159: Chapter 159 We took flight!

Besides a large number of steel cables on the exterior to reinforce the envelope's strength and prevent it from being torn by the wind at high altitudes, the Hot Air Balloon also had many ropes inside the envelope.

These ropes were connected to a Parachute-like cap at the top of the envelope.

When the Hot Air Balloon needed to descend, this cap would be pulled open to allow the hot air to escape from the top.

If this cap wasn't checked for malfunctions before the Hot Air Balloon was launched, it would pose a significant safety hazard.

If the Hot Air Balloon reached a high altitude only for a problem with the cap to be discovered—such as a broken rope preventing the cap from being pulled open—then the Hot Air Balloon would be unable to descend.

Left to fly aimlessly in the sky, who knows where the Hot Air Balloon would end up.

If it fell into a great river, they would just be waiting to feed the fish.

Zhao Fusu personally confirmed that there were no signs of the ropes breaking and that there were no issues with the pulley system. He ensured the dome cap could be pulled open via the ropes to vent the hot air before finally exiting the interior of the Hot Air Balloon's envelope.

Since Zhao Fusu hadn't obtained a pilot's license, his level of skill in operating a Hot Air Balloon was limited. For safety's sake, he didn't intend to fly freely. Instead, he used ropes to tether the Hot Air Balloon, planning to fly only two hundred meters to avoid drifting off to God-knows-where.

As the Burner continuously blasted fire into the Hot Air Balloon's envelope, the air temperature inside became higher than the air outside, and the Hot Air Balloon slowly began to rise due to buoyancy.

This entire process was quite difficult to manage. The Hot Air Balloon was exceptionally large and heavy, requiring over a dozen people pulling on the steel cables to help the envelope fill out.

During the firing process, the two-to-three-meter tongues of flame inevitably licked against the envelope and the steel cables.

Fortunately, the envelope was made of Asbestos, so even if the flames touched it, they wouldn't burn through.

Once the Hot Air Balloon's envelope was full, the basket needed to be lifted so that the Hot Air Balloon could transition from a lying position to a vertical one.

This part of the process was extremely difficult to execute.

Zhao Fusu personally operated the Burner, struggling to control the size of the flames.

Amidst his sweat-drenched efforts, he finally managed to get the basket upright.

Zhao Fusu continued to fire the Burner cautiously, careful not to use too much heat and cause the Hot Air Balloon to take off prematurely.

The young men of the Gongshu Family also pulled on the ropes attached to the envelope to prevent the Hot Air Balloon from taking flight.

The First Emperor and He Zhi watched this scene with wide eyes.

They were incredibly shocked in their hearts.

Previously, they had been somewhat skeptical that a Hot Air Balloon could actually carry people in flight.

After seeing that it took over a dozen people to keep the Hot Air Balloon from flying away, they finally believed that it truly could take them into the sky.

Their hearts began to race with excitement.

For thousands of years, whenever people looked up at the birds soaring in the sky, who hadn't fantasized about being able to fly?

The members of the Gongshu Family were even more excited.

Hundreds of years ago, their family's ancestor had wanted to create a flying machine for manned flight.

But Gongshu Ban had only managed to create a Kite, and he was mocked by Mozi, who called it a "useless trick" that was less practical than a pin used to fix a wheel.

Not only was their ancestor overwhelmed with shame upon hearing that,

but even they, his descendants, felt incredibly ashamed whenever they heard it.

They desperately wanted to argue back, but they couldn't find any grounds to do so.

Besides being a toy for children, a Kite really didn't have much use.

Even though their ancestor's ultimate goal in creating the Kite was manned flight to scout enemy military deployments,

their ancestor had not succeeded.

How strong would the wind have to be for a Kite to carry a person into the air!

Under normal circumstances, where could one encounter such a strong wind?

Thus, the Kite could not be used for military reconnaissance and could only be used for entertainment.

With its entertainment value outweighing its practical utility, the Kite was indeed branded as a "useless trick."

And the Kite had been created by their Gongshu Family.

For these past few hundred years, the Gongshu Family had been saddled with the label of "Useless tricks" and mocked by the world.

But now, the Gongshu Family had received the Hot Air Balloon blueprints bestowed by His Majesty the Head of State, and under his guidance, they had built a Hot Air Balloon.

A Hot Air Balloon that could actually carry people in flight!

Who would dare to mock the things made by the Gongshu Family as "Useless tricks" ever again!

This Hot Air Balloon could only carry six people. Aside from Zhao Fusu and the First Emperor, only four others could come aboard.

"His Majesty the Head of State."

Gongshu Chou looked at Zhao Fusu with a face full of longing, even kneeling before him and saying, "This humble commoner boldly requests to fly to the heavens as well."

"This humble commoner also boldly requests that His Majesty the Head of State take us to fly to the heavens together!"

The elders of the Gongshu Family all vied with each other, scrambling to board the Hot Air Balloon.

Cui Wenzi and some elders of the Cui Family also wanted to be in the first group to board.

The first people to board the Hot Air Balloon would surely be featured in the Great Qin Empire Weekly and even be recorded in the annals of history!

How could they not fight for such an opportunity to leave their names for eternity!

Seeing the group of old men fighting over the spots,

Zhao Fusu said, "Aside from Clan Leader Gongshu, the rest of you can play rock-paper-scissors to decide the other three."

At this, the old men all rolled up their sleeves and immediately began playing rock-paper-scissors, with the losers being eliminated on the spot.

After multiple rounds, the number of people gradually dwindled until three lucky winners were finally chosen.

Cui Wenzi was one of them.

"Hahaha, hahaha!"

Cui Wenzi and the two other elders from the Gongshu Family were all overjoyed.

Once the personnel were confirmed, the First Emperor, Gongshu Chou, Cui Wenzi, and the others entered the basket one by one.

The basket was woven from rattan, making it lightweight, sturdy, and flexible, which would cushion the impact with the ground upon landing.

The basket was also equipped with handles for passengers to hold onto during the flight to maintain stability, especially during takeoff, landing, or when encountering turbulence.

To prevent accidents, Zhao Fusu also had everyone put on Parachutes.

If they were to accidentally fall from the sky, they could pull the ripcord on the Parachute to open it and avoid falling to their deaths.

Once Zhao Fusu confirmed they were ready to take off, the people holding the Hot Air Balloon slowly released the ropes in their hands.

Zhao Fusu also increased the flame from the Burner.

The First Emperor, Gongshu Chou, Cui Wenzi, and the others leaned their heads out of the basket and watched as they gradually moved away from the ground.

"It's really flying!"

He Zhi's eyes widened.

He tilted his head back, watching the massive Hot Air Balloon rise and pass over him.

His face was full of disbelief.

"We're flying!"

"We're actually flying!"

Inside the basket, Gongshu Chou and Cui Wenzi were both looking incredibly excited.

The First Emperor's heart was equally shocked beyond measure—they were really flying!