This Concept Was Still Too Ahead of Its Time

The internal combustion engine was a jewel of industrial history, something that had utterly changed human history.

In terms of efficiency, it completely crushed the machinery of the old era. Steam engines generally had a thermal efficiency of only 5% to 8%, while internal combustion engines could exceed 20%.

From then on, steam engines gradually withdrew from factories and could only remain active in people's memories through museums, novels, films, and the like.

Historically, the steam engine was generally used to mark the First Industrial Revolution, while electrification signified the Second Industrial Revolution. The internal combustion engine was likewise one of the most important milestones of the Second Industrial Revolution.

Theus had dreamed of developing one of these, but drawing up the blueprint for an internal combustion engine was not difficult. The difficult part was finding fuel suitable for it.

Theus had attempted to build a prototype internal combustion engine. This somewhat bulky machine used coal gas as fuel and was a single-cylinder reciprocating-piston internal combustion engine. Its thermal efficiency was significantly higher than that of a steam engine, already a tremendous improvement.

At the time, Theus had been overjoyed, believing that cars were already waving at him. All he had to do next was find oil.

But that search went on for a very long time.

Neither Gem Bay, Tis, nor even the Northern Territory showed any trace of oil.

Theus was completely numb. Without oil, relying solely on coal gas as fuel meant that an internal combustion engine would be utterly crushed by a steam engine.

There was no helping it. If Pollution was used as fuel, its energy density was terrifyingly high. Compared to it, coal gas was simply far too inefficient.

And oil seemed to have never been recorded in this world's history—or rather, the records