"Pan Jinlian's hand slipped, and the pole struck Ximen Qing, who happened to be passing below. He was about to fly into a rage, but when he saw Pan Jinlian's alluring, graceful figure, he froze."
"He thought..."
"Why had the pole fallen? Why did it fall only toward the ground instead of to either side—or fly up into the sky? Why was everything in the world drawn to the earth?"
"He hurried away from the street. Later, he discovered universal gravitation."
"Cao Cao was boiling wine, with green plums arranged on a plate beside him. He lifted his wine cup, about to say something, but when he saw the wine bubbling, he suddenly froze."
"He thought..."
"Why could boiling wine push up the lid? If I used a huge pot to boil a great deal of wine, could it generate more force?"
"He put down his wine cup and devoted himself to experiments. Later, he invented the Cao Steam Engine."
"Li Yuanba suddenly hurled his hammers into the sky. He was about to point upward and curse, but when he saw the hammers soaring, he suddenly froze."
"He thought..."
"When I throw a hammer upward, it falls back down after a while. If I throw it with more force, it takes longer to fall. So if I throw it with an enormous amount of force, will it never come back down?"
"He turned and left. Later, he calculated the first cosmic velocity."
"King Zhou of Shang was embracing Daji in a pond of wine and forest of meat, about to indulge himself, when he suddenly froze."
"He thought..."
"Why does the wine overflow when I step into the pond? Does the amount that spills have anything to do with me?"
"He pushed Daji away. Later, he discovered..."
"Discovered what? Go on, Theus."
"Yeah, yeah! Hurry up and tell us. We're all waiting."
A crowd had gathered in a circle, eagerly watching the young man in the middle.
Some stood with their arms crossed; others sat right on the ground. Judging by their filthy clothes, it was anyone's guess which was cleaner—them or the ground.
Several grimy wheelbarrows lay off to one side. They were used to haul coal. The steel monsters in the factory swallowed coal and spewed steam and black smoke. When they were in a bad mood, they might also swallow a few workers' fingers, limbs, or even lives.
The boy called Theus grinned, revealing a row of pearly white teeth that made the grime on his face seem less dark.
Every day, during the lunch break after the shift ended, he told strange and unusual stories here. Gradually, quite a few workers had gathered to listen. They all took them for made-up tales, but little by little, some had grown interested in the awkward terms that cropped up in them.
"So what exactly is uni-universal gravitation? I remember you've talked about it a few times, Theus. Damn it, those words always make my head spin."
A burly man edged closer and looked down at Theus.
Theus raised an eyebrow. The man was named Kyle, and Theus vaguely remembered him.
After all, industry had only just begun to take root in this era. Most workers had once been farmers. They had lost their land and traded their lives for wages in factories, with an average life expectancy of less than thirty. Listening to Theus's stories was their only entertainment.
And it was hard not to notice Kyle, who was built like a bear.
"Good question! Universal gravitation is..."
Theus's eyes lit up. He was just about to explain when a shout from behind interrupted him.
"Theus, come here. Lord Carley is waiting for you." The supervisor poked his head out of a small door on the side of the factory and looked over.
The people standing in a circle turned around. Lord Carley was the owner of this factory. Why would he come looking for Theus, a lowly laborer? All sorts of looks fell on Theus.
"Go on, Theus! Remember to come back and finish the story!"
"Right! And tell us more about that whatever-it's-called force!"
Filthy hands patted Theus on the shoulder. He grinned and answered them:
"I'll be back soon. The best part's coming up."
Theus headed for the factory's second floor, where the offices were. The fat-faced supervisor stood by the door and nodded at him without expression. Once Theus had entered, the supervisor shut the iron door.
Cut off from the workers' view, Theus paused inside for two seconds before his eyes adjusted to the dim room. The supervisor had already gone ahead and was leading the way.
"Sir, may I ask why you wanted to see me?"
"You'll find out when we get there," the supervisor replied dismissively without looking back.
Theus frowned, though he had a few guesses.
He told stories to the workers every day at lunchtime, and it was only natural that someone would notice.
That was inevitable—and Theus had even done a little to encourage it. After all, he didn't want to spend his whole life as an apprentice, only to have cold machines shatter his future and dreams.
Organizing workers' gatherings might bring him to the attention of powerful people sooner, but it was definitely not a good idea. No factory owner wanted someone on the payroll who could unite the workers.
And Theus wasn't merely gathering people to tell stories.
In his previous life, he had been an engineer. The factory and its machines seemed primitive and crude to him, so he had found a few ways to improve them and cleverly passed his ideas along to the owner, Carley.
As it turned out, factory owners in this era were hardly conservative. At least they hadn't yet learned to be arrogant. Soon, machines he had improved were spreading throughout the factory.
Through tireless effort, he had finally managed to shift his fate, if only a little.
Theus knew that industrialization was destined to sweep across the world like a tide. And now he had a chance to change his fate.
The supervisor stopped outside a room, opened the door, and gestured inside.
Theus took a deep breath and went in.
The door closed behind him again. Theus looked around the room.
Lord Carlisle wore an elegant formal suit; Theus had never seen him dressed like that at the factory. Yet he had a fawning smile on his face as he looked toward the other side of the room.
Theus followed his gaze. Someone sat there in a Church robe... a person?
A steel mask covered his skin, while gears and an array of complex joints formed his limbs.
He looked like a robot, but on closer inspection, Theus could make out ordinary arms and legs beneath the metal limbs.
What was this? Were there people like him in the Church? Was that an exoskeleton? It was so intricately made.
Theus was startled.
"Reverend, this is Theus. He improved the steam engine's drive shaft bearing on his own, without anyone else's help," Carlisle said obsequiously.
A reverend? Only then did Theus notice the Church's holy emblem on the strange man's robe. The man was idly turning over a bearing dismantled from a steam engine in his hands.
The strange man's fingers transformed into a screwdriver and a crowbar. With ease, he pried open the bearing's casing. A hoarse voice came from beneath his hood.
"Did you design this?"
Theus's heart stirred. From the reverend's practiced movements, it was clear he fully understood the thinking behind Theus's improvements. If Theus could demonstrate his abilities, he would surely earn the man's admiration.
Judging by the factory owner's obsequious manner, this reverend must hold a high position.
A great opportunity! He might be able to use this chance to meet people higher up in the Empire.
Theus composed himself and nodded. "Yes, Reverend. I improved this bearing. It can boost efficiency by at least thirty percent, and it lasts longer, too..."
Theus's words abruptly stopped.
A steel arm had pierced through his chest. Theus looked up in disbelief and saw the reverend gripping the Church's Holy Flame emblem. He slowly withdrew his arm, its fingers—moments ago busy dismantling parts—now smeared with Theus's blood.
"Servant of the evil god, you have defiled the sacred machine!"
The hoarse voice rang through the room. The reverend seemed to say something else, but Theus could no longer hear him. His vision went dark.
Theus was dead.
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