Xiulote’s face stalled. He only had a vague memory of that mnemonic verse, and as for the specific metalworking machinery, it was naturally impossible for him to remember. The King simply pointed at the end and explained.
"Set up water wheels by the riverside, then connect them to forge hammers, and they can be used to forge metal armor plates or rough Armor casts. In addition, water mortars can process grains. Oh, right, there are also windmill gristmills..."
Xiulote added "windmill" under the "simple machinery" section next to him, which already had many jumping terms including "weaving loom," "spinning machine," "cotton gin," "semaphore tower"... Of course, in the King’s mind, these machines were just nouns, with only a general idea of their functions. There was one exception... "steam engine"!
Xiulote’s gaze lingered on the "steam engine" for a long time. Arrows led from both "metallurgy" and "metalworking" to it, silently telling of the technology’s prerequisite challenges. However, the term "steam engine," as if possessed of a unique magic power, continuously captivated his thoughts.
"The dawn of the industrial revolution, the steam engine..."
Xiulote murmured to himself, struggling to recall the nearly forgotten textbooks. Those once-crystal-clear illustrations were now reduced to abstract and vague shapes.
"Cylinder, piston, valve timing, cold water condensation, the transmission of power via the rods..."
Vague shapes with clear principles transformed and combined in the King’s mind, but unfortunately, they couldn’t assemble the "complex" Watt steam engine. After a long while, Xiulote sighed softly. He picked up the pen and sketched a simple "Miner’s Friend"—Safri’s steam water pump.
"Although you could use bronze for cylinder and have vulcanized rubber for seals... but until metallurgy and metalworking technologies are sufficiently advanced, a practical and affordable steam engine is just wishful thinking, still a hope for a lifetime!"
Soon, Xiulote came to terms with reality, chuckling at himself. It was worth mentioning that for a transmigrator sealing a steam engine, the invaluable vulcanized rubber was readily available to him in America.
Rubber originated in America and had been widely used worldwide. The primitive vulcanized rubber was invented in the ancient Olmec period, and the Olmecs were thus called the Rubber People. They combined the boiled sap of rubber trees with the juice of American grapevines to produce the most primitive vulcanization of rubber and made it into waterproof rain gear. Such garments held unique religious significance; often worn for ceremonial ball games and accompanied by sacrificial rites for the losers.
Xiulote shook his head gently, writing down "vulcanized rubber" under the "Unclassified" section at the bottom. Vulcanized rubber could also be obtained by fumigating with sulfur. It was temperature resistant, waterproof, and not prone to stickiness or deformation, with high resistance to oxidation and wear, suitable for making many practical tools, such as important tires, convenient rubber shoes, and raincoats.
In this section, there was also "glassmaking." The Stonemason Chief Losano’s research into glass had been going on for two years with almost no progress. Now, with coke and blast furnaces, the difficulty of melting glass could be greatly reduced.
"Glass beads are the cheapest of monopoly trade goods..."
Xiulote smiled faintly. The broad scroll was nearing its end. Bertade looked down at the bottom, where there was one last section labeled "Future." Inside, it was filled with complex terms like "electricity," "telegraph," "internal combustion engine"...
"Your Highness, what are these?"
The King hesitated for a fleeting moment, then spoke gravely.
"These are the Chief Divine’s ultimate guidance, and the future after my death."
At these words, Bertade fell silent for a moment. His eyes sparkled, and it took a while before he spoke softly.
"Your Highness, this scroll is so important, it should have a more fitting name."
Xiulote was intrigued, a twinkle in his eye.
"Divine Revelation Book!"