Chapter 478: The Steam Engine Starts

Yueguang Castle.

Luoning did not expect that this luxurious castle, which Hesusu had spent a great deal of manpower and resources to build, would fall into his hands.

Fortunately, the battlefield of the Battle of Yueguang Valley was mainly at the city gates, so the castle did not suffer much damage.

Even though the Knights caused some destruction when they came in to loot later, it was not a big problem; it could be repaired after arranging for some craftsmen to spend a little time.

Ever since Luoning brought Wilson and the others into Yueguang Valley, and the two Knight Orders of Ruidar and Suofeiya had finished the security work for each town, this post-war land began to enter a rhythm of recuperation.

The massive population gap caused by Mofisite could not be filled in a short time, and it was inevitable that some land would be left barren; they could only wait until there were more people later to gradually bring it back into cultivation.

During this period, Luoning inspected the three mines in Yueguang Valley, including two iron mines and one copper mine.

Bruno was right; the scale of the iron mine in Red Maple City was very large, at least a dozen times that of Chishan Town!

And Yueguang Valley not only had such a large iron mine, but there was also a medium-sized iron mine and a medium-sized copper mine in Mountain Spring City!

Now it seemed that although Hesusu was a Count and his territory was not large, this land had grain when needed and ore veins when needed; it was very wealthy.

He held such a good territory but did not manage it well, always coveting Anbian City which had no special products, and blindly pursuing the size of his territory to expand outward; this was inevitably inferior and a waste of this land.

Now that Luoning had obtained these mines, it completely satisfied his territory's development needs for steel resources.

After Luoning moved into Yueguang Castle, the nobles of the surrounding territories visited one after another, basically all coming to maintain the previous iron ore trade with Hesusu.

In order to restore mining production as soon as possible, and also to pursue a larger output, Luoning proposed a cooperative method of exchanging iron ore for the labor force of these nobles.

For the nobles, labor was not worth much; even if there were few people in their territories, they could still squeeze some out.

Moreover, these laborers were only working in Luoning's territory, and they were allowed to bring the money and resources they earned back to their own territories to spend; this was a deal that would not lose money.

After a few days of consideration, these nobles sent letters to Luoning, agreeing to this cooperative method.

Thus, in the following two months, Red Maple City and Mountain Spring City in Yueguang Valley welcomed a large number of laborers.

Don't look at the fact that these people were earning money from Luoning; they would also eat, drink, and live in Yueguang Valley, engaging in consumption. Perhaps some people would feel that life here was not bad and might even want to immigrate here.

Besides this, the 100,000 people promised by His Majesty had also begun to set sail one after another.

Forty percent of them migrated to Yueguang City via Dennis Port, while the remaining sixty percent traveled north through the Screaming Sea to reach Wubei Port, becoming the main force for building Wubei City.

Yueguang City could be considered Luoning's second important city, and as the rear, the Wubei Territory was the foundation of development and also needed an iconic city.

In the blink of an eye, winter arrived.

In a large courtyard near Wubei Port, a huge steel contraption was propped up one or two meters off the ground.

When ordinary people stood in front of such a cold steel creation, even knowing it was an inanimate object, they still felt a sense of awe.

Ximeng's large hand slapped against the steel, his face filled with irrepressible excitement.

"After doing manufacturing work for so many years, I didn't expect that one day I could build such a large and precise guy!"

Although he was only responsible for the production of part of the structure, this was still something worth showing off.

"A Steam Engine, right? Luoning, I can't wait to see the results!"

"I am also very expectant!"

Ever since Suofeiya joined the Wubei Territory, Luoning would bring her to make the core components of the Steam Engine whenever he had time.

After nearly eight months, relying on their super-high Mental Power and ability to control flames, the two of them worked together to manufacture structures such as the Cylinder, Flywheel, and Piston.

These components were not only highly precise but also had great strength, already satisfying the requirements for the Steam Engine's use.

"Kaierluosi, please light the fire." Luoning pointed to the Boiler position and said.

The dragon blinked its huge eyes; it also had no small contribution to this iron contraption, and it was also very expectant to see the Steam Engine in operation.

Poof!

Scorching flames sprayed out from its bloody maw, and under Kaierluosi's control, they were all concentrated under the Boiler.

"Uh, control the temperature; don't melt the furnace," Luoning reminded.

Kaierluosi hurriedly lowered the temperature of the flames.

Soon, the water in the Boiler began to boil.

High-temperature steam overflowed from the sealed Boiler, entered the Cylinder along the pipes, and gradually accumulated, expanded, and began to push the Piston.

"It's moving!"

Suofeiya could perceive the Piston in the Cylinder moving.

Woo!

Soon, accompanied by a low roar, the Steam Engine slowly awakened, and it began to display the endless power contained within its body to the outside world.

A powerful burst of steam broke through the pressure constraints and gushed out, turning into clusters of white mist that permeated the air.

With the release of the steam, the axle of the Steam Engine began to rotate.

Although it looked slow and heavy at first, as if an old man were taking steps with difficulty.

But gradually, the speed of the Flywheel's rotation became faster and faster, the power became stronger and stronger, and the clanking sound made by the axle became louder and louder, as shocking to the heart as war drums!

Ximeng was shocked by this scene.

"Although I had imagined such a scene, reality is even more shocking than I expected!"

Suofeiya also said, "This is not the power of Magic; this is the power from nature!"

Both of them were knowledgeable people and knew the principle of the Magic Energy power of the Dawn.

So, after seeing the Flywheel rotate, they knew that if they applied this movement to a giant ship, they would no longer have the trouble of insufficient Magic Crystal energy.

After all, it's just boiling water; don't look at how Kaierluosi is spraying fire now, but if it were replaced with firewood, or the coal Luoning mentioned, it would also work, just that the startup time would be slightly longer.

"Luoning, I feel that if the ship has this, the sails on the ship can be removed," Suofeiya expressed her thoughts.

Even for the Dawn, there were three large sails erected on it, which was a preparation for when energy was insufficient.

But once there was Steam Power, the sails could be removed.

"Of course you can!"

Luoning agreed, "Sailing ships are about to become a thing of the past. Moreover, besides using the Steam Engine on ships, I also plan to apply it on land."

The Steam Engine has many uses, such as transportation, textiles, forging, compression pumps, and even power generation; in most fields with a high demand for power, it can be applied.

Of course, for Luoning, the first thing he wants to apply it to is transportation.

Whether it is Yueguang Valley or Chishan Town, the iron ore mined relies on human and horse power to be transported out, and such efficiency is too low.

If there were a Steam Train, combined with laid Railway tracks, it would be possible to transport in large quantities.

"Suofeiya, Ximeng, next I want to optimize the Steam Engine and then apply it to land transportation."

While signaling Kaierluosi to stop breathing fire, Luoning pulled Suofeiya and Ximeng aside to begin the next step of the plan.

"I plan to run a pilot program in Wubei Territory, building a Railway line to transport the coal resources mined in Swamp Town to Wubei Port using the Steam Engine."

"Railway?"

Although Ximeng's tone was puzzled, his face was very excited; he was very interested in creating new things.

"This is a new term; just hearing this word, I have developed a strong interest in it! Tell me, Luoning, what do you need me to do?"

Luoning used his Mental Power to control the sand on the ground to float up, and within a few breaths, it formed the shape of a Railway and a Steam Train.

"I am prepared to appoint you as my Mechanical Chief Engineer to design for me a Railway line covering Wubei Territory, Wushan Territory, and Yueguang Valley."

He began to explain the basic principles of the Railway and the enormous impact it would bring once the Railway was completed.

The more Suofeiya and Ximeng listened, the more shocked they became.

Even in the City of Dawn, their transportation still relied on the power of livestock, and Magic Energy power had not been widely promoted.

But it was clear that if Luoning's Railway were built, it would be a tool that could be promoted on a large scale.

By then, not only nobles but also ordinary people would be able to use it.

Suofeiya exclaimed: "Luoning, I am certain that this invention of yours will change this world!"

This time Luoning did not show false modesty; he smiled and issued an invitation: "Then let us work together to use the power of steam to liberate the productivity of this world, my chief designer and chief engineer."

Suofeiya and Ximeng looked at each other, then nodded solemnly. (End of chapter)