Steam Engine

After Alexei left, Theus thought for a moment, then called Connor over.

"How are the blueprints I gave you coming along?"

"You mean the ones for the steam engine?"

"Yes."

" I asked the blacksmith on the island. He said we might be able to try the other parts, but the 'cylinder' is definitely impossible to make."

"Tell me more."

"All right..." Connor recalled his visit to the blacksmith's shop...

"Preposterous! Utterly preposterous!" the old blacksmith had said angrily. "The inside of this iron tube has to be perfectly smooth, and it can't have any seams that let air escape. That's impossible!"

"You mean we need special tools?"

"No tool can make something like this. You could take these blueprints anywhere and it still wouldn't be possible. You'd need a huge furnace to melt the steel and cast it. You might have a chance in Rhine, where there are enough craftsmen to work together and maybe make it happen. Here on the island, there's only me and my apprentice. Unless..."

"Unless we started with a solid block of iron and bored a hole through the middle. That might work."

"But if we did that..."

"Impossible. At least, not here. Never mind what we'd use to bore a hole in a block of iron. Even if we could, it's such a huge hunk of metal that I could spend half a year working on it and still not finish."

"And the other parts in these blueprints are just as ridiculous. Take this pipe, for example. I could bend a sheet of iron into a tube, but getting the joints to fit tightly—well, as you put it, making sure no air escapes..."

"That would take an exceptionally skilled craftsman and a lot of luck. Who knows how many times we'd fail before making one that worked?"

"In short, you need half the blacksmiths in Rhine, and all you have here is an old man like me. No matter what, I can't make these things."

Connor explained it all to Theus slowly.

Theus couldn't help sighing. Making a steam engine by hand really was too difficult. He hadn't been expecting much, anyway.

But this meant the progress of industrialization would be held back. No matter how efficient his factory was, it would still be limited to hand production—at best, a somewhat larger workshop.

If he couldn't make a steam engine, there was no point even talking about an internal combustion engine. A generator wasn't quite as difficult, but without a steam engine to power it, was he supposed to turn it by hand?

Most of humanity's energy came from boiling water. He couldn't even get past that step. Everything else he'd imagined was just empty talk.

The industrial foundations were too weak. It didn't matter how many blueprints he had in his head.

He thought it over carefully. What could he do?

Images flickered through his mind. The Church and Rhine's factories might have primitive steam engines, but buying one would be fraught with difficulty. Never mind how he'd transport it—could he even afford one?

Besides, relying on buying steam engines to develop industry wasn't a solution in the long run.

He had built a blast furnace on the estate, but hadn't started testing it yet. Even if it worked perfectly, who knew how long it would take him to advance to lathes and boring tools?

The hardest part of industrial development was going from zero to one. That was where he was stuck.

That path was a dead end, too.

What if he went through the royal family? They had established Gear Academy. He didn't know much about it, but judging by the name, it should have what he needed.

But that brought him back to the same problem. He might be able to get help from the royal family, but he would inevitably end up entangled in their power.

Well, he could keep it as a backup plan. Getting entangled with the royal family was better than being stuck here.

What other options did he have?

The Empire... the royal family... Gem Bay...

Wait. He didn't have to go to one of those powers that had already built factories.

What he needed to solve was the problem of making a steam engine... So...

Why not ask magic for help?

He'd once seen a Banshee cast a spell to attack the fishmen underwater. Could those wondrous spells help him make a steam engine?

It was a bit much to expect the Banshees on the seafloor to know how to weld, but they were the most accessible option he had right now.

"Connor, go back for now. I'd like to be alone for a while."

Theus didn't tell Connor about the Banshees. For now, Ash was the only one who could come to the island. The other Banshees were still living in the Abyssal Trench.

Sigh. They were technically his people, yet in truth, they were so far away from him.

Just as Theus was about to contact Ash through the Mind Link, he suddenly frowned.

"The Symbiotic Pact is draining my life force? Ash is hurt!?"

Something must have happened on the seafloor. Worried, Theus stood up and told Connor the steward not to let anyone disturb him. Then he locked the study door, opened the secret passage with practiced ease, and headed down.

He hadn't gone far into the passage before narrowing his eyes. Through his ability to sense the waters, he realized Ash wasn't alone down there.

Fortunately, the presences were familiar. They were probably all Banshees.

There seemed to be enough of them to make up their entire clan. What had happened on the seafloor?

Theus frowned and quickened his pace.

After turning a few corners, the passage suddenly opened into a vast cavern. A wide stretch of water filled its center. Many Banshees were gathered in it, forming a circle as they spoke with worried expressions.

Ash was the first to feel the response from the pact. She turned toward Theus and gestured to the Banshees behind her. The cavern fell silent.

"What happened?"

"My lord, the Pollution beneath the Abyssal Trench suddenly erupted. We've lost our home again, and..." Ash swam gravely to the shore. The Banshees gathered together parted to make way.

Theus looked into their midst. It was dim, but the Symbiotic Pact had given him night vision, so he easily made out the familiar figure among them.

"...Monica!? Is she injured?" Theus hurried over and jumped into the water without hesitation.

Unlike Ash, the other Banshees hadn't signed the Symbiotic Pact. If they left the water, the effects of the pressure would increase many times over. They could only float beneath the surface.

As Theus approached, two Banshees swam over. "Lord, please don't come any closer. Monica..."

"She didn't have time to dodge. She was badly injured, and... contaminated." Ash spoke in a low voice.

Theus looked at Monica. Her once-smooth scales had lost their sheen, and the vibrant emerald green was gone.

Several jagged wounds ran from her back up to her neck, nearly tearing her body in half.

Strange black matter had gathered over the wounds like black leeches, keeping them from healing.

The Banshees around her reached out to touch the wounds, and they slowly began to close, showing signs of healing.

But as soon as the closing flesh touched the black matter, it split open again, making the wounds spread even farther.

Was this Pollution?