Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 79 Assembling a Steam Engine

A pot of water was steaming on the stove.

"The water is boiling."

Hughes pointed at the mouth of the kettle and said, "This white thing is steam—not quite accurate, steam has no color, but this high-temperature steam cools rapidly in the air, condensing into tiny drops of water. They appear white in the air."

"Any ideas?"

The students surrounding them were stunned and looked at each other.

Their ages ranged from young to old, and Zeus didn't care much about age and background. He simply asked Zoe to select those who had good grades in literacy class to participate in the advanced class.

As a result, there were even a few middle-aged people among this group of students, such as old Ivan.

Looking at the lord talking in front of him, Old Ivan still felt that it was a little unreal.

At that time, he was panicked and wanted to refuse, but Zoe insisted that he sign up for the advanced class. It was said that the lord really needed this group of students.

Old Ivan had no impression of the lord, but the school run by Hughes taught his children to read and write for free. Thinking of this, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.

He really didn't expect that he would be able to attend the advanced class - he was indeed very interested in literacy, not because he loved knowledge so much, but because he had suffered too much from illiteracy.

Therefore, even if he had to join the patrol team with little salary, he would still go to night school to attend a few classes. There was nothing wrong with knowing a few more words. Although the work during the day was very tiring, he persisted in doing so just because he could see his two children in front of him.

He was not very smart and relied on rote memorization to learn to read, so when he heard the distinguished lord asking questions and others speaking enthusiastically, his mind went blank.

"Can I steam something?"

"It will burn your hands!"

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

"Indeed. Any other ideas?"

Hughes looked at the students one by one, and finally came to old Ivan.

Old Ivan suddenly became nervous, looked around, and had no idea in his mind.

He stared blankly at the steam in the pot pushing up the lid.

"You can lift the lid of the pot." He whispered.

There was a low laugh all around.

But Hughes didn't laugh. He nodded solemnly. "The steam from boiling water can lift the lid of a kettle. This is one of the greatest inventions of mankind. Its power is unimaginable."

The students were stunned. They looked at the lifted kettle and then at each other.

Great power?

"Don't ignore any phenomena around you. There are so many things in this world worth exploring. Of course, remember to report before exploring. There are designated experimental sites. Don't conduct experiments casually, especially in densely populated areas. It is very unsafe."

“It’s very important to remember this.”

"Okay, now let's move on to the next part. We use the steam from a kettle to lift the lid, so what if we add a drive shaft to the lid?"

Zeus walked towards the machine not far away and patted the cold and hard steel giant.

"So we got the Type I."

This is a very simple steam engine, almost the most primitive form of a steam engine. Since Hughes had broken through all the bottlenecks in manufacturing steam engines, he wanted to make some advanced steam engines in one go, such as a triple expansion engine. But after thinking about it, he chose to start with the simplest form.

If for no other reason than to teach these students.

He needed these people to thoroughly understand all the technologies and principles of the steam engine. A partial understanding could easily lead to cognitive interference, so he disassembled each structure and made separate molds for Nini to make, in order to teach this group of people the principles rather than simply how to use them.

As for why——

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

Hughes looked at everyone around him.

These people signed internship contracts with him, and after graduation, they would become the first batch of engineers in his factory.

Given the salary he promised, everyone happily accepted it, not worrying about Hughes breaking his promise. The lord had a reputation for never delaying wages, and the money he'd spent on hiring workers wasn't wasted, earning him a strong reputation among his subjects.

Maintaining credibility is a costly thing, but Hughes believes it is worth it. A regime without credibility has no organization at all, and organization is the cornerstone of his implementation of government orders.

The students of different ages and backgrounds nodded in unison. At this moment, they all had the same trust in the lord.

"The lid is pushed up, which creates a thrust. If we apply this force to the connecting rod at the back."

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

This structure is similar to that of a steam train wheel. There is a fixed point on the wheel, and the connecting shaft above converts the reciprocating motion of the cylinder and piston into the rotational motion of the wheel.

In fact, the steam locomotive is one of the most efficient applications of the steam engine.

Hughes pulled the crankshaft hard with his hands, causing the flywheel to slowly turn.

Considering the existence of cognitive interference, he did not start the steam engine, but planned to explain the specific principles first.

The students sighed and nodded.

The design of this mechanical structure is indeed ingenious, although they still don't quite understand its value.

What's the use of a spinning wheel?

Besides, it rotates so slowly. Can this thing really bring about change for Castel? Seeing Hughes stop panting, the people around him looked at each other in confusion.

Only Gaia showed a thoughtful expression.

Xiu Si took a glance. He knew this girl. Zoe had especially recommended this little girl named Gaia. Her many wonderful ideas sometimes amazed the maid.

Gaia, let me see your talent.

Xius led the students to an open space not far away, where there was a simple table with a pile of strange parts on it.

He smiled.

"Okay, now that you understand the basic principles of a steam engine, let's move on to the practical part—assembling a steam engine."

The students were stunned and looked at the densely packed parts on the table with complicated expressions on their faces.

Can this pile of things really be turned into a steam engine?
And this is more than an order of magnitude larger and more complex than the steam engine that Hughes just used for teaching, right?
Let's assemble it?

Hughes sighed. "I'll help you assemble it. This steam engine is what our factory will use next. I call it the Type II. I have classes every day now, so I don't have the time to assemble it myself. This is your internship. Come along. I'll explain the specific principles, such as how the cylinder and piston work."

In a cave not far away, a group of figures were looking over here stealthily.

"You're on my tail!"

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

"Ah, Monica, stop messing around. Don't you like drawing with sand? Why are you here for the lord's mechanics class? Have you given up on your artistic dreams?"

"Don't make a fuss. Steam and machinery are art."

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

"Why don't you just ask the Lord?"

"Why? He won't let us be exposed."

"Mind link, since you're the Lord, it shouldn't be a problem for you to talk, teach, assemble, and reply to group messages at the same time, right?"

"That makes sense. Let's try it."

"He's back!"

"What did the Lord say?"

"He said, 'Let's try installing one too.'"

(End of this chapter)