"Is this the steam car?" Lucas looked at the flatbed cart in front of him, the corner of his eye twitching imperceptibly. Its appearance was truly a bit tough to look at.
But then again, it hadn't been that long since he gave the blueprints to Durin. Being able to produce a preliminary prototype was already quite remarkable. It was just that the car looked incredibly weird, like it was going to fall apart at any moment.
The flatbed only had a long bench, a steam engine, and a joystick of unknown purpose. That was the entirety of this steam car.
The entire steam car was about three meters long and nearly two meters high.
Because it used the new fuel, its operational endurance could reach two hours.
Two hours was currently more than enough for driving within Sedona City. Of course, if one wanted to take the car far from the city, they would probably have to carry extra fuel with them.
The new fuel, naturally, was the black fruit Rhea had brought back from deep within the Forbidden Mountains. After extracting the liquid from the fruit, igniting it could yield a burn time of two hours.
It was considered the best new fuel available at the moment. Otherwise, relying on ordinary fuel, this steam car's operational time would be pitifully short.
"My Lord, I'll go test it out," Durin said, then walked toward the steam car.
With the help of his assistant, Durin climbed onto the car and sat on the bench.
The assistant, named Ward, was someone Durin had recruited to help out. He was a retired veteran in the prime of his life, though he walked with a slight limp.
He had been unfortunately injured during the battle with the Fourth Prince. Because the injury was severe, even after it healed, he couldn't participate in high-intensity training or go on missions, so he was reluctantly forced to retire.
After retiring, he was assigned here to assist Durin.
Of course, before coming here, he had undergone a thorough background check and evaluation to ensure he wouldn't leak anything he saw here, proving him qualified for the position.
Lucas and Mina stepped aside, wanting to see what this steam car looked like when it drove.
Rumble, rumble, rumble...
The new fuel inside the steam engine began to burn, boiling the water to produce steam. Soon, the steam engine started up, and the entire steam car began to vibrate violently. This made Lucas's eyebrows twitch even harder, terrified that the contraption was going to shake itself to pieces.
Durin was clearly used to this phenomenon. The two of them cooperated with extreme tacit understanding. The dwarf Durin pulled the joystick, and the steam car slowly began to roll forward.
This scene instantly stunned everyone present. It was actually moving without the use of oxen or horses!
"Whoa! It moved! Master, is this magic?" Mina asked in astonishment.
"Of course not. This is the power of science," Lucas chuckled, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.
Lucas felt a surge of excitement. The fact that it could move proved that the steam car was viable. Although it couldn't even begin to compare with the cars on Earth, it was still a step forward.
Mina's face was a picture of shock. It was her first time seeing a carriage without horses moving entirely on its own.
She then chased after the steam car. Mina was very fast, and in no time, she was running right alongside it.
"It seems the speed is still a bit too slow!" Durin, riding on the steam car, looked at Mina running beside them with a hint of regret.
"Try turning!" Lucas shouted from the sidelines.
At this, Durin became a bit flustered and yelled back, "My Lord, this car can't turn yet! It can only travel in a straight line!"
"..." Lucas's eye twitched again. It can only travel in a straight line?
Then its limitations were massive. It seemed a lot of improvements were still needed; their technological accumulation was simply too lacking.
"Stop!" Seeing the steam car getting further and further away, Lucas hurriedly called out.
"Alright!" Durin nodded from the steam car, then spoke to Ward beside him. "Brake."
"Yes." Ward nodded, then shifted his body toward the edge of the steam car and stuck out a foot.
Seeing this, Lucas seemingly foresaw what was about to happen next. He helplessly reached up to massage his temples, the corner of his mouth twitching. If he wasn't mistaken, what was coming up next had to be the legendary foot brake.
Sure enough, Ward leaned half his body out of the vehicle, extended his uninjured leg, and planted his foot flat on the ground, dragging it along as the steam car moved forward.
The sole of his shoe created friction against the ground. The shoe Ward was wearing was specially thickened, expressly designed to act as a brake.
"Whoa! That's amazing!"
Although the scene was incredibly comical, it was also quite astonishing.
Mina watched with wide eyes as she ran alongside. This was the first time she had seen such a maneuver. So this is how a horseless carriage stops.
As Durin vented the steam from the engine, combined with Ward's foot brake, the steam car slowly ground to a halt.
"It seems this car isn't roadworthy yet; it's missing too many crucial components," Lucas muttered, somewhat speechless, before walking over.
"My Lord, please advise?" Durin's face showed some apprehension. This was his first time building something like this.
"Not bad. For your first attempt, making it like this is already very good," Lucas nodded. He had no intention of discouraging him; getting the first prototype to this stage was an achievement in itself.
"Hehe..." Durin let out a simple, honest laugh.
"There are several other parts that need to be manufactured quickly. Replace the body with steel," Lucas said, looking at the crude wooden frame.
Next, they just needed to develop a steering mechanism, shock absorbers, and a substitute for the wheels, and the speed would increase significantly.
Right now, they were using wooden wheels, which was why the ride was so bumpy and the speed was so slow.
For Lucas, the real challenge was rubber—or rather, finding a substitute for rubber. Otherwise, proper wheels couldn't be made.
"Yes, My Lord," Durin said respectfully. This was his first time testing the steam car in motion, which was necessary to determine the next steps for improvement.
Things like how the steam car would turn and how it would brake were all in the blueprints, and he had thought about them. But ultimately, blueprints were just drawings; they had to build it to see what it would actually be like.
"For now, prioritize researching the steam car. The train can be put on hold. Once you've truly built a functional car, the train won't be difficult for you at all," Lucas said, patting Durin on the shoulder.
"Yes!" Durin nodded. He had been planning to do exactly that.
Previously, researching the steam train had led him to a dead end. Starting from scratch was too difficult, even with blueprints. But researching the steam car had actually allowed him to find some breakthroughs.
Once the steam car was fully completed, perhaps the advent of the train truly wouldn't be far off.
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