Chapter 2309: Steam Engine

Hengchun Square.

When Xia Duo finished checking the recent situation of the Territory and arrived here, Boli and Pide were already standing in a row next to the Steam Car. Seeing Xia Duo approach, the three immediately bowed respectfully:

"President." *2

"Lord."

Xia Duo nodded slightly toward Boli and Pide, then let his gaze fall upon the third person. He curiously sized the other up; they were wearing a standard-issue Mage Robe, the typical attire for an Apprentice and Clerk in Daxia Territory.

But what was different was that the hem of this standard-issue Mage Robe had been cut short, reaching only about half a foot below the waist, and a grey cloth belt was tied around the waist, making the person look spirited and capable.

And the black marks stained on the upper part of the Mage Robe and the trousers on the lower body revealed the trait of someone who labored frequently, which left a rather deep impression on Xia Duo.

"What is your name?"

"My Lord, my name is Xiluo, from Younan Territory in the Inner Land."

"Younan Territory?"

Xia Duo recalled a little, having some impression of this territory; it seemed to be a small territory near the Cangcui Alliance, and the lord was an Archmage whose lineage had not lasted many generations, belonging politically to the Jilan Tower among the Seven Towers.

From this perspective, Daxia Territory and Younan Territory were still potential allies! At least from the surface, that was indeed the case!

"Is this Steam Car your invention?" Xia Duo asked Xiluo.

"No, this was invented by Boli, Pide, and me together," Xiluo answered very modestly.

But in Xia Duo's view, the vehicle was actually not important; the key lay in the Steam Engine within it, so he asked again: "Then the Steam Engine must have been invented by you, right?"

"Yes."

"Tell me how you thought of inventing this!"

"When I was a child helping my family cook, when the fire was strong, the steam in the pot could lift the lid. That was when the idea first sprouted. Although it was later proven that the lid was actually lifted by the boiling soup, if sealed properly, steam can still generate very strong power!"

"Since you can make a Steam Car, it shows that the technology of the Steam Engine itself is relatively mature. Have you applied it in other areas before? Why haven't I heard of it before?"

This question was what Xia Duo was most curious about. A Steam Engine could not be achieved overnight; it required a relatively long period of technical accumulation. But in this process, at least a little reputation should have spread. This point left Xia Duo very puzzled.

Regarding this, Xiluo's answer was—

"I once made a Steam Hammer in my hometown that could be used for forging iron, but because of this, I was unanimously ostracized by the blacksmiths in the territory. Although I was still a Mage Apprentice, this status did not save me from the fate of being ostracized."

"You are still a Mage Apprentice?!" Xia Duo was even more surprised now.

"Yes, my Lord. I was enlightened in the Mage Tower of the Younan Lord, but my talent was limited. I have been an Apprentice for several years. It was precisely because of this that I shifted my goal to the Steam Engine, hoping to gain the attention of the Younan Lord through this. But what I didn't expect was that the attention came, but it was not the appreciation I had anticipated, but rather reprimands, and I was even ordered not to conduct any related research."

"Why? Could the Younan Lord not see the potential of the Steam Engine?" Xia Duo continued to ask.

"Of course he could see it, but the Steam Engine could only replace ordinary labor at the bottom level and could not provide any help in the field of Magic. Moreover, the blacksmiths in Younan Territory were, without exception, closely related to the followers of the Younan Lord. Under such circumstances, it is not hard to understand what choice the Younan Lord would make. Of course, this also had to do with the fact that the Steam Hammer I invented could not completely replace blacksmiths."

"Then do you have an improved version of the Steam Hammer now?"

"No."

Xiluo shook his head, but he did not boast. Instead, he explained honestly: "Because I could not continue researching the Steam Engine in Younan Territory, coupled with the ostracism from many people, I eventually chose to leave. After that, I traveled north all the way, and had even less time to research. It was not until I came to Daxia Territory that I had the opportunity to continue my research."

"So that's how it is!"

Hearing this, Xia Duo finally had a relatively summarized understanding of Xiluo and the past of the Steam Engine. However, he felt that the Younan Lord's prohibition on researching the Steam Engine was definitely not just because of the opposition of his followers; there should be other reasons.

Perhaps it was simply not wanting the lower classes to slack off, or perhaps it was the worry that such a machine might eventually touch upon the field of Magic and cause a backlash.

But regardless, at least Daxia Territory did not need to care about these reasons, and as far as Xia Duo was concerned for now, he did not see any particularly obvious downsides to the Steam Engine.

"Come, Xiluo, introduce the Steam Engine on this vehicle to me."

"Yes, my Lord."

Mentioning his proud invention, Xiluo immediately became spirited. He reached out to invite Xia Duo onto the vehicle, and then followed him up. Because the space on the vehicle was not large, Boli and Pide remained outside the vehicle.

"My Lord, this is the Steam Engine. I call this sealed iron barrel in the middle the 'Boiler'. This is a device specifically used to generate steam."

Xiluo pointed to the cylinder that occupied a considerable amount of space inside the vehicle body and introduced it to Xia Duo, "The Boiler is connected to the Cylinder, which contains a Piston. The steam in the Boiler expands and pushes the Piston forward."

At this moment, although the Steam Car had stopped, the Steam Engine was still working. When the Piston was pushed to the side away from the steam, one end of the Cylinder would rhythmically emit steam with a "Puff—" sound.

During this process, the Crankshaft connected to the Piston would be pushed to rotate one circle around the connection point at the other end further ahead, and the backward thrust would return the Piston to the initial position in the Cylinder, waiting for the steam to push it again.

Just such a simple structure—although Xia Duo did not know much about the details of the Steam Engines of various generations on Earth, he could see the overall thumbnail, and it seemed that none were as simple as what he saw now.

They all had more complex devices and structures.

What made Xia Duo feel there were some highlights was the way the Steam Engine's Crankshaft was connected to the wheels; it seemed that a control lever similar to a Clutch had been made. Putting it down would transmit the steam power to the wheels, and lifting it would disconnect it.

As for other aspects, it appeared too ordinary.

However, considering that the Steam Car and even the Steam Engine were still in the initial stage, being able to achieve this was already amazing enough. Xia Duo remembered that the Steam Engines in Earth's history had undergone several rounds of major improvements, and in the beginning, no one directly created a Steam Car.

"Very good! Very good indeed!"

Xia Duo gave his praise without hesitation, then asked again: "How much charcoal does this vehicle burn to run from Daxia Territory to Savile Territory? How much water needs to be added? How is the safety?"

When Xia Duo asked this question, the excitement in Xiluo's eyes was almost overflowing. He hurriedly replied: "My Lord, the current test results show that it takes about 130 pounds of charcoal to run from Daxia Territory to Savile Territory, and about 200 liters of water need to be added. The safety is absolutely reliable; we have tested it many times and have never overturned!"