Ji Menghan shot to his feet as if lightning had struck him.
If an electric lamp could not tolerate oxygen, then one thing was absolutely non-negotiable—it had to be sealed.
Perfectly sealed.
Traditional lampshades were immediately crossed off his list. Those things leaked air like sieves. They were fine for oil lamps and candles, but utterly useless for this.
So the question became simple.
What material could block air completely?
Ji Menghan's eyes lit up.
Glass.
Only glass would do.
Gao Family Village already possessed a mature glassworks. Not only could they produce massive windowpanes large enough to make wealthy households gasp, they also turned out glass cups, bottles, jars, and all manner of daily goods with impressive consistency.
Without wasting another breath, Ji Menghan rushed straight into the glass shop and bought a round-bodied, narrow-necked glass bottle.
Holding it up to the light, he examined it from every angle.
The shape was good.
The thickness was acceptable.
The transparency—excellent.
Now came the real problem.
How was he supposed to remove the air inside it?
Ji Menghan stared at the bottle.
And stared.
And stared some more.
This was no trivial problem.
He tried sealing it quickly. Failed.
He tried heating and cooling tricks. Failed.
He tried asking craftsmen. They scratched their heads.
Days passed.
Then weeks.
His research hit a wall.
One afternoon, Ji Menghan wandered aimlessly along the edge of a field, his mind still tangled in thoughts of air pressure and sealing methods, when a low, rhythmic rumble caught his attention.
He turned his head.
Not far away, Gao Family Village's steam-powered water pump was hard at work, its iron body chugging steadily as it drew water from the flooded fields and expelled it elsewhere.
Ji Menghan froze.
Then his pupils shrank.
A spark flared in his mind.
"Wait a moment…"
He slapped his thigh.
"What if I fill the glass bottle with water first—completely full—so there's no air inside at all," he muttered rapidly. "Then, use a powerful machine to pump the water out?"
His thoughts raced.
"A small force wouldn't work, but a water pump like that? It just might. If the water is extracted while the bottle remains sealed, then once the water is gone… there would naturally be no air left inside."
The more he thought about it, the brighter his eyes became.
The logic was sound.
But the execution?
Nightmarish.
The pump's suction hose wasn't perfectly airtight.
As water was drawn out, air would inevitably seep back in.
He'd also need a method to seal the bottle instantaneously the moment the water was gone.
One delay.
One leak.
And the entire attempt would fail.
In short—
A mountain of problems.
But Ji Menghan didn't retreat.
Not even for a second.
"How could the son of a lantern maker fail to create a proper lamp?" he muttered fiercely.
If this failed, he would simply try again.
And again.
And again.
—
Meanwhile—
The first section of the West Yan Railway was finally complete.
The stretch from Xi'an to Sanyuan County extended over sixty li, crossing plains, rivers, and painstakingly leveled terrain. The cost alone made treasurers break into cold sweat.
And today—
At long last—
It was time for the inaugural test run.
Xi'an North Station bustled with people.
Zhu Cunji, the Prince of Qin's heir apparent, stood proudly on the platform, flanked by his principal consort, several secondary consorts, concubines, and an imposing guard detail.
Nearby stood Wu Shen, Shi Kefa, the Prefect of Xi'an, and a host of other civil and military officials.
Naturally, there were also stewards representing the imperial relatives and noble houses who had invested alongside Zhu Cunji in the railway.
These people had been waiting a long time.
Every extra day before opening was silver slipping through their fingers.
Zhu Cunji gazed at the black iron behemoth before him—the locomotive—and his face practically glowed.
"Do you all see it?" he declared loudly. "This train is mine!"
He laughed uproariously.
"I commissioned it for fifty thousand taels of silver and personally named it—the Cunji! Hahahahaha!"
Wu Shen muttered under his breath, "What a tasteless name."
"I heard that!" Zhu Cunji snapped, jabbing a finger toward Wu Shen. "You rotten civil official, don't test me! I invited you here out of generosity—don't stand there muttering nonsense!"
Wu Shen immediately shut his mouth.
Zhu Cunji swept his gaze across the crowd and spread his arms grandly.
"Today, we shall all ride this magnificent vehicle to Sanyuan County!" he proclaimed. "Who agrees? And who dares to object?"
Shi Kefa immediately stepped forward.
"This humble official objects!" he said firmly. "According to the ancestral laws of our dynasty, a prince may not leave his fiefdom. Your Royal Highness, traveling to Sanyuan County would constitute a capital offense."
"But Sanyuan County is right there!" Zhu Cunji protested. "I'll go and return immediately!"
"Absolutely not," Shi Kefa replied, shaking his head.
Zhu Cunji fell silent.
He looked around.
Every civil official was staring at him.
This was exactly why he had invited them—to force approval through sheer presence. If he went without their consent, such a grand event could never be hidden. Reports would fly to the capital like arrows.
Persuasion was his only path.
Zhu Cunji raised his hands solemnly.
"I know princes are forbidden from leaving their fiefdoms, to prevent rebellion," he said earnestly. "So today, I swear before Dao Xuan Tianzhun—if I harbor even the slightest rebellious intent, may Dao Xuan Tianzhun cast down a great bridge and strike me dead!"
The officials were stunned.
That oath was…
Uncomfortably vivid.
Seeing no reaction, Zhu Cunji suddenly wailed theatrically.
"Dao Xuan Tianzhun, save me! Please reveal your divine might and tell these officials to let me go! Let me go! I want to ride my own train!"
Dao Xuan Tianzhun, of course, paid him absolutely no attention.
Divine beings had standards.
At that moment, Wang Tang stepped out from the crowd.
"Your Royal Highness," he said calmly, "the great bridge bestowed by Dao Xuan Tianzhun has not yet been tested under train weight. Are you truly certain you wish to ride on it?"
Zhu Cunji's face drained of color.
"T-that… a divine artifact granted by Dao Xuan Tianzhun… how could it possibly fail to support… a mortal machine?"
Wang Tang smiled faintly.
"Dao Xuan Tianzhun enjoys playing among mortals. Not every divine artifact is flawless. Even our Gao Family Village's solar public vehicles—also divine conveyances—occasionally end up flipped in ditches."
Zhu Cunji's face turned deathly pale.
"A-ah? Well… um… hmm… cough cough…"
He straightened abruptly.
"Upon careful reflection, this prince believes ancestral laws must absolutely not be violated! Princes must remain within their fiefdoms—this rule must be upheld!"
Wu Shen snorted.
"Coward."
Laughing, he boarded the train.
Shi Kefa followed, then the officials, then the shareholders' stewards.
Soon, only Zhu Cunji, his wives, and his guards remained on the platform, staring blankly as the Cunji let out a long whistle and began chugging northward.
"Quick!" Zhu Cunji shouted. "Ride ahead! Check if it crosses the Wei River safely!"
The guards spurred their horses.
Warhorses of this era were no slower than trains, and twenty li was nothing. They soon overtook the locomotive and reached the Wei River first.
There, they watched as the great train rolled steadily onto the magnificent bridge.
Windows opened.
Heads poked out.
Breaths were held.
But nothing went wrong.
The Cunji crossed smoothly, thundered off toward Sanyuan County, and vanished into the distance.
The West Yan Railway was officially open.
When Zhu Cunji received the news, he nearly danced.
"Hahahahaha! Sell tickets! Sell tickets!"
"Announce it immediately! Tickets from Xi'an to Sanyuan County go on sale tomorrow!"
"Third class—one hundred copper coins!"
"Second class—five hundred!"
"First class—one tael of silver!"
"Luxury carriages—five taels!"
"I'm going to make a fortune!"
"A massive fortune!"
"Hahahahahahaha!"