Drawing up a simple steam engine was not difficult, but building one capable of powering a three-masted warship was an enormous challenge.
In a place as impoverished as Morris Town, where the industrial foundation was practically nonexistent, building a large steam engine was nothing short of a pipe dream.
As Rowan drew up the plans for the steam engine, he discovered the crux of the problem. Some things were not as easy as he had imagined, and before long, technical difficulties began to plague him.
Making the cylinders airtight, manufacturing steam pipes, and achieving sufficient engine power were all major problems staring him in the face.
Rowan's current knowledge was not enough to handle so many complicated issues.
Just as Rowan was agonizing over them, the system's voice quietly sounded.
"Considering the difficulties the host currently faces, the system feels obliged to make its presence known. The host currently has 1,200 emotion points, more than enough to exchange for system skills in the System Shop," the system reminded Rowan.
Right, don't I have a system?
Following the instructions provided by the system, Rowan opened its purchase interface.
At the same time, once Rowan entered the System Shop, his own status panel popped up.
Rowan Stamina: 1 (the level of an ordinary adult) Strength: 1 (the level of an ordinary adult) Intelligence: 3 (far beyond the level of an ordinary adult, but with a very weak sensitivity to energy) Agility: 1 (the level of an ordinary adult) Spirit: 5 (considerable mental strength developed through years of staying up all night "cultivating immortality") Elemental resistance: 0 (less resistant than a goose in Azeroth)
This was merely his personal status panel. Beneath it was the secondary profession system.
Engineering, enchanting, alchemy, blacksmithing, jewelcrafting, mining, herbalism, tailoring.
Considering his current circumstances, Rowan decided to put points into engineering first. It would certainly be a great help in building his steam engine.
That proved to be the case. Engineering contained a wealth of knowledge and data on manufacturing machinery. Rowan spent 1,200 emotion points in the System Shop to purchase twelve engineering skill books. Once he had finished allocating the engineering points, another notification appeared.
The system displayed some additional information.
Engineering skill points: 12. The host has gained novice artisan craft. Mechanical knowledge will expand automatically based on the scientific theories the host has mastered. Engineering item unlocked: Sharphead Pickaxe (a new type of mining tool that increases mining efficiency by 200%).
After exchanging his points for engineering skill points, Rowan's understanding of steam-powered machinery had undeniably become clearer and more practiced. He discovered that the problems he had faced earlier could now be readily solved, and it took him just half an hour to finish the steam engine's plans.
Moreover, this was not an experimental model, but a steam engine genuinely suited to the ship's draft and hull structure.
The system's value exceeded Rowan's expectations. The system in his mind did not merely provide preset items and attributes; it could extrapolate from the scientific theories he had mastered. In other words, the more Rowan knew, the more useful the system became.
Looks like no matter what world you travel to, you really need to study hard before you go.
"Jenny, it's time for bed." Rowan put away the completed plans and patted Jenny on the shoulder.
Jenny rubbed her eyes and said sleepily, "Young master, I've already made your bed."
"Aren't you going to sleep?"
"We only arrived in Morris Town today, and cleaning alone took up half the day. The bedroom downstairs hasn't been cleaned yet, so I'll sleep at the table tonight." Jenny pressed her lips together and smiled.
In aristocratic society, a personal maid generally served her master for life, so no one shied away from certain intimate matters between them. Nobles considered a child's initiation very important, which made a slightly older maid particularly valuable.
Rowan could not accept such behavior at all, but he could not bear to let Jenny spend the night sleeping at the table either.
"Get another quilt. We'll sleep together tonight."
"All right." Jenny nodded happily and went downstairs to fetch a quilt.
Despite sharing a bed with such a beautiful maid, Rowan had not entertained a single improper thought. Looks like I really have become a lot more Zen since traveling to this world.
Jenny prepared breakfast for Rowan early the next morning. After eating, Rowan summoned Byron and Leonard to the town's council hall.
Since Morris Town was a fief of the Norwington Family, the council hall at the Morris Shipyard could also be considered its political center.
The entire town had barely more than a thousand residents. In other words, Rowan was not only the director of the Morris Shipyard, but also served as the village chief.
The council hall was a modest two-story building with only one administrative employee, a thin, middle-aged man responsible for collecting taxes in Morris Town.
It was Rowan's first time seeing such a scrawny tax collector.
"Byron, gather all the blacksmiths in Morris Town at the Administrative Office. If they're unwilling to come, pay each of them a deposit of one gold coin." In Kul Tiras, an ordinary commoner earned no more than five gold coins a year. One gold coin could keep an ordinary family fed and clothed for at least two months.
Even if the blacksmiths would not come out of respect for the mayor, they would have to come for the gold.
Byron took twenty gold coins from Kande and rode toward town.
Good grief, I only earn ten gold coins a year, and now I'm carrying a fortune of twenty gold coins. Should I find a chance to just make a run for it? Byron wrestled fiercely with the temptation. By the time he reached the crossroads leading into town, he remembered the cold prison cells of Tol Dagor. He sucked in a sharp breath and decided that working diligently offered better prospects.
The steel used by the shipyard was delivered as finished material from Ashvane Munitions. The town had neither an iron mine nor a large steel smelting plant.
Building a steam engine, however, required a great deal of well-refined steel. This was the second problem Rowan needed to solve.
"Kande, can you still get in touch with Ashvane's merchants' guild?" Rowan thought that although Lady Ashvane was a major villain, Ashvane Munitions was a professional operation. Buying finished steel directly from Ashvane would be more convenient than smelting it himself.
Kande shook his head regretfully. "The steel the shipyard uses came from this year's final order. Ashvane Munitions only supplies us with one shipment a year."
"Only one shipment a year? Then what happens if pirates raid the ships?" Rowan pressed.
As the largest family in Boralus, the Norwington Family surely had contingency measures in place. Pirates had run rampant in recent years, and merchant ships were frequently plundered.
"If pirates seize our cargo, our only option is to buy iron ore from Norwington Estate and smelt it ourselves," Kande replied.
At the mention of smelting their own iron ore, Rowan's eyes lit up.
"We have our own smelting plant too?"
Kande nodded. "Our smelting plant is below Whitewater Forest on North Mountain, right beside the Blackstone Mine."
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