We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 251 A Date with Lyra, The Birth of the [Steam Heart]
As night slowly enveloped the City of Giant Trees, specks of fluorescent light lit up throughout the forest.

Because the elves are close to nature, they do not use oil lamps very often.

Instead, a unique firefly lamp, when activated by a little secret power, can emit a soft halo.

Looking down from above, the twinkling lights illuminate various parts of the city, resembling stars in the sky, further enhancing the city's magnificent beauty.

Sean sat beside Lyra, gazing at the beautiful scenery, and couldn't help but be mesmerized.

Suddenly, Leila stood up, extended her hand to him, and smiled brightly: "Would you like to show me around my city?"

Xia En paused for a moment, then reached out his hand, and the two clasped hands.

next moment.

The magnificent teleportation array lit up once again beneath their feet.

After a flash of light, Xia En arrived in a bustling city.

Compared to when they last met, Lyra's skill in teleportation magic has greatly improved.

Not only is the casting time extremely short, but it can also appear in any corner of the [City of Giant Trees].

Xia En snapped out of her daze and looked around at the bustling crowd around her.

Stalls lined both sides of the street, selling various ethnic snacks, magical equipment, ores, jewelry, and spellbooks.

All sorts of things, everything imaginable.

If you ignore the diverse races and the extraordinary items, it's almost no different from the night markets on Earth in my previous life.

Clearly, this grand international conference greatly boosted the commercial trade of the City of Giant Wood.

This also attracted many vendors, both large and small, who wanted to make money.

And soon, to his surprise, Shane discovered that the passersby around him seemed completely unaware of his and Lyra's arrival.

No one was surprised by the appearance of this elven queen.

"rest assured."

Lyra whispered in Shane's ear, "I used a magic spell to reduce my presence; they won't discover my identity."

Shane already knew from Lyra's Magic Notes that she possessed many strange and unusual spells, so he wasn't too surprised.

only……

Shane glanced at Leila's tightly clenched little hand and couldn't help but blink.

Lyra blushed slightly, but still said matter-of-factly, "This magic has a distance limit; it will fail if you're too far away."

"Besides, there are so many people here, what if we get separated?"

Shane nodded, and squeezed Lyra's hand tighter: "You're right."

"let's go."

With this magical disguise, Shane and his companion were able to stroll freely through the streets.

Even if someone accidentally catches a glimpse of their faces, they would only assume they are an ordinary young couple visiting the City of Giant Trees.

have to say.

Over the past century, the Elven race has made significant progress in their research on technology and magic.

The most obvious change is the appearance of a large number of magic-inlaid equipment and steam devices in the city.

From weapons and armor on people to buildings and vehicles, the shadow of emerging technologies can be seen everywhere.

Many newcomers were dazzled by these new things and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"This pattern is called a magic pattern?"

"Does an item inlaid with magic runes possess different secret powers?"

A balding middle-aged man exclaimed, "Doesn't this mean that it can give ordinary people extraordinary powers?"

"Amazing! Truly amazing!"

Someone nearby recognized the bald, middle-aged man and asked curiously, "Master Carmen, are you also interested in researching this kind of magic-inlaid equipment?"

"Of course!"

Master Carmen's eyes burned with an invisible flame as he said firmly, "If I can further develop and promote this groundbreaking product, perhaps more people will remember my name!"

Some of his companions agreed, while others were less optimistic.

Clearly, the majority of voices are against it.

"Carmen, you're already struggling enough just focusing on math, do you really expect to achieve anything in the field of magic runes?"

"Yes, yes, magic runes are a completely new field for you. Starting from scratch won't be easy."

"You're so old, don't you think about your wife and children?"

Listening to the argument among this group of people.

Lyra's eyes lit up slightly, and she explained in a low voice, "This Master Carmen is a mathematician who is somewhat famous on the continent."

"If he could join the research team of [City of Giant Trees], it would definitely be of great help to the development of magic rune equipment."

Xia En then touched his chin.

He vaguely felt that the name "Carmen" sounded familiar.

Upon closer reflection, Xia En suddenly remembered that in later generations, Carmen was a renowned magic rune master.

Of course, he himself had already died long ago.

However, the magically runed equipment he left behind each possessed a secret power that surpassed ordinary magically runed equipment, and could be sold for a considerable price.

Whether it's at the auctions on [Island of Chaos] or in Duke Nova's collection, there are magically patterned equipment hand-drawn by Carmen.

There's even a saying circulating in the Seven Seas—

Carmen products are always top-notch!
Thinking of this, Xia En couldn't help but take a second look at the bald middle-aged man.

It's hard to imagine that this unassuming man would achieve such remarkable success in the field of magic runes.

However, he did indeed fulfill his dream and leave his mark on history.

Carmen's attitude was initially firm, but she couldn't help but waver under the persuasion of her companions.

Suddenly this time.

A voice sounded behind Carmen.

How will you know if you don't try?

"Giving up before even trying is the act of a coward."

Carmen paused, then turned her head sharply: "Who?"

He looked back twice, but did not see the person who had spoken.

But as he carefully considered these words, his gaze gradually hardened.

"That's right, even if I fail, I still want to give it a try!"

"Everyone, my mind is made up, there's no need to try to persuade me anymore!"

After saying that, Carmen left in a hurry, as if she were going to discuss something with the elves.

Leila looked at Shane beside her with curiosity, somewhat puzzled as to why he would suddenly speak up to offer advice.

"It was just a small thing I did on a whim."

Xia En smiled and said, "Let's go."

Since they were already there, the two of them didn't miss out on the various delicious foods along the street.

Shaen ate the elven sweet pancakes that left a deep impression on him again, and felt that the taste seemed to have been slightly modified, becoming less sweet.

This adjustment may have been made to cater to popular tastes.

Leila held the sweet biscuit in both hands, munching on it like a little hamster, a nostalgic and content expression on her face.

"It's so delicious..."

Xia En asked curiously, "Haven't you eaten this in a long time?"

Leila nodded: "Yes."

"You have no idea, ever since I became the queen candidate, those old fogies have not allowed me to eat any food outside the palace."

"I'm so tired of eating nectar and fruit all the time!"

After careful consideration, Shane realized that it made sense. The status of a candidate for empress brought both power and many constraints to Lyra.

She had to act like an empress, and she had to possess the majesty of an empress.

The simplest truth.

Now, it's virtually impossible for Lyra to travel around the continent as she used to, let alone leave the City of Giant Trees at will.

"Is freedom the price of becoming empress...?"

Xia En sighed inwardly.

Regardless, it was Leila's choice; she couldn't control other people's lives.

All he could do now was try his best to make Leila have a pleasant evening in the limited time he had.

Thinking of this, Shane once again grasped Leila's slender hand, and they walked through the bustling street.

The crowd was vast, but it felt as if only the two of them remained in the world.

Soon, Shane discovered a place ahead that looked like a small exhibition, where many passersby had gathered.

Shane asked the nearest passerby, "Excuse me, what kind of exhibition is this?"

The passerby replied, "It is said that Mr. Thomas of the Seahorse Kingdom has developed a new steam-powered creation."

He called it... "The Heart of Steam!"

Xia En was taken aback.

He certainly knew of the existence of the [Heart of Steam].

His "Gluttonous Steam Engine" on the "Black Swan" gained the ability to grow on its own after being empowered by the "Heart of Steam," and its performance improved step by step.

However, the [Steam Heart] that Shane obtained at that time was already a product of the fourth generation.

Currently, what appears in the [City of Giant Trees] should only be the first generation.

Xia En immediately became interested.

This Thomas from the Seahorse Kingdom must be the so-called legendary steam mechanic!
Before he could even speak, Leila's eyes lit up: "Shane, Shane, let's go!"

"【Steam Heart】, that sounds amazing!"

Aside from her identity as empress, Lyra is also a genius who is proficient in various fields.

Especially in steam technology, she demonstrated extraordinary insight a century ago.

Xia En asked in a low voice, "How's the research on that steam device I gave you going?"

After thinking for a moment, Lyra said, "We have figured out some of its basic principles and applied them to the construction of the [City of Giant Trees]."

"However, we still cannot decipher that strange activity."

Xia En said with a smile, "Actually, the activity of the steam device is related to this [Steam Heart]."

"This creation can even awaken the soul of a steam engine!"

Before they knew it, the two had entered the exhibition hall.

However, to Xia En's surprise, there weren't actually many people in the venue.

Some people left quickly after hearing about the exhibition, seemingly not very interested.

The venue itself was a temporary structure, making it appear even more rudimentary and deserted.

Seeing this, Xia En felt rather strange.

The birth of the "Steam Heart" can be considered a landmark in the development of steam technology.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it witnessed history.

But now...

However, in fact, many great inventions in history were not valued when they were first created.

The limitations of people's vision and perspective meant that these things were ignored in the initial stages.

But with the passage of time, they will eventually shine like gold in quicksand.

……

……

At the booth.

Thomas, sporting a small mustache, looked at the sparse crowd below the stage and couldn't help but feel disheartened.

He risked everything to come to the City of Giant Trees and secure this exhibition opportunity.

He wants to use the creation called "Steam Heart" to turn his life around!
However, reality dealt him a heavy blow.

In fact, Thomas is well aware of the reason for the lukewarm response so far.

At this very moment, the city with the most advanced steam technology in the world is none other than the City of Giant Trees.

Coming from a small city and being a human being, I naturally face being looked down upon.

The deserted state of the venue was to be expected.

"Looks like I lost my bet..."

Thomas sighed.

In his mind, regardless of success or failure, he did not intend to continue researching the [Heart of Steam].

Because doing research is just too expensive and too energy-consuming.

Even though Thomas was originally a minor baron in the Seahorse Kingdom, he simply couldn't withstand this kind of strain.

His ideal scenario is to use this exhibition to gain fame and then sell the patent rights for "Steam Heart" for a good price.

But now, it seems even that goal has fallen through.

Thomas sighed again, his mood growing heavier as he thought about the debts owed back home.

"Never mind, I was too naive."

"Let's go back to China and seal this technology away forever..."

Rather than sell his hard work at a low price, Thomas would rather keep it sealed away.

But that's it.

A man in black robes walked up to him, looked curiously at the exhibits on the platform, and asked a question.

"This is the first generation of the [Steam Heart]?"

Although Thomas was disheartened, he did not forget basic etiquette and nodded politely.

"Yes."

"Putting it on a steam engine will increase the efficiency of the machine."

"That's right..."

Xia En's lips twitched, and he said, "But isn't this device a bit too big?"

At this moment, he also realized why the first generation of "Steam Heart" was being ignored.

This steam generator is about a third the size of an adult male.

It's fine for large steam engines, but some small steam engines aren't even as big as this "Steam Heart"!
Thomas couldn't help but blush a little, explaining, "It's a technical issue."

"We will definitely move towards lightweight design in the future."

However, Shane immediately saw the problem with Thomas's direction.

The current [Steam Heart] is still just an external device, and no matter how small it is, it will still look bulky and cumbersome.

If installed on large equipment, a small "Steam Heart" won't be of much use.

Therefore, it seems extremely useless.

Shaun bluntly asked, "Have you ever imagined using countless tiny, intricate parts to construct the 'Heart of Steam'?"

"When installed on other steam devices, it penetrates directly into the interior of the device at a microscopic level, thereby providing a more precise enhancement?"

"This……"

Upon hearing this, Thomas fell into deep thought.

As the inventor of the "Steam Heart," he immediately realized the feasibility of this operation, and his eyes gleamed.

It was as if a door to a new world had opened for him!
(End of this chapter)