Lord: Starting with Summoning the Regular Army of Earth

Chapter 97 The Industrial Age Has Arrived

Evelyn has locked herself in the lab for several days now.

Occasionally, you can see her come out for some fresh air, her face showing undisguised fatigue and anxiety, and the dark circles under her eyes are getting worse.

The food that is sent in is often only slightly touched before being served out untouched.

The difficulty of the mission was already clear to everyone from her expression.

The hope that once existed seems to be slowly turning into disappointment, and things don't seem to be going as smoothly as imagined.

Matthew looked at the cylinder interior, which he had polished to a smooth, dark jewel-like finish, but felt little joy.

He walked to the outside of the alchemy workshop, hesitated for a moment, and did not go in, but just stood quietly for a while.

He knew that any words of comfort would be ineffective at this moment; the only support he could offer was trust and patience.

Although he didn't know whether what awaited him was a pleasant surprise or a disappointment.

"Commander," Cui Hongyuan walked to his side, his voice low, "all the large components are ready, and we're just waiting for—good news from Advisor Evelyn."

His tone was also full of worry.

"It's like we have everything ready except for the east wind. If that east wind doesn't blow, all our previous efforts may be in vain," an engineer lamented.

"Yes, Commander, how about we try using soft animal hides first?" another engineer asked tentatively.

The atmosphere in the shed became somewhat oppressive.

The craftsmen unconsciously slowed down their work, their eyes fixed on Matthew, awaiting his decision.

"Give her another day. If it still doesn't work, we'll try another alternative method for the first time," Matthew said after a moment of silence.

No one said anything more, after all, they also hoped for a miracle, because no other substitute could compare to rubber.

Hope and anxiety intertwined, like a bowstring gradually tightening, making everyone on the project team feel inexplicable pressure and tension.

It was evening of the second day.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the workers' shed in a warm golden light, but the mood of the workers was far from warm.

There was still no movement from Evelyn's side; the engineers were already processing the animal hides, preparing to make replacements.

Matthew couldn't resist knocking on the door to check on things, or to let Evelyn rest.

But just as he reached the door...

With a creak, the wooden door was gently pushed open from the inside.

Evelyn came out.

Her face was frighteningly pale, her steps were unsteady, her wide alchemist robes were stained with various colors, and her hair was disheveled.

but----

In her hands, she held tightly a large, dark brown, slightly rough but softly gleaming sheet.

What is most striking are her light blue eyes—though bloodshot, they burn with a dazzling light born from extreme exhaustion and a joyful sense of relief.

"My lord—" Her voice was a little hoarse, but filled with barely suppressed excitement, "I—I might—have succeeded!"

After saying this, Evelyn seemed to have used up all her strength, and her body suddenly swayed as if about to collapse.

Matthew reacted quickly, stepping forward to embrace Evelyn's limp body; she was so soft and so weak.

"Evelyn, are you alright?" Matthew asked with concern and worry. He knew how much pressure Evelyn was under and how much hardship she had endured.

I've been locking myself in my room for almost ten days, experimenting day and night with almost no rest and barely any food. I couldn't have endured it myself.

Matthew was once again filled with admiration for her resilience and perseverance.

"I—I'm fine, sir, just a little tired." Evelyn forced herself to stand up again, handed the materials in her hand to Matthew, and said weakly, "I used the newly adjusted elemental consolidation array, combined with a trace amount of sulfur essence to guide it, and finally—finally, I achieved a new balance between the toughness and resilience of the materials."

"Alright, I knew you would succeed, but that's not important now. As your lord, I order you to rest now, go to sleep, and don't think about anything or do anything," Matthew said firmly.

Evelyn nodded, a faint smile playing on her lips, and then, with Matthew's help, returned to her room.

Soon after, Matthew handed the sample to Cui Hongyuan. When Cui Hongyuan received the sample, a look of surprise appeared on his face. Although it had not been tested yet, he was basically certain that it was rubber.

"Conduct the test immediately!" Cui Hongyuan's voice changed.

The simple testing platform that had been prepared beforehand was immediately moved over.

The project team's engineers rushed forward and began performing performance tests on the samples.

As they expected, the performance was perfectly fine.

"Now, begin the final assembly! Let's put the heart into this steel behemoth!" With this command, the engineers of the entire project team sprang into action instantly.

Following the procedures rehearsed countless times, the polished cylinder was hoisted onto the base, the crankshaft and connecting rod were installed, and the piston, with the piston rings already embedded in the ring grooves, was carefully inserted into the cylinder. The valves and flywheel were then installed.

Cui Hongyuan personally guided the technicians to cut and make all the key sealing gaskets using the "soft clay" refined by Evelyn.

Time flies by in the midst of a hectic schedule.

By the time the last pipe was connected, the huge boiler was filled with water, and the furnace was stuffed with high-quality coal, it was completely dark. But the workers' shed was illuminated as if it were daytime by a dozen bright oil lamps and torches.

Everyone gathered around the steel structure, holding their breath.

Matthew, Cui Hongyuan, Zhang Hongjian, He Wentao, Will, Conrad —

Everyone involved in this work stood at the very front.

"Ignite!" Cui Hongyuan gave the order.

A craftsman inserted a torch into the furnace, and the dry coals were quickly ignited. The orange-red flames began to leap merrily, crackling and popping.

Waiting—a long wait—only the sound of the fire burning and people's heavy breathing could be heard.

Finally, wisps of white steam began to emerge from the small safety valve above the boiler, accompanied by a slight hissing sound.

The pressure gauge needle began to slowly and steadily deflect to the right.

Matthew's hand rested on the control lever of the main steam valve.

He looked around and saw every face filled with anticipation, tension, and a hint of fear.

Matthew took a deep breath, used all his strength, and slowly pulled the control lever!

"laugh-

'

A burst of scorching white steam roared into the cylinder, and the massive piston was violently pushed backward by this powerful force.

The crankshaft is driven to rotate via the connecting rod.

The crankshaft drove the heavy flywheel, producing the first dull but powerful sound—"clang".

The flywheel rotated a quarter turn, then paused slightly at the dead point due to inertia. Immediately afterwards, the valve switched, and steam rushed in from the other end.

"Bang!!"

Another sound, even more powerful!

"Bang!!! Bang!!! Bang!!!!"

At first, there was a slow but powerful impact sound. Gradually, as the flywheel speed increased, the sound became more and more continuous and rapid.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang—"

Ultimately, stability became a rhythmic, powerful roar.

The heavy flywheel transformed into a spinning phantom, driving a simple water pump connected to it via a belt, which then propelled the water high into the air.

"We did it! We did it!"

The workers' shed was in complete uproar.

People cheered, jumped, hugged, and high-fived wildly, celebrating this significant and hard-won success in every way they could to express their joy.

Zhang Hongjian reached out and patted the shoulder of the person next to him. Cui Hongyuan couldn't help but hug his partner next to him. Even a group of straight men were moved to tears.

Matthew stood in the center of the commotion, feeling the regular vibrations beneath his feet and listening to the roar of the first steam engine in this other world, his heart filled with boundless pride.

He knew that from this moment on, the gears of fate for Ashstone Ridge, and even the entire world, had been violently turned, setting them on a new track full of infinite possibilities.

The step from 0 to 1 has finally been taken, and the industrial age of Emberstone Ridge has arrived with a deafening roar.

In the shadows of night, a pair of deep purple eyes gleamed with surprise. Night Song had once again witnessed an incredible creation.

Although she had gained a deep understanding of Emberstone Ridge and Matthew's summoned creatures through her observations over this period of time.

Furthermore, she has already learned some Chinese and can understand the conversations of the summoned creatures.

She knew those guys must come from a real, but completely different, world, and she even guessed that Matthew might be from there too.

But precisely because of this, she became increasingly curious about Matthew and his summoned creatures, and even looked forward to what incredible changes these "visitors from outer space" would bring to the world in the future.

Clearly, they are already gradually changing the world.

The same was true of the gunpowder before, and it's also true of the steel monster emitting white steam in front of us.

Moreover, the combination of magic and the extraordinary power of that otherworldly realm known as science opened Yege's eyes to a whole new world.

"This is getting more and more interesting," Ye Ge thought to himself, then stretched and disappeared into the darkness once again.