Chapter 137 Crescent Moon Island's Transformation

Liu Qing worked with great efficiency. Soon, he delivered a stack of blueprints to Ye Tao's room. These drawings included the earliest sketches of Crescent Moon Island's terrain, a map of the buildings on the island before the current reconstruction and expansion, drawings and descriptions of the current construction situation, and maps marking some relatively hidden terrains on the island.

Reading these blueprints was a chore for Ye Tao. Although they were all maps of the same place, the drawing methods and standards were completely different. Only the most recently drawn blueprints, marking the current construction progress, were made according to the drawing specifications that Ye Tao had previously established. Ye Tao spent almost half the night using the drawing instruments in his toolbox to trace a color-coded comprehensive identification map that met his current needs. Then, on a piece of bamboo paper as thin as cicada wings, which he used as tracing paper, he roughly outlined some changes he wanted to make to the current construction plan for Crescent Moon Island, based on the comprehensive identification map.

He reorganized the road construction on Crescent Moon Island, converting some stepped roads into a mixture of steps and ramps to facilitate the transportation of materials.

The original watchtowers built on the island would be gradually replaced by six-story tower-like buildings made of brick and stone. With cast iron as the framework, a spiral metal ladder in the middle, and exterior walls made of a mixture of bricks and cement, they were already very close to modern sentry towers. At the very top was a hexagonal activity platform, which was more than five times larger than the activity space on the original watchtowers. The tile-covered roof and flat observation windows made it more comfortable for those stationed to keep watch, and allowed them to work more persistently. The towers would be equipped with bracketed binoculars – undoubtedly the latest achievement of the Ye Clan Workshop's optical department. They had finally been able to grind crystals into lenses with consistent optical properties. The brackets supporting the binoculars could also be used for a crossbow made by the Ye Clan Workshop that could hold six ordinary arrows. When necessary, the watchtowers could also be used to hold off an attack for a while.

The entire wharf was planned as three zones: trade, war preparation, and port operations, with roads and manpower cranes and winches for loading and unloading configured accordingly. In the port area, a short breakwater of one hundred and fifty *chi* would be built, extending into the sea and connecting the wharf to a large reef. Ye Tao wanted to build a lighthouse on that reef to guide ships into the harbor at night. Grandpa Qi's own fleet was already equipped with light boxes for night-time communication, so this technology, which wasn't difficult at all, would soon become popular throughout the Seven Seas Trading Company.

The shipyard and the armory were still located on the other side of the island, as far away as possible from the crowds who might enter and leave Crescent Moon Island on a regular basis. Next to the shipyard, Ye Tao added a barracks that could accommodate about two to three hundred people.

Ye Tao felt that only after all the plans he envisioned were completed would the defense system of Crescent Moon Island be satisfactory to him. This satisfaction was only based on the current level of technology. Originally, Ye Tao had planned to build a fort on the island, but after thinking about it, the range of weapons such as the Shenbi crossbow and the ballista could not allow the fort to fully exert its power. As for artillery... well, Ye Tao did think about getting some artillery to play with, but the forging workshop in Liyang had not yet produced steel that met the quality requirements. And Ye Tao, no matter what, was just a guy who designed civilian products, using his knowledge of various physics, mathematics, structural mechanics, aerodynamics, human engineering, and other aspects to design cold weapons, armor, and large projectile military equipment. To make gunpowder weapons, that was another system altogether. Although it was not necessarily impossible, Ye Tao really didn't have the time and energy to devote to this aspect right now.

However, even according to Ye Tao's current plan, the construction budget would be a rather terrifying figure. The stone and wood needed for construction could be taken locally from Crescent Moon Island. And in the area where Crescent Moon Island was located, the cost of transporting high-quality timber from Northern Liao was not particularly high, but there were no materials suitable for making bricks in large quantities on the island, nor were there any metal deposits. According to Ye Tao's plan, the cast iron frames to be used in the construction of the watchtowers and lighthouses would have to be transported from Yicheng. This cost was relatively terrifying. The sea transport of large metal components would be a very complex problem. This part of the cost made Ye Tao feel that it might be necessary to reconsider.

Ye Tao, who had stayed up all night, ate a delicious breakfast while considering the construction problems on Crescent Moon Island. The servants on the island had already reported the current situation to him. The prince and princess had not woken up since they went to bed last night. But the attendants and guards, after all, were people who trained all year round and worked hard. Even the guys who had more serious seasickness had now woken up and were working in an orderly manner, preparing the prince and princess's daily life.

And Qi Zhentao probably really drank a bit too much yesterday, and he didn't even get up. Grandpa Qi's age was what it was, and there was nothing to be done about it. So, Ye Tao, who had stayed up all night but was still in good spirits, suddenly became the only person who could speak when important guests needed to be received.

The important guests came with the Seven Seas Trading Company's cargo ship transporting the "Mars Rockets." Accompanied by Muhammad, Assad, a senior steward of the Samir family, arrived at Crescent Moon Island with two armed freighters. Muhammad's current identity was that of a senior steward of the Seven Seas Trading Company. He had invested all the results of his years of operation: the shipping routes from the Persian region to Yicheng, sales channels, manpower, and interpersonal resources, along with half of his working capital, a total of 1.4 million taels of silver, into the Seven Seas Trading Company. Muhammad was a pure businessman. He had no awe of the powerful Samir family in the Persian region. On the contrary, he considered the problem from the perspective of a senior steward of the Seven Seas Trading Company, thinking about how to scrape some oil from the Samir family. In particular, the Samir family did have something to ask of the Seven Seas Trading Company.

The Samir family members who had witnessed the completion of the Seven Seas Pagoda had originally wanted to immediately reach an agreement with Ye Tao, the builder of the Seven Seas Pagoda, to be able to choose a site in the Persian region to build an equally magnificent, or even more magnificent, building. What they didn't expect was that Ye Tao would soon be involved in the war against Xiling, and after waiting in Baishi City to deal with the opinions, he was busy with all sorts of messy things in Danyang for a long time. It was almost half a year before he came to Yicheng again. In these six months, the scenes of the clock tower painted by the Samir family's painter in Yicheng had caused a sensation in the Persian region. Many people were skeptical about the buildings in the pictures, but the Samir family and the Persian merchants who traveled with them were all very prestigious figures, and everyone's unanimous praise finally convinced the Samir family to let the miraculous building appear on the Red Sea.

Also in these six months, the first batch of Tian Suo clocks of various styles, transported back to the Persian region through the Samir family's fleet, and then spread to the entire Western world through the Persian region, shook the entire Western upper class. While the Western world was still working hard to improve the escapement mechanism and parts processing technology of the grandfather clock, Tian Suo Watch Company had already formed a product system with anchor escapement mechanism and locust claw escapement mechanism as the core. The musical box-style timekeeping mechanism, and the surface treatment process of mirror paint and gold and silver trim, drove the entire upper class almost crazy. A grandfather clock purchased from Qi Zhentao for around 12,000 taels of silver could be sold for at least ten times the price when transported to the Western world. The highest selling price was as high as 100,000 gold Louis, equivalent to 700,000 taels of silver...

Even without the technical problems of the clock tower, Assad felt that he should cooperate with this Seven Seas Trading Company to maintain this business.

Assad was naturally eager to see Qi Zhentao and Ye Tao, and Muhammad also felt that showing the strength of the Seven Seas Trading Company in front of the senior stewards of the Samir family would be very beneficial to future cooperation. The Samir family was naturally influential in the Persian region, but in Dongping, Chunnan, and the surrounding sea areas, their armed merchant ships still needed to rely on the relationship with the Seven Seas Trading Company, so there was no need to worry that they would covet Crescent Moon Island.

Muhammad was very happy to see Ye Tao welcoming them at the pier. He jumped off the gangway, immediately greeted Ye Tao, and shook his hand tightly, reminding him in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "These guys are very rich, fleece them hard."

Muhammad's Chinese level was still quite high, even if his pronunciation was a little strange. Ye Tao squeezed his eyes knowingly, shook hands with Muhammad, and turned to greet Assad.

"Hello, distinguished guest," Ye Tao had dealt with Muhammad a lot, and he roughly knew some of the etiquette in the Persian region. He put his right hand on his chest and bowed slightly, winning Assad's return gift.

Assad had learned from Muhammad on the ship that this young man was the designer and builder of the clock tower, and was the best architect in Dongping, and possibly the entire Central Plains. Muhammad also revealed that Ye Tao was also the author of the beautiful full-size jade sculpture of a maiden that he had brought to Persia.

"Your genius can compete with the moon," Assad praised politely.

"Thank you," Ye Tao didn't show any joy because of the other party's praise. For him, accepting other people's praise had become a daily skill, a skill that he had been practicing and constantly putting into practice for several years. "Welcome to Crescent Moon Island. Please come with me, I have prepared tea and pastries for the distinguished guests. A night of sailing is tiring, please rest well first."

Assad shook his head and said, "We are wandering travelers, sailing is part of our lives. Let the sailors rest, I am eager to talk to you."

"As you wish. Please come with me." Ye Tao didn't insist on waiting before starting the negotiation. He had long heard about the intentions of Assad, the representative of the Samir family.

Originally, the most suitable place for this kind of meeting would have been the Great Reception Hall in the North Courtyard. But the North Courtyard was now occupied by Tan Weishi and Tan Weiran, so Ye Tao had to lead Assad and his party to Sui Guang Hall in the East Courtyard. The East Courtyard was one of the earliest buildings on the island. It was the courtyard built when Grandpa Qi gathered pirates and then gradually turned to maritime commerce. It revealed a bold and solemn atmosphere everywhere. After renovation, although it still had the solemn and grand atmosphere of a samurai's courtyard, it also added a bit of elegance, which was very in line with Grandpa Qi's demeanor.

Sitting down in Sui Guang Hall opposite Assad, Ye Tao naturally noticed the scimitars at the waists of the two black-clothed guards standing behind Assad. Assad's status in the Samir family was not low, and those who followed him to protect him were naturally also highly valued masters. The quality of the two scimitars was naturally not ordinary. The black sharkskin scabbards had filigree decorations at both ends, and the patterns on the hilt and guard showed that a lot of effort had been put into them.

"Ahmed, take off your knife and let Mr. Ye take a look." Assad observed the expression and immediately noticed where Ye Tao's eyes were directed.

The guard named Ahmed looked a little gloomy, but he still took off his sword silently, gave it to a servant standing on the side, and handed it to Ye Tao.

Ye Tao gently drew out the scimitar. The bitter cold on the island made Ye Tao very fond of it, but what he liked even more was the complex pattern on the blade... Damascus steel. Ye Tao was very clear about this pattern. He praised it and stood up holding the scimitar, weighing the weight of the knife.

Assad said with a smile: "I brought gifts for you and Grandpa Qi, but I don't know if you will like them. Mr. Ye, since you like this knife, then accept it as an extra gift I prepared for you."

Ye Tao glanced at Ahmed. Ahmed's face was very ugly. For a guard, the sword was almost as important as his life. Ye Tao pondered for a moment and said, "I really like this knife, so I will accept it. But Ahmed still needs a weapon that fits his status, doesn't he?"

Ye Tao gestured to Lu Dan, who was standing behind him. Lu Dan bowed and walked out of Sui Guang Hall. After a while, he came in holding a long knife that was thicker than the scimitar, but lighter than the mountain-chopping knives commonly used by the guards of the Princess's Mansion, and politely held the knife in front of Ahmed.

Watching Assad nod, Ahmed took the knife. As soon as he got it, Ahmed felt the difference of the knife from the solid weight. The scabbard was made of steel, and at the tip of the knife and near the guard, there were wave patterns formed by overall stamping, layered and exquisite and restrained. The middle part of the scabbard was also wrapped in shark skin, but the shark skin tanning process seemed to be better than the black shark skin on Ahmed's original saber, and it felt warm and elastic to the touch. The guard of the knife was rounded, cast into a beautiful lotus shape, and there was a small protective decoration on the thumb position, which could lock the knife and the scabbard together to avoid the situation where the knife would slip out of the scabbard in case the center of gravity of the knife was overturned during marching or other bumps. The handle of the knife was also wrapped in shark skin. At the end of the handle, there was a stamped snake eye shape. Ye Tao, who only had a yearning for the Damascus steel craftsmanship but did not know why, could not naturally make that kind of pattern, but purely in terms of sharpness and toughness, this material, which was refined in the Liyang forging field with high-quality iron ore and a part of meteorite and was called heavy quenched steel, was not inferior to Damascus steel at all, but the output was lower.

As an expert in using knives, Ahmed could naturally tell the quality of the knife. Although it was not as gorgeous as the decoration on his original saber, this knife was very much to his liking. He returned the knife to its sheath, and re-attached it to his belt, bowing slightly to Ye Tao, and retreated behind Assad.

This simple exchange made the atmosphere of the conversation between Assad and Ye Tao more harmonious. Assad said with a smile: "Mr. Ye, you are too polite. Your knife is better than that scimitar."

"As a craftsman, I inevitably like all kinds of new things. The cloud-like pattern on the scimitar deeply attracts me," Ye Tao said with a smile.

"Then let me show you another thing that might interest you." Assad said, clapping his hands, and a servant standing outside the corridor carefully walked into Sui Guang Hall holding a scroll.

Ahmed hurried forward and worked with the servant to slowly unroll the scroll in front of Ye Tao. The content on the scroll was the city view of Yicheng with the Seven Seas Pagoda as the main feature.

This is probably miniature painting? Ye Tao carefully looked at this huge painting. In the painting, the Seven Seas Pagoda was not only beautified, but it could even be said to be deified. The Seven Seas Pagoda and even the sculptures above were portrayed in great detail, and even on the spire of the tower, which was painted towering in the clouds, in the nail-sized place, there were densely layered hundreds of lines, outlining the Heavenly King sculpture on the top of the tower lifelike. In order to depict the brilliant scenes of the clock tower and Yicheng, it is estimated that the gold leaf alone would have cost two to three taels, and the extremely saturated colors even permeated every happy face in the picture...

Ye Tao watched intently. Assad smiled slightly and stood aside, not in a hurry at all. When Ye Tao's attention gradually shifted away from the painting, Assad said proudly: "Mr. Ye, your genius has created the most beautiful scenery in this city. I hope that the same beautiful scenery can appear in my hometown. This towering clock tower can bring our people closer to the true God, and can better listen to the will of the true God. On behalf of the Samir family, I sincerely look forward to you coming to Dubai Port. All your requests, as long as we can do them, will definitely be met."

As the most successful architect of this era, Ye Tao was confident in his talents, but whether it was this era or that era, he had never heard of this kind of unlimited bid. At this moment, the only evaluation that could float in his mind for the generosity of the Assad family represented by Assad was: "Easy mark."

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50 votes have arrived, an extra chapter is released, these two chapters today are very sufficient, although the update is a bit late, thank you everyone for waiting, thank you for your monthly ticket support.