Ding!
Su Mo immediately began to pay attention to the blue properties panel that had appeared in front of him.
Compared to the game’s brief introduction, the system had a very detailed description of the ore and even involved civilization levels.
“Isn’t this Kardashev’s theory?”
Su Mo went through the words in the description, and a thought suddenly appeared in his mind.
According to this Soviet astrophysicist and the subsequent research of the later generations, civilization could be categorized into seven levels.
Type 0 was the lowest among them and was only capable of using the natural energy from the plant such as coal, oil, natural gas, trees, etc. to obtain energy.
It was equal to an infant stage according to Kardashev’s scale of civilization. This category of civilization was able to crawl about but could not walk, and was a civilization imprisoned on their planet.
Additionally, a significant feature of Type 0 civilization was that their rockets relied on chemical fuel for propulsion.
To be able to upgrade to a Type 1 civilization, the energy output of the entire planet would have to be skillfully controlled.
The standard for measuring a Type 1 civilization would be the elimination of chemical fuels used to fuel rockets.
Without the help of gravitational forces to boost the limited speed of chemically fueled rockets, it might be impossible to even break through the third cosmic speed needed to leave the gravity well of the solar system into space.
To be able to succeed in interstellar travel, more potent energy had to be combined with lithium-ion thrusters, positron catalytic nuclear fusion thrusters, photon rocket engines, and other energy utilization equipment.
On the other hand, taking another step toward becoming a Type 2 civilization would require…
Su Mo’s mind flashed with the possibilities of FTL travel, teleportation technology, super-lifeforms, and the Dyson sphere that had always been a hot conspiracy on Earth.
‘Can this thing really allow us to reach Type 2 civilization?’
Su Mo continued to calm himself down as he incredulously fiddled with the black ore in his hands.
However, as he was observing the ore, he was overcome with sudden dizziness, and then his whole body trembled involuntarily!
It was not because he was dissatisfied with the properties of the ore, but he was taken aback by the unexpected properties that he was not mentally prepared for it!
‘We hit the jackpot…
‘We really hit the jackpot this time!’
In order to make it easier to understand, the system would always give the most necessary explanation after the identification of properties.
The system was aware that the basin was urgently in need of electricity. Thus it expressed the properties of the ore in kilowatts per hour.
According to the calculation, 500g of ore can store 25kWh of electricity. 30 tons of ore would be able to store an incredible amount of 1.5kWh!
Although the figure was still inferior to that of a large thermal power plant on Earth which was capable of generating millions of kilowatts per hour of electricity daily, you would immediately understand what a hack this ore was if you looked at the solar absorption property below!
100g of ore can absorb 0.28 kWh of electricity for 24 hours naturally a day, and 1 kilogram was about 3000 watts.
‘We could mine about 1 ton of ore and not do anything to them, just leaving them in the sun to absorb natural sunlight and heat. The amount of electricity we could supply would be about…
‘More than 250000kW!
‘Evenly distributed among everyone in the basin, it would be about 2kW of electric per person daily!’
‘The daily absorption time of solar energy is about 12 hours per day, and because of the winter, it’s likely to be reduced significantly. Even so, it cannot outweigh the great value of its reusability!’ Su Mo muttered to himself.
“What? What happened?!” Lu Kuan and Ai Jianfeng, who were beside him leaned their heads forward and asked curiously.
“One kilogram of the ore can store about 25kWh of electricity and 100g can absorb 0.28 kWh of solar energy per day, which equals to…”
Su Mo repeated the calculation and data analyzed by the system to them.
As Su Mo shared more information, the two who were still excited about experimenting on the ore suddenly felt a rush of adrenaline in their heads.
“Is…is it really so capable?
“That… exceeds our previous data… No way! This can’t be the same thing!”
Lu Kuan took out the previous experiment data with his trembling hands. After a little comparison, his pale complexion due to the chilly weather immediately turned rosy.
The energy capacity storage had not significantly improved compared to its previous form.
However, there was a dozen times or nearly a hundred times improvement in terms of energy absorption!
“Previously, we needed ten tons to restore the electricity in the village and fully supply energy. Now we only need two tons for our daily production!”
After returning to the wooden hut built next to the mine, Ai Jianfeng gave an updated plan.
In the model envisioned by the two based on their previous data, the heatstone mine was only to be used for energy transmission or responsible for saving energy such as heat, firepower, and electricity to be converted into energy.
The source of energy would still have to rely on burning fossil energy.
After the heatstone mine upgrade, they could now skip the initial energy source as the ore could produce and transport energy itself.
The only thing left to do was discuss and discover how to extract the energy stably to convert it into electrical or other energy!
“By the way, there’s one more thing…
“The heatstone mine has other new properties…”
Su Mo shared their special abilities on the panel again.
The two were excited and with their previous data, they quickly thought about how to utilize the special abilities.
“You’re saying this thing can be grounded into powder and added to other objects? How does the internal part function if it’s crushed? They can’t possibly work like electromagnetic interactions of quarks, right?
“We won’t even have to use wires if that’s possible. We could simply fix a protective shell and fill the core with the ore powder to conduct energy in that case.”
Ai Jianfeng nodded. “That’s a good idea! Let’s do a range of experiments, collect some information, and then decide how to use it. Besides, since it has ductility, we can try to add it to other things to see if it has a different effect.”
“The ore has so many new attributes, and it feels weird calling it a heatstone mine now. Why don’t we rename it to something more appropriate?”
At his suggestion, the two turned their heads simultaneously and looked at Su Mo.
Everyone wanted to be famous and leave their mark on history. These two scientific research scholars were no exception.
There were many scientific terms for newly found materials named after big scientific researchers throughout the history of science.
Even the periodic table had no shortage of the elements named after their discoverers.
The two had failed to squeeze their names into the previous new elements and substances.
The discovery of the ore likely represented an advancement of their civilization. Even if the two were not interested in fame or fortune, the thought still manifested in their hearts.
“That’s true. The current ore has gotten rid of its drawback of only being able to absorb heat energy. It should definitely be renamed.”
“Go on. I want to know your opinions.”
Su Mo smiled and crossed his legs as he watched the villager who was busy digging the ground through the window.
“I think it’ll be good to name this ore ‘New Kuan Energy Stones’. ‘New’ represents that we found it in the New World, and ‘Kuan’ after the person who discovered it. ‘Energy Stones’ are the basic properties of ores.”
“No way! It’s better to name it ‘Feng Energy Stones’. The name you gave was so nondescript! Besides, when did the discoverer become a bald old man?”
“Why isn’t it me? You’re really something, Ai Jianfeng! You would still be educating your students about superconductors if it weren’t because I discovered the properties of the ore! How can you be so shameless?”
“Who said I overlooked its properties! I was teaching the students, and if I had more time to observe, I would’ve figured it out too!
“Wow! You really are shameless!” Lu Kuan replied.
“You’re the shameless one! Why don’t you call yourself a joker?”
The two were like children quarreling. At first, they sat calmly at the table to express their thoughts, but in the end, they were almost climbing over the table while cursing at each other’s faces.
The real discoverer of the new ore would never end up like the two scholar researchers who were quarreling. Still, considering the properties of the heatstone after being upgraded and the potential value, their reactions were reasonable.
“Okay, that’s enough. The age of both of you combined is over 100 years old. You don’t want the people outside to see such a joke!”
Pointing to the villagers who were doing their work but peeking in this direction from time to time, Su Mo stood up and persuaded the two to sit back on their stools.
“Since you both have the same idea to use ‘energy stone’ as part of the ore’s name, then we will use energy stone as the last two words.
“As for the name, let’s take ‘K’ from Lu Kuan and ‘F’ from Jianfeng.
“The scientific name of this ore will be KF Energy Stone from now on! The general term for this ore will be energy stone! How about that?”
In the process of discovering the new substances, if one wanted to judge the degree of participation, then Su Mo had accounted for at least 40% of the discovery.
However, he was already overjoyed so he did not bother including his name in the ore’s name.
The first reason was that he could not participate in the subsequent development of this ore. He had to leave it to two professionals, Lu Kuan and Ai Jianfeng, to conduct many research experiments and develop the finished product.
The second reason was that once the territory developed significantly, the attention on him was bound to increase, and the discovery of one more or one less new substance would not affect his status at all.
On the contrary, giving these relatively useless titles to those he valued could achieve a much greater effect.
“KF Energy Stone. That’s not bad! My name is still in front! ”
Lu Kuan gladly accepted Su Mo’s suggestion and raised his head like a proud rooster that won a fight.
Ai Jianfeng, who was beside him, pouted and did not refute Lu Kuan. After all, if the name was reversed, it would become FK and would make people misunderstand the intention of the name. It would only become the two’s bad history.
“By the way, our goal would be to mine about five tons first. Don’t worry about it! The sooner we put them up on the shelves, the more opportunities for adjustments we’ll have in the later stages. Besides, the reserves can probably be increased, so don’t worry about it!
“When I return to the village, I’ll have Chen Shen send people over. It’s best to set up electricity right before the heavy snow so that everyone can do something indoors.
“In addition, I want to do some experiments with the energy stone in the boiler room. When mining has begun, leave me about 500 kilograms. Don’t use it all up, okay?
Seeing that everything was on the right track and realizing that it was useless for him to stay, Su Mo turned his head and began to explain his goal.
The heatstones were upgraded into energy stones for the first upgrade, which only consumed 10 points, and the changes were groundbreaking.
However, the next upgrade would cost 200 territory points.
In the future, when the time came, this place could definitely be invested in until the level of the energy stone reaches a Type 2 civilization.
For now, this item would be locked for at least the next six months, up until a year.
“Great. Our detection equipment is not fully built yet, and it was difficult to detect the weak signals in a small area before, but with the current energy level signals being much stronger than before, we won’t have to experiment anymore and can use it right away.
“As soon as the people arrive, we can mine a batch today!”
“Lu Kuan and I set up a military order. We will ensure that the first batch of energy stones will be in place and start charging within five days! Within a week, we will turn on the first lights in the village!”
Standing up and sending Su Mo out of the hut, the two issued a military order in unison.
They have passed the most challenging stage of the project, and the rest would be straightforward.
After the two gained the naming rights over the ore, they reciprocated the gesture and had unyielding attitudes.
“Okay, I’ll be waiting for the good news!”
Su Mo walked back to the Earth Tiger parked outside the fence and started the engine. He stuck his head out and waved enthusiastically at them.
Then, with everyone sending him off, the Earth Tiger took off from the mine.
There was no hurry to go back, and while there was still more time, Su Mo drove in the direction of the freshwater lake.
The straight-line distance from the village to the freshwater lake was about 20 kilometers.
Compared to the dirt road with poor road conditions before, after the basic construction foundation had been laid, a small gravel road that was roughly enough for five people to travel together had finally been opened up.
In the past, many villagers walked this road to get some water.
Now that water resources were within reach after the snowfall, the road was deserted, and only a few villagers came out to do some tasks.
Su Mo comfortably drove as if returning to a childhood village that had not developed. He looked around and felt a sentimental feeling well up inside him.
Once Earth Tiger crossed a small slope, the freshwater lake hidden in the valley was within view.
It was like a beauty mark adorning the corner of a woman’s eyes, and the freshwater lake surrounded by the snow was breathtakingly beautiful.
“Tsk, if we were on Earth, this palace would be awarded as a 5A tourist attraction!”
Su Mo stopped the car and walked on the soft snow.
He took a closer look and could see the changes that occurred in the freshwater lake after the last upgrade.
The self-purification ability had purified the small impurities in the lake water and it had been completely desalinated.
The sublimation ability meant that the microorganisms and plants in the lake water were able to obtain an excellent nutritional environment.
Su Mo looked through the thin layer of ice on the lake and could clearly see green grass floating inside as some carps swam around, looking lively.
‘The carps do look bigger than before. This meant that the battle had a positive effect.’
He took out a chisel that was placed behind the back of the Earth Tiger and dug a hole in the ice. A few lively carps instantly protruded out and were very friendly and daring.
Su Mo picked two or three of them and weighed them to see the changes.
He did not choose to put them back in the lake and instead smashed them on the ice, making the fish faint. Next, he threw them into the big box in the trunk of Earth Tiger.
Without natural enemies, carp could be regarded as an invasive species with extraordinary reproductive abilities.
In terms of weight, the previous carp were on average about two or three pounds, and the larger ones were four or five pounds.
After a period of growth, the small ones were nearly four pounds, and the larger ones broke the record and reached six pounds.
At this rate, the big carps would definitely be over ten pounds when the winter was over, which was far beyond the growth cycle of ordinary farm animals.
He continued to observe the lake but was unable to find the King of Carp. Su Mo was not frustrated and returned to his car to inspect other resources.
The basin was small but at least it was complete.
The basin’s area was considered small compared to other foreign territories, but with the previous release of resources and time, there had been a preliminary improvement.
He inspected several mining resource points that had been planned and were being researched on the way back. He traveled on the snowy road and arrived at his final destination, Fruit Tree Mountain.
He traveled along the fenced and protected mountain roads with a few small trees surrounding him. The thriving rice leaves finally appeared before his eyes.
Compared to a few days ago, the rice leaves received the moisture of psychic energy water, and they had grown significantly. They had blooming branches and leaves.
‘Judging by its looks, it’ll take about fifteen days to fully mature and be harvested for the first time!
‘My basin may still be at its beginning stages compared to Freedom City, but its potential has already emerged!
‘Ha! Wait until I conquer Origin Territory and increase our population…
‘No one will be able to stop our development!’
Su Mo glanced through the rice leaves, his eyes looking far away and fixed in the direction of The Great Mountain.
‘The basin had insufficient resources to recruit enough people in the past.
‘However, right now, we have sufficient electricity and an abundance of food resources that are about to be in place. When that time comes, the basin will flourish!
‘Under such conditions…
‘I will leave those remnants of the Blazeland alone if they do not interfere, but if they try to stop me…
‘I’ll make sure that those remnants of the old era are…
‘Cleaned up!’
