The Ancestral Legacy Begins in the Wild West

Okita Souji smiled wryly: "Two weeks since last time."

Zhang Ansheng did not answer, but simply started working.

"[Introduction to Japanese Whale Oil Machinery], already purchased."

Use a soft-bristled brush dipped in cleaning oil to wipe away the grease and grime composed of blood and whale oil residue from metal structures such as exhaust valves. Then carefully scrape off the rust that has seeped into the metal surface.

Throughout the entire process, you could feel Okita Souji's breathing and heartbeat, making you unconsciously hold your breath.

"Turn around, let me check the condition of your back," Zhang Chang'an said, slowly putting down the tools in his hand.

Okita Souji turned around decisively and tore off his haori and kimono.

His body was much leaner than Zhang Ansheng had expected, with clearly defined and powerful muscles in his shoulders and back, a result of years of sword practice. However, his skin was frighteningly pale, almost devoid of any color.

Sure enough, traces could be seen on the back of the mechanical lung, with a round wound about the size of a bowl, and the junction of the skin and metal was meticulously sutured.

However, just like the front, there are large areas of black blood vessels extending from here, which is extremely eerie.

Okita Souji waited quietly for him to observe. Even though this process should not be painless, he remained silent throughout.

Before the inspection, Zhang Chang'an had already cleaned away the grease, and the exhaust valve was working much more smoothly.

Once he silently indicated that he was ready, Okita Souji immediately straightened his clothes and stood up.

He took a small cloth bag from his pocket and placed it on the worktable.

Without even opening it, you can tell from the sound of the clattering that it contains a lot of silver coins.

"Thank you, Tie Zhou-san." He stood up and bowed slightly.

Zhang Chang'an, who was packing up his tools, did not look particularly optimistic: "You should be feeling more and more lately that although you are breathing, you still can't muster any energy."

Your limbs feel inexplicably weak, and your nerve responses are slowing down. This is because your body's pollution levels are worsening.

Although using high-quality whale oil, frequently changing the filter gaskets, and using medication should slow down the process, however…

"How much longer can we hold out?" Okita Souji remained remarkably calm. He wasn't panicked; he simply asked the question.

Zhang Chang'an was silent for a moment, then raised his finger and pointed to the slowly expanding rust spots and the black blood vessels extending from his mechanical lung.

The meaning is obvious: the speed at which the rust spots and contaminated blood vessels spread is like the progress bar of death.

Okita was still smiling, muttering to himself, "Then I'd better hurry up and kill as many people as I need to before I die."

With his enhanced body, Zhang Chang'an could certainly hear those words, but he didn't react. He simply calmly followed them out, said goodbye to Okita Souji, and then closed the courtyard gate.

Zhang Chang'an knew these words from his memory: weakness in his hands and feet, and sluggish nerves, but he never expected to experience them so clearly in person.

Pulling open his sleeve, the black veins on his hand were even more numerous than those on Okita Souji's body.

Although it wasn't as deep as his, it still extended inwards from the hands, but it covered everything.

Upon entering the room, Zhang Chang'an tore open his clothes to examine the insides closely. He could clearly see the dark marks on his internal organs and neck.

Just like the veins and bulging veins that ordinary people can see, there are traces like these, only in many places they are very faint and not clearly visible.

"Seven years have passed since the Iron Boat landed in Japan, progressing almost alongside the development of steam technology on the island of Japan."

Although his technical skills were excellent, and he had fully integrated into the local community by taking root in it, his long-term exposure to cutting-edge and dangerous technology had caused severe contamination in his body, a condition that was difficult to reverse.

If not purified in time, a large number of organs will irreversibly fail within six months. And within a month at most, Tie Zhougong's hands will completely lose the precision to handle steam machinery.

Repair objective: Use any means necessary to remove more than 40% of the toxins from Iron Boat's body within one month.

"Damn it." Zhang Chang'an recalled the previous two times. The martial chaos rift was resolved by force, while the conspiracy rift was only discovered at the very end.

He hadn't understood this disaster-relief fissure at first, but now he realizes that a major calamity is indeed imminent.

.....................

"The stove uses explosive fuel. Don't get too close to the stove when you use it, because the black oil that splashes out is very difficult to extinguish once it catches fire. If you really encounter one, remember to come back to me. A bottle of fire extinguisher costs 200 coins."

As Zhang Chang'an spoke, he handed out a jar of whale oil, which looked like oil stains, stored in a bamboo tube, and accepted the copper coins from the customer.

Tie Zhou Gong's basic condition is probably the best among the ancestors we have encountered so far.

Despite being plagued by a serious illness, his shop was still very profitable.

Zhang Chang'an had been sitting in the shop for most of the day, and with the money paid by Okita Souji yesterday, he had already earned more than one tael of silver.

In Kyoto during the early Meiji period, the purchasing power of currency was still quite good. A bowl of soba noodles cost less than 50 copper coins. Although the exchange rate fluctuated, one tael of silver could usually be exchanged for around 1,000 copper coins.

In other words, he could earn enough for countless meals in a single day.

The monthly salary of ordinary Shinsengumi members was only 2 to 5 taels of silver.

"Of course, that's not enough. Even if you can earn more, it's not worth risking your life." Zhang Chang'an squeezed his hands, which had never been so weak since he entered the martial arts school, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Although he didn't inherit Tie Zhougong's abilities, he could fully sense his physical condition.

Although his actual strength may not have decreased completely, he felt very weak and his reactions were slightly sluggish, somewhat like when he first arrived in London.

He worked in the store all day today, and besides the health problems he was suffering from, he had indeed seen a lot of the technological advancements made by the people of Japan.

As the genealogy states, their whale hunting industry was extremely developed, resulting in a truly astonishing production of whale oil.

However, because most of them are not treated and are difficult to extinguish, they are volatile and toxic, and may even explode. From whale oil produced to various related technologies, such hidden dangers are numerous.

Throughout the day, while sitting in the shop and occasionally going out to take a look, he discovered that quite a few people in Kyoto had suffered burns and scalds.

And many people had already shown signs of contamination.

"Fortunately... I've been to more reputable places, and it's the future. Tie Zhou Gong hasn't been working for nothing all these years." Zhang Chang'an pondered, then slowly closed the shop door.

It was already past dusk, so he chose to close the shop early.

After all, curing the ancestor's illness is the most important thing. If it could be cured simply by burning money, then Tie Zhougong's previous savings would certainly not be insignificant compared to the meager sums he could earn in a short time.

Zhang Chang'an went to great lengths today to solve the problem of bodily contamination.

He would refuse any work that was even slightly complicated.

He racked his brains over a lot of new knowledge.

"Unfortunately, we have the method, but we haven't gathered all the necessary materials. We still need to go out and do some more work."

Zhang Chang'an sighed helplessly and stuffed a design draft, which resembled a complex mechanical syringe, deep into the drawer from the counter.

Then, he pulled out a familiar steam-powered telescopic knife from under the cabinet.