Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

Having bid farewell to Li Zhi and his London port filled with Guanzhong accents, the Saltfish once again sped up, its billowing white smoke carving a straight and dazzling trail across the azure Atlantic Ocean.

Such long-distance ocean voyages, often covering thousands of miles, should normally be filled with unknowns and fears in this era. But Li Chengqian, lying on the temperature-controlled deck sofa, eating chilled grapes sent from the Baltic Sea, felt that this kind of life was a little too comfortable.

"Your Highness, we have spotted the coastline ahead. However, the color of these clouds seems a bit off."

Xu Xiao put down the binoculars, scratched his head, and looked somewhat strange.

Li Chengqian pulled down his sunglasses, straightened up, and looked ahead.

At the horizon, instead of the expected primeval jungle or golden beach, there was a layer of gray-black haze shrouding the sky and earth.

As the Saltfish continued to approach, the true form behind the smoke and mist finally revealed itself—a steel monster powerful enough to make any classical civilization tremble.

The towering industrial chimneys, like long, black spears, pierce the sky, continuously spewing out thick smoke that is a mixture of crimson and gray-black.

Extending along both sides of the coastline are clusters of steel blast furnaces stretching for dozens of miles. These behemoths, illuminated by the flames, resemble silent and ferocious ancient giants, relentlessly devouring ore day and night, spewing out a torrent of steel powerful enough to arm the entire world.

The sound of a heavy hammer striking a forging, the dull roar of a steam turbine—the metallic vibrations could be felt even across the sea.

"This...this is Tyr's fiefdom?"

Empress Zhangsun stepped out of the glass greenhouse and looked at the scene in the distance, which was full of metallic texture and industrial frenzy. She unconsciously clenched the handkerchief in her hand.

The Li Tai she remembered was a gentle and even slightly arrogant scholar who loved to bury himself in books studying the "Kuodi Zhi". But this heavy industrial base in front of her, which seemed to have welded the earth into a sheet of iron, exuded a crazy and hardcore vibe no matter how you looked at it.

"That fourth kid really has the saying 'great strength can produce miracles' etched into his bones."

Li Chengqian couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, a smile playing on his lips. He had only casually explained the concepts of industrial machine tools and heat treatment to Li Tai before, never expecting that this fat man's execution ability to be so terrifying.

The moment the Salted Fish docked, the traditional silk carpets and kneeling crowds on the pier were replaced by a series of chilling metallic scraping sounds.

"Boom—!"

A large convoy of machinery appeared at the end of the dock.

Leading the way was a wildly styled six-wheeled steam truck. It had no decorative canopy, its exterior covered with rough rivets and welding marks, and it wasn't even painted, revealing the raw, unpainted steel.

The truck came to a smooth stop, and a strong smell of engine oil wafted out.

The driver's side door was suddenly pushed open, and a sturdy figure struggled to jump down, causing the ground to shake violently.

The man was wearing a set of coarse cloth overalls covered in oil stains and black fingerprints, with a huge wrench and measuring tape hanging from his waist, and even the tip of his nose had a piece of black machine oil that he hadn't wiped off.

"Elder brother! Mother! You've finally arrived!"

Li Tai shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice more than twice as deep as it was in Chang'an. When he laughed, the flesh on his face bulged together, squeezing his already small eyes into two slits.

Li Chengqian had barely stepped off the boat, his feet not even firmly planted, when he looked at Li Tai in front of him, his expression instantly became incredibly varied.

He circled around Li Tai once, finally stopping in front of him and poking the round belly that seemed about to burst out of his work clothes.

"Fourth brother, when I was in Chang'an, I was wondering if you alone had eaten all the bison in North America to extinction?"

Li Chengqian clicked his tongue twice, complaining with a hint of disdain.

"Look at your figure, you've gotten even bigger since Chang'an. Who promised me back then that they'd study hard and never overeat after coming to North America? With your waistline now, you probably couldn't even fit into the thickest chimney in Old Nine's house!"

Li Tai wasn't angry at all; instead, he chuckled and patted his stomach nonchalantly, kicking up a cloud of engine oil dust.

"Brother, you don't understand. In a place like North America, you can't build heavy industry without a lot of weight to keep those barbarians in check. Besides, I'm not fat, I'm a 'core module of heavy industry'."

As he spoke, he eagerly reached out his greasy, black hands, trying to pull up Empress Sun's sleeves.

"Mother, look at the vehicle I've prepared for you! This is a brand-new 'King Wei' class' assault vehicle, powerful enough to pull ten elephants!"

Looking at her son's face, which was covered in grease yet radiant with energy, Empress Zhangsun's shock gradually turned into deep affection and bittersweetness.

She took out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve and gently wiped the oil stains from Li Tai's forehead, her eyes slightly red.

"Tai'er, you've suffered so much. Dealing with these iron blocks all day long in this place, look at you all covered in black. If your father saw you, he would probably be heartbroken."

"Not at all! Mother, you don't know, watching these lumps of iron turn into railways, cannons, and ships in my hands, the feeling is better than eating a hundred bowls of braised pork!"

As Li Tai spoke, he pointed animatedly to the endless rows of factory buildings behind him.

"Come on! Mother, elder brother! Your Majesty, I have prepared a feast in the canteen of the heavy industry factory. Let's eat and chat!"

The so-called "canteen" is actually a magnificent steel structure building. There are no mahogany tables and chairs like in the Chang'an Restaurant; instead, there are long tables cast from a single piece of refined iron, exuding a sense of industrial-era grandeur.

Li Tai clapped his hands as if presenting a treasure.

Several cooks in overalls pushed a steaming metal food cart up.

On the food cart, dozens of large, sizzling steaks were neatly arranged.

"Brother, this is a local specialty of my area. It's North American bison, fed purely on grass, with a firm and flavorful meat."

Li Tai picked up a specially made boning knife and skillfully cut off a piece.

"This isn't grilled over charcoal. Your Majesty, I specially modified a steam pressure oven. It heats evenly and retains moisture exceptionally well. Please try it; this is a 'steamed steak' unlike any other in the entire Tang Dynasty!"

Li Chengqian took a piece, took a bite, and the rich aroma of meat and oil exploded on his tongue. The wild taste was truly irresistible.

"Wow, fourth brother, I used to think you were only good at studying, but I never expected you to have such a hardcore imagination when it comes to food."

Empress Zhangsun gracefully cut the beef, looking at her two sons sitting around the iron table, one cynical and the other endearing, her eyes filled with satisfaction.

Back in Chang'an, the princes fought tooth and nail for the dragon throne, to the point of irreconcilable conflict. But now, the eldest prince has traveled across the ocean to visit, and the fourth prince, his face slick with grease, is presenting a treasure. Such a harmonious scene of brothers would have been unimaginable in the past.

"Tai'er, I just heard your elder brother say that even General Bai Qi is envious of your place?" Empress Zhangsun asked with a smile.

Li Tai swallowed a large mouthful of meat and smugly hummed.

"Of course! A few days ago, General Bai sent a secret letter asking me to order a batch of 'full-coverage steel plate armor' and new field guns for him. I refused directly, saying that the Tang Dynasty's industry should prioritize supplying the Crown Prince's palace. He was so angry that he cursed me half to death in the telegram, saying that he wanted to go back to the Tang Dynasty to find me to practice my martial arts."

As Li Chengqian listened to his fourth brother boast about these "achievements," the little flame of lust within him was also stirred up.

The sense of accomplishment from personally shaping an era is something that no amount of extravagant living can replace.

Within the rigid framework of Tang Dynasty history, Li Tai could only ever be the Prince of Wei who failed in his bid for the throne. But on this new continent, he was the sole Iron King, the core engine driving the gears of civilization.

Looking at Li Tai's confident smile, which was stained black by grease, Li Chengqian suddenly felt that sharing happiness was better than enjoying it alone.

The sheer thrill of the Li family's offspring being able to outdo each other all over the world is something that would be a shame if they didn't get together and show off.

He took a big bite of his steak, pointed at the deafening factory outside the window, and a glint of excitement flashed in his eyes.

"Fourth brother, I suddenly feel that it's too meaningless for us brothers to just scatter like this after all the hard work we've put in to make a name for ourselves outside."

Li Tai was taken aback: "What does Big Brother mean?"

"Send an urgent telegram to your third brother, Li Ke, and that ninth brother who's pretending to be civilized in London!"

Li Chengqian slammed his hand on the iron platform, making the forks clang loudly, his tone revealing a wild and lawless arrogance.

"Tell them all to drop everything they're doing, whether they're mining or training barbarians, and bring their best produce to the Grand Canyon immediately!"

"I'm going to make a big splash there! We, the Li brothers, are going to throw an unprecedented carnival party in the Grand Canyon!"

Upon hearing this, Li Tai dropped the steak in his hand onto the plate and then burst into a deafening burst of laughter.

"Haha! Brother, you're brilliant! I'll send the telegram right away! I'll send all the newly built six-wheeled trucks over there, and we'll race them in the Grand Canyon!"

Empress Zhangsun looked at her two unruly sons, sighed helplessly, and then burst out laughing.

Outside the window, the steel factory's chimneys still spew out thick smoke of the era.

Meanwhile, urgent telegrams representing the highest authority of the Tang Dynasty were being sent at breakneck speed along the copper cables laid on the seabed, heading towards every corner of the world.

"Brothers reunited..." Li Chengqian looked out the window and chuckled.

"This Grand Canyon is about to get lively."