Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 369 I voted!
Riding the Eye of the Sky, Levi quickly arrived at the town, his arrival naturally causing a stir. However, Levi didn't care about any of that; he followed the address and found John Dunn.

"Hello, Lord Li Wei..."

John Dunn was a young man in his early twenties, probably not even a college graduate in modern society. He was incredibly nervous and apprehensive in front of Levi. This was understandable, given that Levi was the Knight of the Thistle and an Earl. Although John Dunn had called Levi, the young man assumed Levi would at most send someone to check on things.

But to John Dunn's surprise, Levi not only came in person, but he even came by airship!

In a modern online novel, it would be like the protagonist, a college student, coming up with a small invention, only to have higher-ups send experts by helicopter to inspect it…

Unfortunately, John had never read urban fantasy novels, and at this moment he was even a little apprehensive and uneasy. After all, he had asked other people about his invention before, but after seeing his invention or hearing him explain it, they all expressed no interest. This made John almost despair.

Just then, news of Li Wei slaying the dragon was everywhere. After reading the newspaper, John remembered that the other party had given him a business card with Li Wei's contact address and phone number on it. So he hurriedly found it and finally decided to call Li Wei.

John had only intended to give it a try, but he hadn't expected Levi to come in person, and now he was feeling quite uneasy.

"Hello, um... enough of the small talk, let me see your invention."

"Ah, yes..."

Upon hearing Levi's words, John hurriedly led him to his backyard, where a large pile of scrap metal was laid out, and in the middle of the yard stood a cannonball.

Of course, Li Wei could tell at a glance that it was just an outer shell. Judging from its size, it should be a shell casing from a warship. He had no idea where Li Wei got it from.

But that's not important. What's important is that the lower half of the shell has an extra section, and John excitedly began to explain it to Levi.

"Please look, sir, this is the cannonball I invented that can fly autonomously... Ah, although it can fly autonomously, it still requires controlled ignition..."

Anyway, why don't you give it a try?

Levi knew that John was the kind of person who would talk endlessly about technology, but unfortunately, John didn't really understand technology, so Levi directly asked him to put it into practice.

"Ah, okay...please, please wait a moment..."

John shifted the shell's direction, aiming it at the mountains not far away, and took a few steps back.

"Please be careful, don't get too close..."

Then, John pressed a button.

"——————!"

The next moment, white smoke billowed out from behind the shell, and with a "whoosh!" the shell flew forward and disappeared into the mountains.

Seeing this, Levi remained silent, while Lieutenant Horn frowned. Seeing the experiment succeed, John breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly spoke to Levi again.

"As you can see, Lord Li Wei, once the direction is determined, it can be fired without a cannon barrel. This makes firing shells on the battlefield much more convenient..."

"This is inconvenient at all."

Before Lieutenant Horn could speak, Lieutenant Horn spoke first.

"Putting aside the fact that these shells are longer than ordinary shells, they must be heavier, and they can't be reloaded like regular shells. Doesn't that mean that every shell fired is one less to be fired?"

"But, but then we wouldn't need a cannon..."

Upon hearing Lieutenant Horn's thoughts, John became flustered and stammered an explanation.

"Without a cannon, how are we supposed to aim? And it doesn't look like it's flying very far."

"This this………"

Faced with Lieutenant Horn's question, John was speechless for a moment. Just then, Levi waved his hand, signaling the two to stop arguing, and then asked.

"You're not talking about inventing the shell, but rather the thing underneath it, right?"

"Yes, sir."

John replied dejectedly.

"Could you explain how it works?"

"Ah, um... it's not difficult. I referenced the principles of steam machinery, using a fan to draw in air, then compressing it, followed by burning coal, and then ejecting it from the rear... I discovered it by chance... um... this..."

"…………………"

Listening to John's stammering explanation, Li Wei appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil.

Good heavens, you've actually built a jet engine?

Damn, propeller planes haven't even been used in combat yet, and you're already talking about jet engines? Are you trying to fly?!

Li Wei only had a vague understanding of the principles of jet engines, but he was very clear about their uses. After all, in Li Wei's era, almost every airplane, rocket, and missile used jet engines!
Especially missiles!
Actually, when Li Wei first acquired the skill of "Puppeteer", he thought about learning from the martial arts novel "Ten Thousand Swords Return to One" and manipulating several flying swords to slash away. After all, every boy has a dream of becoming a sword immortal.

However, after actual experimentation, Li Wei discovered that it was completely unworkable. A simple longsword couldn't control flight; only things that could fly could. This is why, of all Li Wei's puppets, only the puppet bird could function as a drone; puppet cats and the like couldn't. To control a flying sword, you had to equip it with wings and find a way to make it fly.

That would be very troublesome.

Therefore, Li Wei had to abandon the idea.

But now, Li Wei's idea has resurfaced.

I can't build flying swords, but I can build missiles!

They all fly, so what's the difference?
When the time comes, we can use a "return to the source" strategy, wouldn't that be just as effective?
Moreover, if jet aircraft are successfully developed, the Empire's skies will be free of any weaknesses!
Although airships fly very high, they are too slow, while jet aircraft can completely overcome this problem!
With that in mind, Li Wei made a decision.

"I've invested in this project."

"Sir?"

"Really? Lord Li Wei?"

Upon hearing Lieutenant Horn and John's answer, they were both surprised. They hadn't expected that Lieutenant Horn would actually be so optimistic about this thing.
“That’s right. You come with me now and take all your research materials with you. Lieutenant Horn, have someone help him move everything he needs to the Eye of the Sky.”

"Yes, sir."

Although he didn't know why Li Wei would be interested in this thing, soldiers are duty-bound to obey orders, so Lieutenant Horn saluted and then turned to get back to work.

Then Levi looked at John Dunn and asked.

"Mr. Dunn."

"Ah, yes, Lord Li Wei!"

"How many people are there in your family?"

“My parents passed away from illness, and now I live alone.”

"Okay, go pack your things first, then come with me."

"Hey? Where are you going?"

John was taken aback when he heard Levi's order.

"Your invention is quite good, but it still needs further improvement, and both testing and manufacturing require a factory, right?"

"This...this is how it is..."

"Next, I will take you to a factory. Your task is to improve the machinery you are currently manufacturing according to my requirements. Your initial annual salary is three hundred pounds. Any objections?"

Three hundred pounds?
John was completely stunned when he heard Levi's suggestion.

"No, sir, I... well... but I need a lot of experimental materials..."

"These can all be reimbursed. If you need any equipment, you can submit your request."

"Then, then I'm fine..."

Hearing Levi's answer, John breathed a sigh of relief. As a poor inventor, his biggest worry wasn't his livelihood, but whether he would have the money to buy materials for his experiments. After all, while an annual salary of three hundred pounds was a lot, it was simply not enough to buy his own experimental materials.

It now seems that Lord Levy is at least willing to support him. This gave John renewed confidence, since before, everyone he approached thought the invention was meaningless, even somewhat cumbersome. But only Levy saw the importance of his invention… Strictly speaking, John didn't know exactly how important his invention was; he was just hoping that the other party would be willing to help. But unexpectedly, Count Levy seemed to genuinely value his invention.

"Alright, pack your things now and come with me onto the airship."

"Hey? Where are we going?"

"Go to the factory."

What Li Wei was referring to was Sophia's military factory. After the Great Salt Lake incident, Sophia, as the heir to that city, gave the entire Great Salt Lake to MI7. In return, the old butler transferred a military factory that was originally planned to be shut down to her, and Li Wei was the main customer of this military factory.

Sophia had previously called Levi to ask what kind of business her military factory should engage in—she was currently mainly manufacturing unmanned artillery platforms and similar items according to Levi's requirements. Production wasn't large, and Levi didn't have any other requests at the time. Ironically, the modifications to the Sky Eye gave Sophia some extra work to do.

However, Li Wei has now found a good direction for her. If she does it well, she can make a living off this stuff for the rest of her life.

The reason Levi chose Sofia over Uncle Hank's side was simple: only military factories had the license to produce weapons and could obtain sufficient raw materials. Besides, Uncle Hank's side mainly manufactured cars; they wouldn't need this stuff even if they made it.

Installing a jet engine in a car? That's practically suicide.

But now… if it were truly possible to build a jet aircraft in this era…

That would be interesting!

　I'm begging for monthly votes for the new month, meow! (Rolling around in frustration)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)