Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord-Chapter 79: Steam Engine

Above the fire, a kettle of water was steaming.

"The water is boiling."

Hughes pointed at the spout. "This white substance is steam, although that’s not entirely accurate. Steam itself has no color, but the high-temperature steam quickly cools in the air, condensing into tiny water droplets, which appear white."

"Do you have any thoughts?"

The students gathered around were momentarily stunned, exchanging glances.

Their ages varied widely. Hughes had not paid much attention to age or background, simply allowing Zoe to select students with high literacy class scores for the advanced class.

As a result, this batch of students even included a few middle-aged individuals, such as Old Ivan.

Looking at the eloquent lord before him, Old Ivan still found the situation somewhat surreal.

At the time, he had been flustered and wanted to refuse, but Zoe insisted on enrolling him in the advanced class, saying that the lord greatly needed this batch of students.

Old Ivan had little impression of the lord, but Hughes’ school had allowed his children to learn to read for free. Thinking of that, he found himself unable to refuse.

He had never imagined he would attend the advanced class himself, though he was indeed interested in literacy.

Not because he loved knowledge but because he had suffered too much from being illiterate.

So, even when working in the poorly paid patrol team, he would attend night school classes, learning a few more words whenever he could.

Although his daytime work was exhausting, seeing his children learning alongside him made it worthwhile.

He wasn’t particularly intelligent and relied on rote memorization to learn. So, when the esteemed lord asked a question and others eagerly answered, his mind went completely blank.

"Can it be used to steam food?"

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"It can burn your hand!"

"In winter, there will be long trails of mist, just like breath."

"That’s correct. Any other thoughts?"

Hughes looked at the students one by one until he reached Old Ivan.

Old Ivan immediately tensed up, looking around nervously, with no thoughts in his head.

He stared blankly as the steam lifted the kettle’s lid.

"It can lift the kettle lid," he mumbled softly.

A few chuckles came from the crowd.

But Hughes did not laugh. He nodded solemnly. "Boiling water turns into steam, and that steam can lift the kettle lid. This is one of humanity’s greatest inventions, and its power is beyond imagination."

The students froze. They looked at the kettle lid being lifted and exchanged glances.

Great power?

"Never ignore the phenomena around you. There are countless things in this world worth exploring. Of course, before you investigate, remember to report first. There are designated experiment areas; do not conduct experiments in crowded places. It’s extremely unsafe."

"Remember this well. It is very important."

"Now, let’s move to the next part. The steam from a kettle can lift the lid. What if we attach a transmission shaft to this lid?"

Hughes walked over to a machine not far away, patting the cold, hard steel beast.

"Then we get the Type I Engine."

This was a very simple steam engine, almost the most primitive form of a steam engine.

After breaking through all the technical bottlenecks, Hughes had initially planned to build a more advanced steam engine, like a triple-expansion engine.

However, after careful consideration, he decided to start with the simplest model.

Not for any other reason but to teach these students.

He needed them to fully understand every aspect of steam engine technology and principles.

Partial understanding could easily lead to cognitive interference, so he dismantled each structure and had Nini make separate molds to teach the principles rather than just how to use them.

As for why—

"You are engineers, the soul of the factory. Workers may stop at proper operation, but you must understand the principles."

Hughes looked at each person around him.

These people had signed internship contracts.

Once they completed their studies, they would become the first engineers in his factory.

Given the salary he promised, everyone happily accepted, without any doubt that Hughes would keep his word.

The lord’s reputation for never delaying wages had already spread.

The money he spent on hiring workers had not been wasted; his credibility among the people was high.

Maintaining public trust was costly, but Hughes believed it was worth it.

A government without credibility had no organizational capacity, and organization was the foundation of his policies.

The students of various ages and backgrounds all nodded in unison, their trust in the lord aligned.

"The kettle lid being lifted represents a force. If we apply this force to the connecting rod..."

Hughes pointed to a crankshaft, which was connected to a flywheel.

This structure resembled that of a steam locomotive wheel.

A fixed point on the wheel connected to a linkage that converted the reciprocating motion of the cylinder and piston into rotational motion.

In fact, steam locomotives were one of the most efficient applications of steam engines.

Hughes pulled the crankshaft hard, making the flywheel turn slowly.

Considering cognitive interference, he did not start the steam engine yet but decided to explain the principles first.

The students nodded in amazement.

This mechanical structure was indeed ingenious, though they still didn’t quite understand its true value.

A rotating wheel, what was the use of that?

And it turned so slowly. Could something like this really bring transformation to Castel?

Watching Hughes pant from exertion, the people around exchanged confused looks.

Only Gaia showed a thoughtful expression.

Hughes noticed her. He knew this girl. Zoe had strongly recommended her, saying her innovative ideas sometimes even astonished the maid.

Gaia, huh? Let me see your talent.

Hughes led the students to an open area nearby, where a simple table held a pile of strange-looking components.

He smiled.

"Alright, now that you understand the basic principles of a steam engine, it’s time for the practical exercise, assemble a steam engine."

The students froze, looking at the densely packed components on the table with complicated expressions.

Could this pile of parts really turn into a steam engine?

And wasn’t this one much larger and more complex than the teaching model Hughes had just used?

He wanted them to assemble it?

Hughes sighed. "I’ll assemble it with you. This steam engine is for our upcoming factory. I call it the Type II Engine. I’m teaching classes every day now, so I don’t have time to assemble it myself. This will be your internship work. Come on, let’s do it together. I’ll also explain the details, like how the cylinder and piston function."

Not far away, a group of figures was secretly watching from a cave.

"You stepped on my tail!"

"That’s because you’re too big and blocking my view."

"Monica, stop crawling around. Don’t you like drawing in the sand? Why are you here for the lord’s mechanics class? Have you abandoned your artistic dreams?"

"Shut up. Steam and machinery are art."

"Hey, what do you think that pipe is for? I guess it’s for steam flow."

"Why don’t we just ask the lord?"

"How? He told us not to expose ourselves."

"Mind Link. It’s the lord. Talking, teaching, assembling, and replying to messages all at once shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

"Makes sense. Let’s try."

"He replied!"

"What did the lord say?"

"He said... let us assemble one too."