Chapter 361 First Technology Branch: Power!
The night passed peacefully, and the next day, a bunch of zombies welcomed me. It was a familiar sight, one that I wasn't missing. Fortunately, none of them had ejected the contents of their stomachs, but their seemingly sluggish movement looked so pitiful that I ordered them to visit Priestess Harumi and get healed just in case.
Ember was unable to cast her portal properly, given that her vision was spinning, so I had to do it in her stead. After I left all of them but Fatima and Fina in the infirmary, I finished the preparation and had breakfast as quickly as possible before heading to the castle.
"As expected, a castle isn't fitting for a republic. Maybe I should ask for a reconstruction later?"
I sat down on my chair while muttering to myself. Before me was another pile of documents, ones that weren't much different from yesterday's. I wonder, until when will I be processing such documents?
"Good morning, President."
Just as I was about to start, another portal opened up, with Yu Na appearing from it. In her hands was a thick stack of papers, enough that I felt lightheaded looking at it.
"These are the documents that need your approval. I've already passed an eye on them all."
"A-Ah, then place it over there. I'll handle it when I reach it."
After her, Max then came in, bringing another stack of documents. Then another came, and another, and another. After a while, my desk was already so filled with documents that I couldn't even see what was in front of me anymore.
"... And I'll need to finish everything by the end of the day. Great."
Grumbling alone wouldn't take me anywhere, so I started to read the documents and press the stamp of approval on them one after another.
As I was working nonstop, around noon, Fatima contacted me through the Mental Scape.
'(Will, can I have a bit of your time? It's important.)'
I wasn't sure what she needed, but I needed a short break anyway. I quickly opened a portal straight to the location she pointed at, and as soon as I arrived, I was surprised.
"You completed it already?!"
Before my eyes was a large power plant. Of course, it does not use coal or fossil fuels, not even uranium or plutonium, but rather relies on the power of monsters with fire or electric abilities. The concept was no different than an ordinary steam turbine, with water used as the main source of torque to turn the giant alternator.
The size of the power plant was enough to provide a total of 50 MW of power along the power lines... If there's one.
"I see. This is the prototype, then?"
The current plant wasn't connected anywhere yet. Instead, it was only at the testing stage. As proof, the "researchers" were going around the plant, checking parts here and there to make sure that everything was in place. Among them, familiar faces could be seen.
"Yes, it's the prototype, and we already did the first test run earlier. However, a problem occurred. The turbine failed to turn, even after the steam hit the blades."
"Really? That's weird..."
I did have a hand in designing the plant, but Fatima was the one who did most of the work. With her meticulous calculations, there shouldn't have been errors.
After that, I spent half an hour inspecting the turbine with Fatima and quickly found the cause of the problem.
"The alternator was connected right at the start. You should at least wait until the flywheel has enough momentum before connecting it."
Rather than a design mistake, it was on the operation side. Knowing what the error was, Fatima felt relieved. After everyone was called back, standing on the observation deck, the second test run began.
*FWOOOOO!*
The fire element tester released golden flames, heating up the cylinder containing the water. It didn't take long before pressure built up, and after it reached the desired amount, the valve was then released.
The piping was made out of a special alloy from the dwarves that prevented 99% of the heat from leaking out, but we could still see how the pipes turned red as the superheated steam passed through them.
Soon, the steam reached the turbine blades, and everyone held their breath.
"...!"
Slowly, the turbine began to spin. About ten seconds later, it already had quite the momentum, and about a minute later, it reached the optimal speed.
"It's a success!"
One of the male researchers cheered. However, it wasn't done yet.
"Connect the alternator!"
At Fatima's command, one of the researchers pulled a lever. As soon as they did, the alternator's gears were lowered until they meshed with the turbine's.
*SKREEEEK!*
A frightening sound echoed for a while, making everyone gulp in fear. However, it only lasted for a moment. The alternator was connected successfully, turning rapidly and producing electricity.
Since there were no electric lines yet, the output was released directly to a metal pole, creating frightening arcs of high-
current electricity.
"Thanks, Will. Now, we just need to create a power grid, and everyone would then be able to have access to electricity!"
Seeing Fatima's joyful smile, even I was infected and smiled brightly. The test would run for about six hours straight, checking for the durability of the parts, before they stopped and began constructing power lines.
"President, you better return soon. The pile on your desk is still not finished, isn't it?"
At that moment, a voice called from behind me. Turning around, I saw Ying Yue with the Wan Sisters behind her. Similar to Fatima, she was also currently wearing a white robe over her usual clothes. She looked just like a template scientist!
"Ying Yue, Wan Li, Wan Er, you all look cute in your researcher outfit. It suits you quite well."
"Hmph! Obviously!"
"Thanks for the praise, Will."
"Ehehe, Will praised me~!"
Seeing their various responses, I suddenly had the urge to pet their heads. However, it was true that I was out of time.
"Well then, I'll return to my work. See you later!"
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢