Traveling through ancient times: daily life on the run

Chapter 360 Playing Slingshot with the Fifth Prince

Ever since Concubine Mo fell out of favor, the Fifth Prince has become the most disliked little prince in the palace.

That day, when the emperor had an accident, Concubine Mo did not show up, and neither did the Fifth Prince. Luo Hong was too lazy to find out what was going on in the palace.

At this time, the fifth prince Zhu Shengzhi instantly developed a strong interest in Luo Yu. He was still a child and still had a child's innocent nature.

He didn't believe the rumors that the three girls were witches, just like some people in the palace said that his mother was a witch who brought disaster to the country and the people.

Those rumors have no basis at all and are fabricated by others at will. People who hear them cannot distinguish right from wrong and will just follow the crowd.

Zhu Shengzhi felt that the Miss Luo E in front of him was much more interesting than anyone else. The several secret guards behind her seemed to be protecting her. In fact, Miss Luo E should be detained in this palace just like him.

"Miss Luo Yu, can I play slingshot with you?"

Luo Yu was slightly stunned, then suddenly smiled and said, "Why not?"

The fifth prince blinked his beautiful almond-shaped eyes, like two fireflies flying out of the dark night. Suddenly, a group of fireflies broke through the darkness, shining like stars, lighting up the entire night sky.

Luo Yu handed him the slingshot and a steel ball.

The Fifth Prince took the steel ball and asked in surprise, "What material is this? It looks harder than stone."

"Of course, this is a steel ball. It's made from steel smelted from iron. It's the hardest material available today. Its lethality is no less than that of an iron arrowhead. If used properly, under certain conditions, it can be even more powerful."

"really?"

This was the first time the Fifth Prince heard that steel was much harder than iron, and he was even more delighted.

Seeing his eagerness to learn, Luo Yu smiled and explained, "Of course, iron will rust. If it's not forged for a long time, it will oxidize. Oxidation is rust. I wonder if you've seen rusty marks? After many years, these iron products will completely disappear."

"I know iron will rust. I heard the Master tell us that iron will corrode."

"When iron comes into contact with oxygen and water in the air, it forms rust. Doesn't that rust just fall off with a gentle rub? But steel balls have a much longer shelf life. The one I have in my hand can last up to a hundred years without rusting, and its hardness is many times greater than that of iron. If you don't believe me, try shooting this steel ball into an ordinary iron pot."

"Miss Luo Yu, you are amazing. I think it's easier for me to understand with your casual explanation. But how can we compare the hardness?"

Luo Yu's eyes narrowed into slits.

"Yes, all objects have a certain hardness. For example, tofu is the softest, while stone is generally considered harder, right? In ancient times, people were able to use stone to make tools because stone was harder than the human body. Later, people discovered new tools: iron. Iron can be made into swords and bows and arrows, and it is also very lethal. Its hardness is probably slightly stronger than that of ordinary stone, and it is easy to forge, so it became popular."

"Is there any material in the world harder than steel?"

"Of course there are, and there are quite a lot of them. They all need people to discover and utilize them. We can't assume they don't exist just because we haven't seen them. If they don't exist, they must be monsters, right?"

The Fifth Prince suddenly understood: "So Miss Luo Yu is trying to tell me in a subtle way that you are no longer some kind of demon or monster?"

"Of course not. I just know a little more about some weird things than everyone else. There are many things in this world that are very interesting. Unfortunately, ordinary people are still worried about having enough food to eat every day, so no one pursues these interesting things."

The fifth prince's eyes flickered.

"Anything else interesting?"

"If we can forge steel, we can use it to build many interesting things. For example, we can build a steel city gate that the enemy cannot break through. Or we can build steel warriors that people can wear and walk in, and the enemy's swords will have no way to hurt them. Even more advanced, we can forge steel bridges that can span thousands of rivers. It only takes half an hour to cross the river. It saves a lot of time."

"So, it's amazing?"

"Of course, this is why the dragon descended into the world. One day, we will welcome the arrival of that day."

Not to mention Zhu Shengzhi opened his mouth wide, the eunuch behind Zhu Shengzhi was also surprised after hearing it. He actually saw the stars, the sea, and a bright future in the eyes of the girl in front of him.

The four secret guards behind her were as serious as usual, without any expression on their faces. They couldn't believe it in their hearts. Could such a powerful substance really exist?

When the Fifth Prince stole an iron pot that was not too big or too thick from somewhere, Luo Yu was stunned. Her steel balls were indeed not ordinary steel balls, but the power of this slingshot was definitely not as good as that of a bow and arrow. So, she could only try it at a closer distance.

The eunuch found some stones and placed the iron pot upright, letting Luo Yu try it.

Luo Yu's strength was not particularly strong. When the first shot was fired, the collision between the steel ball and the iron pot made a dull loud noise, like the sound of a bell being struck.

When I got closer, I saw that the iron pot was not broken, but it was quite dented.

Luo Yu smiled and said, "It seems that my strength is not enough."

After saying that, he pulled a secret guard to try it out.

The secret guard never thought that he would be playing slingshot with two children, one big and one small.

When he touched this very delicate and special metal slingshot, he was slightly stunned. This slingshot was no worse than the bow with the greatest pulling force. At least, the hardness of this steel slingshot itself was indeed much greater than that of the bow and arrow.

When the secret guard used all his strength to launch the ball, the steel ball penetrated the iron pot without any ripples, and then shot into the trunk of a big tree a few feet behind the iron pot, and flew more than two inches deep into the trunk.

Luo Yu suddenly opened his mouth wide. Wow, this secret guard guy is really capable. If he were to be hunted by them, he would be easily dealt with.

Thank God for not killing her. Luo Lu's life was really not worth the trouble.

The fifth prince was amazed again and again. He was amazed at the ability of the secret guard and the power of the marble. It could not only penetrate the iron pot, but also penetrate the trunk of a big tree. This steel slingshot was much more interesting than a bow and arrow, and it was very light to carry.

"Miss Luo Yu, where did you buy this slingshot?"

Luo Yu shook his head and said seriously, "This is a relic left to me by my master. It's the only one I have."

"Then I'll trade you some gold, silver, and jewelry. I have many, many unique treasures. In particular, there's a little golden horse made entirely of gold. It was crafted by one of the most famous master craftsmen in the Rong Dynasty, and it's the only one he ever made."

"Okay, I'll switch with you."

The eunuch was anxious, but he didn't dare to persuade his master. You know, the gemstones adorning the eyes of the little golden horse alone were worth tens of thousands of taels of silver. They were extremely rare cat's eye stones. It was Concubine Mo who had begged the Emperor for it for a long time, specifically asking him to give it as a reward to the Fifth Prince. How could he just give it away now?

After playing for most of the day, Luo Yu's mood suddenly became high. When he said goodbye to the fifth prince, the little guy actually waved and said that they would meet at the same time tomorrow.

Luo Yu smiled and said that she would bring him more steel balls tomorrow, as she had several boxes of them.