The Source of Power

"Come, let's try joining these two iron plates together," Roland said.

Anna extended her finger and pressed it on the seam of the iron plates. Flames erupted from her fingertips, rapidly melting the joint.

"Reduce the fire, and do it again on the other side," he instructed.

She nodded and followed his instructions. The two iron plates were joined at a 90-degree angle and securely welded together.

Roland carefully inspected the connection and found that it was just as he imagined - a flawless and seamless weld. With a bit of polishing to remove the traces of molten iron, the two iron plates would be almost indistinguishable from a single forged piece.

"Very good, Anna. It's amazing!" Roland couldn't help but praise. "Next, let's attach the other two iron plates."

"What is this? An iron... bucket?" Anna asked, confused.

"No, it's a cylinder," he corrected her.

"A cylinder?" Anna repeated, still puzzled.

"Yes, it can be used to store compressed air," Roland pointed to another square iron plate. "See the hole on top? Air enters the cylinder through this hole, pushing the piston - um, the piston is a slightly smaller iron plate than the cylinder diameter, and it can freely move inside the cylinder."

Even Anna, faced with so many technical terms, was getting a bit dizzy. "So, what are these... cylinders, pistons, etc., for?"

"To create a machine that can move automatically."

The steam engine, the power source for the first industrial revolution, freed humanity from reliance on manual and animal labor.

Its principle was well-known to everyone, a simple and magnified version of a kettle. The steam, when heated, was introduced into the cylinder, pushing the piston and connecting rod to convert thermal energy into mechanical energy.

While the principle was remarkably simple, it didn't mean that it was easy to manufacture. The difficulty lay in achieving a tight seal between the cylinder and piston, as well as creating the delivery pipes. If one lacked skill in metalworking, it was simply impossible to forge a qualified cylinder by hand.

But Anna's ability perfectly compensated for the shortcomings in craftsmanship.

As long as Roland designed four iron plates of the same size in advance and had them cast and polished by the blacksmith, he could then use the right-angle plates to secure the shape, and Anna would handle the welding. This would result in a square-shaped cylinder with high rigidity. With a witch's help, he didn't need to follow the traditional manufacturing process, which required creating a boring machine to form a circular cylinder. The same applied to other major components - they could be made in pieces and then assembled. With this approach, even a workshop like the blacksmith could collectively manufacture all the components required for a steam engine.

In fact, before the invention of welding, people could only join parts together using bolts or rivets, which couldn't achieve the necessary smoothness inside the cylinder for steam engines.

The only troublesome part was the delivery pipes. The manufacturing method wasn't particularly special - heating a long iron plate until it was red-hot, then placing it in a groove-shaped mold and hammering it until it took shape - this was the same method used to make the breech of a muzzle-loading musket. However, musket barrels required post-production straightening and rifling, which added complexity.

However, Roland couldn't ask the blacksmith to come to his backyard, and the witch couldn't expose her abilities, so he had no choice but to ask the Chief Knight to handle it while he supervised.

After several days of struggle, Roland finally assembled the first steam engine in his backyard.

"What is this monstrous contraption? Made with your freakish strength?" Carter furrowed his brow as he inspected the peculiar machine. He immediately ruled out any connection to the cult rituals; every iron lump on it had been installed by his own hands. It appeared to be a sealed furnace. If devils were attracted to it, it would be contrary to all common sense.

However, to Roland's eyes, this seemingly crude machine exuded the beauty of industry. Standing on the shoulders of giants, he naturally didn't pursue the path of creating the Newcomen atmospheric engine or the Watt steam engine. His first prototype already incorporated double connecting rods and a sliding valve, making it a high-pressure steam engine. Its production wasn't any more difficult than the most primitive steam engine; the key lay in some innovative ideas.

"So this can replace manual and animal power?" Anna asked, dazed.

The Chief Knight wore an incredulous expression on his face. This had been quite laborious to install the last large iron wheel, but now it was spinning at a rapid speed, blowing air at them like a gust of wind. Even standing next to it, he could feel the air currents it created - clearly, this tremendous force was far beyond his expectations.

A faint unease began to rise within him.

If the Chief could replace horse-drawn carriages with this, it would be nearly impossible for ten knights to withstand its tremendous strength.

It took fifteen years to train a competent knight, but building such a furnace could be done in just three days. When considering the time it took for the blacksmiths to make the parts, it would only require a week.

It needed no feeding, wasn't afraid of the cold or hunger, and not even arrows or blades. As long as it was fitted with horns, it could charge on the battlefield.

In that case... did they really need traditional knights?

That night, as Roland returned to his bedroom, he once again encountered Nightingale.

This time, she wasn't wearing her hood and sat at the table with a smile on her face, playing with a few pieces of parchment. "It seems the rumors from the outside can't be trusted. The Fourth Prince is no talentless fool, and his character isn't worse than the Court Master's. These drawings here, are they the design for that iron monstrosity? You call it... a steam engine, right?"

Come on, can't you leave me alone? You just come and go as you please, do you think this is your home? Roland thought, but he maintained a calm expression. "Indeed, these are the design drawings, but it's only a piece of paper without Anna's help."

"What can it do?"

"Many things - transporting ores, pumping water, smelting iron, forging, anything that requires great force."

"What's this... hidden power in nature?" Anna asked, bewildered.

The chief knight, with a face full of disbelief, couldn't hide his astonishment. The last large iron wheel had been so arduous to install, but now it spun rapidly like a feather. Even standing nearby, he could feel the airflow generated by the wheel spinning - it was evident that this tremendous force was astonishing.

A faint unease began to rise within him.

If it could replace manpower and animal power, and if his suspicions didn't deceive him, then with it replacing horses for pulling carriages, ten knights would likely struggle to withstand its immense strength.

It took fifteen years to train a competent knight, but building this furnace only took three days. Taking into account the time for the blacksmiths to make the parts, it would only require a week.

It required no feeding, wasn't afraid of coldness or hunger, nor was it afraid of arrows or blades. As long as it was fitted with horns, it could charge on the battlefield.

In that case... was it necessary for traditional knights to exist?

That night, as Roland returned to his bedroom, he once again encountered Nightingale.

This time, she wasn't wearing her hood and sat at the table with a smile on her face, playing with a few pieces of parchment. "It seems the rumors from the outside can't be trusted. The Fourth Prince is no talentless fool, and his character isn't worse than the Court Master's. These drawings here, are they the design for that iron monstrosity? You call it... a steam engine, right?"

Come on, can't you leave me alone? You just come and go as you please, do you think this is your home? Roland thought, but he maintained a calm expression. "Indeed, these are the design drawings, but it's only a piece of paper without Anna's help."

"What can it do?"

"Many things - transporting ores, pumping water, smelting iron, forging, anything that requires great force."

"What's this... hidden power in nature?" Anna asked, bewildered.

The chief knight, with a face full of disbelief, couldn't hide his astonishment. The last large iron wheel had been so arduous to install, but now it spun rapidly like a feather. Even standing nearby, he could feel the airflow generated by the wheel spinning - it was evident that this tremendous force was astonishing.

A faint unease began to rise within him.

If it could replace manpower and animal power, and if his suspicions didn't deceive him, then with it replacing horses for pulling carriages, ten knights would likely struggle to withstand its immense strength.

That night, as Roland returned to his bedroom, he once again encountered Nightingale.

This time, she wasn't wearing her hood and sat at the table with a smile on her face, playing with a few pieces of parchment. "It seems the rumors from the outside can't be trusted. The Fourth Prince is no talentless fool, and his character isn't worse than the Court Master's. These drawings here, are they the design for that iron monstrosity? You call it... a steam engine, right?"

Come on, can't you leave me alone? You just come and go as you please, do you think this is your home? Roland thought, but he maintained a calm expression. "Indeed, these are the design drawings, but it's only a piece of paper without Anna's help."

"What can it do?"

"Many things - transporting ores, pumping water, smelting iron, forging, anything that requires great force."

"What's this... hidden power in nature?" Anna asked, bewildered.

The Chief Knight wore an incredulous expression on his face. The last large iron wheel had been quite laborious to install, but now it spun rapidly like a feather, blowing air at them like a gust of wind. Even standing next to it, he could feel the air currents it created - clearly, this tremendous force was far beyond his expectations.

A faint unease began to rise within him.

If the Chief could replace horse-drawn carriages with this, it would be nearly impossible for ten knights to withstand its tremendous strength.

That night, as Roland returned to his bedroom, he once again encountered Nightingale.

This time, she wasn't wearing her hood and sat at the table with a smile on her face, playing with a few pieces of parchment. "It seems the rumors from the outside can't be trusted. The Fourth Prince is no talentless fool, and his character isn't worse than the Court Master's. These drawings here, are they the design for that iron monstrosity? You call it... a steam engine, right?"

Come on, can't you leave me alone? You just come and go as you please, do you think this is your home? Roland thought, but he maintained a calm expression. "Indeed, these are the design drawings, but it's only a piece of paper without Anna's help."