Chapter 24: Demonstration

With Clive now in charge of acquiring the grey powder, Owen could focus more fully on current matters.

The next day, he sent people to transport all the components of the steam engine to the Cross-Mountain Mining District and tasked Jita with assembling it. Hauling such a massive iron machine up a mountain was no easy feat—it was enough to keep the guards busy for quite a while.

Two days later, a pitch-black behemoth was assembled right under the miners’ noses.

While they privately speculated about what this iron monster could be for, Owen arrived with his entourage.

The mine foreman was stunned to see the lord himself appear in such a backwater place. But stunned or not, he had no choice but to nervously go up and greet him.

In front of the mine was a relatively open area, marked with signs of manmade excavation—used for piling up the ore brought out of the tunnels.

As soon as Owen arrived, he was hit by a foul stench—part sweat, part rust, and a mix of other unidentifiable odours. It was thoroughly unpleasant. Still, for the sake of Bianshu Town’s development, he forced himself to endure it.

Mapel, however, wasn’t nearly so tolerant. She frowned and said irritably.

“Lord Owen, you really didn’t need to come here in person. Someone else could’ve taught them how to operate the steam engine.”

“That won’t do.” 

Owen shook his head.

“I’m the only one in Bianshu Town who understands the machine best. If anyone’s going to teach them, it has to be me.”

At that moment, the mine foreman approached with a fawning smile and bowed deeply:

“Good afternoon, Lord Marquis! What brings you to our humble little place?”

“I received word that the steam engine is assembled. Take me to it.”

“Steam engine? Ah! Understood. Please, this way, Lord Marquis.”

So that’s what the big hunk of metal was called—steam engine. It was the first time the foreman had heard the term and nearly failed to register it.

The group arrived near the mine entrance, where the massive, coal-black machine sat in full view—even from a distance, its size and presence were intimidating.

Noticing their lord’s arrival, the nearby miners stopped working and turned to look.

It was time to show the miners how the steam engine would assist their labour—and explain what precautions were needed. Irwin instructed the foreman to gather all the miners. Meanwhile, he ordered one of the knights to begin firing up the machine as per the procedure.

It took some time for the miners to gather, and by the time they had assembled, the water in the steam engine’s boiler had already begun to boil.

However, the giant iron wheel remained still, since the steam was being vented through the exhaust valve rather than routed to the cylinder.

Standing beside the machine, Owen looked over the crowd of more than a hundred miners, gathered tightly at the tunnel entrance.

Each one of them was covered in grime, most bare-chested, and the few who wore clothes had them torn and tattered. The air reeked with the thick stench of sweat, making the place almost unbearable.

There were too many people—those in the back could barely see the machine. Looks like I’ll need to run this demonstration more than once, Owen thought.

Clearing his throat, he raised his voice:

“I know you’ve all been wondering what this machine is doing here. Let me tell you: it’s called a steam engine. It will help you haul the ore out of the tunnels. From now on, you won’t need so many people exhausting themselves pulling mine carts anymore.”

The crowd immediately erupted in excited murmurs. Everyone knew that the worst part of mining wasn’t the digging—it was hauling the heavy ore out.

A full ore cart required at least four men to move—two pulling in front, and two pushing from behind.

“M’lord, are you serious?!” 

A young miner raised his hand and shouted.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the foreman shot a fierce glare at the miner who had spoken—his eyes seemed to say, “How dare you question the lord?”

“Of course it’s true and now, I’ll show you.”

He raised his hand and pointed to the miner who had asked the question, signalling for him to come forward. The miner, confirming that the lord was indeed addressing him, nervously shuffled over.

Owen pulled out a rope with an iron hook from the winch and handed it to him.

“Go into the mine and hook it onto any basket that’s filled with ore. Once it’s secured, give us a shout.”

There were several baskets full of ore still inside the tunnel waiting to be hauled out. The miner did as instructed, hooking onto one of them, and then called out toward the entrance.

“Secure the basket!” 

Owen shouted back into the tunnel as a reminder.

Next, he walked over to the steam engine to operate the control levers. Two levers extended from the machine, each marked with a strip of cloth—red for the exhaust valve, green for the intake valve.

At the moment, the green lever was in front, and the red one behind.

Owen raised the green lever and pressed down the red one. Steam rushed into the cylinder, driving the piston, and the large iron wheel began turning. As it spun, it also turned the winch, pulling the basket of ore steadily out of the tunnel.

Years of mining had smoothed the tunnel floors, so the pulling process went very smoothly. The miner in the back only had to keep the basket steady—it practically glided out on its own.

Once the basket reached the entrance, Owen lifted the red lever and pressed down the green one, stopping the machine.

The miners gasped in amazement. It was incredible—there was no need for four men to haul the ore anymore. The rear miner hadn’t even needed to use much force, just steady the basket.

The foreman stood there dumbfounded, completely lost for words.

For now, this method of using the steam engine to haul ore baskets would suffice. Owen had considered laying tracks in the tunnel and using minecarts, but wooden rails would easily be damaged, and iron rails were limited by the low supply of iron.

We’ll work on improving the mining environment later when iron production increases, he thought.

After the first demo, Owen asked the miner to say a few words of thanks. Scratching his head, the man said he was too stunned to react—causing the whole group of miners to burst out laughing.

Owen added more water to the boiler, had the front-row miners step back, and asked those in the back to move forward. He was going to demonstrate it again.

After two demonstrations, Owen addressed the miners about safety precautions—such as not standing too close to the exhaust valve when the machine was running, to avoid being scalded by the steam.

Finally, he asked the foreman to choose someone sharp to be trained in operating the machine. The rest of the miners could return to their work.

The foreman brought forward a thin, raggedly dressed young man and introduced him:

“Lord Marquis, this is Huck. Don’t be fooled by his size—he’s the smartest and most hardworking miner we’ve got.”

“Good day, Lord Marquis.” 

Huck said with a stiff bow.

At first glance, Owen thought the boy looked way too young. Casually, he asked,

“How old are you?”

“Fifteen.” 

The boy replied.

Just as Owen had suspected—only fifteen, yet already doing heavy labor in the mines. Technically, there was no minimum age requirement for miners.

Owen had learned about child labour issues from Winston. While he personally agreed with restricting it, the reality was more complicated—he couldn’t just issue an order banning child workers.

Bianshu Town had many impoverished families, and the same was true elsewhere. If younger workers weren’t allowed to earn money, many families wouldn’t survive—and that could lead to unrest.

So instead, Owen would focus on raising the living standards of every household. After all, he also intended to implement universal education in Bianshu Town in the future—not only to raise literacy, but to give every child the chance to go to school.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter