Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 58: The Steam Boring Machine
Under the heat of the blazing magic stone in the fireplace, the entire room was comfortably warm, and the air was laced with the scent of sandalwood.
As usual, Owen was seated at his desk, handling documents.
Other than encountering a single undead monster on the first day of winter, the north had remained quiet for the past two days.
Still, everyone knew the first wave of the enemy’s offensive was brewing — it felt like the calm before a storm.
At that moment, Ryan brought over a freshly steeped pot of tea and placed it to Owen’s right.
“Master, you’ve been working for a while now. Have some tea and take a short break.”
“Good idea.”
Owen set the documents aside, closed his eyes, and massaged the bridge of his nose — his eyes were dry from reading too long.
Then he picked up the cup, took a sip of tea, leaned back into the chair, and let his mind drift into a moment of complete relaxation.
“Master, it seems Lilica hasn’t come by lately.”
Ever since Fanny brought Lilica over, the little girl had been coming daily to learn how to read from Ryan.
She had been determined to learn — all for the promise of sweet treats.
“Oh, Lilica’s attending the new children’s class at the school now.”
Since it only taught basic literacy, the process of registering the curriculum had gone smoothly. Then, they repurposed a noble’s estate into a school building and provided the necessary teaching supplies.
A week ago, once the pilot school was ready, they officially began enrollment.
Thanks to free lunch and potential job opportunities in the future, a decent number of people signed up.
At first, Owen had been concerned about whether they had enough teachers.
But the first day went quite well. The five clerics provided by Bishop Flynn turned out to be highly capable educators, able to maintain good classroom order.
Perhaps it was because these clerics were used to dealing with noisy orphans at shelters and had already developed an effective teaching method.
“So that’s what happened. I see.”
Ryan’s tone sounded a little dejected. Owen, noticing this, set down his teacup and turned to look at his steward.
“Ryan, if you like children that much, why not try teaching at the school? You could work with the kids in the children’s class.”
A flicker of excitement flashed across Ryan’s face, but he quickly shook his head.
“I’m afraid not. My primary duty is managing this castle and serving you, Master.”
That reaction didn’t escape Owen’s eyes. Anyone could tell Ryan was tempted by the idea of teaching children.
“Ryan, how long have you been the steward here?”
Owen asked suddenly.
Ryan paused for a moment, mentally calculating.
Soon, he replied:
“Thirty-four years, six months, and four days.”
Whoa — down to the exact day! He even remembered the day he started and was clearly great at mental math. Were these requirements for being a steward?
Owen thought maybe Ryan could even teach arithmetic classes.
“It’s been so long. Surely by now you’ve trained a number of capable servants. You could try delegating some of your duties to those you trust.”
Owen said gently.
“Ryan, you’ve devoted yourself to the Eisen family with such loyalty… All these years… it’s not a bad thing to finally do something you truly enjoy. I permit you to teach in the children’s class.”
Owen said gently.
“This…”
Faced with the temptation, Ryan found himself caught in a dilemma.
After thinking for a while, he finally gave in to the allure of his master’s permission.
“Then… I’ll teach one class per week.”
“That’s fine. Just remember to talk to the teaching clerics in advance, look over their curriculum records, and familiarize yourself with the children’s class progress.”
As long as he was willing to try, everything else could be worked out.
And if it’s only one class a week for now? That’s fine too — once Ryan got hooked, Owen was sure he’d be the one asking to teach more.
“Understood.”
Ryan nodded, a look of anticipation gleaming in his eyes.
Just as that matter was settled, a royal guard knocked on the door and stepped into the room to report something else to Owen.
“Marquis, an apprentice blacksmith sent word — the steam… boring machine has been assembled.”
The guard paused slightly as he said the name, clearly unfamiliar with this new invention and struggling with the pronunciation.
“It’s assembled?!”
Owen stood up abruptly.
“That’s fantastic. I need to go check it out right away.”
Jita really delivered! Handing him the blueprints and assigning him full responsibility for building the steam boring machine had clearly been the right choice.
Not only had Jita followed the diagrams carefully while crafting parts, but he’d also met with Owen several times to fully understand the blueprint’s intent — something most blacksmiths wouldn’t bother with.
Naturally, Owen had patiently explained things to him each time. Understanding the why behind the build helped ensure the final product would meet expectations.
A blacksmith this eager to learn was rare. Owen had already made up his mind: he would find time to copy a few books on mechanical engineering and lend them to Jita to study.
The system’s folder contained tons of technical manuals and books covering every kind of knowledge. It was far too much for Owen to read alone.
After all, human energy is limited — no one can learn everything and become a super all-around genius.
That’s why Owen intended to cultivate talents who excelled in specific areas. Only by doing so could he quickly transplant Earth’s technological knowledge into this otherworldly frontier town.
He brought Mapel along and hurried to the open space near Jita’s forge.
In addition to several blacksmiths and their apprentices, Fanny and Garcia were also present. These two fire mages had poured a lot of magic power into the development of this steam boring machine.
After everyone bowed in greeting, Owen wasted no time and eagerly approached the massive machine, inspecting it with great interest.
Aside from the wooden base and frame, most other parts were made of metal.
Compared to the prototype, this second steam engine looked much more polished — no doubt thanks to the blacksmiths’ increased experience and Garcia’s superior welding skills compared to Owen.
This machine also featured a centrifugal governor.
Owen recalled that Winston had once said this was the oldest automatic control and feedback system — a hallmark of James Watt’s improvements to the steam engine.
When the engine ran, power would transfer through bevel gears to the centrifugal governor’s shaft, spinning two iron balls connected by a linkage and causing them to swing outward due to centrifugal force.
- If the machine ran too fast, the iron balls would rise, pulling the steam valve to narrow the intake, slowing the engine.
- If the machine slowed down, the balls would drop, opening the valve more, increasing the intake and speeding it up again.
With this governor, the steam engine could maintain a stable output.
Though Owen had no idea who Watt really was, he was deeply grateful for the man’s wisdom, which now played a pivotal role in Bianshu Town’s development.
Now that the steam-powered boring machine was complete, the most challenging part of producing muskets — drilling gun barrels — would no longer be a problem.
Everything was finally ready for full-scale firearm mass production.