Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 688

Episode 688: Virtue never rests. (2)

“Anyway, this guy is also a mystery… Huh! Oh my… ha!”

Hyang kept bursting into laughter as he carefully examined the sample sent by Jang Yeong-sil.

“How many steps did you skip?”

The Pascal calculator made by young craftsmen in Area 51 was also ahead of its time.

However, the product made by Jang Yeong-sil was a product that skipped a few steps.

The only calculator that could immediately perform multiplication and division was the Leibniz calculator.

However, the Leibniz calculator was a very unfriendly calculator. Only those who have mastered how to read and use the keyboard can use it properly. To put it simply, it was something that ‘only smart people could use properly’.

However, the model created by Jang Yeong-sil was very intuitive. There was a separate button with the symbol for the four basic operations, so I could immediately see that if I pressed that button, the corresponding operation would be performed. Entering the necessary numbers was also an easy method, simply by pressing the numeric keypad.

Thanks to this, the calculation machine created by Jang Yeong-sil was somewhere between the Leibniz and Burroughs adding machines.

“Of course, it’s not without flaws, but…”

Hyang, who was carefully examining Jang Yeong-sil’s model, was soon able to find flaws. Jang Yeong-sil’s calculation system, as befits his title of ‘master of springs and gears’, was a method of calculating calculations by moving numerous gears.

The problem was that the power source that moved this system was manpower. The gear wheels that moved each time a number was entered through the keyboard used the power of the mainspring. However, when drawing the final result, the large lever attached to the side of the calculation frame had to be pulled once a time.

The lever, similar to the lever on a slot machine in a casino, supplied power for calculations and simultaneously played the role of rewinding the loosened spring.

Thanks to this, Jang Yeong-sil’s lever had to be pulled with considerable force.

After pulling the lever, Hyang smiled and continued speaking.

“If this part had been perfect, I would have seriously doubted whether this guy was an alien or not. “It’s the same with watches.”

* * *

As Challenger-class battleships were built in large quantities and long-distance voyages to and from Aden and Suez became routine, not only the problem of time difference but also the need for precise clocks for safe navigation emerged.

The gravity watch using weights, which first made scents appear, was not suitable for sailing.

Therefore, a request for a precision clock was sent directly to Area 51 in the name of King Sejong.

Many craftsmen worked together to solve the task given directly by the king, and thanks to the fantastic collaboration between Jang Yeong-sil, an extra-standard entity, and MSG, a precision watch was finally born.

Afterwards, at least three clocks – two precision clocks and a pendulum clock – were installed on bridges and captain’s offices on the Imperial front lines, including the Challenger class front line.

In addition, precision watches that were reduced to the size of a fist were produced in large quantities and supplied to the army in large quantities, although their accuracy was considerably lower.

This was because keeping time was very important for the army as well.

Soon, these precision watches were released to the civilian population as well. Craftsmen who thought they could make some money flocked to the government office, saying they wanted to use their intellectual property.

And as time passed and Joseon was transformed into an empire, watch craftsmen began to emerge who were calling their watches ‘luxury goods’ and increasing their brand value.

What was interesting was the reaction of the Ming and Japanese countries when they saw this precision clock.

In the case of Myeong-guk, it was nothing more or less than a ‘wonderful toy’.

Although industry and commerce were as developed as the empire, agriculture was still the center of the economy. Precision clocks were of little use in an agricultural society that moved by days and months rather than hours by minutes.

The same was true for officials and the wealthy. To them, a large pendulum clock with all kinds of fancy decorations was more suitable than a precision watch like this.

In the case of Japan, the opposite was true.

I was passionate about precision watches that move with precision, with large and small gears and mainsprings interlocking.

And I despaired at the fact that it was extremely difficult to make with the skills of Japanese craftsmen.

It was not entirely impossible, but it was due to the fact that high-quality steel could not be made for the parts that went into the watch.

Afterwards, many craftsmen were brought in from the Ming using the Jo-Ming war, but the gap was still large

* * *

Thus, Hyang concluded his evaluation of Jang Yeong-sil.

“I feel sorry for the young people in Area 51, but I guess we have no choice but to go with this.”

As a result, Semtle’s mass production plans had to start all over again.

Based on the drawings sent by Jang Yeong-sil, artisans in Area 51 began preliminary production.

By producing in advance, problems that may arise during the mass production process can be identified in advance, and proper quality supervision can be carried out when dispatched to the upper level in charge of mass production.

Of course, small measurements continued throughout the process.

First, in order to quickly identify the digits, we divided each digit into four digits and colored them in a different color, and the keyboard on the keyboard was also colored to make it easier to recognize.

And the test models produced in this way were experimentally distributed to the Ministry of Finance and the Imperial Ministry of Finance to evaluate their usability.

The evaluation of the use of the experimentally distributed sample was enthusiastically favorable.

“Why did something like this come out only now?”

“How much is it? How much do you need? “I’ll give you money, give it to me right away!”

Judging that the marketability was sufficient, the government soon put out a bidding notice throughout the empire to select a company to produce the semtle.

* * *

The samples that were mass-produced through the three companies that won the bid soon began to be sold everywhere.

But the biggest customer was rowing.

This was because the Ministry of Finance and Economy was not the only one struggling with large numbers that were difficult to mentally calculate.

In particular, the military department welcomed the emergence of Semtle as much as the Ministry of Finance and Economy.

“Try calculating each unit’s supply requirements and budget for three days using only the living eggplants!”

Because of this situation, the military enthusiastically welcomed the emergence of Semtle.

However, soon after, the military department submitted a proposal to Hyang.

“A small, portable tester?”

“That’s right. The experimenter we are using now is very useful, but it is inconvenient to carry. There is no problem at the rear where there is no need to move, but at the front where there is constant movement, the problem becomes more serious. And to use artillery properly, precise calculations are essential.”

Hyang nodded at Minshin’s explanation and sighed slightly after looking at the proposal posted by the military department.

“The size must be at least 1/4 of its current size, and yet it must be possible to calculate more than 10 digits? “Isn’t ten figures too much?”

Minshin responded to Hyang’s point by bowing his head.

“No. “If you count the number of bullets consumed by one unit (approximately 625 men) during a battle, it amounts to millions of bullets.”

In response to Minshin’s answer, Hyang could only nod while savoring his appetite.

“Tsk! All right. “I will send a proposal to Area 51.”

And the craftsmen in Area 51 who accepted the military’s proposal all uttered profanities.

“Holy shit!”

* * *

The conditions imposed by the military were so harsh that the craftsmen who accepted the proposal swore in unison.

In the end, when months passed and there was no answer, Hyang smiled in remorse.

“This isn’t about me arbitrarily adding a spoonful of food! “Just some MSG!”

Giving herself a ridiculous excuse, Hyang started to practice for the first time in a long time.

“Let’s see… That calculator I bought at Hwanghak-dong and destroyed is probably the best, right?”

After sitting alone in her room for the first time in a long time, Hyang opened the drawing board and excitedly began drawing out designs and outlines.

* * *

Fifteen days later, the craftsmen of Area 51 received a call from Wan.

“Did you call me?”

Wan called the craftsmen and got straight to the point by presenting a drawing of the incense stick.

“It is said that His Majesty has been thinking about a new model. “He told me to look at it because it was a drawing of the shape and structure that he had drawn himself.”

At Wan’s words, the craftsmen unfolded a drawing of the incense stick.

“huh?”

“uh?”

“This way?”

Wan asked the question again as he looked at the craftsmen with surprised and shocked expressions.

“What do you think? Is that possible?”

In response to Wan’s question, the craftsmen who were closely examining the drawings opened their mouths one by one.

“I think it’s possible.”

“There may be issues with securing durability, but I think it is possible.”

“I think it’s possible if you choose the ingredients well.”

After hearing the artisans’ positive response, Wan nodded and gave an order.

“Then make a proper blueprint first.”

“I follow your orders!”

As the craftsmen who received the drawings left the Ururu office, Wan sighed softly.

“Whoa~. “How can Your Majesty think like that? I’m surprised, envious, and burdened.”

The craftsmen who came out had expressions similar to Wan’s.

“Not only Elder Jang, but also His Majesty are great people. “How can you think like this?”

“That’s right. “You’re thinking of making it out of a cylinder…”

“Whew~. When I look at Elder Jang and His Majesty, I feel like I have become a ‘firefly under the moonlight.’”

“I don’t even feel jealous anymore because the status is so different…”

Hyang’s work, which so amazed Wan and the craftsmen, was modeled after a kurta calculator.

It was a mechanical calculator that I found at a flea market in Hwanghak-dong when I was crazy about steampunk and disassembled it.

* * *

In the 6th year of the imperial calendar (1454),

a prototype of the Semptle designed by Hyang was finally created.

Due to material limitations, it was larger than the original kurta calculator, but was still able to meet the size requested by the military.

In addition, it was an object capable of performing arithmetic operations up to 15 digits.

Military officials who received the prototype were very satisfied, and soon the mass-produced sample containers began to be useful throughout the military.

And soon after, appeals began to appear requesting the private sale of these semitongs.

“Why do private merchants need this?”

Kim Jeom stepped forward and answered Hyang’s question.

“They say it is very useful for merchants who travel long distances. “It is said that it is a very useful item for those who need a workhorse, from a short term to a breadwinner to a merchant traveling between Suez and Aden, but whose large size is a burden.”

“Hmm…”

Hyang thought for a moment about Kim Jeom’s answer and then gave an order.

“I will tell the imperial family to mass-produce it.”

“Aren’t you going to bid?”

“I heard there are quite a few people looking for it, but I don’t think it will sell in large numbers because there are more people who are satisfied with the existing model.”

Kim Jeom bowed his head at Hyang’s explanation.

“This is a reasonable sentence.”

* * *

And after a considerable period of time, merchants from Portugal and Italy came.

“Semtul, please!”

“Semtultong, please!”

And the artisans belonging to the imperial family were in tears.

“Starting overtime today!”

“huh? until when?”

“I don’t know either!”