Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 109 A Woman's Heart
Looking at Ludwig's serious expression, Morin's curiosity about the Teutonic Knights grew even stronger.

Moreover, he now knows that besides the Teutonic Knights, there are other well-known knightly orders in the world, such as the Hospitallers and the Knights Templar.
So he was also very interested in figuring out what kind of existence these knights were in this world.

“Okay, I understand.” Morin placed the document back on the table and said solemnly, “I will complete all the materials required for the patent application as soon as possible.”

"how long it takes?"

"It should be... a week?"

After considering the 'optimizable' option in the system, Morin gave a relatively conservative answer.

He is still unsure how long the system optimization will take, or to what extent it will ultimately be optimized.

"That's great!" Ludwig seemed very pleased. "Just let me know when you've got the materials sorted out."

"I'll take you directly to the Imperial Patent Office, and I've also found you the best patent lawyer in the Empire to ensure the entire process goes smoothly."

Ludwig patted his chest and assured him.

"You've already found a lawyer?" Maureen was surprised again.

“Of course.” Ludwig smiled smugly. “Our Grand Commander is always decisive and thorough in his work.”

Morin smiled and nodded. It seemed that this Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, whom he had only heard of but never met, was indeed a respectable, traditional knight.
However, after hesitating for a moment, he ultimately decided not to reveal that the Crown Prince had already given instructions.

On the one hand, he felt it was inappropriate to say this now, as it seemed like he was showing off his relationship with the royal family, which could easily cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

On the other hand, he was also afraid that the Crown Prince might have a bad memory.
If you forget to inform the Imperial Patent Office, it would be embarrassing if you couldn't take back your boast.

Let's wait until things are settled before discussing it further.

Morin made up his mind.

"Thank you very much then." He expressed his gratitude to Ludwig.

“Don’t mention it,” Ludwig waved his hand. “You helped our Knights solve a big problem, so isn’t it only right that we help you with this little thing?”

The two then discussed some details about the patent application, with Ludwig sharing all the important points he knew with Morin without reservation.

This conversation also gave Morin a clearer understanding of the world's patent system.

Having finished discussing the important matters, Ludwig did not linger any longer and got up to take his leave.

"I need to hurry back to report to the Grand Commander. He's still waiting for my message. If you need anything, you can send someone to my house to find me."

Morin escorted him to the door, where a servant from the manor had already brought Ludwig's military overcoat and respectfully handed it to him.

After putting on his coat and military cap, Ludwig regained his dashing appearance as a Teutonic Knights lieutenant colonel.

He turned around and solemnly said to Morin, "Friedrich, as a knight, must keep his word."

"After some time, I will find an opportunity to let my sister Patricia meet you."

"Huh?" Morin was taken aback, and quickly waved his hand, "There's no need, really no need."

All I want now is to make money and build my career peacefully; I have no interest in getting involved in those romantic entanglements anymore.

However, Ludwig acted as if he hadn't heard his refusal and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't be shy, kid."

He winked and said in a tone that said, "I understand you."

"Let me tell you, the more I think about it, the more I feel that you and my sister are a match made in heaven!"

"Her personality is as proud as a peacock; only a 'prodigal son' like you, who used to be unreliable but has now achieved great things, can tame her."

Ludwig became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he could already see the beautiful scene of the two of them getting married.

"Just imagine, a playboy who was once publicly rejected by her has transformed into a war hero of the empire, and then reappears in front of her. Tsk tsk tsk!"

Maureen was left speechless, both amused and exasperated by his outrageous remarks.

What is this all about?

"Alright, alright, you should go now." Morin gave him a push, both amused and exasperated, afraid that he might say something outrageous again.

"Haha, then I'll take that as a yes!"

Ludwig laughed, turned and walked down the steps, getting into the Teutonic Knights' military vehicle that was waiting at the door.

The car engine roared and quickly disappeared at the end of the woodland path outside the manor.

After watching the other person leave, Morin turned around and was about to go back to his room when he noticed Cecilia standing quietly in the hall not far away, watching him with her arms crossed.

She had been standing there for an unknown amount of time, and the expression on her face was somewhat indistinct in the light and shadow.

"Sister Cecilia?" Morin's heart skipped a beat.

"Finished talking?" Cecilia slowly approached, a half-smile on her face.

"Yes, we're done talking," Morin replied honestly.

"I never expected that Fritz would be so charming now."

Cecilia’s tone sounded indifferent, but Morin keenly sensed a hint of malice in it.

"The Teutonic Knight who once came to him to stand up for his sister has now turned around and thinks you and his sister are a match made in heaven."

She walked up to Morin, her grey-blue eyes gazing at him quietly.

"It seems the battlefields of the Kingdom of Aragon not only made you a hero, but also taught you quite a few charming skills."

You could smell the sourness in those words even from three meters away.

Maureen finally realized that there seemed to be a hint of jealousy in her older sister's tone.

A chill ran down his spine, and he quickly explained, "Sister Cecilia, don't misunderstand, it was just Lieutenant Colonel Ludwig joking around by himself."

"Are you kidding me?" Cecilia scoffed, clearly not believing it.

"It's not something that can be explained by a simple 'joke' that a proud Teutonic knight would take the initiative to come to your door to arrange a marriage for you."

She couldn't be bothered to listen to Morin's explanation anymore. A complex emotion flashed in her gray-blue eyes, and there was even a hint of grievance that Morin couldn't understand.

"Humph."

She snorted coldly, no longer glancing at Morin, turned around, revealing her slender back, and walked straight towards the stairs.

"Ugh"

Maureen sighed, feeling that she really couldn't understand women's hearts.

They were fine just a moment ago, how did they suddenly get angry?

He shook his head, abandoning the idea of ​​chasing after him to explain.

Because he knew that saying anything now would only add fuel to the fire.

"Let's wait until Cecilia calms down before talking about this. We need to get down to business right now."

Back in her excessively large bedroom, Maureen drew the curtains, sat back down at her desk, and then activated the [Technology] tab of her cheat system.

He quickly found the project of "shaped charge armor-piercing projectile".

Then I noticed that the 'Optimize' option, which had been grayed out and unavailable before, was now available below this project.

Morin guessed that this was probably because the system determined that he was currently in an absolutely safe environment, which was why it unlocked this feature.

Without hesitation, he activated the 'optimizable' option directly with his mind.

The next second, a virtual light screen quickly appeared before his eyes. On the light screen, a detailed structural diagram of a shaped charge armor-piercing projectile was clearly displayed.

Next to the drawings, there were also a lot of data and symbols that looked like formulas, constantly flashing and jumping.

He recognized them at a glance as the sketches he had drawn in his notebook back in Seville, along with the various formulas that the professor had helped him write down.

Then, a magical scene happened.

The rough sketch that was originally quite rough began to become more and more refined and perfect before his eyes at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The dimensions, angles, and tolerances of each component are precisely marked.

And those chemical formulas also seem to be being optimized and deduced by some invisible force.

Some important considerations, such as the selection of materials for the copper pharmaceutical mold hood, the precise calculation of the cone angle, and the composition ratio of the explosive, were also written down next to the drawings, like annotations.

The whole process felt as if a top-notch weapons designer and chemist were right in front of him, guiding him step by step in perfecting this groundbreaking invention.

However, during this process, Morin, who felt as if she were reading a book written in a foreign language, found her eyelids growing heavier and heavier.

An irresistible wave of drowsiness swept over me.

He felt as if all his energy had been drained from his mind, and finally, he couldn't hold on any longer. He collapsed onto his desk and fell into a deep sleep.
When her biological clock woke her up at six in the morning, she realized that she had been lying on her desk all night.

Although he felt a sudden ache in his back, he immediately looked at the system's [Technology] page.

A set of drawings, so detailed it was almost unbelievable, had already been provided, along with a complete explanation of the principles that was dozens of pages long.

From the overall design of the projectile to the precision machining of the shaped charge liner, and then to the chemical composition of the explosive and the triggering mechanism of the fuse, everything is crystal clear.

This is no longer a simple patent application document; it's practically a complete production blueprint that can be taken directly to the factory for mass production!

“The system is awesome!”

Morin silently gave the system a thumbs up in his heart.

However, as he excitedly browsed through the drawings and instructions, he discovered a small problem.

In the section on 'firing' methods, the system marked "not yet optimized" in red font.

There is also a small note next to it: "Lacking key technological support, the current mechanical firing structure cannot detonate at maximum efficiency, and there is a risk of incomplete combustion of gunpowder and duds."

Upon closer inspection, Morin discovered the problem.

The current solution still uses a traditional mechanical firing mechanism.

While this structure is mature and reliable, it is not efficient enough for shaped charge projectiles, which require precise control of detonation timing and energy release.

The delay and instability of the mechanical structure can prevent the chemical energy of the explosive from being fully released at the ideal moment, thus affecting the formation and penetration of the metal jet.

In extreme cases, it could even cause the fuse to malfunction, turning the bomb into a dud.

"Lack of key technologies."

Morin frowned.

He could roughly guess that the 'key technology' the system was referring to was probably the more advanced electrically triggered fuse technology.

This technology enables faster and more precise detonation control, thereby maximizing the power of shaped charge projectiles.

The problem is that, even with Morin's knowledge, creating a reliable electric fuse is not an easy task.

"Perhaps we can use magical technology?"

"But I don't know how to do this either."

"Forget it, let's do this for now."

After pondering for a moment, Morin decided to put the problem aside for the time being.

You have to eat one bite at a time, and you have to go step by step.

As for further optimization, we'll figure out how to address it when the opportunity arises.

Ludwig had previously mentioned that his sister, Patricia, seemed to be a professional researcher in magical technology.

It's not impossible to find a way to 'get something for free' at that time.

With that thought in mind, Morin stopped worrying.

He arrived at a workshop within the manor—Cecilia was a mechanical designer with a science and engineering background before becoming the 'Queen of Radiant Crystals'.

Therefore, a studio equipped with professional drafting tools has always been preserved within the manor.

Copying the materials within the system onto paper is also a massive and tedious undertaking.

Molin spent the entire day in the studio, meticulously transcribing all the written materials and design drawings onto a thick stack of manuscript paper.

Looking at the huge pile of blueprints and formulas in front of him, which embodied the wisdom of a previous era, he let out a long sigh of relief, feeling completely drained.

After he had done all that, he pulled the rope by the wall and summoned a maid.

"Please send someone to Lieutenant Colonel Ludwig von Seeckt's house and tell him that the materials are ready."

"Yes, Young Master Morin."

The next day, just as dawn broke, Ludwig rushed over in a great hurry.

When he saw the thick stack of documents that Maureen had placed on the table, he was completely stunned.

"My God! You must be kidding me."

Ludwig picked up a few drawings, glanced at them, and although he didn't quite understand them.
But he was still stunned by the intricate and complex structure and the massive amount of data.

He looked at Morin in disbelief: "Friedrich, you...you got everything done in one night?"

“Of course.” Morin crossed his legs smugly. “If it’s something that can be paid for, it’s naturally more efficient.”

Ludwig: "."

He felt that his worldview had been severely impacted.

He had originally thought that it would take Morin at least a week, or even longer, to sort out these complex documents.

Unexpectedly, less than a day later, they presented him with the entire plan.

"What kind of monster are you, kid?" Ludwig couldn't help but complain.

"Stop talking nonsense and let's go. We're heading to the Imperial Patent Office now," Morin urged.

"walk!"

Ludwig didn't linger any longer. He picked up the stack of documents, grabbed Morin, and headed out.

When the two arrived at the manor gate, Morin discovered that Ludwig had arrived in a black Glamour sedan.

"Shouldn't you knights prefer riding horses? How come you've started driving cars?" Morin asked curiously.

"Don't mention it."

Ludwig started the car, skillfully maneuvering the steering wheel while complaining:

"It's all because of those bureaucrats at the Dresden City Hall."

"Since they issued the new regulations, which only allow horse-drawn carriages to pass through the core area of ​​the city center and prohibit single riders from entering, I've had to drive."

(End of this chapter)