Four days after all the parts arrived, everything was ready.
The new sawmill was complete.
The machine had been assembled.
The systems tested.
The workers trained.
Now only one thing remained.
The inauguration.
That morning, a considerable group of people had gathered near the new building.
Augusto and Helena were present.
Miguel was there as well, accompanied by Maria, Matheus, and Teresa.
Some of the housemaids watched with curiosity.
Lucas, the foreman responsible for the plantations, was also there.
And even Joaquim, the captain of the estate's guard, had come, accompanied by two of his men.
That was unusual.
The guards were usually busy.
With a property of that size, their patrols began early and ended late. The area they had to watch stretched from the main house to the very last meter of farmland.
Even though there were fifteen guards in total—sixteen counting Joaquim—they rarely had time to remain near the main house.
But that day…
Everyone wanted to see what Luis had built.
During the entire past month, that place had turned into a true construction site.
Wagons arriving.
Workers carrying wood and metal.
The constant sound of hammers.
And, of course…
The young master disappearing daily inside the building.
Naturally, everyone's curiosity had grown.
Now they would finally see the result.
Luis stood beside Rafael and the sawmill workers.
He looked at the gathered group.
There was excitement in the air.
But also a great deal of expectation.
Luis took a deep breath.
"Thank you for coming."
He made a small gesture toward the new building.
"Over the last month we have been working on something that I believe will greatly improve the operation of the estate's sawmill."
Augusto crossed his arms, watching with a small smile.
Luis continued:
"Today I will show you the result."
He opened the doors.
"Please follow me."
The group entered.
As soon as they stepped inside, people began looking around.
The interior was completely different from the old sawmill.
The space was large.
Well organized.
Each area had a specific function.
Luis began guiding the group.
"Here we have the raw timber storage area."
Some workers demonstrated how the logs would be organized.
Then they moved to another section.
"This is the wood preparation area before cutting."
Augusto observed everything carefully.
Each new room revealed something he had not imagined.
An area for tools.
A maintenance area.
A small rest room for the workers.
Even a space dedicated to meals.
Augusto was truly impressed.
"Luis…"
He looked around.
"You thought of everything."
The sawmill workers also gave small demonstrations.
They showed how the wood would be transported.
How the tools would be organized.
How the workflow would function.
Everything seemed… extremely efficient.
But there was one thing Luis was clearly avoiding.
A large door at the back of the building.
Augusto noticed.
"And that?"
Luis smiled.
"That…"
He walked toward the door.
"Is the heart of the sawmill."
Luis opened the door.
Everyone entered.
And immediately fell silent.
The engine room was enormous.
The space was clean.
Organized.
Metal structures gleamed under the light that entered through the tall windows.
Pipes.
Pulleys.
Belts.
And in the center of it all…
The machine.
Large.
Imposing.
With metal cylinders, valves, shafts, and wheels carefully aligned.
For people of that time, it looked almost futuristic.
Helena brought a hand to her mouth.
"My God…"
Maria began pointing to different parts of the machine while speaking excitedly with Teresa.
"Look at this!"
Teresa watched everything with shining eyes.
Miguel stood completely still.
He had already seen the drawings.
But seeing it built…
Was something entirely different.
Augusto was also silent.
Watching.
Absorbing.
Because until that moment, he truly did not know what his son had created.
Luis walked to the front of the machine.
"This is the new steam engine of the sawmill."
He began explaining some basic parts.
The boiler.
The main cylinder.
The power transmission system.
Rafael watched with pride.
Because although Luis had led the project, he had also put a great deal of work into it.
Luis then looked at the workers.
"Let's begin."
One of the men started the process of heating the boiler.
A few minutes later…
The machine began to come to life.
First, a soft hiss.
Then the slow movement of a wheel.
Soon the main shaft began to turn.
The belts started moving.
The saws began operating.
A worker placed a log into the feeding system.
The wood moved forward slowly.
The saw cut with precision.
A perfect board came out the other side.
Silence filled the room for a few seconds.
Then some people began murmuring in admiration.
Augusto was looking at the machine.
Then at his son.
And at that moment…
A huge smile appeared on his face.
So large it seemed it might escape his face entirely.
Because he finally understood.
Luis had not merely renovated the sawmill.
He had created something completely new.