Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence - Chapter 501 - 309: Steam Constructs (Part 2)

Chapter 501: Chapter 309: Steam Constructs (Part 2)

Louis did not express an opinion, he just nodded lightly and slowly turned to look at Hamilton: “Did you also participate in this one?”

“Uh, I only assisted with calibration on this one.” The young man answered shyly, his voice not loud, “I adjusted the gear ratio of the blower intake valve to make the wind flow more smooth…”

Mike couldn’t help but add from the side: “Don’t be fooled by his modesty. He drew the blueprints for several key parameters! I never thought it could be tuned so precisely!”

“Very good.” Louis simply commented.

Yet it made Hamilton’s shoulder tremble, and his ears turned red again.

Louis seemed not to notice, he just slightly nodded: “Isn’t there another machine? Take me to see it.”

Then Mike led everyone backwards, it was a well house made of brick and stone, the walls were mottled, and the top was covered with iron sheets.

Upon opening the door, the steam pump was already operating at full speed, the piston rose and fell with a distinct rhythm.

Thick copper pipes spiraled upward along the wall, the sound of water roared, an iron pipe surged from the bottom of the well and connected to an overhead water tank, the clear water flowed like a silver snake, gushing out, shining softly in the morning light.

“This one… I designed the most.” Hamilton mustered the courage to speak, slightly shyly.

“I readjusted the flow ratio of the valves and the structure of the check valve… allowing one person to operate it.”

“It can draw six zhang deep well water.” Mike stood beside him, smiling so broadly that the corners of his eyes were twitching.

“We tried it this morning, it filled all the water tanks in the workshop in one go. Originally it took six water workers a whole morning, now it’s done in a few minutes!”

Louis quietly watched this still steam-spewing water pump, gazing at the clear water continuously surging in the overhead tank.

Then he turned back to glance at the boy who stood straight, yet still nervously clutching his coat corner.

He reached out to lightly pat Hamilton’s shoulder: “You are the future of this city.”

Hamilton appeared as if struck by lightning, his face quickly flushed, hesitating for several seconds before squeezing out a sentence: “I-I-I will continue to work hard! Definitely won’t let down, let down…!”

“Alright.” Louis interrupted with a smile, turned to Mike and said, “Record a first-class merit for him, award a ’Red Tide Artisan Badge’ and five hundred gold coins.”

Mike was startled, then nodded in surprise: “Understood!”

“Furthermore,” Louis again looked at the boy, “from today onwards, confer you the title of ’Special-level Artisan’.”

This statement even made Bradley raise his eyebrows.

What is the status of Red Tide’s ’Special-level Artisan’?

Throughout the entire territory, less than five people hold this honor, mostly at Mike’s level as veteran artisans.

And now this sixteen-year-old, not yet grown a beard boy.

Stood amid the roar of the steam water pump, receiving the same title.

“I… I will work hard!” Hamilton hesitated for a long time, yet still said this sentence.

Several young artisans had long begun to cheer, surrounding Hamilton in celebration.

And Louis, standing at the edge of the crowd, just smiled lightly, his gaze falling on that still “click-clack” breathing steam pump.

He raised his hand to signal to Bradley, his tone carrying clear decisiveness: “These three devices, hammer, pump, blower, immediately begin drafting a unified workshop specification and operating manual.”

“Mass replication.” Louis’ tone was calm yet powerful, “Prioritize allocation at blacksmith workshops, well areas, and areas dense with foundry furnaces. Start from Red Tide Main City and gradually expand to each major territory.”

“Okay.” Bradley took out a notebook and recorded it.

Louis then gazed at the water pump’s still gushing clear spring, after a moment of contemplation, he finally spoke: “Quiet down, I will say a few simple words.”

The voice wasn’t loud, yet everyone present quieted down, looking towards Louis, even the roaring pump seemed to lower its voice a bit.

“The potential of this thing,” Louis’ gaze swept over the flywheel, piston, copper tubes, and blower furnace, “is far beyond these few things at hand.”

“What I want is a path. A technological path of our own.”

Louis’ tone was calm, yet carried a thunderous pressure crossing a mountain.

“You must try, build, and verify what exactly steam can achieve.

You can attempt to transform it into forging power… a workshop not relying on human or animal force.

You can also make devices to irrigate fields, replacing the buckets of a dozen people.

Try making transportation carts, use steam instead of horses, imagine a team able to cross snowy paths without horses.

Even things for the battlefield. Get it moving, turn it into a roaring iron beast.”

“If you can accomplish it.” He looked around, paused for a moment, “Then in the future, Red Tide will not need to watch anyone’s expressions.”

Mike had long listened with boiling enthusiasm, Bradley nodded silently, as if he had already written these words into the “Red Tide Future Plan”.

And behind them, the young man was utterly stupefied.

Hamilton opened his eyes wide, lips slightly parted, looking at Louis as if hearing a god’s revelation for the first time.

At that moment, countless structural drafts, gear interlocks, valve iterations, pipeline guides erupted like a volcano in his mind.

“Not only can it drive an iron hammer… if an additional divergent flywheel were added…”

“If it could turn, respond to commands… wouldn’t that be…”

“If an offset guiding valve were added… maybe… maybe it could produce…”

His hands unconsciously gestured in the air, murmuring under his breath, as if dreaming, or creating gods.

“I must try it, I must create something for Lord Louis that has never existed.”

Louis quietly watched this young man.

Hamilton stood at the steam water pump, immersed in a world only belonging to him and the machines.

“This is genius,” Louis murmured softly, then turned around, his tone steady yet resonant: “Effective immediately, establish a ’Red Tide Mechanical Assembly Group’, directly affiliated with the Artisan Bureau, responsible for researching and developing steam mechanisms.

Mike as the team leader, overseeing comprehensively. Hamilton as deputy leader, responsible for design, verification, and model testing.

This is one of the future priorities of Red Tide Territory, resources assured and will fully support.”

As soon as the words were spoken, the entire workshop exploded like coals thrown into a furnace.

“We are finally going to do something big!”

“Oh my god, can I design a weaving automaton?”

“I want to make a flying iron bird, one that won’t die if it jumps from the city wall!”

“Stop dreaming, how about making a digging iron claw beast that can dig ten wells a day!”

“Get lost, I’d rather create a self-working ox or horse!”

The artisans gathered around, as if released from suppression, freely letting their imaginations run wild, mostly unrealistic.

Mike also grinned broadly, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smiling open: “Got it! I will personally lead the team, anyone dares to slack off, I’ll personally knock their heads!”

Bradley raised his eyebrows, revealing a rare gratified expression: “Red Tide’s future… might truly be hidden in this mass of steam.”

And pushed to the forefront, Hamilton… still hadn’t come back to his senses.

He still stood by the water pump, clutching the blueprint tube tightly with one hand, his gaze far-reaching, as if chasing a yet-to-be-born monstrous steam battle car.

As if all the cheering and announcements hadn’t interrupted him, still immersed in that gear-filled world.

Just as the artisans excitedly cheered, clapped, with mouths full of “flame-throwing iron cars” and “flying water birds” ideations, hurried hoofbeats arose from the stone path outside the workshop.

“Thump, thump, thump—!”

Everyone stopped laughing, turning back.

The iron door opened with a “creak”, a Red Tide Knight entered dust-covered.

Quickly came before Louis, handed him a parchment letter with still-wet sealing wax: “Lord Louis, urgent dispatch from Frost Halberd City!”

Louis put away his smile, steadily caught the envelope.

The snow-white letter paper had a gray-blue Frost Halberd Badge quietly pressed on it.

He lowered his head, tore open the sealing wax with his thumb, and pulled out the letter.

Sunlight fell on his eyelashes, yet could not conceal the slight constriction of light in his pupils.

That day, inevitably arrived.