"Cough, cough, cough..." The old blacksmith was led away, still coughing.
"Nicole, get some medicine from the inner treasury for the old blacksmith. And make sure to explain how to use it." Lucas turned and instructed Nicole. For someone like the old blacksmith, who was willing to risk his life for him, he was completely willing to spare no expense.
"Understood," Nicole nodded.
"What's your name?" Lucas asked the old blacksmith's son. He realized he didn't actually know him.
"This lowly one is named Cody," The old blacksmith's son replied hastily.
"Cody, your father is too exhausted. You will take over this project starting now," Lucas said with a faint smile. He was promoting Cody to be the new person in charge.
"Yes!" Cody replied respectfully.
"With this steam engine, I want you to also research how to use it as a power source for ships," Lucas said calmly. Trains were impossible for now.
Even if he did manage to build a train, he would first have to eliminate all his enemies or build an unassailable reputation so that no one dared to provoke him. Only then could he lay tracks. Otherwise, he'd genuinely be worried about tons and tons of iron rails being stolen.
"On ships?" Cody asked, confused.
"Like this..." Lucas motioned for Annie to take out her notepad. He then sketched on it, roughly drawing a propeller and explaining its working principle.
"Huh?" Cody was astonished. He turned to look at the spinning steam engine, lost in thought. He felt as if he had just grasped a spark of inspiration.
"I'll have someone send over the detailed blueprints and principles. Your primary task is to adapt this steam engine for use on ships, and also as a power source..." Lucas went on to explain the steam engine's broader role as a power source.
Steam engines could be used for mining transport. No more manual labor struggling to haul ore out of the mine shafts; as long as rails were laid, ore could be easily pulled from the mines.
It could also be used in workshops. The steam engine could completely replace water power, and it would be faster and more stable. It could also be used for construction transport, hoisting cement, stones, and other materials to the upper floors of buildings.
Once Sedona City had steam engines, his previous worries about labor shortages would be cut by more than half. The territory's development would multiply several times over.
But the most game-changing application was ships. The appearance of the steamboat meant the obsolescence of sail-powered vessels. A self-propelled ship was far, far faster than one that had to rely on the wind.
"Yes! This subordinate will create a stable steam engine as soon as possible!" Cody said respectfully. The pressure hit him instantly, but it also filled him with excitement.
"I'll have someone send your reward," Lucas said, striding toward the exit. "And make sure you get more rest."
"Yes!" Cody watched them leave, deeply moved.
"Work hard. This is the first time I've ever seen the Master focus so heavily on something," Henry said, patting Cody's shoulder before hurrying to catch up.
Tap, tap, tap...
"Take me to the carriage area," Lucas said lightly. He wasn't referring to just any carriages, but to the workshop that was researching axles and bearings.
Carriages in this era didn't have bearings. They just used a round hole stuffed with animal hide or, at best, fixed with an iron ring.
The difference between having bearings and not having them was all about effort. A horse pulling a carriage with bearings could pull several times more cargo than one without, and it would be faster.
If it weren't for the poor roads in Sedona City, if they were all paved with cement, a carriage with proper bearings could absolutely pull several tons of cargo.
"Yes." Henry immediately led the way.
Soon, the group arrived outside a courtyard. A dozen carriages were parked at the entrance, all of them four-wheeled.
"Oh? It seems the research was very successful," Lucas raised an eyebrow, looking at the four-wheeled carriages. These were all designed for hauling cargo, meant to replace the two-wheeled carts currently used in the city.
Tap, tap, tap...
A person rushed out of the courtyard and bowed hastily. "City Lord!"
"Are you the person in charge here?" Lucas asked lightly.
"That would be this subordinate," The man replied, clearly nervous. His voice even cracked slightly.
"Have you figured out the bearings?" Lucas asked calmly. Building the carriage frame wasn't hard; the difficulty was in the wheels, especially the load-bearing axle system.
"My Lord, the roller bearings have completed testing and are now in the production phase!" The man in charge replied quickly.
"What's the output?" Lucas was quite surprised. They had managed to create roller bearings so quickly. It made him re-evaluate the technicians in his R&D department. Do people who are blank slates just learn faster? Or are they simply more hardworking?
"We can only produce six roller bearings a day," The man said cautiously.
"Why so few?" Lucas frowned. That number was tiny. He needed thousands of carriages, not just a few. This couldn't be considered mass production at all.
"My Lord, they're handmade. This is our absolute limit," The man said awkwardly, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Handmade?" Lucas understood instantly. No wonder the output was so low. He immediately thought of the steam engine. With a steam engine as a power source, many labor-intensive tasks could be automated, like coiling iron chains.
"Continue production. In a few days, I'll transfer a machine over to help," Lucas said with a wave of his hand.
"Yes!" The man in charge sighed in relief. He had been afraid the City Lord was going to blame him.
"These carriages... fix up a few of them with better interiors," Lucas said, suddenly having an idea.
"May I ask what level of quality, City Lord?" The man asked cautiously. "There are several levels of carriages, with the City Lord's being the top tier, and then there are simple wooden plank carriages..."
"Build ten of them, at half the luxury level of my own carriage," Lucas said lightly. He had decided to create a carriage brand. An other-world version of a car? No, an other-world version of a carriage brand.
"Yes," The person in charge replied respectfully.
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