Steel and Mana

Chapter 98 – Tractor

By the time we got back to the city, our topic trailed from the buildings to trying to come to an agreement on investing. Just mentioning my superficial knowledge of agriculture had already given my Uncle some ideas, and I should have stopped there. I was never someone who understood how farming worked; I just knew the principles and main changes my old world's people went through. It became troublesome, especially when I began describing tractors, combines, and whatever else... which was a grave mistake.

"Haaah, look, I don't know if I can replicate something like that, Uncle!"

"Come on, you are a genius; you can come up with something, no? You built pipes that bring heated water into your people's homes in the winter! You made water flow from the mountains down to the city without magic! If you can build a... tractor and supply it to me, we could raise the amount of food we can produce! Then, I can use that to help my people, feed more of them, and raise you an army."

"So," I interrupted quickly, looking at him with one eye, already seeing through his words, "You wouldn't pay for it."

"I would pay with people. You already said it; that is what you want."

"I see, I see... A tractor... I would have to make it without magic. My biggest problem is that even if I make it for you, its news will spread, and I am sure the Empire will come and take it away. What then?"

"There is a war going on; their attention is focused elsewhere! It is our best moment to act!"

"I will think about it." With a shrug, I quickly added, "Give me time to think how it would be possible to recreate my imaginary inventions for real, and then we can think about the rest, okay?"

"Your mind is a weird place, Leon." He nodded with a smile, patting my back. "Heh, tractor... I like the name. It has, hm, I don't know, some weird power behind it!"

Me and my big mouth. I am too used to sharing my chaotic thoughts with Sasha, speaking freely, and telling her about all the things I would love to recreate. Since being pregnant, she also couldn't help me forge things, and I knew she was missing it, too, so we were going back and forth with wild ideas when we had time. She felt the most liberated when she was helping me bring my dreams to life... I got this used to relying on her magic, huh? Even when we have only two mages, I only think about using spells to make something move. Oh, how I wish I could use it! Haaah... I never told anyone this, but I do hope there will be three mages in Avalon after our little baby is finally born. I will not hold high hopes, though. From what I have seen so far, it speaks volumes about how rare they are compared to ordinary people.

"I was just thinking about you!" I exclaimed when we finally arrived at the main square, meeting with Sasha, who was surrounded by Yuri and her guards.

"Oh..." She blushed, still acting shy.

While I hugged her, kissed her cheeks, and then repeated it with my other wives, Elliot walked over to my Mother, greeting her. I heard claps rising after we appeared as we were on an elevated podium, looking over the square, the covered statue, and the sea of people gathering around.

"I don't get a kiss?" A voice chimed in, and when I turned toward it, I answered its owner with a half-smile.

"Like you would ask for one, Dad!"

"Who knows?" He joked before I hugged him, and it was a welcomed surprise that he come out from the castle to visit us. "How are you?" He asked not me, but Sasha, rubbing her head, making her smile ear to ear while answering.

"Your Dad is one hunky dude... I bet his dick is big."

"Good thing I am his son then, no?" I whispered back, and of course, it was Yuri who unplugged her mouth with that simple comment.

"Still, the original is bigger, isn't it?" She continued, teasing me without any breaks.

"That would be scary, Leon's is already big enough." Luna chimed in, making me turn towards her with a welcomed surprise.

"I like 'em big." Yuri countered, and I wasn't sure if she was still teasing me, wanting to rile me up so I would be rough with her, or if she was genuinely serious. Damn it, girl, just when I was starting to feel prideful for a moment!

"That's because you are loose." Sasha declared, joining our hushed debate after Father joined my Mom and began teasing Uncle, welcoming him in his own way.

"You are hurting my pride!" Yuri gasped, overreacting, holding her chest, "My maiden soul is being shattered piece by piece, my Queen!"

"Well, we were both virgins, so of course, we adapted well to his shape. It is logical!" Once again, Luna was the one who dropped another bombshell, and although Sasha went pink in the face, she still nodded somewhat proudly.

"Girls..." I interrupted them before it turned into a weird debate in the middle of the day, "Let's be reasonable and focus on the event before us, okay? There is a statue to be revealed!"

"What if it's a statue of your dick?" Yuri asked, making my eyes twitch.

"How would Mister Perth know how it looks?" Luna questioned, honest inquiry in her mismatched eyes, but I was doubting their validity. I bet she was playing along with her friend here... The little imp!

"It is not a penis!" Sasha stomped in place, pouting, but then again, she looked at me, repeating, "It isn't, is it?"

"I hope not." Even I was unsure now, thanks to their idiocy.

"Where's Merlin?" Elliot asked, walking back to us, noticing the fact my Prime Minister had disappeared from view the moment we arrived.

"You'll see; I think he went ahead to check on the sound system, as this will be its first live test!"

"What does that mean?" Asked not only him but my parents, too.

"You'll see! It will be Rennar, my Minister of Architecture, and Perth himself who will use it. My only advice is don't get scared!"

They didn't get it first, but I watched my parents and Uncle jump in their seats when the event commenced. It was the same as how the many people around the square gasped when Rennar raised the microphone to his mouth and began speaking. No rehearsal was done, and I watched Merlin stand next to him with an even more nervous look, hoping that everything would go perfectly in this first live test. When Rennar heard his own voice echoing out loudly, then picked up by the different receivers placed around the square and repeating his words, it was a magical experience. Well, it WAS magic. Even his first few stuttering sentences were something everyone hung on with great surprise, followed by their loud applause.

"It is like a giant shouting from the mountaintops..." Father whispered, elated, listening to the echoey speech where Rennar introduced Perth to everyone, not that it was fully needed. His name was well-known amongst my people, and by now, he was the go-to person to sculpt the main decorations around the city.

"It is only the first iteration, so a later version may manage to solve the echo issue." I answered my Dad, making the trio look at me like I cursed at them or something.

"What issue? This is genius! I bet everyone is hearing it, and they don't need to try and rely on hearsay! You know how it is, someone mishears something, relays it back wrongly, and by the time those farthest away hear the news, it is nowhere near to what it was originally!" Elliot exclaimed, excited, and I knew what he was about to ask, but he gulped it back. Yes... this one was magic-based. Again. It's not something I would lend to him.

We watched on when it became Perth's time to talk, thanking the city and then directly turning towards me and thanking me for everything I had done for the Frontier. He recounted his old life, how he had no prospect or future, no idea what he would do with his life besides trying to provide for his wife and children. Now, he could do that and even found his calling, something he is good at, and for that, he decided to create his greatest work, The Sovereign.

"Oh..."

I couldn't really say anything when they pulled off the sheet that was covering it and watched my marble copy stand there, 4 meters tall, looking heroic. It was a feeling that is hard to describe. I felt shy, touched, and also extraordinarily happy. Proud. He truly was a master because the statue's face was eerily precise, and the way I wore the military uniform and a cape was way too realistic. How did he do that? I knew it was made out of stone, yet it looked like the cape was flowing in the wind while I stood there proudly, looking afar as if I was gazing toward the future.

It was the crowds' happy shouts and claps that brought me back to reality, making me stand up and join in on it. I never thought that someone would honor me like this, and I think everyone noticed I became sentimental, wiping away a tear, which further increased the intensity of the applause, especially coming from my Father. He looked even prouder than Mom, wanting to invite Perth to the palace for a drink.

...
....
......

It was a cool night; the sky was clear, and I stood in my study, looking up at the full moon at the open window, a somewhat smug smile hanging at the edge of my lips. I couldn't help it, not when I thought about my statue decorating the main square. It won't have to stand there all alone as Perth announced that he was also working on my wives' statues to accompany mine. Only Yuri wasn't shocked, and she insisted that hers would be naked, with a perfect replica of her lady parts. Of course, I refused the idea on the spot.

"Although some naked statues would be interesting... tsk, relax, Leon, don't let Yuri poison your mind!" With a grunt, I emptied my cup of coffee, closed the window, sat back in my chair, and replaced the burned-down candles with new ones.

After dinner, I couldn't help but think about Elliot's request, my head filling with old schematics we studied in university. As an engineer, I always wondered why I would need to know how centuries-old tech worked when we had nuclear-powered hover tanks. It never came in handy on the battlefield, but right now? It was perfect.

"Let's see... because we don't have any internal combustion engines, I will have to make something that is steam-powered. That is the easiest solution for my tractor problem."

First, I would need a boiler. That is the easier part; it could be made from riveted metal plates or possibly even ceramic materials. Depending on where I would put it, I will need to use a furnace or firebox underneath it. Next would be the steam engine itself, which converts the energy from steam into mechanical motion. I decided to make it straightforward and that it would be a simple piston engine design that would transform the pressure of the steam into rotational motion.

Then came the question. Wheels or tracks? The steam tractor would need one of the two to move across the ground, especially when it is wet and muddy. Because I can't go and invent rubber out of nothing, if I go with wheels, they would be large wooden ones, similar to the ones on carriages with iron rims. The same was valid for the tracks; the only difference is that I would probably make the latter from iron only. Should I do one of each and see which performs better? It would be a good test for deciding what to use if I began planning something smaller than a mech. Is this how my ancestors felt? Is this how they came up with tanks?

"Let me see... what else? Ah, yes..."

Transmission. A primitive system would be enough to transfer power from the steam engine to the wheels or tracks. From what my men learned from creating clocks, making gears and chains and putting them together should be much easier to understand by now. It would be larger than a clock, so the blacksmiths would be able to create them effortlessly. Then, I can add a steering mechanism. Easy; I just need something simple that turns the front wheels or adjusts the direction of the tracks.

As for fuel, well, we have a lot of wood; I just don't know how well that would work. Maybe I should try and get my hands on coal? It would be much easier with magic... perhaps the ones I make for Elliot will be magicless, but ours can run on a formation... hm, then that means I make four versions... ugh. As for the water, I wouldn't worry about that part. However, I will need to balance the machine and decide where the water tank is going to be mounted. It can't be too heavy for its own good, or it will ruin the soil, besides getting stuck repeatedly.

Lastly, I need to add some safety features. There need to be pressure relief valves and a way to control the speed of the steam engine. I can't let them explode and kill my farmers because I don't think I could handle someone with a third-degree burn mark.

"Oh boy... I will need to keep this under wraps. I hope our newest spy in the Capital works because, with him if he is covering for us... I think Uncle and I can get away with it!"