Make the new furnace even bigger?
Theus looked at the researcher in some confusion.
He had already planned to make his furnace bigger. Otherwise, the pollution monster simply would not fit inside.
Besides, this furnace would supply power to the entire island in the future. It was a long-term project, so leaving plenty of room for expansion was only proper.
With that in mind, Theus opened the blueprints the researcher handed him. But after only one glance, he nearly threw them away.
What was this!?
"You want to hollow out the entire Castel and turn the middle into one gigantic furnace!?"
Only then did Theus remember that these researchers were, after all, cultists of Moth Chasing Flame. It was perfectly normal for their ideas to be a little radical.
But this was far too radical!
"Yes, my lord. According to my calculations, this would be the most efficient approach. We could eliminate steam engines from the factories and instead use steam pipes to distribute the steam produced by the furnace. Not only would this improve efficiency, it would also shift the risks—each factory could reduce its stokers and corresponding safety officers."
He was not wrong. Centralized management could effectively reduce risks, and given Castel's rate of development, it might well need such an enormous amount of energy in the future.
And there was another advantage.
Others did not know it, but Theus understood the direction future development would take. Castel would inevitably undergo an electrical industrial revolution someday.
Once the Central Furnace boiled water, it could supply steam—and steam turbines could be conveniently installed later. The biggest difference between them and ordinary steam engines was that steam turbines were better suited for generating electricity.
The essence of human technology was boiling water. Most thermal power plants on Blue Star used