Chapter 2318: Xiluo's Car

Such spatial transformation is consistent for both the north and south sides; the south can see the north clearly, and the north can likewise see the south clearly, so the crowds on both sides move toward the middle once again.

It is just that no matter how they move, they are ultimately unable to truly get close to each other; even if they are clearly right before each other's eyes, it is as if they are separated by a vast chasm.

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The facts are indeed so; the real distance from south to north exceeds 20 New Li, a point that cannot be erased no matter how the spatial transformation is performed, otherwise this competition would not have much meaning.

Unless someone can run the 20 New Li in one breath, only then can they truly make contact with those people on the north side who appear to be right before their eyes.

Regarding such a strange sight, the residents of the two places first had a commotion that could not yet be called chaos, and then they immediately realized—this must be an arrangement by Lord Xia Duo.

And at this moment, Dien has also reached the end of his introduction to the rules of this competition—

"The Tower of Time will comprehensively evaluate the stability, speed, load, cost, interaction, appearance, and other aspects of the vehicles designed by each participating team. Lord Xia Duo and Lady Niya will score and announce the results on the spot. The teams belonging to the ten most excellent vehicles will win the grand prize of this competition."

Xiluo, Boli, Pide, and the others originally designed the Steam Car to facilitate travel for the residents of the two places. Although there are currently fixed travel routes like Airships between the two places, the maintenance cost of Airships is not low, and the price of using one is relatively expensive.

The most critical thing is—even for the largest Airship, limited by the size of the vehicle below, a full load is only about a hundred people, unless the vehicle is redesigned or a specialized passenger vehicle is attached externally.

In fact, currently, the largest Airship is flying between the two places; it is only after there is a demand for cargo transport that they will see the situation and take some people to travel between the two places.

The so-called convenience is merely that it is faster than running on the ground when flying; it is very difficult for ordinary people to catch an Airship.

As for the small Airships, they are entirely used by the Territory Guard. Although one is fixed to patrol the Daxia-Saville Passage, under normal circumstances, it will not carry unrelated personnel.

Besides Airships, the most common means of transport between the two places are carriages, horseback riding, or boats. The latter need not be mentioned; today, with the north-south passage built, boat traffic has become less and less frequent, and it is only used in a few cargo transport scenarios.

Carriages or horseback riding have become the mainstream; of course, more people still walk. After all, the two places are only 20 New Li apart, which is not an overly distant distance.

Ordinary people set off in the morning, and even if they rest a little on the way, they can definitely arrive at the other side by noon.

But walking is inconvenient after all. The Daxia Territory Government Hall has been seeking a more convenient means of transport, and such a task naturally fell into the hands of the Magic Affairs Officer.

Thus, there came the Steam Locomotive created by Xiluo and the others. Although it is still very imperfect now, it has great potential. At the very least, before cheap Magic vehicles appear, this is already the most ideal solution.

Therefore, this competition is not only watched by Xia Duo; Laidun, as the Administrator personally appointed by Xia Duo, understands Xia Duo's thoughts and ideas very thoroughly, and naturally holds great expectations for the Steam Car that can quickly connect the two places.

Although Dien said the judges were only Xia Duo and Niya, in reality, they were Xia Duo and Laidun. Xia Duo's attitude is actually a joint expression that synthesizes his and Niya's views.

……

Soon, the exhibition officially began.

Different from a competitive match in the general sense, this Locomotive Design Competition is more like a bidding conference. Each bidding team needs to display their respective design products, which is the Steam Locomotive.

The order of display is determined by the order of registration. The first to display is undoubtedly the team composed of Xiluo, Boli, and eight others who "pre-registered."

Hearing Dien's call, Xiluo and the others immediately rushed to the front row, excitedly greeting the surrounding audience, especially Xiluo. He, who was originally ostracized in his hometown of Younan Territory, received an incomparably warm welcome here.

Not to mention the Locomotive Design Competition triggered by the Steam Engine he invented this time; at this moment, he felt that even if he died, it would be worth it!

Of course, he does not want to die at all right now. He opens his eyes wide to see the future where the Steam Engine is widely applied in various scenarios with his own eyes. Although this future may not be very realistic, he is looking forward to it immensely.

The appearance segment ended, and it was the official display. Under Dien's command, Xiluo took out the entry for this competition from his Dimensional Bag—

A brand-new Steam Car that looks no different from before on the outside, but is still earth-shaking on the inside.

"Captain Xiluo, how many passengers are you prepared to carry in this Steam Car?" Dien asked according to the script prepared in advance.

"Sitting six people is no problem!"

"Alright, Captain Xiluo has chosen a six-person load!"

While announcing, Dien waved to the back, and six patrol guards wearing Guardian Armor immediately walked out, only they were not carrying weapons.

Under Xiluo's introduction, they nimbly climbed into the Steam Car. With the protection of Elf Armor from Evereska, even if the Steam Car had any accident, it would be enough to keep them from harm.

As for the driver, Xiluo served in that role himself. Dien also provided him with a one-time Protection Charm on behalf of the competition, which could likewise protect him from various dangers caused by Steam Car accidents.

……

"Are you ready?" Dien asked.

"Wait a moment." Xiluo replied.

Because they were the first team to display, and the Steam Car is not like a Magic vehicle that can be used immediately, one must first add water to the Boiler and then heat it until it produces steam.

Originally, as a Spellcaster, one could use a Spell to simplify this series of preparatory steps, but this competition restricted doing so. Xiluo could only add water to the Steam Car's Boiler like an ordinary person, and then use flint to start a fire over and over again.

Fortunately, Xiluo was also a child from an ordinary family before becoming a Spellcaster, so starting a fire was not a difficult task for him. Soon, the flames inside the Boiler began to burn.

As the water inside the Boiler began to boil, the steam horn connected to the relief valve on the side also began to emit a high-pitched, long blast. Seeing this scene, the surrounding audience also began to boil with excitement.

At this time, Xiluo waved to Dien from inside the car to signal:

"I am ready."

"Mm."

Then, Dien pulled a small red flag from somewhere, his expression somewhat unnatural as he held the small red flag high, then swung it down fiercely, while shouting loudly:

"Go!"

Receiving the signal, Xiluo immediately pressed the clutch lever, and then the Steam Car began to vibrate with a *thump-thump* sound, moving outward bit by bit, and the external horn also began to become intermittent.

Xiluo stared fixedly at the pressure gauge on the Boiler, adjusted the pressure relief valve to be smaller, and then moved the clutch lever again. The Steam Car thus went *clatter-clatter* all the way, rushing forward with the leaking steam.