Chapter 977 Gliding Wings

"There are still three days," Nightingale said suddenly.

"Well, there are still three days." Roland nodded. At the current marching speed, the First Army can reach the preset offensive position in three days - it is a raised hillside, and the slope is right opposite the outpost. Not only does it have a wide view, it is also very suitable for setting up fortifications.

Once they gain a foothold, it will be difficult for the Devils to shake the gun defense line.

But in the next few days, the pressure on the sniper team will also increase dramatically.

The prerequisite for them to be silent is to cut off the enemy's line of sight without knowing it. On the vast plains, without the ability to transmit messages in real time, it is almost impossible to accurately grasp the attacker's location. Possible things.

But with the increase in patrol forces, the devils have the possibility to exchange their numerical advantage for real-time information - as long as they witness the moment the missing person is shot down, the search circle will be greatly reduced, and they will have to take action again. A risky business.

The best result is that the enemy notices the existence of the sniper team, but is unable to locate the specific location, and the latter stops in time and turns around to join the first army. This can not only involve the devil's flying troops, but also win the main force. Enough time.

But all this needs to be judged by themselves.

Any earlier or later would make the attack full of variables.

"You should believe them," Nightingale seemed to see Roland's worry. "The Taquila witch's judgment of risks should not be much worse, and the magic ark can avoid most pursuits. Even if it encounters a small group of devils, It’s not easy to eat them.”

"That's right," Roland patted his cheek. In the final analysis, Neverwinter City's lack of strength made it necessary to take this risk. The speed of walking severely limits the limits of the First Army. If it can be equipped with wheeled vehicles, it is completely possible to launch a blitzkrieg on such a large plain. Even if the army marches under the nose of the terrifying beast, the enemy will not have time. Prevent.

Instead of meaningless worries, he should focus on the task at hand.

"By the way, Wendy should have mastered the basic principles of flying, right?"

"Probably," Nightingale smiled and threw a piece of dried fish into her mouth, "Last night she was still talking in her sleep when she fell asleep, saying that the runway was cleared and the lights were all green."

"That's good," Roland looked out the window. "The weather seems to be pretty good today. It seems we can proceed with the next test."

"Oh? Are you planning to officially test the actual thing..." Nightingale's eyes lit up.

"What, are you interested in it?"

"No one is not interested!" she said excitedly. "You can soar into the sky without wings. You are more free than a hot air balloon. Anyone can control it. This sounds almost like a miracle - if it succeeds, Do you know how those people will view you? I’m afraid it will be difficult for the gods to shake your prestige.”

When she said these words, Nightingale's expression was even brighter than if she had received the Chaos Drink, as if she was the one who had won the admiration of everyone.

Roland couldn't help but laugh, "We are still in the exploratory stage now. There is still a long way to go before we can achieve the step you mentioned."

At least the steam engine could not meet his needs, and he needed a more powerful source of power.

"But it will come true eventually, right?" Nightingale walked to the door with her hands behind her back and looked back with a smile.

"Well," Roland responded without hesitation, "it will."

…

One kilometer east of Shoal Harbor.

The beach above the water sinks into the sea here, leaving only a section of stone ridge extending to the southeast. It is this long stone ridge that forms the southern outline of the entire Kingdom of Graycastle.

To the inland people living in the west, the border is just a part of the hilly landscape. When you climb the gently rising slope, you can see the vast and endless whirlpool sea; but to the merchants on the sea, this is just a road. It is an insurmountable barrier. The average height difference between the sea and the stone ridge is more than fifteen meters. Not to mention that it is impossible to load and unload cargo, even approaching and docking is dangerous. Therefore, before the shoals were opened, one-third of the western border was adjacent to the sea, but there was no port to the sea.

It can be said that the overall economic level of the western part of the kingdom is not as good as that of the eastern and southern regions. In addition to the damage caused by the evil moon, the main reason is the lack of seaports.

However, this terrain has now become an excellent test flight ground.

When Roland and his party arrived here, the garrison stationed in Neverwinter City had tightly sealed off the one kilometer surrounding area.

At one end of the concrete runway, three identical test prototypes were being pushed onto the lift platform by soldiers.

"Oh! Is this the new machine you are talking about," Lei Lei commented while touching his chin. "The appearance alone can indeed remind people of seabirds, but compared to those powerful steam engines... it seems a bit thin. .”

As the most reliable overseas allies, Lei Lei, the outstanding explorer of the fjord, and Margaery, the businesswoman, were naturally among Roland's invitations to observe. Roland was not surprised by the former's evaluation. After smiling mysteriously, he turned his head and looked at Margaery, "What do you think?"

"Your Majesty," the latter said calmly, "Honestly, it is very different from your previous creations. If you hadn't personally invited me, I would have thought it was a rare thing that was trying to deceive you under the guise of you. "

"The Society of Rare Objects?" Roland asked curiously, "What organization is that?"

"A guild established by a group of paranoid people between craftsmen and explorers," Margery explained. "They were unwilling to be mediocre as craftsmen, but they did not dare to plunge into the unstable sea, so they devoted their energy to Put it on all kinds of weird inventions. Two years ago, someone made something similar - a pair of wooden wings that are said to allow the wearer to fly."

"Wood...wings?"

"It's somewhat similar to yours, except it's much smaller, about the same length and width as a person."

"Did he fly then?" Wendy on the side couldn't help but ask.

"No," Margaery shook her head, "He put on his wings and jumped from a high tower. The wings quickly turned over and fell like a stone. He also fell to the ground and died."

Wendy couldn't help but swallow.

"But that person had claimed that he had succeeded several times before, and had attracted the attention of several large chambers of commerce. Therefore, this scam not only made him a joke, but also made the Oddities Society not very good. The reputation got even worse.”

When Roland heard this, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional. Using wood to make wings, he obviously realized that maximizing lift is the key to flight, and only a hard frame can support a sufficient stress-bearing area - at this point, It basically got rid of the simple imitation of birds, and the prototype of the fixed wing was born.

It can be said that the other party is already a pioneer in exploring the sky. At least it is much more advanced than artificial wings, umbrella flight, cloak flight and other ideas that have appeared in history.

I'm afraid that the success several times is not just nonsense, but a close-range gliding experiment conducted at a low altitude. However, the wind is much stronger at high altitudes, and the wings lack a control surface, so it is expected that they will lose control in an instant.

It is a pity that the fjord advocates explorers who can bring living space to the islanders, and it is difficult for people who dare not go to sea to get a fair evaluation.

"He can't be considered a liar," Roland said slowly. "Getting rid of the shackles of the earth and embracing the sky requires a huge price. If I didn't have the help of the witch, I might not be able to avoid this process. If that person has a name, , just record this matter."

Margery was stunned for a moment, then lifted up her skirt and said, "As you wish, Your Majesty."

Roland set his sights on the "Glider Type 1" that was making final preparations before the test flight - compared with steam trains and steel ships, it indeed seemed extremely thin and could not even be called a complete aircraft.

There is no cabin, and the whole body is an exposed skeleton. Except for the long wings, the rest of the body has been omitted from the skin. To facilitate escape, the seats are installed directly between the wings, which at first glance looks cruder than the model.

Unlike all previous machines, Roland was completely ignorant of the field of flight, and he could not create a real aircraft simply by knowing the principles.

Therefore, the first thing to do is to write a "Flight Manual".

These seemingly simple test prototypes already contain the basic control elements required for an aircraft.

Although it looks like a newly born hairless chick.

But it is the starting point for human beings to spread their wings and fly.