Chapter 436: Mate life Engine

After completing the tour, Simon turned toward the ambassador with a faint smile.

"Ambassador Alonso, what do you think of Brambleford?"

Alonso forced himself to return the smile.

"Your Royal Highness has certainly exceeded my expectations. Brambleford is far more impressive than I imagined."

He paused before continuing.

"As for the matter of Split Rock, I will report everything I have seen and heard to Earl Grey upon my return. He will need to consider your proposal carefully."

Simon nodded.

"That is all I ask. I hope Earl Grey will make a wise decision."

From Alonso’s expression, Simon could tell that the tour had achieved its purpose.

He had deliberately shown the ambassador Brambleford’s strongest advantages. His objective was not merely to impress a foreign visitor but to influence the Dutch leadership’s calculations.

If Earl Grey believed that a war against Brambleford would be costly and uncertain, he might decide that preserving Dutch commercial access was more valuable than maintaining a military foothold on Split Rock.

A peaceful settlement would save Simon money, time, and manpower.

It would also allow him to concentrate on developing Brambleford rather than diverting resources toward a prolonged overseas conflict.

Of course, he had no intention of relying entirely on intimidation. If the Dutch refused his terms, he would still have to prepare for war. But if they could be persuaded to withdraw without a fight, so much the better.

Alonso, meanwhile, had no intention of remaining in Brambleford any longer than necessary.

His expression remained gloomy as he considered everything he had witnessed.

He needed to return to Ashenford, contact Earl Grey, and explain the situation before the Dutch made another decision regarding Split Rock.

Simon glanced toward the sky.

"It is nearly mealtime, Ambassador Alonso. Why not join me for dinner?"

Alonso immediately shook his head.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Royal Highness, but I believe it would be best for me to return as soon as possible."

Simon did not insist.

"Very well. I won’t keep you."

Truthfully, he had little desire to entertain the arrogant Dutchman any longer than necessary.

After exchanging their farewells, Alonso departed that same day under the escort of Brambleford officials. His party headed toward Ashenford, from where he could continue his journey back to Split Rock.

Simon watched them leave before turning his horse toward the castle.

He had only just begun to move when the sound of approaching hooves interrupted him.

A rider hurried toward the prince.

It was Rayden.

The moment he reached Simon, he dismounted and approached with an excitement he could barely contain.

"Your Highness! We have done it!"

Simon frowned slightly.

"Done what?"

Rayden took a quick breath.

"Ethan has successfully built a steam pump!"

Simon froze.

"A steam pump?"

For a moment, he wondered whether he had heard correctly.

Then a possibility flashed through his mind.

Could Ethan have finally succeeded in building the Mate life steam engine?

If so, this was far more important than an ordinary mechanical breakthrough.

Simon’s expression changed immediately.

"Take me to Oxford Academy. Now!"

When Simon arrived at Oxford Academy, Rayden led him straight to the physics laboratory.

The room was packed with students.

Several stood around a strange mechanical device, while others discussed its operation in excited whispers. At the center of the crowd stood Ethan, looking as though he had not slept properly for days.

The moment Simon entered, the students quickly stepped aside.

His attention immediately settled on the machine.

"Not bad!"

A smile spread across his face.

The device was still a small experimental model, nowhere near the size required for industrial use. Nevertheless, its basic structure was unmistakable.

It consisted of a boiler that generated steam and a pumping mechanism connected through a lever.

The steam-driven process produced a reciprocating motion, allowing the mechanism to raise water from a lower reservoir.

It was crude, inefficient. And it consumed considerable fuel.

But it worked. That was what mattered.

Simon stepped closer, examining the arrangement of the components.

The machine represented the successful application of steam power to a practical problem. Rather than relying entirely on animal power, human labor, or traditional mechanical devices, Brambleford could now begin using heat to perform work.

For a city investing heavily in mining and industrial production, the implications were enormous.

Behind him, the students could barely contain their excitement.

They had spent countless hours studying the principles of heat, pressure, and mechanical motion. They had watched Ethan struggle through one experiment after another, and they knew how much effort had gone into the machine standing before them.

Now, they were witnessing the results.

Ethan himself could hardly believe it.

His eyes were red, and tears had gathered at their corners.

After the previous explosion had destroyed his work and forced him to reconsider his design, he had feared that the project might remain unfinished for months.

Yet he had persisted.

And now, he had succeeded in constructing a working model of the Matelife steam engine.

Although the machine could only pump water and was still far from the more advanced steam engines Simon eventually hoped to develop, its successful operation represented a significant step forward for Brambleford’s scientific community.

Simon turned toward the young inventor.

"Ethan, you’ve done an excellent job."

He placed a hand on the young man’s shoulder.

"Tell me, what reward would you like?"

Ethan hurriedly shook his head.

"Your Highness, I don’t need a reward."

He glanced at the machine, his eyes filled with pride.

"This is only the most basic model. It can pump water, but there are still many problems to solve. I want to continue improving it. Once I manage to build a more advanced steam engine, you can reward me then."

Simon looked at him with approval.

He remembered that Ethan had initially pursued steam-engine research partly because he wanted to earn a noble title.

Now, however, the young man’s attitude had changed.

He was no longer satisfied with receiving recognition for a single achievement. He wanted to understand the principles behind the machine, improve its design, and discover what else steam power could accomplish.

In other words, he had begun to appreciate scientific research for its own sake.

That was precisely the kind of attitude Simon wanted to encourage.

"Very well," Simon said. "I promise that when you succeed in building a more advanced steam engine, I will give you an appropriate reward."

Ethan bowed excitedly.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Although Ethan had declined a reward, Simon still instructed the academy to grant him a thousand silver.

His reasoning was simple.

The young inventor deserved recognition for his efforts, and the other students needed to understand that dedication and practical results would not go unnoticed.

A successful invention could bring prestige, financial rewards, and opportunities to pursue even more ambitious research.

Simon wanted Oxford Academy to become a place where talented people had every reason to devote themselves to science.

After congratulating Ethan and the other students, he turned his attention to the machine once more.

"How soon can you produce a larger version?"

Ethan considered the question carefully.

"Your Highness, the model has proven that the mechanism works, but producing a full-sized machine will require more materials and additional testing. We will also need to strengthen several components and ensure that the boiler can operate reliably."

Simon nodded.

"Then we will provide the resources you need."

He had no intention of allowing the project to remain a laboratory curiosity.

Brambleford possessed numerous mines, and many of them suffered from flooding.

Whenever water accumulated in a deep mine, workers had to spend considerable time and effort removing it. In severe cases, flooding could force an entire operation to stop.

Traditional pumps could help, but their effectiveness was limited when water had to be raised from greater depths.

A steam-powered pump offered a promising alternative.

If Ethan could develop a reliable, full-sized machine, it could remove water continuously and allow miners to work deeper underground.

That would make previously inaccessible mineral deposits easier to exploit.

More ore meant more metal.

More metal meant more tools, machinery, weapons, and construction materials.

The benefits could spread throughout Brambleford’s economy.

"Your immediate task," Simon announced, "is to develop a practical steam pump suitable for use in our mines. I want the machinery department to assist you with the construction of a full-sized model."

Ethan’s expression became serious.

"Understood, Your Highness."

"Once the design proves reliable, we will begin producing more units. Given the number of mines under our control, we may eventually need more than thirty pumps."

The students exchanged excited glances.

More than thirty?

That meant the project was no longer an isolated experiment. It was becoming an industrial undertaking.

Simon continued, "However, do not rush the process. A machine that works in the laboratory is not necessarily ready for continuous operation in a mine. We must test its durability, fuel consumption, and pumping capacity before putting it into widespread use."

Ethan nodded firmly.

He understood that the next stage would be considerably more difficult.

Building a small model was one thing. Constructing a machine capable of operating for long periods under demanding conditions was another.

Nevertheless, he was ready to begin.

By the time Simon left Oxford Academy, the sun was already beginning to sink toward the horizon.

The approaching New Year had kept him occupied with countless matters, and he had never expected the academy to deliver such an important surprise at this particular moment.

Yet the success of Ethan’s steam pump had changed his priorities.

He would accelerate the development of steam-powered machinery and arrange for the machinery department to work closely with the academy.

Ethan had demonstrated the underlying principle, but turning that achievement into a practical industrial technology would require the combined efforts of scientists, engineers, metalworkers, and craftsmen.

The boiler would need to withstand repeated heating and cooling.

The moving components would need to operate reliably.

The pumping mechanism would have to withstand continuous use. And the entire machine would need to be economical enough to justify its installation in the mines.

These were not problems that could be solved overnight.

Still, the hardest step was often discovering a workable path in the first place.

Ethan had now done that.

The Matelife steam engine was not a perfect machine. It consumed a great deal of coal and converted only a limited portion of its energy into useful work. Its practical applications would initially be restricted, particularly to tasks such as pumping water from mines.

But its limitations did not diminish its significance.

Every successful invention created opportunities for further improvement.

In the future, more efficient designs could build upon the same principles, eventually leading to the development of advanced steam engines capable of powering machinery on a much larger scale.

Simon understood that industrial progress was not achieved through a single miraculous invention.

It required a succession of discoveries, each one building upon the last.

Today, Ethan had taken the first major step.

Tomorrow, Brambleford might possess machines capable of transforming its mines, workshops, and factories. And once steam power became reliable enough to support large-scale production, the consequences would extend far beyond the city’s borders.

Simon returned to his castle with a satisfied smile.

The Dutch still had to decide whether they would surrender Split Rock peacefully.

The New Year was approaching. And now, Brambleford had another project that could change its future.