Chapter 2310: Locomotive Design Competition

It's possible it has never flipped over; with that speed of yours, which is barely faster than walking, it would truly be a wonder if it could flip!

But the safety Xia Duo considered was not just about whether it would flip or not, but more about the safety of the steam engine itself. As for consumption, that was secondary; let alone consuming 130 pounds of charcoal and 200 liters of water at once, he wouldn't care even if that figure were multiplied several times over.

If charcoal is needed, the area outside the Territory is full of forests, so one can produce it at will. In fact, the wood produced just from the development of the Territory hasn't even been used up yet, and water is even less valuable.

Inspired by the core component of the airship—the 【Endless Gas Bottle】—Xia Duo could completely make an endless water bottle specifically to supply water to the steam car.

He did not care whether the steam car must be something ordinary people could build and use, or whether it must not contain any magic elements; in fact, that was also impossible.

Xia Duo could tell that the boiler on this car alone was not crafted by hand, but processed by a Magic Array, and the other crankshafts, connecting rods, and pistons used to transmit power were all processed in this way.

As for magic elements, in reality, the steam filling the interior of the boiler itself exerts a great attraction to Water Elements and Fire Elements; if the power were any higher, it is not impossible that a Magic Aura would appear.

Additionally, if the power is high, one must also consider the influence of Elemental Transmutation on the boiler materials.

In a magic world, the influence of elements is everywhere, or rather, magic is the most essential property of this world; there is no object that can escape it.

Based on these realities, Xia Duo naturally did not care about using magic to modify or improve this steam engine.

It is just that he hoped to improve and enhance it from the design and Principles, rather than just a simple and crude "brute force."

……

After getting off the car, Xia Duo walked around the steam car once more, pondered for a moment, and put forward his own opinions to Xiluo, which were, of course, also filled with expectations:

"First, there are two points of improvement. One is the boiler; the current boiler on the car relies entirely on the material itself to hold up, but I don't know where its limit is. My requirement is to test the pressure-bearing limit of the boiler, add a pressure-indicating device to the boiler, and add an extra pressure-relief device."

"Second is the recovery of steam. The most direct reason why this steam engine needs to add so much water is that the steam at the end of the Piston all escapes. If that steam could be recovered into the boiler, it would not only save water but also save quite a bit of fuel."

Xia Duo did not know much about steam engines, but he did understand those two points about boiler pressure relief and steam recovery. Of course, he didn't know much about the specific design details; he hadn't read books on this aspect before he transmigrated.

But he believed in the Wisdom of the working people; provided they had the relevant ideas, they would certainly be able to think of reasonable solutions.

"Xiluo, are you willing to join the Tower of Time?"

"Join the Tower of Time?"

Xiluo was stunned for a moment. He had originally thought that being able to join the Daxia Territory and become a formal resident was already quite good, and he had recently been cramming relevant courses, but what he didn't expect was that a clumsy Apprentice like him would actually have the opportunity to join the Tower of Time!

This—

"I am willing, I am willing!" Xiluo shouted repeatedly without hesitation, fearing he would miss this rare opportunity.

Seeing Xiluo so receptive, Xia Duo was also very happy in his heart. After giving a few pointers, he turned his gaze to Boli and Pide:

"You two have also done quite well, but as Magic Affairs Officers, you still need to put more effort into promoting the Magic Civilianization of the Territory."

"Chairman, I—" Boli wanted to argue.

Xia Duo waved his hand, "Rest assured, I am not blaming you, but rather I have a new task to hand over to you."

"Please speak, Chairman."

"I am preparing to hold a Steam Locomotive Design Competition within the Tower of Time. All members can participate, either individually or in teams. The winners can receive rewards such as quotas for the Inheritance Ritual, new Laboratories in the Floating City, Spirit Thought Network Permission Level, and Laboratory resource quotas."

This was not a sudden whim of Xia Duo's, but an idea he had had since he was at the East Pole of the Plane, to create new extracurricular activities for the members of the Tower of Time. Designing a steam locomotive does not require profound magic attainments; one only needs to know how to operate a Magic Array.

The rest is mechanical design, which almost everyone has never touched. If one does not consider selecting talent for the future Magic Industry, it is still quite good just as an extracurricular entertainment activity.

There is no great chasm between Intermediate Mages and Apprentices; it can be considered a competition with a low threshold that everyone can participate in, and the rewards are very generous.

"You can team up with Xiluo, and of course, you can invite more people to join the team, with a limit of ten people. If you can achieve a top-ten result, I will have additional rewards."

After Xia Duo finished speaking, the expressions of surprise could no longer be suppressed on the faces of Boli and Pide. They did not expect that they could actually team up with Xiluo to participate in the competition; wouldn't that be very unfair to others?

Although Boli really wanted the rewards, after thinking about it, he still raised an objection, "Chairman, if we and Xiluo also participate, wouldn't it be unfair to others?"

"It is indeed a little, but the impact is not as great as you think. If one must emphasize fairness, how could abilities and knowledge ever be absolutely the same?"

In fact, let alone that Xiluo's little design experience wouldn't have much effect, even if there were an absolute overwhelming advantage, Xia Duo was not prepared to change his mind.

On one hand, this competition is not that formal and has a strong entertainment color; on the other hand, he also intends to promote Xiluo.

Of course, if a more outstanding mechanical design genius appears who can surpass Xiluo, that would be even better.

Subsequently, Xia Duo pointed to Xiluo again, "This steam car needs to have a few more made as display samples to provide to other contestants for demonstration and research. Besides participating in the competition, you also need to be responsible for answering other people's questions before the competition starts."

"Yes." Xiluo was stunned for a moment, then immediately agreed.

"Very good!"

A joyful expression could not help but appear on Xia Duo's face. It just so happens that the Daxia Territory and the Savile Territory are preparing for the Snow Melting Recruitment in early May, and Laidun is treating this matter as a new festival.

The Steam Locomotive Design Competition might become an appetizer before the main course of the festival, and some things prepared for the festival can just happen to be used in this competition.

It is just that there is less than half a month until May, so the time is a bit tight, but it doesn't matter; such a competition will be held every year in the future. With one experience, the next one will be much more exciting.

……

Soon, the Tower of Time, the No. 1 Spire, and various places in the Floating City all rang with the notification from the Tower Spirit—

"Registration for the First Tower of Time Steam Locomotive Design Competition has begun! Generous rewards are waiting for you to take! For details, you can ask the Tower Spirit, keyword 【Locomotive Design Competition】."