Theus paced excitedly around the study, glancing at the desk from time to time. On it sat an ugly metal barrel.
It was crooked and uneven, not even particularly symmetrical, its surface covered in messy handprints.
This was the final product Nini had made from that iron plate.
It had taken Nini several days of trial and error to successfully melt steel with Turn Stone to Mud. After an anxious day of waiting, the Banshees had jubilantly discovered that it had not triggered Cognitive Interference.
That meant Theus's guess had been correct. Turn Stone to Mud truly allowed matter to become fluid at room temperature.
The spell had enormous potential for development, but that was not what concerned Theus most right now.
"Success! Success! We've finally reached this point!"
Being able to process metal at room temperature meant he could cast it using simple molds. Which meant...
There was no longer anything stopping him from building a steam engine by hand.
Steel, once so difficult to melt, was now nothing more than pliable putty, free for him to shape as he pleased.
"After all these days of struggling, I've finally worked out the core of industrial manufacturing!"
The steam engine was undoubtedly one of the most important milestones in human industrial history. It was from this point onward that industry had truly displayed its astonishing power, completely separating itself from small workshops.
Ever since this descent, Theus had been figuring out how to build a steam engine. He had even tried seeking out blacksmiths, to see whether he could forge every component by hand.
It was theoretically possible. In fact, Rhine's factories operated that way. But it required the cooperation of a great many skilled craftsmen, along with a great deal of luck—without an industrial foundation, the yield rate for