"Damn it, damn it," Liam continued to curse under his breath, but his hands didn't slow down. This was a speed he had developed recently; after all, if he was too slow, he wouldn't meet his quota.
Liam wasn't the only one in the courtyard. There were others, but they were all burying their heads in their work, none of them having the time to pay attention to anyone else.
Outside the courtyard, Lucy stopped at the main gate and took out the token Lucas had given her. Only after the guarding knights inspected it did they open the gate and let her in.
Lucas had issued strict orders: only those holding a token were allowed entry. Otherwise, no matter who it was, they would be denied.
Lucy took a deep breath before stepping inside, accompanied by a knight by her side. Behind her, with a loud clang, the heavy gates were shut once more.
The sound of the gates closing successfully drew Liam's attention.
He looked up, assuming the person delivering food had arrived. Instead, he saw his younger sister, and a smile instantly broke across his face.
Liam hurriedly stood up, stumbling over to Lucy. He spoke excitedly, "I knew you would come to save me! Quick, quick, get me out of this hellhole."
Overjoyed, Liam reached out to grab Lucy's hand, fully believing that the sister he hadn't seen in so long was here to rescue him.
After all, from what he knew, this sister of his seemed to have a pretty good relationship with Lucas.
A flash of resistance appeared on Lucy's face. Before Liam could even touch her hand, the knight beside her clamped down hard on his wrist.
"Behave," The knight warned. He had clearly received orders to ensure Lucy's safety.
"How dare you! Unhand me! Do you know who I am?! Lucy, control your subordinates!" A look of shock crossed Liam's face, quickly replaced by fury. He roared at the knight, then glared at Lucy with his usual arrogant entitlement.
"I just came to see you, nothing more," Lucy said coldly, ignoring his outburst as she glanced at the small boxes behind him.
She had thought that being locked up for so long would have changed him at least a little. Now she realized he was truly a lost cause—useless mud that couldn't be plastered to a wall.
"What do you mean? Lucy, you're not here to break me out?" Liam's eyes widened in disbelief.
He was dumbfounded. If she wasn't here to take him away... He was a prince, for god's sake! Locking him up for a while was one thing, but were they going to keep him imprisoned forever?
"You brought this upon yourself. You should consider yourself lucky that Lucas hasn't killed you," Lucy said indifferently.
Without another word, Lucy turned and walked away. Although she was curious about what those small boxes were for, she didn't want to stay here a second longer.
She really did despise these so-called brothers of hers. Hoping they would change was clearly wishful thinking on her part.
"Stop right there! Don't forget, you are a princess of the Siacan Kingdom! Your own brother is locked up here, and not only are you refusing to save me, but you're conspiring with Lucas!" Liam roared hoarsely.
His fat body jiggling, he tried to chase after Lucy, but the knight immediately pinned him to the ground. "Let me go! Let me out of here..."
"Lucy, take me with you! Take me with you!!"
Liam screamed hysterically.
Smack!!
"Shut your mouth!"
"..."
A princess, huh... This identity really does still have some use, Lucy muttered to herself internally.
She hadn't forgotten her promise to help Lucas oppose the First Prince. In fact, if Lucas wanted to sit on the throne himself, why shouldn't he?
As for this brother of hers, she would just leave him here to fend for himself.
She knew very well that if it weren't for her, Lucas probably would have sent Liam straight to the mines. Now, as long as he kept his head down and finished his daily tasks, he wouldn't starve. For him, this was already the best possible ending.
...
Early in the morning, news arrived from the Research Department. Having finished his breakfast, Lucas prepared to head over. He had heard that Durin had a new creation. If his guess was right, it meant they had finally made progress on that project.
So, after eating, Lucas headed out, bringing Mina along.
Once they were seated in the carriage, Mina asked curiously, "Master, have they figured out the train?"
"Probably not. It's more likely that they've made progress on the steam car," Lucas guessed. With their current level of technology, building a train wouldn't happen that fast.
"A car?" Confusion painted Mina's face. What kind of new invention is this now?
"We'll find out once we get there. I just hope he doesn't disappoint me!" Lucas chuckled. He had previously handed Durin the blueprints for a steam-powered car, so they had to have made some headway by now.
The steam car. Ever since they found those special fruits, he had bumped its research and development up the schedule. In terms of utility, it was no less than a train.
Plus, since they had already successfully built a steam engine, modifying the design to fit into a car was relatively simple. The real challenges lay in refinement and adequate power output.
Mina nodded. Soon, the carriage pulled up outside the main gates of the Research Department. She and Lucas stepped out and headed straight for the Steam Research Institute, the facility dedicated to developing steam engines and steam trains.
Before they even reached the entrance, they saw the dwarf, Durin, waiting for them. The moment he spotted Lucas, excitement washed over his face.
"Lord Lucas," Durin bowed, his face beaming with pride.
"Looks like you've made significant progress. It's the steam car, isn't it?" Lucas waved his hand dismissively, a smile on his face.
"Y-yes," Durin said, stunned. They had only just successfully tested the steam car this morning before sending word to Lucas. He hadn't expected the Lord to guess it before he even opened his mouth.
"Hurry and show me." A hint of excitement flickered across Lucas's face. He really missed cars. Being able to ride in one here in another world would be incredibly satisfying.
"This way." Durin nodded and led the way.
They quickly arrived at an open, small plaza, which was the area Durin normally used for large-scale experiments.
In the center of the plaza sat a four-wheeled wooden cart. Mounted on the front of the cart was a large, enclosed iron cylinder. This was the steam engine designed to power the vehicle's movement.
This steam car was exceedingly crude. It was essentially just a wooden flatbed with a steam engine slapped onto it, and even the wheels were made of solid wood.
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