Woooooooo…
Suddenly, the blast of a steam whistle rang out, making everyone around jump in fright. Lucas's smile, however, grew even brighter. The maritime revolution had officially begun.
It was safe to say that from this moment on—for the next ten, twenty, or even fifty years—steamships would be the absolute mainstream.
And the ultimate authority on the water now belonged to Lucas. As long as the core technology wasn't leaked, he would be the supreme overlord of the waters for a very long time.
"How wonderful would it be if this sound were ringing out on iron rails?" Lucas sighed with a smile, feeling a bit greedy.
Although trains were what truly excited people, and land was the main territory he wanted to conquer right now, trains were the ultimate tool for rapidly securing and stabilizing a domain.
Chug, chug, chug…
Thick black smoke was now billowing from the large smokestack.
"My Lord, we are ready to depart!" Cody shouted at the top of his lungs. The steam engine was so deafeningly loud that no one would hear him if he didn't yell.
"Set off!" Lucas shouted, waving his hand.
"Start the engine!" Cody roared.
The primitive, crudely imitated clutch engaged. Accompanied by a sharp hiss that sounded like a surge of electricity, the hull shuddered and began to move.
"Add coal! Hurry up and add coal!" Cody yelled, staring intently at the pressure gauge.
"Yes, sir!" The stokers immediately grabbed their shovels, tossing coal into the furnace scoop after scoop.
Beeeep!!! The steam engine's first routine warning whistle sounded. The stokers immediately began to reduce the amount of coal being fed and pumped water into the boiler.
The steam engine had three levels of warnings. The first was a routine warning, merely serving as a prompt. The second warning was two whistles sounding simultaneously, indicating that the fire in the boiler was too intense and pressure needed to be vented immediately. The third warning was three whistles, meaning the boiler was on the verge of exploding; all pressure release valves had to be thrown open, and everyone needed to evacuate the ship immediately.
Anyone operating the steam engine required specialized training. They were strictly forbidden from drinking alcohol, dozing off on the job, and so on.
Chug, chug, chug... The steamship moved faster and faster until it quickly reached a stable cruising speed. It was already no slower than a galloping horse. This was primarily because it was an empty ship; besides a load of coal, it only carried Lucas and his entourage of about thirty people.
"This speed is acceptable," Lucas said, highly satisfied. With this speed, sailboats wouldn't be able to catch up no matter how hard they tried.
"It's just too loud." Mina covered her ears; the roar of the steam engine was simply deafening.
"It... it's actually moving?" Annie was dumbfounded, staring blankly at the steam engine. How in the world is this thing running?
Lucas couldn't hear the cat-eared girl and the others over the noise, but seeing Mina covering her ears, he understood. The steam engine was indeed incredibly loud. There was nothing to be done about it for now; they could only try to add some soundproofing later.
He waved to Cody, who immediately ran over.
"City lord," Cody greeted nervously.
"Are there any abnormalities with the steam engine?" Lucas asked calmly.
"None so far," Cody quickly replied.
"How is the compound boiler coming along?" Lucas was asking about the steam engine intended for the large transport ships, which would require multiple smokestacks to function.
"City lord, it is already under research." Cody breathed a sigh of relief.
"I will assist you. What I want is a hundred-meter-long ship, one capable of carrying hundreds of people," Lucas said with a stern face.
A massive, hundred-meter-long transport ship. Having just two or three of those could completely revolutionize countless industries and rules. Above all, it was absolutely vital for transporting steel.
"Yes, My Lord," Cody replied respectfully.
"How are Durin and Euphy doing?" Lucas asked, looking up at Euphy, who was running all over the deck. "How much have they learned about the steam engine?"
"City lord, they are geniuses. They understand many concepts the moment they're explained, and they've already mastered most of it. When it comes to handling the ironwork, they are far better than I am," Cody said honestly.
"Then, do you think Durin is up to the task of handling the train project?" Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly.
His desire for trains was even stronger. However, based on their current research progress, a working train this year was out of the question, and they didn't have enough steel anyway.
"Yes, I believe he is. This subordinate had the exact same thought," Cody quickly agreed.
"Then arrange the handover. From now on, you will be in charge of researching the steam engine for the hundred-meter transport ship. I hope to hear good news by the end of the year," Lucas said flatly.
By the end of the year, it would be time for him to march on the Royal Capital. The transportation of troops and provisions would be crucial. Moving over land would consume a massive amount of food, not to mention the potential obstruction from other nobles' territories.
While the waterways were usually slow, having steamships changed everything. Travel speeds could be increased several times over; journeys would no longer be measured in months. Launching a surprise attack via water would be a brilliant move.
Lucas stroked his chin as he pondered. It seems that the invention of the steamship brings far too many advantages.
"Yes, My Lord." Cody instantly felt the pressure. With only a little over half a year left, time was incredibly tight.
"As for Euphy, let her research the Flying Fortress. She's interested in that anyway." Lucas looked at the eager little figure in the distance.
"Understood." Cody knew that the three major engineering projects were now officially divided up.
"Nicole, allocate another five thousand gold coins to the Research Department," Lucas turned and ordered.
The Research Department was currently a massive money sink. Testing many of these inventions was literally like melting gold. For instance, testing a steam boiler to its bursting point blew up dozens of gold coins with every single explosion.
"Understood." Nicole immediately jotted it down. This would factor into future research funding allocations.
"Send an order to Weiss: construction on the hundred-meter ship can begin. Expand the shipyards to five drydocks, and do not halt the production of the fifty-meter ships," Lucas said to Annie.
"Understood," Annie replied seriously.
"Cody, conduct towing weight tests to find the engine's limits, and make improvements accordingly," Lucas issued another command to Cody. "Once it passes inspection, put it into full production immediately. By the end of the year, I want five fifty-meter steamships."
The hundred-meter steamships were meant for ultra-long-distance transport, such as traveling to the sea, whereas the fifty-meter steamships would be needed in large quantities for shorter-distance river routes.
"Yes, My Lord!"
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