Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 1024: "Academic" Discussion

"Good morning, Princess Margaret."

On Friday morning at nine o’clock, Shard greeted the Princess wrapped in a rabbit fur windproof cloak at the door of the grand hall of the Draleon Third National Mechanical Institute in the Tobesk University District.

Today, Princess Margaret was to visit the academy and attend several lectures.

Shard was not originally invited, but on Monday, Director Anlos gave him a pass to enter. After several days of "studying foreign languages," the princess became more familiar with Shard. She likely misunderstood the reason for his presence, thinking he was there to protect her, so upon seeing Shard from afar, she invited him over, exchanged a few words, and arranged for him to be part of the accompanying group.

For the outlanders, the Steam Age College was a novel place; the towering castle-like architecture and garden-like academy setting made it seem unlike any era at all.

The ancient academy system continues the glory of the old era, only now allowing civilians who pass exams to enroll.

Princess Margaret dressed splendidly today, as her itinerary was unrelated to history, folklore, or such specialties, which made Shard quite reassured about safety. The Princess was mainly visiting the academy’s basic physics, mathematics, mechanical, and architecture departments, and the reports she listened to were related to these topics.

Accompanying the visit were members of the delegation, city hall officials, journalists, and the academy’s accompanying staff.

Everything seemed normal. Shard, wearing the winter warm formal attire sent over by Maid under Miss Galina’s orders, followed at the end of the group. Visiting the dormitories of the Draleon Third National Mechanical Institute, he found that the students of this era had surprisingly good living conditions. Although there were no cooling devices for summer, the size and usable space of the dormitories were far superior to the schools back in the hometown of the outlanders;

While visiting the laboratory of the Physics Academy, a bald professor, who seemed outstanding, demonstrated the simple pinhole imaging experiment, utilizing a large steam engine to drive pulleys and levers to exhibit a rather complex gas lamp projection system in the darkroom. The most expensive part used is the filter to maintain a stable light source output. The stench of mixed engine oil and lubricant in the darkroom was the most unbearable scent;

In the laboratory of the Mechanical Academy, local professors showcased a newly patented "vacuum cleaner." The brass-colored vacuum cleaner body was exceptionally large, but its effect was very good. Utilizing filters and a steam pressurization principle unknown to the outlanders, the vacuum cleaner could effectively remove most stains. Princess Margaret was even invited to personally try it out and posed for several photos for tomorrow’s publication. Although currently restricted by size, this new machine could not be widely promoted, but by solving this problem, it would prove to be economically viable.

However, the visit wasn’t without some unpleasant incidents. During the factory visit to see the new milling machine, the mechanical noise caused the accompanying Viscount Browning—an elderly 51-year-old gentleman—to faint directly.

This small episode did not cause much commotion but was recorded by the journalists, which displeased the gentlemen from city hall.

"Technological development always comes with a cost."

Standing at the back of the crowd, Shard was watching the stretcher carry away the Viscount from the Southern Nation. A familiar voice reached his ears. Turning to look, he saw a lady in a red and black long dress holding a silver notebook.

Shard paused and then softly said:

"Haven’t seen you for a long time since the card game at Lakeside Manor, Miss Witte."

It was actually Miss Pavo, Vice President of the Truth Society; Shard hadn’t expected her to dare appear in such a place.

"Long time no see, Mr. Hamilton."

The female sorcerer greeted with a smile, then like Shard, looked at the elderly gentleman being carried away:

"No need to worry. This should be a heart disease triggered by the noise. I saw that the servant had just fed him medicine mixed with rum, so there’s no life-threatening issue."

If not knowing her true identity, Shard would surely have thought she was a knowledgeable noble lady.

Though the Viscount’s fainting was unrelated to the factory, the visiting group temporarily left the site, preparing to visit the next destination, which was the model of the new locomotive being manufactured within the academy.

Shard did not consider reporting this dangerous female sorcerer as she dared to appear with the confidence to leave, nor did he wish to walk beside her. However, it seemed Miss Pavo had resolved to stay with Shard, so she followed him at the back of the crowd, walking south with the gentlemen and ladies ahead.

"Science is so captivating; the miniaturized steam engine is probably the most important invention in nearly a millennium."

Miss Pavo praised, and Shard agreed but only nodded, hoping this lady could see his indifference.

However, the female sorcerer was indifferent to Shard’s attitude; she was merely looking for someone to chat with:

"The Witte Family has invested in some new inventions; in this era, reasonable investments are essential if one wishes to change their social standing."

"What has the Witte Family invested in?"

Shard feigned curiosity with his casual inquiry, thinking it would seem odd to say nothing.

"For instance, the new locomotive head we’re about to visit, a unique steelmaking method, an interesting single-person two-wheel moving tool powered by human pedaling, oh, and a four-wheel vehicle driven by a small steam engine. I have high hopes for the fourth one, but unfortunately, it’s still in the theoretical drawing stage."

Miss Pavo lamented, and Shard tried to control his expression and refrain from commenting on these inventions.

"Mr. Hamilton, I know your main profession is detective, so have you considered investing your savings in new inventions?"

She asked Shard again. The group was now crossing Tower Bridge between the towering buildings, a landmark of the school with at least 300 years of history.

"Investing in inventions?"

With the thought that saying less means fewer mistakes, Shard casually made up a story. Somehow, he thought of the experiences in the Year 5177 of the Fifth Era, and then he said:

"I’ve considered investing in the chemical industry. The clothes we wear today are bioproducts made of biological fibers—silk, cotton, hemp, animal fur, and the like. Although improvements in textile machines have allowed the textile industry to thrive on bioproducts, I’m thinking that perhaps we could try synthesizing artificial fibers through the chemical industry."

"Artificial fibers synthesized by chemistry?"

Miss Pavo raised her eyebrows as she and Shard followed the crowd to the left, stepping onto the stone road leading to the back of the Academy. Two gentlemen from Carsonrick ahead were commenting on the Academy’s scenery, criticizing in the local Casenric Language dialect that it had lost the glory of the nobles.

"I’ve never heard of the possibility of synthesizing textile fibers artificially, not even thought of such an idea."

Miss Pavo showed interest and smiled, saying:

"Knight, you have quite the imagination. Although it sounds incredible, once successful, you could use artificial fibers to challenge the monopoly of biological fibers. If you could lower the cost of chemically synthesized fibers to..." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

"No, no, no."

Shard immediately shook his head. He hadn’t brought up this topic to gain Miss Pavo’s admiration for his wisdom but rather to make her think he was hopeless. The final adventure with the Time Key of the Year 5177 of the Fifth Era had inspired him:

"I haven’t thought about it that much. It’s just that the current fabrics lack elasticity."

He tugged at his black coat and then his scarf:

"For example, the original stockings were only worn by men. They were hand-knitted, requiring special materials and high labor costs. Later, women discovered the charm of stockings, and decades ago, we invented efficient knitting machines that allowed most city girls to wear a pair of pretty stockings."

Shard nodded, and Miss Pavo pursed her lips and looked at him suspiciously.

"But this still isn’t enough. Even though efficient knitting machines lowered the cost of stockings, their elasticity and transparency still aren’t adequate."

"Hmm... transparency?"

Miss Pavo was not an Outlander and hadn’t truly witnessed the extravagance of the Witch Emperor of the Fifth Era, so she temporarily couldn’t understand Shard’s words. Her lady’s boots stepped on the stone road as she subconsciously recalled what she wore under her thick skirt.

"Yes, besides transparency, there’s also elasticity. Because elasticity is insufficient, stockings nowadays still require garters to keep them from sliding down while walking. But if elasticity is adequate, not only would additional garters be unnecessary, but merely a gentle tug on the surface of the stockings... ahem."

Shard paused for a moment and then added:

"Of course, I admit garters themselves are nice, but I think, since we can’t find a lightweight, elastic material among biological materials, maybe we could synthesize an artificially suitable fiber material chemically to showcase the beauty of girls’ legs..."

Saying this, he seemed to have just realized what he was saying and shook his head with a smile:

"Sorry, these words are a bit inappropriate. Miss Witte, you may pretend I said nothing."

Shard wanted to end the topic just like that, and the Female Sorcerer indeed did not continue the discussion. Although Circle Sorcerers have values slightly different from ordinary people, discussing women’s legs with a stranger in such a public setting—nobody would bring it up.

"Chemistry is indeed magical."

Miss Pavo said, seeming less enthusiastic to talk with Shard:

"Synthesizing substances that have never existed before, something people of the past couldn’t imagine."

"Maybe not never existed, just undiscovered."

Shard said lightly, and Miss Pavo nodded:

"I once wondered if chemistry could synthesize all substances from basic materials, could it synthesize components of the human body?"

She was adept at leading the topic into dangerous directions.

"That’s the realm of legendary Alchemy."

Shard said with a smile:

"That’s not a question for the field of chemistry. Alchemists studying ancient Alchemy even claim they can transmute coal into gold."

"Yes, the legendary Philosopher’s Stone."

Miss Pavo laughed too. "Philosopher’s Stone" had a significant reputation even among ordinary people, as mysticism books, whether true or false, always liked to include terms like "Philosopher’s Stone."

After all, Midas Touch and Immortality represent the most fundamental desires of humanity.

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