Clatter, clatter... The carriage sped along, quickly leaving Sedona City and heading toward the military-controlled zone.
Inside the carriage, Lucas turned to look at the somewhat reserved dwarf, Euphy, and asked, "Euphy, how are your studies going?"
"Q-Quite well," Euphy said in a tiny voice. Without her familiar acquaintances like Dahlia, Catherine, and Lucy around, she felt a bit shy.
"Don't just stay cooped up in the Research Department all the time. You can stroll around the city. Catherine is currently practicing her musical instruments; you could go listen to some music," Lucas smiled warmly and added, "Or you could go find Lucy. She's writing a novel, and you could offer her some feedback."
As for the leopard-eared girl, Jones, she and Rhea had recently been learning some ultra-modern skills from the special forces, such as setting traps, camouflage, and long-range sniping. Everyone in the castle was busy; the only times they saw each other during the day were at meals and at night.
"I-I understand," Euphy replied softly.
In truth, she suffered from a bit of an inferiority complex. Having grown up in human kingdoms, her peers were always taller than her. She felt insecure about her height, especially when faced with the strange looks from people around her.
"Don't be nervous, we are all family here," Nicole said, putting an arm around Euphy's shoulders to comfort her. "In the castle, there are all sorts of beastkin, elves. Everyone gets along harmoniously."
"Th-Thank you," Euphy whispered. Her tense body visibly relaxed, losing its initial stiffness.
"..." Lucas secretly gave Nicole a thumbs-up. The harmonious atmosphere in the castle truly couldn't exist without Nicole's gentle nature; she was always smoothing things over behind the scenes.
"My Lord, we have arrived," Chris called out from outside the carriage.
"Let's head down." Lucas stood up and exited the carriage. Ahead of him, he saw a large number of soldiers forming a perimeter, vigilantly keeping watch over their surroundings.
"This is the military training ground?" Annie asked in astonishment, scanning the area to see nothing but soldiers.
The military training ground was the designated area for soldiers to test new weapons. Whenever the Research Department came up with new inventions, they handed them over to the military for testing. For instance, the previous steam engine explosion experiments were conducted here to test the engine's absolute limits and determine the exact point of catastrophic failure. During that time, loud booms frequently echoed from the testing ground.
"Let's go take a look." Lucas strode toward the river channel, which was located right inside the military zone.
As the group drew closer, they saw a bizarre-looking ship resting in the water. It was a massive 50-meter vessel, but it lacked the traditional forecastle and aftcastle. It had no sails and no oars. Instead, it featured a massive smokestack over a meter wide, and it currently sat quietly in the river.
On board the ship, Cody was leading a final inspection. He was quite nervous; handling something like this for the first time made him more anxious than anyone else.
"Pay attention, everyone. Double-check those connecting joints multiple times. There absolutely cannot be any mistakes, otherwise, it will end in a shipwreck and lost lives," Cody instructed with a stern face.
"Understood," Durin replied. He had recently become obsessed with the steam engine; it was vastly more interesting than basic blacksmithing. He suspected that once he mastered this, he would be even more highly regarded than the Grand Master Craftsmen of the Dwarf Kingdom. This was a true technological revolution.
"Durin, as long as this succeeds today, I will let you independently research modifications to the steam engine," Cody said, patting Durin's shoulder.
He knew his own innate talent wasn't as good as the dwarf father-daughter duo's. He needed to let go and allow them to conduct their own research; that was the best way to repay the City Lord. Besides, he wasn't stupid. He knew Euphy had a good relationship with the City Lord, who had even specifically instructed him to allow her to participate in the Flying Fortress research project.
"Yes!" Durin shouted happily.
"Hurry up and finish the inspection, the City Lord is here." Upon seeing Lucas, Cody hurriedly went to greet him.
"How is it? Is it ready for a test voyage?" Lucas asked, looking around.
It was his first time seeing such a large steamship in person too; previously, he had only seen them in books and as models. The blueprints and models he had provided were for a propeller-driven steamship, rather than the paddle-wheel designs used on Earth during the 18th century.
"It is ready," Cody nodded quickly.
"Go on then. Light the fire and build pressure in the boiler," Lucas waved his hand. For a steamship to move, it relied on steam power, which meant it first needed to generate enough steam. Therefore, the startup sequence would be a bit slow.
"Yes, My Lord." Cody immediately jogged off. Euphy quickly trotted after him, holding a notebook in her hands, looking exactly like an eager student.
"Master, this ship has no sails. How is it going to move?" Annie asked curiously. Looking left and right, she only had one feeling about this ship: it was ugly.
"Just wait and you'll see. Once this ship starts moving, sailboats can be swept straight into the museum," Lucas laughed heartily.
As soon as the steamship made its debut, the waters would become his absolute domain. No one else would be able to catch up to it, and their impact force wouldn't match a steamship's either. He could completely run rampant on the water. In this era, a 50-meter ship was already considered a boss-level vessel; a steamship was a super-boss.
"Master, why don't we get off the ship first? It's going to be too dangerous in a moment," Mina said worriedly. She knew the destructive power of a steam engine explosion; she had witnessed the damage firsthand during the military testing phase.
"Don't worry, it's equipped with pressure release valves. If there's any danger, we can vent the steam," Lucas said softly. He had also studied the steam engine somewhat, understood the core principles, and placed a very high priority on safety.
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