The Key to It All

Rowan was not actually all that happy. By the time he returned to Morris Town, Jaina was already waiting in his room.

"Let me explain."

"What's there to explain? I asked about the Troggs on my way here. Poisoning them wasn't exactly honorable, but they were enemies, after all. You can't show mercy to your enemies." Jaina waved a fist, making her position clear.

Pleasure from Jaina +300.

Rowan scratched his head and said awkwardly, "That's not what I wanted to explain. I've been busy wiping out the Troggs these past few days, so I haven't made any progress on the steam engine yet."

Happiness from Jaina -300.

"Then what is there to explain? You never take anything I say to heart." Jaina raised her hand and gathered a ball of brilliant arcane light, preparing to cast a Teleportation Spell.

Rowan hurried over and caught hold of Jaina, adding, "I gave the plans for forging the steam engine to Kobi and his son. They should have made some progress in three days. If you think what I said before makes any sense, come take a look with me."

With Rowan holding her wrist, some of Jaina's anger immediately faded.

Jaina was not actually angry because Rowan had broken their agreement. What upset her was that he had not taken her words to heart.

"When have you ever been reliable? But since you're begging me like this, I'll go have a look. Also, you're hurting me." Jaina shook her arm, her face red.

Rowan quickly let go and apologized awkwardly.

Pleasure from Jaina -50.

Didn't you say it hurt? Why are you deducting my emotion points now that I've let go?

Rowan was a little bewildered. He reached out to take Jaina's wrist again.

Jaina reacted swiftly, pulling her hand back before shooting Rowan a fierce glare.

Looking helpless, Rowan sheepishly withdrew his hand.

Pleasure from Jaina -50.

Can we fucking get along or not? What a bullshit system.

As veteran blacksmiths from Hook Point, Kobi and his son had both been awarded Royal Master Blacksmith medals by Admiral Daelin, honoring their outstanding contributions over many years of forging weapons and anchors for the Kul Tiras navy. After accepting their medals, father and son had gained new titles.

Their smithing skills were beyond question. In just two days, father and son, together with the Three Veteran Blacksmiths of Morris Town, had followed Young Master Rowan's plans to forge four iron plates of equal size, flat surfaces, and uniform thickness, along with the other small components.

"Father, do you think the things Young Master Rowan asked us to forge will really be useful?" Wrench Kobi asked as he hammered a long iron bar inside a concave mold.

His father, Ironhammer Kobi, picked up the towel hanging around his neck and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "It's not our place to ask whether the young master's creations are useful," he said gravely. "Our job is to do our smithing properly."

"Why can't we ask? All of us have spent so many days forging these things. If they really aren't any use, wouldn't that be a waste?" Wrench asked, puzzled.

Ironhammer glared at Wrench, his hammer striking the unfinished iron plate hard. "You little brat, why do you spout so much bullshit? Even if the young master asks us to forge a toy, we still have to do our work properly."

"But we can't just waste materials, either. The young master pays my wages. I think I have a duty to remind him that we can't keep wasting time like this."

Rowan heard every word of the argument between Ironhammer and his son, Wrench.

Ironhammer was loyal, concerned only with keeping his head down and serving the Norwington Family. Wrench was brave enough to call these things a waste of materials, hoping Young Master Rowan would cut back on such unnecessary expenses.

By all rights, they were both outstanding employees. There was a reason Admiral Daelin had awarded them Royal Master Blacksmith medals.

But once Jaina heard those words, they took on an entirely different meaning.

"Even your blacksmiths don't believe in what you've developed."

"Uh, it's a complicated mechanical device. Ordinary people always need time to accept complicated things, don't they?" Rowan explained with a miserable expression.

Had he known, he would have come through the front door. Jaina had insisted on using a Teleportation Spell. Though hitching a ride had been comfortable, the awkward scene before him left Rowan momentarily at a loss for words.

"Ahem." Rowan gave a light cough.

Everyone stopped working and stared blankly at Princess Jaina and Young Master Rowan, who had suddenly appeared, unsure what to say.

The blacksmiths all turned their eyes to Kobi and his son, and the atmosphere abruptly grew tense.

"Thank you for all your hard work. How is the steam engine coming along?" Rowan decided that selectively forgetting the conversation they had just overheard would help ease the tension.

Wrench reacted quickly. He immediately stood and pointed to the components on the Makeshift Milling Machine. "Young master, most of the components have been forged. All that's left is assembly. But we're facing a problem: how to forge the four iron plates to the same curvature and then join them together."

"Hook Point doesn't have a technique for that?" Rowan pressed.

"We usually fasten iron plates with rivets and bolts. But in the mechanical drawings you gave us, the cylindrical chamber formed by these four steel plates has a very smooth interior, and the cylinder also needs to be highly airtight. Given our current capabilities, that problem is very difficult to solve." Holding the steam engine schematic, which was smudged with a little coal ash, Wrench reported the problem they were currently facing to Rowan.

Jaina chose that ill-timed moment to draw closer. Glancing at Rowan out of the corner of her eye, she asked, "So that means this thing called a steam engine can't be made at all?"

"As things stand, that's correct," Wrench said bluntly.

The corner of Jaina's mouth twitched slightly. Her gaze shifted from hurt to anger, then finally to disappointment.

She should have given up on him when Rowan had refused to attend the Military Academy.

As a child, Rowan had been diligent, eager to learn, and good at noticing things. The Rowan of today was lazy, deceitful, and utterly devoid of ambition.

The light gradually faded from Jaina's bright eyes. She pressed her lips together gently. "Do you still remember the promise we made when we were seven? You said you'd bring the most powerful fleet to Proudmoore Keep to pick me up. Did I take it too seriously? You're right. Promises made as children don't count..."

Disappointment from Jaina -1000.

Seeing the change in Princess Jaina's expression, Ironhammer hurriedly set down his tools and came over to smooth things out.

"Princess Jaina, it isn't entirely impossible. We can heat the iron plates to a high temperature, then hammer them into shape. Although that method won't guarantee a perfectly regular cylinder, it's still a way to solve the problem, isn't it?" Ironhammer knew his proposed method could not possibly meet Young Master Rowan's requirements. But the young couple was on the verge of breaking up, so he had to step in and offer a few words to keep the situation under control.

Wrench suddenly caught on and hurried to agree. "Yes, yes! Why didn't I think of that? Princess Jaina, my father is right. That really is an option."

"Uncle Ironhammer, please stop." Seeing Rowan standing unmoved, like a block of wood, Jaina's heart grew colder still. She said flatly, "Let's pretend none of the things in the past ever happened. Tomorrow, I'll..."

There was no way Rowan would simply space out at such a critical moment. Hearing about heating the iron plates and shaping them had suddenly reminded him of something.

Rowan had caught the gist of what Jaina had just said. He knew she was utterly disappointed in him, but right now, forging the steam engine urgently required her help.

Since their forging techniques could not solve the current problem, could magic make up for those shortcomings? Jaina was an outstanding mage. Now she could become an excellent welder, too.

"Don't say another word, Jaina! I finally understand-you're the key to making the steam engine!"