Snow was falling in the North and under the clear sky, Kislev's first train roar rang loudly from the important northern town of Blackhammer Castle.
To Mrs. Keighley and the Dulong City dwarves present, this was just an ordinary roar of machinery. However, to Rhodes, it was a sound that resounded through the sky and shook the mountains and rivers.
In Rhodes' eyes, this sound was almost a brand new page in history. Perhaps no one present at this moment was aware of the changes that were taking place in the land of Kislev.
Even Alves, the always intelligent chief executive, didn't feel anything different here. However, Rhodes could clearly see the arrival of a new era.
Listening to the loud roar of the machine, a majestic map of the Kislev mountains and rivers appeared in Rhode's mind. It was the Northern Kingdom of Steel and Fire, another great power that had risen after the Empire.
Long steel dragons will connect the huge Kislev together. Railways, like giant arteries, transport energy to all parts of the body.
Carloads of iron ore will be transported from the black iron mine at the foot of the World's Edge Mountains to the heavy industrial base outside the capital Kislev, where large-scale steelmaking will be completed and steel weapons will be assembled.
Overseas supplies from the Port of Oerengrad will be transported to various towns in Kislev via railways. The distance that used to take a month to cover by horse-drawn carriages will only take a few days by train.
The improvement in efficiency will bring about an economic boom. At the same time, the military significance of the rapid transportation of people and goods will also be of great importance. In the past, many towns fell due to lack of timely support, but with trains, legions will be able to
Rapid delivery across the country. Whether it is foreign invasion or local rebellion, it can be effectively suppressed.
In addition, the rapid flow of people and logistics will further strengthen the central government's control over local areas. The emperor of Shan Gao will be a thing of the past.
In the eyes of everyone, the Road of Steel is a waste of money, but in Rhodes' eyes, the prototype of a huge empire has gradually emerged.
Even in Rhodes' plan, if the Silk Road is opened in the future, a post station will be built on the eastern border and a railway will be built all the way east to Cathay.
Of course, that is very far away. At this time, it has been two full years since Bogur led the expedition team to leave Kislev. There is still no news.
At this moment, Rhodes truly realized the heroic ambition of the ancient emperors to borrow another five hundred years from heaven.
Fortunately, he seems to have more time than ordinary people. As a chosen one, his lifespan can be at least twice as long as that of ordinary people. At least, in the past ten years, Rhodes has not noticed that his body has been through various events.
A slight change. It seems that all the functions of the body are the same as when he first came to this world. Oh, no, it should be said that he is stronger... The power of the three gods accumulates, collides, and merges with each other in the body. It seems that there is an eternity in the blood vessels.
Flowing with immortal life.
The noise of the train whistle broke Rhodes' thoughts, and he turned his attention to the train again.
The "train" in front of us is clumsy and ugly, and it is completely different from the trains of later generations...
At this moment, the train displayed in front of Rhodes looked completely different. Its carriages were made of wooden boards and the engine was an upgraded dwarf helicopter engine. The fuel was high-concentration coal water.
Such a four-dimensional creature jointly created by dwarves and humans is driving in the vast snow. In the eyes of others, the scene is a bit funny.
Moreover, at this time, its speed is not fast...even slower than the running speed of ordinary war horses. However, Rhodes knows that in the hands of engineers, this thing will only get faster and faster. I feel the same way.
, and the alchemist Galt on the side.
Rhodes saw a kind of confidence in the eyes of this legendary mage, which was a self-affirmation of his abilities.
"Great Alchemist, if I guess correctly, you are already thinking about how to improve the speed and endurance of this big guy."
The train was already getting further and further away. Rhodes turned to the side and asked the golden mage beside him. He saw Galt frowning, and there was a worried look in his intelligent eyes. At the same time, there was also a faint hint of hope.
The light dances on the brow.
"That's true... Great Lord, I was thinking about this issue."
Galt was silent for a while, then said——
"According to your theory, heat can be converted into power, and at the same time, power can also be converted into heat. The key to how to generate more powerful kinetic energy lies in the conversion efficiency of energy. Unfortunately, at present, we have not improved the conversion efficiency
machine. Therefore, we can only think about the source of heat."
Gelt's words made Rhodes very satisfied, and even a little surprised. This declining nobleman who was born in a different world, without any contact with modern physics and chemistry, had quickly understood in just a few months.
A lot of knowledge across the ages.
"How to generate higher temperatures to increase heat is the key to the speed and battery life of all machines."
Galt pondered.
Rhodes interrupted his thoughts. To be precise, he gave the mage a clue and inspiration.
"Can we find an energy source that releases more energy when burned and can burn for a long time to replace the existing energy source?"
"Are you saying that there is an energy source that is better than coal-water energy?"
Geert frowned and asked.
"You have heard about a black liquid flowing underground. It is easily ignited and highly active. It can even explode if ignited in a small space."
Rhodes asked step by step.
"I've heard of the liquid you mentioned, petroleum! The Arabs call them black devils. That thing is indeed easier to ignite than coal and water, and it is more active. Once ignited, it is almost impossible to put it out. You can only wait for the liquid to burn out before it can self-extinguish.
.”
"But Lord, that kind of liquid is almost uncontrollable. It is arrogant, crazy and primitive. As you said, it can cause an explosion if you are not careful. This is much more dangerous than coal water and alcohol. Alas
Humans discovered it long ago, but hundreds of years have passed and no one can use it."
Galt was almost talking to himself, but Rhodes could tell that the mage was also thinking when he was muttering to himself. Yes, this legendary archmage always loves to think so much, and he will come up with a hundred ways.
Possible ways to try, to try experiments that he had never tried before.
This is almost a common problem among alchemists. However, in Galt, it has become an incomparable advantage.
Many novel alloys were smelted in his hands. Rhodes believed that his talent was definitely not limited to smelting metals.
And I just tried my best to point him in the direction -
"That's crude oil. After refining, you can get purer oil. I can name it gasoline... Real high-purity gasoline has excellent stability, and the heat released during combustion will be unmatched by coal, water, and alcohol."
.”
Rhodes' words made Galt confused for a moment. He turned around and looked at Rhodes with a shocked look. It was as if he wanted to get into the head of the great lord and see how much weird knowledge this man still had.
?
"You mean, the black liquid we see is not its true appearance?"
Galt asked casually, but they were immediately shocked.
The mage did not expect that his casual question would directly open another door to the world of alchemy, and Rhodes was surprised that the young mage could grasp the essence of things with just a casual question.
Their eyes flickered almost at the same time.
"Everything has its own phenomenon and essence. Just like when you are doing alchemy, the appearance of the metal you see may not be real. When the alchemy is over, the black dirty stone can also be bright gold."
"So oil too?!"
Galt gradually became excited. This is not just an improvement in energy. If higher temperatures can be obtained, some alchemical problems may be solved, because the melting points of many metals are actually beyond the reach of current boilers and fuels.
"I can only give you so much information. How to do it depends on your own research."
Rhodes sighed slightly and said, in fact, this is not a pretense. Rhodes himself is not very clear about the purification and use of oil. It can be said that he almost knows nothing about it. He only knows the potential it contains. Once the purification is successful, this will be
Efficient energy far ahead of its time.
Fortunately, he had a genius alchemist with him. Rhodes was secretly glad that Galt's arrival was an indispensable part in promoting Kislev's industrialization. He was really important.