Chapter 352: Ways to Use the Steam Engine
Chapter 352: Ways to Use the Steam Engine
Li Daoxuan’s question made the little people lower their heads awkwardly.
Young Master Bai explained, “Deity, this ‘steam engine’ you bestowed upon us is too big. To get it burning requires an enormous amount of fuel. During our experiment earlier, we ran out of fuel. Everyone threw in everything we could find that was flammable… And so we ended up with black smoke billowing into the sky.”
Hearing this, Li Daoxuan understood.
He had initially provided them with an “alcohol beaker” filled mostly with alcohol, thinking it would last a long time.
But he had underestimated the research frenzy of Song Yingxing and Young Master Bai. These two had burned through the alcohol in just a few days. How could they continue experimenting?
Song Yingxing didn’t have the bad habit of constantly begging the Deity for everything. So he prepared his own fuel—wood, coal, dry grass… all sorts of chaotic equipment for ignition.
What seemed like a miniature steam engine to Li Daoxuan was a terrifying, colossal machine to the little folk. Getting such a massive contraption burning demanded an immense amount of fuel.
Naturally, once they were short on fuel, they started burning whatever they could find! It was no wonder they ended up with soot blackening the sky.
Scientists had always loved creating troublemakers since ancient times. This was unavoidable.
Without their making trouble, the world wouldn’t make progress.
Understanding this, Li Daoxuan couldn’t help but laugh heartily. “As long as there’s no fire, it’s fine. So, is the steam engine fun?”
Song Yingxing replied excitedly, “More than fun! It’s simply miraculous! Just using the power of boiling water can move enormous rocks. The sheer force of this thing can topple the whole world!”
“Hmm!” Li Daoxuan said. “I see you’ve basically figured it out. By using a gear assembly to redirect the force, you can transform the power from boiling water into various types of force to drive all kinds of machinery. So, what was the first thing you thought of using it for?”
Song Yingxing pondered carefully for a moment. “I thought about moving heavy things. It could be used to draw water from wells, turn millstones, aid in smelting and weaving… any place requiring mechanical motion could use a steam engine.”
Li Daoxuan nodded. Excellent.
He then turned to Young Master Bai. “Young Master Bai, what did you think of?”
Young Master Bai grinned and pointed towards the distant electric small train. “That strange giant train was conjured by the Deity’s divine power, running on batteries. I always wondered why, even without burning fuel, you called it ‘fire train’ until I saw the steam engine. This steam engine is the perfect solution to power the train. Mount one inside the engine, burn fuel to generate power, haul those enormous train cars along… So, you deliberately named the celestial car ‘fire train’! The word ‘fire’ was a hint for me, guiding my research in that direction.”
Li Daoxuan thought: You’re brilliant! That’s how you explain it? Your brain fills in the blanks like a pro!
Young Master Bai laughed excitedly. “We are mortals. We can’t conjure strange powers like the Deity to operate such giant vehicles. But this steam engine is the marvelous tool bestowed upon us mortals to achieve heaven-defying strength. Used properly, even parting mountains and draining seas becomes possible for us.”
“Very good!” Li Daoxuan praised. “An excellent direction. Proceed with that research. With your brilliance, scaling down this massive steam engine until it fits inside a train shouldn’t be difficult. Then, feel free to unleash your creativity.”
After speaking, Li Daoxuan secretly admired Young Master Bai. Song Yingxing was brilliant, but his age perhaps limited his wildly innovative ideas. Young Master Bai, however, was young, daring enough to dream big. He thought of adapting the steam engine to the train before Song Yingxing did.
This was probably the advantage of youth!
“Young Master Bai, your imagination and creativity are truly excellent. Keep that up!”
“Wow! The Deity praised my son for having great imagination and creativity!” Madam Bai suddenly popped up from somewhere, overjoyed. She grabbed the person next to her and started shaking them vigorously. “The Deity praised my son! The Deity praised my son again! Hahaha…”
Later, Madam Bai bragged to everyone she met that the Deity had praised her son’s wonderful imagination and creativity, repeating it proudly for her entire life.
Young Master Bai thanked the Deity but soon looked awkward again. “However… to power a steam train, we’d need vast amounts of fuel. Just one trip might consume an enormous quantity of coal. This is a major headache. Without the fuel bestowed by the Deity, we’d have to rely on things like coal and wood. Wood burns poorly, and while coal is better, Gaojia Village doesn’t have much.”
Li Daoxuan smiled. “What a coincidence! Coal is precisely what I wanted to discuss with you. Yiye, set off immediately. Find Thirty-Two and head to Heyang County. We’re going there for coal.”
Gao Yiye obediently answered, turned, and ran downstairs.
Qiu Ju and Dong Xue followed close behind, urgently calling out, “Saint Lady! You haven’t washed your face! You’re still smudged!”
Gao Yiye: “Eh? Is my face dirty?”
Qiu Ju: “Look at me!”
Gao Yiye turned to look and burst out laughing. “Qiu Ju! Your face is covered in black soot!”
Qiu Ju: “Saint Lady, yours is exactly the same!”
“Ah? Mine too?” Gao Yiye felt a little flustered. “Oh no! That means the Deity just saw me looking terrible, didn’t he?”
Dong Xue nodded. “He saw you.”
Gao Yiye went “thump” and collapsed face-down onto the floor. orz.
“Hurry and wash up! Don’t lie here like that!”
The two young ladies, Qiu Ju and Dong Xue, dragged Gao Yiye up and dashed off. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the watchtower…
At this point, Li Daoxuan felt it was inappropriate to continue “noticing” her and quickly shifted his “notice” elsewhere. He would look back again a little later.
Gao Yiye emerged from the watchtower, freshly bathed and changed. She was dressed in dignified, formal attire, exuding the aura worthy of the Li Family’s master’s wife.
Three years serving as the Saint Lady, coupled with learning reading and writing, acquiring knowledge, reading novels, listening to storytelling operas, and experiencing various events…
Knowledge refines one’s bearing, purifying one from within.
Dressed finely and carrying herself regally, she now truly resembled a wealthy lady, no longer the awkward girl who could only sit silently without speaking.
Her preparations to depart meant the Gaojia Village Militia had to mobilize immediately.
The Saint Lady’s safety was no joke.
The escort team also immediately followed suit. Ground Rabbit and Zheng Gouzi assembled a hundred-man team to surround Gao Yiye. Gao Yiye and the two girls, Qiu and Dong, got into a carriage. Thirty-Two mounted a tall horse. The escort team flanked them. The entire group set off towards Heyang County.