Luis and Rafael spent the entire day in the workshop.
Practically without stopping.
Both were completely immersed in the steam engine project.
Papers piled up across the table.
Drawings of cylinders.
Valve diagrams.
Pressure calculations.
Parts being redesigned multiple times.
They only paused when their bodies truly demanded it: a little water, some quick bread, a few minutes to rest their eyes.
Aside from that, the work continued.
Rafael was impressed.
The further they advanced in the project, the more he realized that this was not merely a bold idea.
It was a real project.
A functional machine.
By the end of the afternoon, Luis already had several pages of specifications.
And he knew exactly what the next step would be.
During dinner that night, Luis went straight to the point.
He had barely finished sitting down when he spoke.
"Father."
Augusto looked up.
"Yes?"
Luis spoke firmly.
"I need funding."
The table fell silent for a moment.
Helena discreetly raised her gaze.
Augusto frowned.
"Funding?"
Luis nodded.
"And I'll also need Miguel to work with me for a while."
Augusto looked at his son for several seconds.
Then he slowly relaxed back in his chair.
In truth, this did not surprise him as much as it might have.
Over the past few days, he had already noticed that Luis's project was much larger than he had initially imagined.
And the previous night, Helena had mentioned something.
Not in detail.
But enough.
She had said that Luis was frustrated because he could not obtain a fundamental component of the project.
Augusto tried to find out more.
But Helena had simply smiled and said:
"If Luis wants to tell you, he will."
And she refused to reveal anything else.
That had only increased Augusto's curiosity.
But it had also awakened something else.
Respect.
If his son wanted to reveal everything only when it was ready…
He would allow it.
After several seconds of silence, Augusto nodded.
"Very well."
Luis raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Really?"
Augusto replied calmly.
"Yes."
He picked up his glass of wine.
"But I expect to see results."
Luis smiled.
"You will."
The next morning, Augusto called Miguel to the office.
Miguel entered calmly.
"You asked to see me, sir?"
Augusto nodded.
"Yes."
He folded his hands on the desk.
"Luis needs help."
Miguel tilted his head slightly.
"Help with what?"
Augusto shrugged.
"I'm not entirely sure."
Miguel frowned.
"You don't know?"
Augusto let out a small laugh.
"Apparently it's a secret."
Miguel looked even more confused.
Augusto continued:
"But he asked for funding… and he asked for you to help him."
Miguel thought for a few seconds.
Then he nodded.
"If the young master needs me… I will help."
Augusto smiled.
"I expected you would say that."
Shortly afterward, Miguel arrived at the workshop.
Luis and Rafael were waiting.
The table was covered with papers.
Drawings.
Notes.
Specifications.
"Mr. Miguel," Rafael said.
Miguel looked around.
"So… what exactly are you doing here?"
Luis took a deep breath.
"I'll explain."
And he did.
First about the sawmill.
Then about the automated system.
And finally about the steam engine.
Miguel listened in silence.
At first he seemed merely curious.
Then he became surprised.
And as Luis continued explaining…
The butler began to look increasingly incredulous.
When Luis finished, Miguel remained silent for several seconds.
"Young master…"
He looked at Rafael.
Then back at Luis.
"You're trying to build… all of this?"
Luis nodded.
"Yes."
Miguel rubbed his face.
"This is… enormous."
Luis then explained the problem.
"We need a steam engine."
He opened another set of papers.
"So we designed one."
Miguel looked at the drawings.
Page after page of parts.
Measurements.
Materials.
Specifications.
Luis separated several documents and handed them to Miguel.
"I need you to find people who can produce these parts."
Miguel began flipping through the papers.
And his eyes slowly widened.
"This is… a lot."
Luis simply replied:
"I know."
In the end, Miguel needed help.
A lot of help.
He took Matheus with him.
And two more employees from the estate.
For two entire days, they traveled across practically the entire capital.
Metal workshops.
Foundries.
Industrial parts manufacturers.
Small mechanical engineers.
Specialized blacksmiths.
Some parts would need to be cast.
Others machined.
Some required unusual precision for the standards of that time.
Miguel even doubted they would be able to find all the necessary suppliers.
But little by little…
Answers began to appear.
A foundry here.
A valve manufacturer there.
A mechanic capable of working with cylinders.
At the end of the second day, Miguel returned to the estate completely exhausted.
But also with good news.
All the parts had been ordered.
He placed the papers on the workshop table.
"It took time…" he said.
Luis looked up.
"So?"
Miguel took a deep breath.
"All the parts will be ready in two weeks."
Rafael held his breath.
Miguel continued:
"And they will be delivered here in three weeks."
For a moment, no one said anything.
Then Rafael began to laugh.
Matheus raised his arms.
"This is really going to happen."
Luis simply smiled.
Because now…
There was no turning back.