The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 168: The Dilemma of 'Gold Steam'

Vol 2 Chapter 168: The Dilemma of 'Gold Steam'

The convoy heading to 'Dark Sand River Valley' was ready. This time, it was loaded with numerous potatoes and wheat, along with a large quantity of vegetables and the 'Purified Clear Spring' required by Dark Sand River Valley.

The accompanying personnel numbered about sixty, most of whom were 'Second Tier' Knight Squires, with a small portion being from other progression paths.

"Is Tia going to Dark Sand River Valley?" Before departure, Dorothy pulled the young girl aside to ask.

"That's right, is Dorothy going too?" Sylutia asked curiously.

"I won't be going, but you could help me bring back some materials." Dorothy smiled as she made her request.

"I need high-quality Third Tier 'Magnetite Sand', and you can also bring me back some Second Tier 'Red Iron'. As a reward, I can help you create a useful alchemical item."

Is this considered a side quest? The girl internally quipped.

"No problem, I'll help you look for them when I'm there."

Bidding farewell to Dorothy, Sylutia boarded the carriage, and soon the entire convoy set off, traveling into the distance....

On the wilderness, the wind howled. Even sitting inside the carriage, Sylutia could hear the sounds outside.

During Gale Season, it was either raining or windy, with very few moments of calm.

The journey from Lantern Town to Dark Sand River Valley would take roughly 4-5 days. Sitting in the carriage now, she used a candle lamp to review the materials gifted by 'Beast-Call Valley' some time ago, which included sections on raising and taming beasts.

The horses pulling the carriages in the current convoy were 'Wasteland Horses' from Beast-Call Valley. They had much better endurance than the warhorses bred in the 'Glittergold Plains' and were also cheaper to raise.

The cost of purchasing one 'Windtrust horse' in the past could buy three 'Wasteland Horses'. Their only drawback might be that they couldn't run very fast and weren't agile enough, making them unsuitable for the rapidly changing battlefield.

Ordinary people could communicate with animals using simple commands. But when facing complex battlefields and diverse, intricate demands, these simple commands were often insufficient. This was when specialized abilities were needed, namely the 【Synchronization Method】 (Bloodline). It was a means of conveying information that relied on blood and the rhythm of life, allowing communication across species and languages.

Many knights would learn the 'Synchronization Method' and then combine it with another charging-type ability to fuse them, completing their own profession construction.

For 'Iron Knights', it was 【Synchronization Method】 + 【Swift Charge】 fused into 【Horse and Rider as One】.

For 'White Knights', it was 【Synchronization Method】 + 【Riding the Wind Gallop】 fused into 【Gallop】.

The principles of the two differed slightly. The former strengthened the warhorse's power, granting it greater speed and impact force. The latter reduced wind resistance, achieving a lighter state to improve speed and adaptability.

Greater impact force was suitable for dealing with massive monsters, while the latter's lighter state was better for long-distance galloping and flexible responses in one-on-one combat. This was the professional difference between Iron Knights and White Knights.

As for the legacy of 'Beast-Call Valley', the 【Synchronization Method】 could be used to communicate with War Beasts to better understand their condition, facilitating training and raising. This was quite similar to the effects of 'Verdant Eye' or 'Nature Perception' among gardeners.

No wonder that 'Ironfinger' said their school had many similarities with gardeners.

During these days on the road, Sylutia had been learning how to master the 'Synchronization Method'. Perhaps because she had previously learned the 'Breathing Technique', mastering the 'Synchronization Method' wasn't particularly difficult for her. In just four days, she had raised the 'Synchronization Method' to Lv.3.

【Synchronization Method Lv.3】: Can communicate with other lifeforms using the rhythm of life, conveying emotions and basic information.

"Little pony, come here."

While setting up camp in the evening, Sylutia called out to a nearby foal. This young 'Wasteland Horse' trotted over on unsteady legs. Its fur was dark brown and felt quite soft.

Circling around Sylutia, the young girl cupped its head with both hands, bringing her forehead a little closer to feel its heartbeat and emotions. Then she took out a small piece of potato and fed it to the foal.

After eating, the little foal stood before the girl again, its two black eyes looking at her.

"Turn around once." Sylutia gave the command.

The little foal didn't understand at first. The girl guided it to turn once with her arm, and it gradually understood the command.

"Go bring that branch over with your mouth." Sylutia issued another command.

The little foal hopped and skipped around her, playing for a little while before finally going to fetch the distant branch.

It seems even if it understands, with its playful nature, it won't obey immediately, Sylutia thought.

Training War Beasts was a long-term process. If the other party wasn't smart enough, it would require a lot of effort. It seemed she was more suited for an elite cultivation path rather than the large-scale taming practiced by Beast-Call Valley.

"Go on, go play by yourself~" After feeding the little foal the last piece of potato, Sylutia opened her hands to show it there was no more food.

The little foal played around Sylutia for a while longer before trotting off in small steps, returning to its mare's side.

...

After the four-day journey, Sylutia arrived at Dark Sand River Valley.

Even before reaching the garrison, Sylutia could hear the sound of rushing water from inside the carriage. Upon arrival, she found this garrison was right by the river, a fortress built from ochre-yellow rock.

"Welcome, Miss Sylutia." The one who came to greet her was a steward from within the garrison. He wore a straight, gray-yellow robe, a tall hat, and held a long, thin wooden staff.

"My name is Leon. You may address me directly by name." The other party bowed slightly, then led Sylutia's team into the mountain fortress.

Along the way, Leon introduced the local environment to Sylutia.

"As Miss Tia can see, the water and soil here are turbid, completely unsuitable for irrigation. We need to purify and filter the extracted water several times before it can be consumed."

"The magnetite and magnetite sand extracted from the river sand are the main products here. Secondly, there are the 'Redstone Iron' mines excavated beside the river valley. The ore from within can be refined into high-purity 'Redstone Iron', a necessary material for precision components in many alchemical creations."

Listening to his description, Sylutia saw there were quite a few alchemists here, and they were all Transcendents of the 'Gold Steam' Aspect.

"There are many alchemists here."

"Indeed. Most of the alchemists here belong to the 'Magnetic Wheel Water Machine' school. They are skilled in refining various 'magnetic' materials and the alchemical creations derived from them."

"The most common are water pumping machinery, screening machinery, and forging press machinery."

As he spoke, he took Sylutia to see the large machinery inside the garrison. The massive machine constantly rotated, screening and filtering river sand, searching for precious metals within and sorting them. There were also water pumping machines and machines for forging plate armor.

"They all look very useful. Why haven't they become widespread within the Hidden Grove?" Sylutia asked curiously.

"Well, that's naturally because there aren't many Transcendents of the 'Gold Steam' Aspect." The other party smiled wryly.

"Operating these machines requires Transcendents of the 'Gold Steam' Aspect. Without them, these machines are difficult to operate."

"Then why not develop power sources that don't require the 'Gold Steam' Aspect, like using steam or something similar." Sylutia didn't understand.

"Steam? Actually, people have experimented with it before. It is indeed feasible, but it similarly requires Transcendents of the 'Blazing Sun' Aspect to vaporize the gas, which somewhat defeats the purpose."

"What about power sources not driven by Transcendents, like directly burning wood to heat water and produce steam?"

"That seems feasible, but in reality, the efficiency is extremely low." The other party shook his head.

"Burning wood can produce heat, which can be used to vaporize gas and generate power, that's true. But how much wood would need to be burned? That wood takes many years to grow, only to be burned up in minutes. It's far too wasteful."

"What about coal..." Sylutia was about to utter the word from her memory but suddenly realized this world had no coal, nor petroleum.

This meant any engine relying on fossil fuels would be difficult to popularize. Without cheap coal and petroleum, relying solely on burning wood would require an immense amount, completely unsustainable.

The formation of coal and petroleum originated from the remains of ancient plants, requiring hundreds of millions of years of accumulation. Furthermore, Earth's formation of coal was partly because bacteria and fungi that could decompose lignin didn't exist back then. In later eras, with bacteria and fungi capable of decomposing lignin, it became difficult to form coal again.

No wonder, after the emergence of the 'Gold Steam' Aspect, the world didn't rapidly enter an industrial age like on Earth. Lacking the lifeblood of industry and relying solely on Transcendents to maintain machinery meant it was destined to be promoted only on a small scale.

Unless the people of this world found better, more convenient energy channels in the future, could an industrial revolution be ignited.