Chapter 190: A Provincial Electrician Throws Lucian’s Design in the Trash

The Northern Guild’s engineering hall in Frostwind smelled of pine oil, machine grease, and coal smoke.

Two network maps lay on an oilcloth-covered table.

Lucian’s used straight lines, balanced circles, and immaculate geometry. The guild’s looked like a spiderweb after a bar fight.

“It’s ugly,” he said.

Bronn folded his arms. He had thirty-seven years of work in these mountains, soot in the creases of his hands, and very little patience left for the first drawing.

“It survives winter.” Lucian took out his pencil.

“If we increase the central capacitor capacity and reinforce the main cable insulation—”

“Northern winter doesn’t read your theory books.” Bronn tapped a straight line. “The frozen ley beds surge unpredictably every November. Coal production also goes up. Some districts draw four times the load.”

His finger moved to a gorge.

“Howling Devil Pass. Closed by snow for four weeks. If this central station fails, nobody from the capital gets a replacement through.”

He tapped his own drawing.

“We split the network into small islands. Station Eight goes down, Village Nine disconnects and runs on the local coal plant until the road opens.”

Lucian followed the tangled branches. “Efficiency loss?”

“About seventeen percentage points against your design under normal load.”

Lucian closed his eyes. “Seventeen.”

“In return, the villagers don’t freeze.” Lucian tipped his face toward the ceiling. “My margins.”

Eleanor nudged him. “Lucian.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“I’m observing a period of mourning.”

Evelyn loaded the winter survey and local demand records into her laptop. The comparison finished a moment later.

[NORTHERN WINTER STRESS TEST]

Vance Central Matrix:

Average efficiency: 91.2%.

Three-province blackout in tested storm scenarios: 84%.

Northern Guild Mesh:

Average efficiency: 74.3%.

Local essential supply maintained in tested scenarios: 99.1%.

[HOST’S INTELLECTUAL INJURY]

Defeated by a provincial electrician with thirty-seven years of field experience.

Recovery: Possible.

Lucian stared at the eighty-four percent.

Then he drew a firm diagonal line through his map and handed Bronn’s to the secretary.

“Use theirs.”

Ten minutes later, he and Eleanor stood on the upstairs balcony. Early snow drifted past the pines.

“You lost,” she said.

“I acquired exclusive field data at no cost.” “You lost.”

“Asset acquisition.” “You lost.”

He turned toward her.

“I can withdraw from our engagement, you know.” Eleanor touched the snow-rose pin on his coat. “You can. You’ll still have lost.”

Lucian sighed into the cold air.

Back inside, he rewrote the procurement requirements.

The provinces would no longer have to follow his master layout. They would meet common safety and connection standards; their own authorities and guilds would decide the internal arrange-ment.

The eastern engineers had already improved one of his relay designs. Bronn had demonstrated that merely improving the components wasn’t enough. Some regions needed a different network.

Lucian signed the change.

Outside the hall, apprentices began telling one another that he had deliberately submitted a bad design to test their teacher’s courage.

He heard them through the door.

“WHY WON’T ANYONE BELIEVE I JUST GOT IT WRONG?”

Bronn collected the approved plan and rested a hand briefly on Lucian’s shoulder.

“You don’t live here. Let the people who do build the system they have to live with.”

Lucian looked at him. “Fair.”

Evelyn’s tablet shrieked.

Red indicators spread along the southern coast.

[REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE ALERT]

Southern Coast Grid.

Local configuration fault suspected. CASCADE IN PROGRESS.

She pulled the lollipop from her mouth. “There it is.”

Lucian looked at the disappearing lights. “The human-error part?”

“The human-error part.”