Magic Industrial Age

Nowadays, the magic energy pool evolved from the core of the magic tower—the elemental pool. However, in the process of evolution, they have long become two different magical creations.

The 'earth, fire, wind, and water' gathered in the elemental pool are separated, each with its own storage. The magic energy pool, on the other hand, is a mixture of the four elements of 'earth, fire, wind, and water', forming a chaotic energy.

The nature of this chaotic energy is already vastly different from the four elements of 'earth, fire, wind, and water'.

Therefore, to use this energy, one must have a universal power machine.

In Loye's view, this universal power machine is similar to an internal combustion engine or a steam engine, converting magic energy into power.

This power then drives specific machinery through gears, connecting rods, bearings, and belts.

Therefore, in Douglas Hill's view, the two are actually one.

He didn't consider the energy loss during the conversion process at all, focusing solely on converting the kinetic energy generated by the universal power machine into a continuous high temperature capable of melting metal and refining iron.

This isn't to say it's impossible, but clearly, Douglas Hill hasn't found the most suitable path.

He tried every means he could think of, but he couldn't achieve a balance between cost and output.

As a result, his project remained stuck in the initial stages.

In scientific research, choosing the wrong path is absolutely fatal.

Fortunately, Loye, a dabbler, pointed it out.

It was precisely Loye's limited understanding that prevented him from forming a fixed mindset, directly breaking through his cognitive barrier.

In that instant, countless flashes of inspiration sparked in Douglas's mind. He thought of the principle behind magic energy firearms.

Magic energy firearms don't involve a universal power machine. Instead, they use the imbalance of the four elements to break the boundaries of earth, fire, wind, and water, causing the elements to expand and propel the bullet.

This is another use of magic energy!

And what he needs to do now is to find a way to directly heat with magic energy, thereby ensuring high-temperature smelting.

Does such a method exist?

Of course!

Douglas Hill has already thought of one: disrupting the balance of the four elements, focusing on the fire element, and then using the 'earth, wind, and water' elements to provide assistance, thereby maximizing the furnace temperature.

As for how to disrupt the balance?

How to create assistance?

Several materials have already flashed through his mind, waiting to be tested one by one to determine their merits.

However, just as he was eager to try, he saw Loye in front of him.

After a pause, he made a decision: "I already have an idea. Thank you very much for your reminder. It's really inspiring.

So, Loye, are you interested in joining my research?"

"Are you talking about this blast furnace steelmaking?"

"Yes, Loye. I don't know if you have unique insights into magic energy machinery, or if it's pure luck.

But clearly, I need your insights, or luck."

"Join my research, and together we'll bring about the birth of magic energy machinery that can change the world.

Perhaps, many years later, you and I will be the most prominent figures in magic energy machinery textbooks."

Loye's mouth twitched. He wanted to say that the way you motivate people is what I've already used up.

But he still had a surge of excitement. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "It's okay for me to join, but you know, my foundation is actually very weak."

"It doesn't matter, I can teach you!"

"Also, the matter of the rails, you have to solve it first, so as not to delay the construction of the railway."

"Definitely."

"Then, happy cooperation!"

"Happy cooperation!"

Two hands clasped together in mid-air, powerfully, yet ordinarily.

However, only the years to come would reveal how much change this cooperation would bring to the smelting industry.

...

Things always need to be prioritized, so even though he was bursting with inspiration, Douglas had to first busy himself with the matter of the rails.

Carrying seventeen or eighteen dimensional pockets borrowed from the two magic towers, he went to the Ruhr area through the magic teleportation array in the magic tower, like a beggar.

There, the rails had already been arranged. He just needed to connect, pay, and load the goods.

You have to admit, magicians have their own circle and platform. If it weren't for this relationship, it would be impossible to get so many rails in a short period of time.

However, Douglas Hill only unloaded the goods, returned the dimensional pockets, and then threw himself into the experiment with Loye.

Researchers always need a bit of madness to achieve results.

Douglas is fond of scheming and has done a lot of bad things, so he can't be said to be a good person.

However, his attainments and devotion to magic energy machinery are genuine.

His enthusiasm and seriousness at work also opened Loye's eyes.

For Loye, there were too many things he didn't understand, but this time, Douglas showed rare patience.

He answered Loye's questions as much as possible.

Not the standard answers in textbooks, but his understanding and experience, even letting Loye personally operate.

And Loye's learning ability also surprised Douglas.

How could it not be fast?

During the day, Deep Blue recorded everything, and at night, he had to use the 'assisted learning module' to try again and again.

What seemed like only one time was actually dozens or hundreds of times of hands-on experience.

And their first round of experiments was actually to choose a method to disrupt the balance of magic energy.

There were two main approaches: one was a magic array, physically disrupting it, but this was not Douglas's strength.

The other was to add stimulating magical materials to create a reaction from a chemical perspective.

Douglas chose this path, which, in Loye's words, was to find a special magic energy combustion agent.

Based on years of experience, Douglas locked in dozens of materials, and tried them one by one with Loye.

They needed to select the one with the best reaction, and then constantly change the ratio and continue the experiment until it was adjusted to the best.

Loye was quite familiar with this process. He had done this when trying out secret medicine formulas.

However, he didn't expect that the first lesson in officially accessing magic energy machinery would be materials science.

However, he also had to admit that those messy materials opened his eyes.

Some were extracted from plants, some were squeezed from stones, and some were secretions from certain magical beasts...

The highlight was that there was only what you couldn't think of, and nothing he couldn't do!

And this process of trial and error valued luck the most.

With good luck, it was really possible to succeed once, but with bad luck, no matter how many times you were busy, there would be no results.

Initially, Loye watched, learned, and observed Douglas's techniques, without offering opinions.

It wasn't until after trying dozens of materials that he gave his own opinion.

This was of course not his own ability, but a set of possible experimental data given by Deep Blue after enriching the database.

Of course, Loye couldn't directly let Douglas experiment according to his will. The other party also had his own plans.

However, it was still possible to give opinions and influence from the side.

At first, Douglas didn't feel anything, but later, he found that whenever Loye proposed something, it always seemed to have a better effect.

Repeatedly, he affirmed Loye's keen intuition and valued his opinion more and more.

Then, from the initial single material to the later mixed materials, from simple extraction to later filtration and mixing...

Gradually, they obtained another extremely unique mixed material.

What was shown on the outside was a turbid liquid, with a dim yellow color, with particles floating inside.

When using it, you had to shake it vigorously, and in the liquid, there would be specks of sparkling starlight.

Then, when this liquid was mixed with magic energy, it could disrupt the balance of the four elements, causing the fire element to erupt, and even use the other three elements as fuel, thereby unleashing an astonishing continuous high temperature.

Loye and they had tried to place iron ore in it, and it could be turned into molten iron and slag in just two hours.

And it had been a full half month since this result was obtained. When Loye came back to his senses, he found that the time had reached the end of March in the New God Calendar 312.

Sure enough, when focusing on a certain task, time would pass much faster.

However, all this effort was worth it, because they successfully harvested a combustion improver.

It itself cannot burn, but it can disrupt the balance of magic energy, and in the presence of sufficient oxygen, it can produce amazing high temperatures to melt ore.

Its furnace temperature can reach an astonishing 1700-1900 degrees Celsius.

The experiment was considered a success here.

Especially Douglas, don't look at how sloppy he is, but his eyes are full of excitement.

Finally, in the naming session, Douglas shamelessly suggested that it be called 'Hill Magic Energy Combustion Agent'.

Loye didn't refuse, because he won the naming rights for the blast furnace steelmaking machine.

But things didn't end here, but began.

The second phase of research was to design a complete steelmaking furnace.

This part was Loye's strength, or rather, Deep Blue's strength.

He didn't understand magic energy machinery, but his database had some data on blast furnace steelmaking, so he directly divided the entire process into four stages.

Namely, charging, melting, layering, and tapping.

Charging: As the name suggests, various raw materials, magic energy spring water, and combustion agent are placed in it according to a certain ratio, while also ensuring air circulation.

Melting: Naturally, under high temperature, the iron ore is reduced and turned into liquid iron and slag formed by impurities.

Layering: Then, when the liquid iron gradually sinks to the bottom of the blast furnace, and the slag floats to the surface, think of a way to remove the useless slag.

The final 'tapping' is naturally to release the molten iron into a fixed mold for cooling and turning into iron ingots.

The whole process naturally requires a series of magic energy machines to operate, and what Loye and Douglas need to do is to design the tools and magic energy machines required for each link, and to ensure the integrity of the process.

To be honest, these four steps are actually very crude. If you want to get better iron and better steel, you must have more processes and more links.

However, Loye felt that this was enough.

The progress of technology must be promoted step by step, and problems must be continuously accumulated, discovered, and solved in practice.

It is unrealistic to want to eat a fat man in one bite.

So, these are enough, and in the future, they will be continuously improved and iterated in production.

This was Loye's idea, and it was also affirmed by Douglas.

And when the research entered this stage, Douglas truly felt the benefits of cooperating with Loye.

Today is the third update, I am working hard towards 10,000 words.