“Hmm…”
With a soft hum, Hyang meticulously examined the sketch Da Vinci had submitted.
It has changed, just as I thought!
In the history before Hyang’s intervention, the helicopter Da Vinci had sketched featured a rotor that looked like an aerial screw, almost a drill. However, the helicopter in the sketch before him now had a rotor that resembled a pinwheel, much like the helicopters built in the 20th century.
This is its own kind of fun, I suppose. Seeing just what has changed.
“Hmm…” Hiding his inner thoughts, Hyang continued to study the sketch before looking up at Da Vinci. “Do you mean to ascend by using this pinwheel here?”
“That is correct, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm, fascinating. How did you conceive of such an idea?”
“A flying machine with a ‘spiral’ wing is something I have considered for a long time. However, it was after coming to the Empire and meeting Master Gong Yajang that my ideas were able to develop significantly.”
***
Just as Michelangelo was busy in Gyeongju, Da Vinci was equally occupied in Seoul. He was tasked not only with creating illustrations for the various encyclopedias being produced by the Medical Academy, but also with drawing illustrations for the main encyclopedia and supervising the other artists. Yet, the place Da Vinci held the most affection for was, without a doubt, Area 51. He spent time there whenever he had a spare moment.
“Oh! Brother Da, it’s been a while!”
“Oh! Brother Gong!”
Master Gong Yajang, the most senior and skilled blacksmith in Area 51, greeted him warmly, and Da Vinci returned the greeting with equal enthusiasm. At some point, Master Gong had become the person Da Vinci got along with best in Area 51. They were of a similar age, but more importantly, they had a perfect synergy, each complementing what the other lacked. When Da Vinci had a stroke of genius, it was Master Gong who could give it form in the real world.
After clasping hands in a warm greeting, the two men moved to Da Vinci’s workshop.
“What brings a man so busy with all sorts of outside affairs to my humble door?” Gong Yajang asked.
“I had something to give you, so I came by,” Da Vinci replied.
“For me? Surely not!”
At Master Gong’s delighted expression, Da Vinci handed him a sheet of paper. “As we discussed before, I have drawn up a design for the frame.”
“Oh! Oh-ho! This is magnificent! I must take this to the carpenters and have them make it just like this! Thank you, truly!”
“It is nothing. In truth, I am the one who envies you, my friend, for possessing such a precious family heirloom.”
Master Gong expressed his sincere gratitude for the design on the paper, but Da Vinci envied him for an entirely different reason. The heirloom was a handwritten prayer of blessing that Master Gong’s grandfather had received from Hyang during his days as the Crown Prince. Bearing Hyang’s own handprint, it was a treasure among treasures. The two men continued their pleasant conversation over the tea table.
“By the way, you certainly do come up with many wondrous things. It feels like I’m seeing the great Master Jang Yeong-sil in his prime.”
At Master Gong’s words, Da Vinci frantically waved his hands in dismissal. “Don’t you dare say such a thing where others can hear. I’ll be the one to get scolded.”
He was being completely sincere.
***
Before coming to the Empire—no, before meeting Hyang and seeing a portion of the Challenge of Records—Da Vinci had never once doubted his own genius.
“The technology of this world cannot keep up with my mind! How vexing!”
This once-arrogant man was forced to recognize his own inadequacies upon witnessing the Empire’s marvels and the Challenge of Records. Yet, it was not a complete surrender.
The Empire’s level of technology is so advanced, I can finally create the things I have imagined. Now the world will know what a genius I am!
But then, in Area 51 in Seoul, Da Vinci saw the works of Jang Yeong-sil, and he fell to his knees.
“I was arrogant! I did not know how vast this world is, nor how many talented people it holds!”
From that day on, Da Vinci humbled his pride. In its place, he gained colleagues.
***
“Right? I went a bit too far with that, didn’t I? It was a joke. Anyway…” Realizing his comment had made Da Vinci uncomfortable, Master Gong looked around for a way to change the subject. As his eyes scanned the various sketches in the workshop, they suddenly fixed on one.
“What is that? I haven’t seen it before.”
“Ah, that? I found it while organizing my art supplies for the illustration work I’m doing.”
“May I take a look? Hmm…”
The sketch that had caught Master Gong’s attention was the one for the helicopter Da Vinci had conceptualized back in Italy.
“This roof-like thing… it looks just like the spiral bit for a bow drill, doesn’t it?”
“That is not a roof, but a wing. It rotates to fly upwards.”
“Ah…”
Nodding at Da Vinci’s explanation, Master Gong chuckled and teased him. “Then is this wing a ‘sky-piercing drill’? Something like, ‘My wings are the drill that will pierce the heavens!’³ perhaps?”
“Perhaps so! Haha!”
“Hahaha!”
What began with lighthearted laughter soon evolved into a serious discussion of possibilities.
“The wings would have to be covered in cloth, I suppose?”
“That seems right.”
“To get proper lift, it would have to spin at an incredible speed, which means we’d need a steam engine. But considering the size and weight, would the cloth covering the wings be able to withstand the force?”
“What if we made them of metal?”
“Wouldn’t that be too heavy?”
“Hmm…”
As the two men pondered how to create a machine that could actually fly, the outside of the workshop grew noisy.
Clang! Clang! Ggaeng-ggaeng-ggaeng!
“A competition! A competition!”
“The Pinwheel Competition has begun!”
The cacophony of gongs, cymbals, and shouts grew louder, prompting Da Vinci to look at Master Gong. “What is going on? Is there an accident?”
“No, it’s something of a traditional event here in Area 51. A children’s squabble that turned into a battle between adults.”
“Pardon?”
***
The pinwheel, or rotor, was a children’s toy with a long history. The usual way to play was to fold paper into blades, attach them to a stick, and run with it held in hand or mouth. Another version involved launching a rotor carved from thin bamboo or wood into the air by spinning a handle; in this game, the one whose rotor flew highest was the winner.
This was where the children’s squabble had turned into a battle between adults. In any time and place, there are bound to be intensely competitive children, and parents who will do anything their child asks. The artisans of Area 51 were no exception. They lived in a village near the district, and thus, most of the children in the village were theirs.
It all started one day when a child who lost a competition began to whine, and his artisan father made a new pinwheel for him. Even if hastily made, a toy crafted by a skilled artisan was leagues above one made by a child, and victory was, of course, his. This led to the other children whining to their own parents.
“So-and-so’s dad made him a pinwheel, what about me! Make one for me, too!”
Worn down by their children’s persistent whining, the fathers relented and made pinwheels. But there were still winners and losers, and the children who lost once again complained to their fathers.
“I lost to so-and-so’s pinwheel! You said you were a great craftsman! You said so!”
“That little brat! Fine. Just fine! I’ll show them what I’m made of!”
And so, it became a battle between adults, a war of professional pride. As the event grew larger, it naturally came to Hyang’s attention. He issued an order regarding the matter.
‘I will not forbid it, but I will not tolerate it if the cart is put before the horse. Therefore, I command the following:
- The competition is permitted only once a year, on the day of the first full moon.
- The use of all materials is permitted, with the exception of gunpowder.
- Participation in teams is also permitted.
- Anyone caught stealing another’s ideas or interfering with their work will be immediately disqualified.
- The one who flies their rotor the highest will be awarded a prize of three nyang⁵ of silver.’
By turning it into an official ‘tournament,’ Hyang had worn a sly smile. “This prize money is just enough to encourage healthy, not excessive, competition. And if all goes well… who knows? Maybe a helicopter will emerge from this before Leonardo da Vinci invents one?”
However, until Da Vinci’s arrival in the Empire, a helicopter had not appeared.
***
After hearing Master Gong’s explanation of the competition’s origins, Da Vinci voiced his confusion. “I’ve been in the Empire for several years now. Why have I never known about this?”
“And who was it that was holed up in his workshop, meditating like a monk?”
“Ah…” Da Vinci nodded, conceding the point, and rose from his seat. “Now that I’ve heard the story, I must see it for myself.”
“It will be entertaining.”
Leaving the workshop, the two men headed toward the competition grounds.
“But how do they judge who flies the highest? With a competition of this scale, they must need fair judging, no?”
“That’s why we hold it at the cannon testing range. They have watchtowers there. And they attach a string to the rotor. They measure the length of the unwound string.”
“Ah…”
“Waaaah!!!”
“Wooooah!!!!!”
As they conversed, cheers continued to erupt.
“It’s flying!”
“They’ve already started. Let’s hurry.”
“Let’s.”
***
The place they arrived at was packed with all the artisans and officials of Area 51. It was one of the few big spectacles of the year, so even Crown Prince Woo was in attendance, watching the competition. After paying their respects to Woo, the two men found a suitable spot and began to watch. Master Gong provided more detailed commentary.
“This competition has been going on for decades now. Thanks to that, most people participate in teams these days.”
“I see. It would be impossible for one person to build something of that size.”
Da Vinci nodded, looking at the rotors, some of which were as wide as a grown man’s outstretched arms. In the ensuing competition, the artisans showcased all manner of designs. There were rotors with three or four blades, some with blades shaped like those of an electric fan, and even some that looked like a spinning tray.
“Woooah!”
“It’s flying!”
Each time one of these rotors soared into the sky, the artisans cheered and applauded. Among them were Crown Prince Woo and Da Vinci himself.
Chug-chug-puff-puff! Chug-chug-puff-puff!
“Hmm? A steam engine? Why?”
Woo and the artisans looked on in confusion as a steam-powered traction engine suddenly appeared on the competition grounds.
“We greet His Highness, the Crown Prince!”
“Yes, I hope you will show us a good result.”
After bowing to Woo, the artisans connected a drive belt between an apparatus on the engine and the pillar holding a pinwheel rotor. Once the belt was secure, one of the artisans signaled to his colleague by the engine, who manipulated a lever.
Clank!
The apparatus, powered by the steam engine, began to spin the drive belt furiously. The rotor’s blades began to turn, faster and faster, until they became a blur. At a certain moment, an artisan near the blades moved a lever connected to the pillar, and in that instant, the pinwheel shot high into the sky.
“It’s up!”
“It’s high!”
“The highest! That’s the highest one yet!”
While the artisans leaped to their feet and shouted, Da Vinci and Master Gong simply turned and looked at each other.
“This is it!”