Is this cheat code from Bika? Just do it!

Simply put, it's like an enlarged kettle.

Boiling steam is introduced into the cylinder, pushing the piston and connecting rod, thereby converting thermal energy into mechanical energy.

Although the principle sounds incredibly simple, it is by no means easy to actually manufacture.

Its main challenges lie in the airtightness of the cylinder and piston, as well as the manufacturing process of the air supply pipe.

Even with the blueprints she received in a previous lottery, Hannah has only managed to produce one prototype so far.

At this moment, Agnes also came over, frowning as she stared intently at the strange machine.

She had heard Link say before that the power contained in nature was beyond imagination.

But now, looking at this pile of cold iron lumps in front of her, she felt that Link's previous words were simply a lie.

"How are you going to get this bunch of metal lumps moving? You're kidding, right?"

Agnes shook her head, her eyes filled with disbelief. She simply couldn't imagine that this thing could move on its own, just as Link had said.

However, in Link's eyes, this seemingly simple machine exudes a unique industrial beauty.

With the help of blueprints, and standing on the shoulders of giants, he naturally did not follow the development path of Newcomen's steam engine, Watt's steam engine, and then the improved steam engine.

The first prototype he had Hannah make was a high-pressure steam engine with double connecting rods and sliding valves.

"You'll find out later."

As Link spoke, he poured a bucket of water into the steam room and then had someone light the firewood.

More than ten minutes passed, and the water gradually boiled under the heat of the firewood, making a bubbling sound.

Soon, a crackling sound came from inside the cylinder. Link knew that it was the sound of the cylinder expanding due to heat.

The piston plate is thinner, and its expansion deformation is greater than that of the cylinder block, eventually pressing firmly against the cylinder wall.

"Isn't this just boiling water?"

Agnes muttered to herself curiously.

Cecilia, Inessa, Bernice, and the others also gathered around, watching intently with wide eyes and curious expressions.

When the cylinder was filled with steam, the moment that Link was most excited about finally arrived.

The piston begins to slowly push the connecting rod outward. When it reaches its maximum position, another connecting rod quickly pulls the sliding valve, and the steam pushes the piston inward.

The two connecting rods moved back and forth, causing the wheel to spin rapidly.

As the firepower increased, the wheel's rotation speed quickly reached its peak.

The machine emitted a piercing roar, and the exhaust pipe hissed out white steam, like an angry beast roaring, with an unstoppable momentum.

"Is this what you meant by... the power hidden in nature?" Agnes asked blankly, her eyes filled with shock.

The large iron wheel on the steam engine spun rapidly, and Agnes knew very well how heavy it was.

And now, she was standing right next to it, and could even clearly feel the airflow generated by the wheels hitting her face, which was enough to show that the metal lump in front of her was incredibly powerful.

Agnes, who possesses great power, is not the kind of fool who has power but no brains.

On the contrary, she was quick-witted and soon understood the enormous potential of this machine.

If it can replace human and animal power, then when used on the battlefield to replace horses pulling chariots, its brute force alone would be enough to overwhelm even ten knights.

Training a qualified knight takes several years and requires a significant investment of resources, including training and equipment.

However, it only takes two weeks to manufacture such a steam engine.

This is only the first sample unit.

If blacksmiths become familiar with the manufacturing process and steel processing technology becomes more advanced, then manufacturing time will continue to be shortened.

This steam engine requires no feeding and there is no need to worry about it losing power due to cold or hunger; it is also impervious to attacks from arrows and swords, and as long as a ram is attached to the front, it can rampage across the battlefield, invincible.

So, is there still a need for traditional knights?

Agnes fell into deep thought.

She knew that the emergence of this steam engine could very well completely change the course of war and even affect the structure of the entire society.

Those once-mighty knights on the battlefield may gradually be replaced by these powerful machines.

Cecilia looked at the amazing machine before her, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She couldn't help but exclaim, "This is truly amazing! I never imagined that the power of nature could be utilized in this way!"

Inessa nodded and said, "Yes, if such machines could be widely used, our lives would be transformed."

"In the future, we might not even need to ride horses anymore. We can just sit in one of these machine-driven vehicles, which will be fast and convenient."

Listening to the girls' discussion, Link nodded secretly.

It was because of their ideas that automobiles, ships, and other industrial machines sprang up like mushrooms after rain during the Industrial Revolution.

Humanity's yearning for a better life is the driving force behind continuous technological progress.

The author says:

Author's Note: PS: Please vote for me with monthly tickets!!! Please urge me to update more!!! I'm so hungry!!!

96. Gunpowder

With this steam engine, many subsequent plans were freed from their shackles and could be implemented systematically one by one.

In Link's mind, there was one plan that was particularly crucial: to create a weapon that could end the era of cold weapon warfare—the gun.

Link had planned ahead; he had already instructed Hannah to design firearms, intending to begin manufacturing a flintlock pistol when the time was right.

The flintlock musket, a weapon that has stood the test of time, is similar in difficulty to the matchlock musket in its manufacture.

Its structural features are distinctive: it is loaded with ignition powder at the rear and lead shot at the front, and its firing rate can reach nearly three shots per minute.

In an era where cold weapons still dominated, using it to deal with enemies wielding swords, spears, and other cold weapons was like a devastating blow.

However, flintlock muskets were not without their flaws; their production time was a major drawback.

Initially, flintlock muskets, like matchlock muskets, were all meticulously hammered out by craftsmen, one hammer blow at a time.

From the barrel to the trigger, every component embodies the craftsman's dedication and skill. The entire gun takes approximately three months to make.

Among these processes, the production of the gun barrel is of paramount importance. Each step, such as drilling and rifling, requires extremely high skill.

Although no precision instruments are needed in the production process, the craftsman must be an experienced master to create a qualified gun barrel.

If the craftsman's skills are not good, even a slight mistake may result in a defect in the barrel, affecting the performance of the firearm and even posing a danger during use.

This is precisely why Link wanted to build a steam engine first.

With a steam engine, he was able to use a steel drill bit to drill the gun barrel directly from a solid iron rod.

This will greatly increase the production speed.

Moreover, this production method greatly reduces the skill requirements of craftsmen, eliminating the need for skilled craftsmen to operate it, and only requiring a workbench to hold the iron rod in place.

This undoubtedly made the mass production of firearms possible and gave Link hope of changing the war landscape of this era.

......

For the next few days, Link and Hannah spent all their time in the workshop, devoting themselves to experiments on gunpowder production methods.

There's a folk rhyme that goes: "One part sulfur, two parts saltpeter, three parts charcoal, add a little sugar and you have a big Ivan."

However, when it came to actually putting it into practice, all sorts of difficulties came rushing in like a tide.

The amount of each material used is crucial. Too much or too little will significantly reduce the quality of the finished product, making it completely unsuitable for launching projectiles.

For several days in a row, the gunpowder experiment still failed.

Each failed experiment was like a heavy blow, striking Hannah and Link's hearts hard.

"Damn it, what's going on? Is something still wrong?"

Hannah finally couldn't hold back and roared in frustration.

"Don't be impatient. The development of gunpowder has undergone hundreds of years of evolution in history. How long has it been? At most, it's only been four days."

Link, acting as her assistant, suppressed her anxiety and gently comforted her.

At this moment, the two of them ran out of the workshop in a disheveled state. The room was filled with a pungent, irritating smell, along with a strange, burnt odor that made them want to vomit.

Clearly, this experiment failed again.

When the two men ran out of the workshop, their faces were blackened by the soot from the failed gunpowder, making them look like two black people who had crawled out of a coal mine, black on top of black.

Hannah sat dejectedly on the stone bench in front of the house, her hands hanging limply at her sides, her eyes filled with disappointment and confusion.

Link sat down next to her and gently comforted her.

Actually, Link wasn't in much better shape either. The continuous failures over the past few days had left him feeling disheartened. He hadn't been able to sleep at night for the past few days, spending all his time thinking about this.

But at times like these, he knew he couldn't show any negative emotions, much less make sarcastic remarks.

Hannah has already tried her best. Some things can't be rushed; you can only take it one step at a time.

Hannah frowned, completely ignoring the black mess on her hands, and gripped her hair tightly, muttering, "Where did I go wrong? Was my step wrong, or is the proportion wrong?"

Her voice trembled slightly, like a traveler lost in the darkness, desperately searching for a glimmer of light.

"Okay, take your time, don't rush."

Link said gently, then took a damp towel and gently wiped the dirt off her hands.

"Why don't you sit here and rest for a bit? Once the black smoke and smell in the room have dissipated, we'll do another experiment."

"Ah."

Hannah responded softly, her voice tinged with weariness.

But as Link gently wiped her arm, her anxious heart gradually calmed down.

Then, she took a deep breath, composed herself, took out a charcoal pencil, and began to draw and write directly on the ground.

Her gaze was focused and resolute, as if she wanted to express all the doubts in her heart through these simple lines and numbers.

Link didn't bother her anymore. Instead, he called over a few city guards and together they went into the workshop, which was still emitting black smoke, to start cleaning up the mess inside.

The workshop was in a mess, with various experimental equipment scattered all over the floor and black smoke billowing everywhere.

But Link and the city guards didn't complain at all. They skillfully cleaned up the mess, as if they were used to this kind of scene.

Hannah looked at the data she had written and drawn on the ground and muttered to herself, "Where did I go wrong? What exactly is wrong?"

Her brows were furrowed as she muttered to herself. Then she grabbed a handful of raw materials from the pile of bags in the yard and examined them closely.

"The materials should be fine too. Although they're not exactly the same as those on Earth, they should still be okay..." Hannah muttered to herself, her mind filled with doubt.

Her gaze finally settled on the last piece of saltpeter, and a strange intuition welled up inside her: "Could there be something wrong with this saltpeter?"

She stared intently at the saltpeter in her hand, as if trying to find the answer in this small stone.

"Hannah, the house is all cleaned up."

Link walked out looking disheveled; he was now quite adept at doing this.

He was the one who cleaned up the "battlefield" after the previous failures, so he had to be skilled at it.

His face was covered in dust, and his hair was soaked with sweat, sticking to his forehead, making him look somewhat disheveled.

"Okay! Let's try it again. This time, we'll start from scratch with saltpeter and refine high-purity saltpeter ourselves."

Hannah stood up, her eyes rekindling with determination. She picked up the necessary materials, strode into the room, and continued her experiment.

Link followed her back into the workshop.

The workshop was still filled with a pungent smell, but the two seemed to have gotten used to the environment and quickly immersed themselves in the experiment.

call!

With a soft sound, the experiment began once again.

However, not long after, black smoke began to rise from the workshop again.

"Failed again, let's try again." Hannah gritted her teeth, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes.

“Okay!” Link replied firmly, his eyes filled with trust and support.

Black smoke kept billowing out of the small hut.

Every failure felt like a heavy blow, but the two never gave up, constantly learning from their mistakes.