Suina was stunned for a moment, then seemed to guess something.
"Do you mean... like the waterwheels in the mill by our Tribe's river?"
"Exactly, but not entirely."
Wu Liang smiled.
"The power of a waterwheel is too small. What I want is power that can drive dozens, or even hundreds of machines!"
He picked up a pen and drew a huge symbol on the map.
"I want to build a dam here!"
"A dam?"
"Yes, a cement dam that can cut off the entire river!"
A crazy and fiery light flickered in Wu Liang's eyes.
"We will accumulate all the upstream water to form a huge artificial lake. Then, through pre-installed pipes, we'll let the immense water pressure strike something called a Water Turbine."
"You can imagine it as a super waterwheel with ten thousand times the efficiency."
As Wu Liang spoke, he quickly sketched on a piece of paper nearby.
"The power it generates when it spins is enough to drive a Generator more powerful than a steam engine!"
"Then, through wires, we can transport this 'electricity' to anywhere we need!"
"Whether it's a mine hundreds of miles away or every household in the Tribe!"
Water Turbines! Generators! Electricity! Wires!
A series of unheard-of terms completely dazed Suina.
"Liang... can... can this really be done?" Suina's voice was trembling.
"Of course it can."
Wu Liang nodded.
"However, this project needs careful long-term planning. We'll set up the project first; as for when construction starts, we'll wait until the time is ripe!"
"Understood."
...The optimization of the steam engine had been ongoing. During a technical meeting at the Military Workshop, a new problem was raised.
"Chief, our new generation of steam engines has hit a bottleneck in terms of sealing."
An Artisan responsible for steam engine manufacturing reported.
"We are currently using oil-soaked leather and hemp rope as sealing rings."
"But under higher pressure and temperature, they quickly age and fail."
"This leads to steam leakage and a drop in power."
Wu Liang frowned.
This was an unavoidable problem.
In industrial development, materials must come first.
Sealing technology is the key to high-pressure vessels and precision machinery.
Leather and hemp rope were, after all, only primitive substitutes.
He needed a material that was resistant to high temperatures and high pressure, yet remained elastic.
rubber.
It was the most economical and effective material for sealing.
"I know. I know of a special kind of tree."
Wu Liang said to everyone present.
"When its bark is cut, it flows with a white, viscous sap."
"Once processed, this sap turns into something very elastic that is waterproof and very wear-resistant."
He described the appearance of the rubber tree in detail, as well as the typical characteristics of the Hevea brasiliensis.
The Artisans present looked at each other in dismay; they had never heard of such a magical tree.
Just as Wu Liang was about to have Sa Lan's Scout Battalion keep an eye out for this plant while prospecting for minerals, a voice suddenly rang out.
"Wu Liang, I think I've seen the tree you're talking about."
The one speaking was Akomann.
She had just returned with the exploration team to attend this meeting.
Everyone's gaze instantly focused on her.
"Oh? Where have you seen it?"
Wu Liang's spirits rose.
"Further south of the Wailing Swamp, in a rainforest."
Akomann recalled.
"It was once when we were being chased by a high-level magic beast, a Hydra, and we accidentally entered that rainforest."
Her expression became somewhat serious:
"The trees there are very strange. Many of them are just as you described, Chief, flowing with white sap."
"But... it's very dangerous there."
"Dangerous?"
"In that rainforest, there are not only powerful magic beasts but also... other races."
Akomann said each word deliberately.
"We saw a large number of Tribes built with crude wood and stone."
"Judging by the tracks, they should be Goblins and Orcs."
Goblins? Orcs?
The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly became heavy.
For the Tribes of the Great Desolate Mountain, magic beasts were terrifying.
But they lacked wisdom; as long as one's strength was sufficient, they could always be defeated.
However, Goblin and Orc races were an entirely different concept.
"We didn't disturb them at the time; we just observed from a distance."
Wu Liang fell silent.
He walked to the map, his gaze falling on the unknown area Akomann had mentioned, located at the southernmost tip of the Great Desolate Mountain.
rubber... this thing was too important for his industrial plans.
Whether it was for sealing steam engines or the future manufacturing of tires and wire insulation, he couldn't do without it.
But for its sake, was it worth provoking two races of unknown numbers and strength right now?
Wu Liang's fingers tapped gently on the map.
No, now was not the time.
Although the Black Rock Tribe was developing rapidly, its foundation was still too thin.
New steel production capacity hadn't come online yet, and more advanced muskets and cannons were still on the blueprints.
Starting a racial war now was too risky.
Eat one bite at a time, walk one step at a time.
"I understand."
Wu Liang looked up and made a decision.
"Akomann, mark the location of that rainforest on the map for me."
"Sa Lan, notify all scouts not to enter that area for the time being."
"Let's put the matter of rubber aside for now."
His gaze swept over everyone.
"Our most important task right now is still to solidify the Tribe's basic infrastructure. When our strength is greater, we'll bring this up again."
He needed time.
Once the muskets and cannons were built and the magic teams were developed to a certain scale... at that time, mere Goblins and Orcs wouldn't be worth mentioning.
While heavy industry was advancing at full speed, Wu Liang also put some seemingly insignificant but equally important small things on his agenda.
On this day, he sought out Alesha, who was in charge of the Tribe's medical care.
Alesha was still that gentle, water-like figure.
She was in the herbal research lab, leading a few girls in classifying, grinding, and preparing various herbs.
Using modern medical concepts, she had created very effective wound medicines.
And she had begun to try using distillation to purify the active ingredients in the herbs.
The Tribe's disease rate and the army's casualty rate had both dropped significantly.
"Liang, why are you here?"
Seeing Wu Liang, Alesha put down the stone mortar and greeted him gently.
She reached out and carefully wiped the sweat from Wu Liang's forehead with her sleeve.
She carried a faint fragrance of herbs, which brought peace to one's mind upon smelling it.
"I've come to see our Chief Physician."
Wu Liang smiled and took her hand.
"How have you been lately? Is work going smoothly?"
"Yes, everything is going very smoothly."
Alesha said softly.
"The knowledge you taught me is very effective. Now, when treating wounds, very few people get inflammation or high fevers."
"And the penicillin, I cultivated it on moldy bread according to your method."
"Now it seems I've actually obtained something. I tried it on a few injured rabbits, and the effect was very good."
"Oh?"
Wu Liang was somewhat surprised.
He had only provided the original idea for discovering penicillin; he hadn't expected Alesha to actually figure it out on her own.
Although the purity and yield were certainly extremely low, this was undoubtedly a huge breakthrough.
"You're truly a genius, Alesha."
Wu Liang praised her sincerely.
Alesha was a bit embarrassed by his praise, her cheeks turning slightly red:
"It's all because you taught me well."
"It's just... I always feel like we're still missing something."
"Missing what?"
"Something to assist in observation, I can't quite put it into words."
Alesha looked up and spoke seriously.
"You told me that many diseases are caused by things called bacteria and viruses."
"But... if we can't see them, we can't truly understand them, nor can we find a way to completely kill them."
Wu Liang smiled.
"You and I are thinking the same thing. Don't worry, I came here today to talk to you about exactly that."
Wu Liang pulled a blueprint from his robe.
"This is..."
Alesha took it curiously.
A strange device was drawn on the blueprint.
It had a base, a lens tube, and several rotatable discs embedded with some kind of crystal.
"This, I call a microscope."