Chapter 169

Wang Family Fort, Council Hall

The candlelight was bright, but the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Wang Zhen sat in the chief seat, his expression solemn as he looked down at the dozen or so people seated below.

These people were the true core of the Wang Family.

Wang Xin, Su Qin, Wang Family Workshop

They had just finished listening to Wang Zhen recount the story of these days of continuously having the same dream, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

"Head of Family… are you saying… in the dream, you saw something called a steam engine?" a white-haired elder asked.

He was Wang Yi, a cousin of Wang Po and the most learned person in the family, yet at this moment he felt that all the books he had read in his life had been for nothing.

"That's right." Wang Zhen nodded.

He knew how absurd this sounded, yet he chose to believe it, for the dream felt all too real—perhaps it was guidance from their ancestors?

Every aspect of the Wang Family now stands at the forefront of the age; to grow further, only innovation will do! So he is willing to give it a try!

"Then… what exactly is this steam power?" the overseer of the iron-smelting workshop blurted out.

He was a technician who had spent his life dealing with furnace fires and molten iron; he could not imagine what force besides human and animal power could drive such a massive machine.

"I don't know." Wang Zhen shook his head, pulling a few sheets of paper from his bosom: "These are rough sketches I drew based on the images shown in my dream."

no.

They were several sheets drawn with charcoal sticks, very rough sketches.

One depicted a huge metal boiler, with fire burning beneath it and a pipe extending above.

Another showed a metal cylinder containing a piston that could move up and down, the piston connected to a connecting rod.

Yet another depicted a massive flywheel.

Individually, these parts were understandable to them.

But put together, what they were and what effect they could produce were completely beyond their comprehension.

"Head of Family, forgive my stupidity," Wang Yi said after studying them for a while, still unable to make sense of it, "Just from these few drawings, trying to build the divine object you dreamed of… is probably harder than climbing to heaven."

"Yes, Head of Family!" the iron-smelting overseer said with a worried frown, "Just casting that large cylinder without letting air leak… the craftsmanship required is too high! Our current technology simply can't do it!"

"And this boiler, according to your description, must withstand tremendous pressure. If it explodes, that could cost lives!"

In the council hall, a chorus of discussion and doubt rose up.

They did not doubt the Head of Family; it was simply that this matter had completely surpassed their understanding.

Wang Zhen said nothing, merely listening quietly.

After they had all finished speaking, he slowly opened his mouth.

"I know it's difficult." His voice sounded rich and mellow, "But the Wang Family's technology has hit a bottleneck; we must, as the dream suggested, investigate things and extend knowledge to achieve a new breakthrough."

"Investigate things and extend knowledge?" Everyone blinked in surprise.

"That's right." Wang Zhen stood up and walked among them, "We can no longer just toil away blindly, knowing the how but not the why. We must research and explore, to clarify the principles by which all things in this world operate."

"Why does water boil? Why does fire burn? Why is iron harder than wood?"

"These are things we take for granted, yet we have never probed deeply; within them lies the Great Dao."

"In the dream, these simple images appeared first; I believe that if we grasp these principles, building a steam engine will be a matter of course."

Wang Zhen's words left everyone present lost in thought.

For the first time, they began to examine their world with an entirely new perspective.

"So I have decided." Wang Zhen declared word by word, "From today onward, the Wang Family must increase its investment and support for the Science Academy."

"The Science Academy must not prioritize creating profitable technologies; instead, it must start from scratch to learn and understand the various phenomena of this world!"

"Its sole purpose is to investigate things and extend knowledge."

"I want the finest craftsmen, the brightest students, and all those under heaven who study miscellaneous learning to gather here."

"From now on, one-tenth of the family's total income will be funneled into the Science Academy, so they need not worry about livelihood and can devote themselves wholeheartedly to research and experimentation."

"I have a feeling that as long as we are willing to act and research, everything we saw in the dream can be realized!"

no.

Those seated below Wang Zhen shouted in unison! The Wang Family's finances are ample; leaving money in the storehouse would only let it rust. Investing it in the Science Academy, even if only one thing succeeds, the gain would be enormous!

"Good!" Wang Zhen hammered the decision home, "Then this matter will be headed by Wang Xin. Money, manpower, land—you name what you need, I'll provide it! I have only one demand: within three years, I must see phased research results!"

"Yes, Head of Family!" Wang Xin rose and bowed, accepting the order.

Wang Meng, Wang Hao, Zhen Dong City

Japan

Zhongyuan region

"Yes, Head of Family!" Su Qin also immediately accepted the command.

Wang Xiu, screen

Not bad, the young ancestor can be taught.