he has a photographic memory; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to compare and recall the results.

"Amazing, I see!"

Wu Wen finally understood.
This virtual world exhibits an observer effect.

Apart from Panyu City.

Once you leave the city, it's actually a chaotic, void, and non-existent place.

However, due to the existence of Wu Wen as an observer, the world outside the city will change and become what he wants to see.

In this regard.

Wu Wen couldn't help but recall the large-scale online games he used to play.

In those virtual game worlds, there are vast and boundless maps, intricate storylines, and all sorts of characters.

In those online games.

In order to ensure the smooth operation of the vast and detailed game world.

The game system employs an extremely ingenious information processing method.

It does not load and run all the information of all game areas at once, but rather processes it selectively.

Only when a player enters a specific map will the system quickly activate and run the game information for that area, fully presenting the scene, monsters, quests, and other elements of that area.

In other cases, however.

The areas in the game that have not been explored by players are actually in a compressed state.

Information about these areas has been temporarily sealed off, with only the most basic framework and data retained, like a folded scroll awaiting the player's arrival.

This processing method greatly saves system resources and avoids lag and delay caused by loading too much information at the same time, thus enabling online games to run more efficiently and stably.

And this virtual world was created by Zhao Tuo.

Just like those large-scale online games, it also has a similar information processing mechanism behind it.

However, the "game system" in this virtual world is much more advanced.

It can unfold a map based on the user's perception.

In this way, those who are in it will never be able to leave this virtual world, nor will they discover anything unusual.

……

(End of this chapter)