Above the mage!

Chapter 614 The Roar of the Times
“Jaber’s gas stove?” Gao De raised an eyebrow.

The name is quite peculiar, exuding a wild and unconventional vibe.

While it was strange, it also gave him a subtle feeling of profound skill appearing clumsy.

At least Gaode Maps seems to have this feeling.

Because in his previous life, there was a "sweeping monk".

Therefore, I instinctively had a feeling that this thing was not simple, given that it seemed to have such an inelegant and even vulgar name.

Eli, the young man, spoke a little faster as he explained, "I gave him this name."

"Jaber was the author of this alchemical blueprint, an alchemist as unlucky as I am, I mean, a talented but unappreciated one."

"The reason it's called the 'Breathing Furnace' is because this alchemical machine looks like a furnace. Once it's started, the noise it makes is like an old blacksmith with tuberculosis gasping for breath—loud and trembling. That's why I called it that," Eli said, scratching his head.

"Such a straightforward naming method," Gao De thought to himself, before asking aloud, "So, what's the use of this alchemy machine that would cause you to be in such a sorry state?"

If it were useless, it wouldn't have led to his sought partners "forcing him to buy and sell," would it?

But to say that it's really useful is impossible.

Otherwise, the pursuit wouldn't have come to such an abrupt end.

Although Gaode is young, it gives people a very imposing feeling.

Eli instinctively felt that trying to outsmart this young mage would likely backfire.

Moreover, he had always been very optimistic about Jabir's breathing furnace, but there were actually not many people willing to listen to his explanations, and he had long had a lot to say.

It was rare to find a young and powerful mage curious about this, and Eli was eager to share his thoughts, so his eyes lit up instantly: "It...it can generate power, a continuous, controllable power, more reliable than livestock, cheaper than hiring people, and it doesn't need to eat or drink!"

“That’s right.” He hesitated for a moment, but still said honestly, “That’s right, many people think this force is too stupid.”

"Power?" Gao De felt as if he had grasped something extraordinary.

Seeing the surprise rather than mockery in Gao De's expression, Eli's heart warmed. "Master, shall I take you to see the real thing? It's right where I'm staying."

In his eagerness to "show off" his treasure, he didn't care about the potential dangers of revealing his location.

After a moment's hesitation, Gao De's curiosity about the unknown technology ultimately outweighed his underlying caution, and he nodded to Eli.

At the same time, Gao De secretly resolved that after the challenge at the Fous Magic Hall was over, he must take a day or two to build the spell model for [Divination].

With divination skills, one will undoubtedly have more confidence when facing such matters—when in doubt, consult a divination master first.

Eli was invigorated, as if he had received a crucial endorsement.

He led Gao De away from the warehouse area and quickly slipped into the maze-like alleyways behind it.

After passing through narrow streets filled with the cacophony of everyday life and navigating around corners piled high with clutter, you finally arrive at the end of a quiet alley.

A two-story building with its exterior walls covered in withered vines and its windows tightly shut stood there all alone, completely out of place in the crowded and noisy surroundings.

“My father bought this old, abandoned house years ago and let me stay there temporarily,” Eli explained in a low voice, the key turning in the rusty lock with a grating sound.

Inside the door was a spacious, high-ceilinged hall, where dust motes floated in the beams of light streaming in from the tall windows.

In the center of the hall, something caught Gaode's eye.

“This is Jabil’s breathing furnace.” Eli stepped forward and patted the device’s cast iron casing, the dull echo reverberating in the silence.

It was a bulky creation, the size of a wine barrel, riveted together from rough cast iron parts.

Several cheap copper pipes are connected to it in a seemingly crude manner, like exposed blood vessels.

The few pieces of inferior crystal inlaid on the surface of the furnace, engraved with the simplest flow-guiding runes, were now dull and lifeless. The whole thing lacked any aesthetic appeal, and was even somewhat ugly, like an unfinished, abandoned piece of construction waste.

However, Gaode's gaze sharpened.

He approached, ignoring the roughness of the surface, his gaze sweeping over the structural interfaces, piston rods, and several valves whose functions were unclear.

His heartbeat quickened quietly in the tranquil hall.

This structure...this line of thinking...

"Show me." Gao De's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable focus.

Eli was greatly encouraged and immediately took action.

He ran to the corner and dragged out a sack covered in filth.

He untied the sack and took out a handful of loose, dark gray material mixed with fine crystalline particles.

It looks like a mixture of damp coal ash and crushed sand.

"This is inert phlogiston, the waste dumped from alchemy workshops and low-level potion workshops by the mage. It's practically free, and is usually only used for paving roads to prevent slipping."

He poured the loose material in through a funnel-shaped opening at the top of the furnace.

Next, he took out a piece of inferior magic crystal with broken edges and negligible magic power.

"This is the last remaining magic crystal used in the magic crystal lamp," Eli explained to Gao De as he carefully inserted it into a slot with a contact spring on the side of the furnace.

“However, in the Gas Furnace, it is no longer a discarded item, but serves as a kindling,” he explained. “Although the remaining magic in it is too dim for lighting, the faint magical stimulation it can provide is enough to trigger a reaction in the Gas Furnace’s core.”

After saying that, Eli took a deep breath, gripped a heavy crank with a ratchet mechanism next to the stove with both hands, and began to crank it vigorously.

The metal gears made a dry "click" sound.

“We need to get the internal reaction array to the initial critical pressure first… The most difficult part of Jabil’s manuscript was getting this reaction started stably, but once it’s running, it can maintain itself,” Eli said somewhat awkwardly.

After shaking it about twenty times, Eli suddenly pushed the joystick back and locked it.

He took a half step back, his expression tense yet expectant.

*Bang!*

There was a muffled sound.

The furnace body suddenly trembled, and the few dull crystals abruptly lit up with an unstable, pulsating dark red light.

Whoosh—boom—whoosh—boom
Immediately afterwards, a deep and powerful roar began to rise rhythmically, accompanied by the strong and regular clanging of the piston connecting rod.

The entire furnace body vibrated continuously, shaking off the fine dust from its surface.

Indeed, it was like an old man beginning his heavy, primal breathing.

A simple device connected to the end of the main connecting rod: a thick stone block tied to a wooden frame, driven by this force, begins to steadily pound the ground, one after another, producing a dull impact sound.

"Look, it moved! It moved by itself!" Eli almost shouted, his face beaming with pure joy. "As long as the phlogiston isn't completely burned out, it can keep working like this!"

"It can be used for tamping soil, hammering, and powering small mills... It can be used in many places. Although its power is not particularly strong and its response is not very stable, I have tried it and it can run continuously for up to six hours."

"Moreover, this is only the initial version of the gas furnace. As long as we receive enough funding to allow Jaber to continue improving the gas furnace, such as improving the furnace material and optimizing the gas furnace structure, it will definitely be able to make it more durable and powerful."

"The key is cost. Fuel is waste, and the kindling is almost zero-cost. The feed for cattle and horses is more expensive than this!"

(End of this chapter)