Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 401 A New Discovery
"Dad, wake up!"

When Li Wei was woken up by Alice again, it was already morning. He turned around and saw Alice and Sophia curiously lying in front of the bed, looking at him. The little dog next to them was, as always, imitating them, putting its two little paws on the edge of the bed and wagging its tail.

"Hey, Alice, Sophia, good morning..."

Li Wei waved to the two of them, then yawned and sat up. He hadn't slept well these past few days, but after returning yesterday, he fell asleep early and finally had a good night's sleep.

Of course, Alice and the others didn't know what Levi had gone out to do; they just assumed he was out solving a case as usual. War... was still too far removed from the lives of children.

Good morning, Dad!

"Good morning, Mr. Li Wei..."

Alice greeted Levi with great enthusiasm, and Sophia quickly chimed in as well. The two exchanged a smile, held hands, and ran off happily. The little dog barked twice at Levi, then wagged its tail and chased after the two girls.

Li Wei stood up, stretched, changed his clothes, and then slowly walked down the stairs.

When he arrived in the hall, the others were already there waiting for him.

"Good morning."

Li Wei greeted Qi Ya, the little mermaid, and Eileen, then sat down.

Good morning, Mr. Li Wei.

Qi Ya was the one among this group who was most curious about war.

"What's the situation up ahead?"

"It's alright. At least for now, it seems that the Empire doesn't intend to attack Krant immediately."

Li Wei answered Qi Ya's question while eating the fried egg on his plate.

"I see... It seems Grandpa will have to wait a while longer."

"what happened?"

Hearing this, Li Wei asked curiously, and Qi Ya hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Grandpa called me last night and said he’d made some new discoveries through those… monster weapons…”

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Li Wei immediately became interested.

"That's what he said?"

"Yes, Grandpa heard that the empire is currently facing war, so he excitedly wanted me to ask you if you wanted to go see his invention..."

"Then I have to go and see it."

Although Levi was indeed exhausted, the news brought by Qi Ya invigorated him. Dr. Tester was indeed a bit unruly, but his abilities were truly first-rate. If Levi remembered correctly, what he was researching was something like the lightning-firing pistol used by the alien monster that had kidnapped the grandfather and grandson.

Did the old man get some kind of inspiration and make a new discovery?
Upon hearing the news, Li Wei quickly finished his breakfast and then summoned the Eye of the Sky, heading excitedly to the Great Salt Lake.

The Great Salt Lake looks almost exactly the same as when Li Wei visited before. It's still filled with various Gothic buildings, but the once desolate streets, filled only with corpses and monsters, are now transformed, with mechs and soldiers coming and going everywhere.

As a veteran of MI7, Li Wei naturally didn't need to report to anyone. He asked around and was then taken to Dr. Tester's research institute.

Indeed, this place has many houses; Dr. Tester occupies a large mansion all by himself. From the outside, it should look like an old manor where a wealthy person used to live. But now, the building is unrecognizable. The once simple and historic walls are now covered with crooked metal pipes, and there are things that look like lightning rods on the roof. It gives the impression that... it wouldn't be impossible for Dr. Tester to resurrect Frankenstein here.

Hmm... I doubt this person would do something like that.

Of course, it would be a different story if it were Anne.

Filled with curiosity, Li Wei stepped forward and rang the doorbell. After a moment, the door opened, and Dr. Tester poked his head out. The old man's hair looked disheveled, and his white coat was covered with all sorts of stains.

Upon seeing Levi, Dr. Tester immediately grinned and laughed heartily.

"Ha ha, you've arrived, Sir Levi! Come quick! I have something good to show you!"

He leaned on his cane with one hand and grabbed Li Wei with the other, forcefully pulling him into the room. Although Li Wei could easily break free, seeing how excited the old doctor was, Li Wei didn't say anything.

"What's wrong, Dr. Tester? What have you discovered? Why are you so excited?"

"Of course I'm excited! Do you remember the weapons those monsters used to kidnap us?"

"of course I remember."

Levi nodded, then looked curiously at Dr. Tester.

"Have you also invented a similar new weapon?"

"What new weapon!"

Upon hearing Levi's question, Dr. Tester glared at him, giving him a look that said, "You're hopeless." "Even more exciting than the new weapon! Come on, follow me!"

Upon hearing Dr. Tester's words, for a moment, Levi really didn't want to go in, but... he still obediently followed Dr. Tester into the mansion.

The interior of the mansion was in a terrible state; all the useless decorations had been knocked down, and even the rooms had been knocked down, making it resemble a huge, empty warehouse. Besides Dr. Tester, several other researchers were also walking around. Levi noticed some enormous steam-powered equipment inside.

Levi recognized some of them as steam engines, but he couldn't say for sure about the rest of the equipment.

On the blackboard to the side, there were various formulas and construction diagrams written on it.

"I don't know where those alien creatures came from, but they certainly have their own unique advantages in science and technology!"

Dr. Tester excitedly spoke to Levi.

"Did you know what? They can manipulate electricity at will! That's right! Electricity! Sure, we use electricity now, but we use less than one-thousandth of what they control! I believe steam power is obsolete! The next era is the age of electricity! And this is my invention, a brand new machine that generates electricity!"

"You mean a generator?"

It has to be said that Li Wei was also stunned when he saw the huge machine in front of him, with its massive gears and blades.

This old man is truly remarkable. He didn't manage to build the lightning gun, but he did manage to build the steam generator.

“That’s right, steam engines are a complete waste right now! They’re not even using the full potential of the jet! We’re just squandering and wasting this power! But things are different now. Through our research into the technology of these alien creatures, I’ve improved our current power generation devices. The electricity they produce is not only far more stable than that of steam engines, but it’s also much more powerful!”

The more he talked, the more excited the old man became.

"Did you see that? The entire Great Salt Lake is now powered by the generators here, completely abandoning that cumbersome steam power! But the coal ore we're consuming is only one percent of what was originally planned! Just five generators like these are enough to supply the energy needs of the entire Fog City!"

"Ah, um...that's really impressive..."

Although Dr. Tester had explained it very clearly, Levi was still a little confused, after all, he wasn't a science major. However, Levi did understand some simple principles; after all, in his era, whether it was thermal power generation or nuclear power generation, it was essentially about boiling water. And what Dr. Tester was building was clearly something like a thermal power plant from Levi's time.

However, Li Wei did recall reading somewhere before that the reason the steam engine was replaced by the electric motor was because the electric motor was more efficient, easier to operate, and more reliable, etc.

"Not only that, we've also made some entirely new discoveries!"

Dr. Tester was getting more and more excited as he talked, and he looked at Levi with great enthusiasm.

"Do you remember that mysterious earthquake we investigated when we went to that mountain?"

"Ah, um, I remember... that was probably caused by those alien monsters, right?"

"That's right!"

Dr. Tester slapped Levi's arm hard.

"I kept wondering what those monsters were doing in that mountain. Then I found out they were mining!"

"mining?"

"That's right, a magical mineral that can store a large amount of electrical energy. The monsters' weapons are made from this mineral! I've already tested it, and the electrical energy stored in this magical mineral, the size of a washbasin, is enough to power a behemoth transport mech for a year! If it can be refined, the lifespan will only be longer!"

"Wow, is that exaggerated?"

Upon hearing this, Levi was immediately taken aback. The behemoth-type transport mech wasn't a combat mech; simply put, it was like a crane with legs that could walk on its own, primarily responsible for transporting goods at the port. Its size was almost the same as the robot Levi had initially used, the one that had perished alongside the divine messenger.

Such a behemoth consumes far more energy than a Hound-class or Knight-class mech, yet Dr. Tester claims that a piece the size of a washbasin is enough for it to use for a year?
How high is the energy density of this mineral? ... If you put one in your phone, would you not need to charge it for ten years?
Li Wei had to admit that if this were true, it would be a leap forward for the empire at present.

But how should I tell Her Majesty the Queen...?

Li Wei thought for a moment. If he remembered correctly, the Cyclops was returning to the shipyard for major repairs.

Thinking of this, Levi looked at Dr. Tester.

"Dr. Tester, can your... this power an airship?"

"Of course!"

Dr. Tester nodded vigorously, quite pleased with himself.

"I can guarantee that it will be more powerful than current steam engines! And it will take up less space! It will be much stronger!"

"I see."

Hearing this, Li Wei already had a plan in mind.

"Let me go talk to someone first."

If the empire can truly transition from steam power to electric power, then the times will truly change...

(End of this chapter)