Chapter 1094: Chapter 572: Industrial Cthulhu, Mechanical Augmentees
Byron and Catherine used the Edge of the World transfer once again, passing through the "World Serpent’s Celestial Current Belt," arriving at the Golden Empire’s Torrent Fortress when the skies were completely dark.
One of the seven incarnations had actually been waiting earlier at the top of the research academy at Edge Fortress.
But if he did not personally participate in this epoch-making historic event, he always felt it was not solemn enough.
"We’re still twenty gears short. Everyone take your time and don’t rush."
The Fifth Order Legend [Whale Oil Mechanic] Violet was commanding from the center.
Her assistant was not any of the previous Third Order [Artisans] but rather a plain-looking boy with black-framed glasses.
He was probably only sixteen or seventeen years old, with messy brown hair, and his cheap checkered shirt produced by the Torrent Fort Textile Factory was covered in grease, but he didn’t care at all.
Though his appearance was unremarkable, his pale green eyes were particularly bright.
It seemed that aside from the stack of blueprints in his hand and the precise machine in front of him, nothing else could attract his attention.
This was Violet’s recently accepted student, the wild [Artisan] Babbage who submitted work to the Hightins Royal Academy.
Byron had already met this youth and knew he was a genius in every sense, particularly in mathematics and mechanics, where he had reached a level of self-learning that surpassed predecessors.
Just how much of a genius was he?
Even as a Second Order Professional Level individual, he could not yet manufacture the concrete machines or awaken the Third Order companion ability [Alchemy Workshop].
Yet, purely relying on imagination and drawing, he drafted over 30 different design schemes, nearly 2000 assembly diagrams and 50,000 part diagrams...
So young, yet he was already halfway to founding the field of mechanical computer science!
Violet’s role as his teacher was primarily to provide him with venues, funding, resources, and whale oil mechanical knowledge so he could explore this road further.
This teacher-student relationship was not shameful.
After all, everyone agrees about mathematics: Society can deceive, lovers can deceive, but mathematics will not deceive. If you don’t know it, you simply don’t!
With other projects, there’s always the potential for miraculous breakthroughs even in desperate situations.
In extreme anger, I ran an 800-meter dash; in extreme anger, I punched through a three-centimeter steel sheet; or perhaps in extreme anger, I delivered a sliding tackle to a tiger...
But when faced with a math exam paper, the most one might do in extreme anger is... tear up the paper.
To walk far on the road of mathematics, effort without talent is futile.
Crackle, hiss...
In the large laboratory, Violet activated Strange Arts, and behind her rose a giant [Gate of Truth]. Amidst the flashing lights, parts with zero tolerance were swiftly "printed," as if pasting and copying them.
Theoretically, the current industrial processing level of this world couldn’t achieve the precision required to manufacture such intricate machines as the Difference Engine and Analytical Engine.
Not only Silver Era 1473, even in three hundred years there might still be a gap.
Zero tolerance parts didn’t exist even in Byron’s previous life; no engineer or designer would demand such absurd fabrication requirements.
But the Ancient Sun God Emperor Wu and the Southern Continent’s Sun God Inti could create Mushroom Bombs purely by hand crafting.
Of course, the legendary whale oil mechanic Violet could also handcraft the most complex mechanical structure of the era, the Difference Engine and Analytical Engine.
Just as she said, having the First Incarnation [Counselor] Vera assist as "surrogate," the act of creating didn’t affect her prowess.
Byron and Catherine did not disturb them and quietly watched from aside as a group of [Whale Oil Mechanics], who had already changed professions, assembled the two behemoths piece by piece.
Click!
The gear engagement, Violet personally completed the last component assembly.
"It’s done."
A slight hum suddenly sounded from each component, then resonated through the complex mechanical structure, making the two machines instantly shine.
These two steam mechanical computers with different functions, the Difference Engine about 4.35 meters long, 3.13 meters high, containing more than 25,000 parts and weighing four and a half tons.
The Analytical Engine stretches thirty meters long, ten meters wide, featuring substitutes for all key components of modern computers like a "keyboard," "monitor," "CPU," and "memory," using steam power transmission and punch card input-output rather than electricity.
Its "memory" could store about 1000 50-digit decimal numbers, reaching an astounding... uh, 20.7kB...
The working principle of the Analytical Engine is through roulette computation, plug-in addition and subtraction, and sorting, mainly applied in statistical analysis, mapping, and data processing, finance, demographics, and healthcare.
The Difference Engine can automatically process different function calculations as per the designer’s will.
It’s used in scientific computation, engineering design and physical simulation, astronomy, seismology, and meteorology, significantly accelerating the development work on "Pre-dreadnought Battleships."
Byron had high hopes for this epoch-making machine, and upon assembly completion, he personally ordered the [Omnipotence Machine Spirit] of the neighboring Zero-Level Sacred Relic [Whale Oil Powered Steam Engine]:
"Connect the power source, power one horse!"
