Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start

Chapter 481 - 454: Steam Engine Startup

Moonlight Castle.

Ronin had never expected that this luxurious castle, built by Jesus at great expense of manpower and resources, would fall into his hands.

Fortunately, the main battlefield of the battle for Moonlight Valley was at the city gates, so the castle itself wasn’t badly damaged.

Even though the Knights caused some damage when they came in to plunder afterward, it wasn’t a major issue. A few craftsmen could repair it with a little time.

After Ronin led Wilson and the others into Moonlight Valley, and with the two Knight Orders under Ridder and Sophia having secured the various towns, this postwar land began a period of rest and recovery.

The large population gap caused by Mephisto could not be filled in a short time. It was inevitable that some land would lie fallow; they could only wait until the population grew before gradually bringing it back under cultivation.

During this time, Ronin inspected the three mines in Moonlight Valley: two iron mines and one copper mine.

Bruno was right. The iron mine in Red Maple City was massive—at least ten times the size of the one in Chishan Town!

And not only did Moonlight Valley have such a large iron mine, but there was also a medium-sized iron mine and a medium-sized copper mine in Mountain Spring City!

It now seemed that although Jesus was a Count with a territory that wasn’t very large, this land was incredibly rich, with both grain and mineral veins in abundance.

He had held such a fine territory yet failed to manage it well, always coveting Shore City, which had no special products. His single-minded pursuit of expansion for the sake of territorial size was short-sighted and a waste of this land.

Now that Ronin had acquired these mines, the demand for iron and steel for his territory’s development was completely met.

After Ronin took up residence in Moonlight Castle, the nobles from the surrounding territories visited one after another. They mostly came to maintain the iron ore trade they previously had with Jesus.

In order to resume mining operations as soon as possible, and also to achieve a larger output, Ronin proposed a cooperative arrangement: he would trade iron ore for the nobles’ labor force.

To the nobles, a labor force wasn’t particularly valuable. Even if their territories were sparsely populated, they could still squeeze some people out.

Moreover, these laborers would only be working in Ronin’s territory, and the money and resources they earned would be allowed back into the nobles’ own lands to be spent. It was a deal with no downside.

After a few days of consideration, the nobles sent letters to Ronin one by one, agreeing to this method of cooperation.

Thus, over the next two months, Red Maple City and Mountain Spring City in Moonlight Valley welcomed a large number of laborers.

Although these people were earning money from Ronin, they would still eat, drink, and spend money in Moonlight Valley. Perhaps some might even find the life here quite good and decide to immigrate.

In addition, the one hundred thousand people promised by His Majesty the King had also begun their journey.

Forty percent of them would migrate to Moonlight City via Dennis Port, while the remaining sixty percent would travel north through the Screaming Sea to Wubei Port, becoming the main force for building Wubei City.

Moonlight City could be considered Ronin’s second most important city, but as the rear base, Wubei Territory was the foundation of all development and likewise needed a landmark city.

「In the blink of an eye, winter arrived.」

In a large courtyard near Wubei Port, a massive hunk of steel was propped up a meter or two off the ground.

A normal person standing before such a cold steel creation would feel a sense of awe, even knowing it was an inanimate object.

Simon slapped his large hand against the steel, his face alight with unconcealable excitement.

"After so many years in manufacturing, I never thought I’d one day build something so big, yet so precise!"

Although he had only been responsible for making some of its components, it was still something worth bragging about.

"A steam engine, right, Ronin? I can’t wait to see the results!"

"I’m looking forward to it too!"

Ever since Sophia joined Wubei Territory, Ronin had brought her along to craft the core components of the steam engine whenever he had free time.

Now, after nearly eight more months, the two of them, relying on their exceptionally high Spiritual Power and control over Flame, had cooperatively manufactured parts like the cylinder, flywheel, and piston.

These components were not only extremely precise but also incredibly strong—more than sufficient for use in a steam engine.

"Carlos, light the fire, please," Ronin said, pointing to the boiler.

The Giant Dragon blinked his huge eyes. He had contributed quite a bit to this hunk of iron himself and was also eager to see the steam engine run.

PFF!

A scorching flame shot out from his cavernous mouth and, under Carlos’s control, focused entirely beneath the boiler.

"Er, control the temperature. Don’t melt the boiler," Ronin reminded him.

Carlos quickly lowered the flame’s temperature.

Soon, the water in the boiler began to boil.

High-temperature steam escaped the sealed boiler, traveled through the pipes into the cylinder, and began to accumulate, expand, and push the piston.

"It’s moving!"

Sophia could sense the piston moving within the cylinder block.

WHOOM!

Soon, with a low rumble, the steam engine slowly awoke, beginning to display the endless power hidden within.

A powerful jet of steam burst free from the pressure constraints, gushing out and turning into clouds of white mist that filled the air.

As the steam was released, the engine’s axle began to turn.

At first, it looked slow and heavy, like an old man taking a difficult step.

But gradually, the flywheel spun faster and faster, the power grew stronger and stronger, and the clanking of the axle grew louder and louder, as soul-stirring as a war drum!

Simon was completely stunned by the scene.

"I imagined a scene like this, but the reality is even more staggering!"

Sophia also said, "This isn’t the power of Magic. This is the power of nature!"

Both of them were knowledgeable people and understood the principles behind the Magic Energy Power of the *Dawn*.

So, upon seeing the flywheel spin, they knew that if this motion could be applied to a paddle wheel, they would no longer be troubled by a shortage of Magic Crystal Stone energy.

After all, it was just boiling water. Even though Carlos was the one breathing fire now, it could just as well be done with firewood, or the "coal" that Ronin spoke of. It would just take a little longer to start up.

"Ronin, I feel like with this, a ship could get rid of its sails," Sophia voiced her thoughts.

Even the *Dawn* had three large sails, a preparation for times when its energy source ran low.

But once they had steam power, the sails could be removed.

"Of course!"

Ronin agreed. "Sailing ships are about to become a thing of the past. Besides, in addition to using the steam engine on ships, I also plan to use it on land."

The steam engine had many uses: transportation, textiles, forging, compression pumps, even generating electricity. Most fields with a high demand for power could make use of it.

Of course, for Ronin, the first application he wanted to pursue was transportation.

Whether in Moonlight Valley or Chishan Town, transporting the mined iron ore relied on human and horse power, which was far too inefficient.

If they had steam trains, paired with laid railway tracks, they could transport massive quantities.

"Sophia, Simon, next, I want to optimize the steam engine and then apply it to land transportation."

While signaling for Carlos to stop breathing fire, Ronin pulled Sophia and Simon over to begin planning the next step.

"I’m preparing to run a pilot project in Wubei Territory. We’ll build a railway line to transport the coal mined in Swamp Town to Wubei Port using steam power."

"Railway?"

Though Simon’s tone was questioning, his face was full of excitement. He was extremely interested in creating new things.

"That’s a new word. Just hearing it has piqued my interest immensely! Tell me, Ronin, what do you need me to do?"

Ronin used his Spiritual Power to levitate the sand on the ground, forming it into the shape of a railway and a steam train in just a few breaths.

"I’m going to appoint you as my chief mechanical engineer, to design a railway network for me that covers Wubei Territory, Wushan Territory, and Moonlight Valley."

He began to explain the basic principles of railways and the enormous impact they would have once built.

The more Sophia and Simon listened, the more shocked they were.

Even in the City of Dawn, their transportation still relied on the power of livestock; Magic Energy Power had not been widely adopted.

But it was obvious that if Ronin’s railway was built, it would be a tool that could be popularized on a large scale.

By then, not only nobles but also common people would be able to use it.

Sophia sighed with emotion. "Ronin, I’m certain this invention of yours will change the world!"

This time, Ronin wasn’t modest. He smiled and extended an invitation: "Then let’s use the power of steam to liberate the world’s productive forces together, my chief designer and my chief engineer."

Sophia and Simon looked at each other, then nodded with solemn determination.