"12%, Your Majesty. As for fuel efficiency, it consumes around 65% less fuel than the atmospheric steam engines, thanks to the compressor technology implemented in the machine."
From the look on his face, Vijay could tell that Kiran was very proud of his achievement. On another note, he had no reason to be dissatisfied with the results, since the machine invented by Heyram was already a little better than the rotative steam engine invented by James Watt.
Vijay had seen enough. He didn't ask any more questions. Instead, a plan was brewing in his mind. He put his hand across the shoulder of Heyram and took him outside.
Heyram, for some reason, felt a sense of déjà vu.
"Heyram, I have a proposal for you. Would you like to be the director of a new laboratory I will establish?"
Heyram was at a loss for words, but before he could respond, Vijay continued:
"I know you don't want to be involved in top-classified research anymore, and I can understand that. You have done an excellent job and produced a brilliant result, but hear me out. Although the research will still be classified, you will have more freedom. I can allow your family to be settled in the research facility with you, or they can even be settled in the nearby town, like how it is now. Also, I will personally give you the liberty to recruit your daughter as one of the research assistants. I heard that she is in college and about to do her internship—why not bring her along with you? As for your wife, she can do whatever she wants."
"More importantly, your freedom will not be restricted. You can show up in public, you can interact with the people or the media as long as you don't speak about what you are working on. For this, I have no choice but to arrange a management team for you to handle the media. Also, I'm not asking you to take up the post as a chief researcher; instead, I'm asking you to take up the post as the director of the laboratory. Several hundred researchers would be working under you, following your directions and instructions. The workload on you will substantially reduce when compared with the Khesari Research Project."
"Lastly, if you agree to join the research institute, I am willing to allocate you 25% of the company's stake, making you the second largest shareholder right after the royal family."
Vijay really didn't hold back and put forward all the benefits he had thought of. He wasn't being hasty by giving away so many resources either, because he saw the ingenuity of Heyram and how keen his insights are when it comes to machinery. With him at the helm, his future projects will get a 20 to 30% buff in research efficiency. Who wouldn't like to have that?
It could be said that Vijay's efforts were not in vain because Heyram was really moved. Although imprisoned by the Khesari project, he developed a little aversion to classified research and wanted to quit many times. But this was due to the immense pressure he was experiencing and the lack of outlets to release it. He wasn't allowed to meet with his family, go out, or even interact with his fellow scientists, not because he didn't like the research he was doing.
However, now, according to what His Majesty had promised, not only would he not have to worry about money for the rest of his life, but even his freedom would not be wholly restricted. The chance to bring his daughter into the fold was especially enticing. He wanted to agree, but he still wanted to know what he was working on.
"Your Majesty, can I know what type of research institute I will take charge of?"
'The fish is hooked,' Vijay smiled gleefully in his heart. "It's a research institute focused on developing variants of steam engines. For now, the institute will be called Mobility Labs. It will be under Raya Mobility."
"As for what the research direction will be," Vijay swirled his finger in the shape of a zero with an intriguing smile, "didn't you already convert the vertical reciprocal power of steam into a circular motion using the sun and planet gear system you have developed?"
"Now imagine a variant of the Khesari engine is used to power carriages. Does that mean bullocks and horses are no longer needed?"
"If a massive engine is built, could it replace the elephants in the rail carriages? Better yet, could it pull more carriages, increasing the efficiency hundreds or even thousands of times?"
"A few years ago, an engineering student in a second-tier university called Manish Kumar developed a new kind of mechanism called a propeller, which was basically a hand-cranked fan put in water. Now, instead of hand-cranking it, if it is attached to a version of the Khesari Engine, could the boat move on its own? And if the engine could be massive enough, could it move large ships without the power of the wind?"
"Think about the possibilities, Heyram. There are absolutely limitless; the only limit might be the imagination of the mind."
"So tell me, are you interested?"
Every idea His Majesty put forward was like a knockout punch hitting his soul. His eyes widened to such an extent that people might think his eyeballs would fall out at any moment.
Heyram was experiencing the enthusiasm and excitement he had not felt for a long time. With his smart brain, he had already analysed that what His Majesty mentioned could definitely be done. All that was needed was the improvement of the Khesari Engine alone, and if he was given a year or so, he was confident that he could at least research the large engine capable of pulling carriages on the rail, as he felt this was the easiest among the ideas mentioned by His Majesty.
When he reached such a thought, he suddenly realised that in the whole southern part of the empire, rails were already laid down between every political, economic, cultural, and educational capital of the states, along with some other major cities along the way. Even in the north, the laying down of rail had already begun, and several major cities had been connected. Now, if, like His Majesty envisioned, a steam engine capable of pulling rail carriages on its own was developed, he couldn't even imagine how monstrous the production of the empire could become.
Heyram suddenly saw an illusion: the subcontinent was like a giant prehistoric behemoth with blood flowing through its veins, connected by rails, slowly opening its eyes, giving off a wild and prehistoric aura, ready to devour anything in its path.
'Had His Majesty already foreseen the day? This revelation shocked him, especially considering that the rail started to be laid down a decade ago. Such foresight is almost divine.'
"Thank you for the opportunity, Your Majesty. I will be under your care once again." Heyram no longer had any hesitation; he readily agreed.
Vijay secretly let out a sigh of relief. Although he knew that the probability of Heyram accepting his offer was more than 80%, as he had prepared many cards, there was still a chance that he had been completely burnt out. But it looked like the flame of discovery had not been extinguished in him yet.
"Brilliant. I will arrange the facility in a month or so. In the meantime, you can take a long vacation. When you come back, a list of names will be on your desk; you can select the researchers you want from the names."
"As for the research, it will be the three research directions I mentioned earlier: that is, miniaturising the Khesari steam engine to fit into carriages, modifying it to pull rail carriages, and finally enlarging or miniaturising—whichever is easier—to make one capable of being fit on a ship."
"The easiest might probably be the modification of the Khesari engine to fit on a carriage that can pull carriages on rail, so 50% of all the resources which will be given to you will be directed towards this project, which for now let us call the train engine project. As for the other two, they will be split equally with the goal of not developing ships or carriages, but on the key technology of miniaturising or gigantifying the Khesari engine. Whichever works, we can simply have professional shipbuilders or carriage builders build a frame around it according to its specifications. You don't have to worry about this."
Heyram thought about it for a while and nodded. If it were him, he would probably put more resources into the train engine project, but it was still good enough.
Vijay stayed in the secret facility until the Khesari engine was disassembled, packed into parts, and directly shipped to a secret storage facility of Raya Research Institute, after which a detailed production plan would be designed to officially start the mass production of the Khesari engines.
Unknown to anyone, the Industrial Revolution was slowly born in the Bharatiya Empire.
P.S. Finally Steam!!!!!
P.S. Detailed Specs and images in comments
P.S. Tomorrow I might not update, let's see what happens.