“Think of it like this, Alice: A steam engine is like a giant, slow-moving ox pulling a cart. It’s reliable, but it’s cumberso. The internal combustion engine is like a thoroughbred stallion. Because the energy is created directly inside the machine, it is ten tis more efficient and hundreds of pounds lighter.”
Nillie gestured to the second table, still covered. “Because it’s so small and light, we no longer need a massive train track to move things. We can put this on a carriage. We can put it on a boat. We might even be able to make things that fly, Your Highness, just as you predicted in your sketches.”
“That’s incredible...” Alice whispered, starting to see the implications. “So, are we replacing all the steam engines with these? Is that the plan for the factories?”
Nillie shook his head, his smile turning even more mysterious. “Oh, the factories will need sothing even better than just chanical motion. The engine is only the first step, Miss Alice. We aren't just changing how things move.”
Ravenna stepped to the second table and pulled the cloth herself, revealing a strange, rotating assembly of copper coils and powerful magnets.
“We will be advancing to a new era, Alice,” Ravenna said, her voice echoing with the weight of history. “Not just the era of engines. We are entering the Era of Electricity.”
The craftsn behind Nillie let out a low cheer. Ravenna looked at the copper coils, the first functional Electric Generator of the Ancorna Empire.
“With the internal combustion engine to spin these magnets,” Ravenna explained, “we can create a flow of energy that travels through wires. No more steam pipes. No more coal dust in every room. We can bring light and power to every house in Kim City with a single flick of a switch. We are going to turn this island into a beacon that the entire world will see from the horizon.”
Nillie nodded to his assistants, his eyes gleaming with a manic sort of pride. They cleared the center of the room, positioning the heavy steel engine and the copper-wrapped generator on a reinforced workbench.
“To show you that this isn't just another magic-tool, we won't be using a single drop of liquid extract of flowers or a flower for this demonstration,” Nillie said. He produced a small tin canister filled with a pungent, translucent liquid. “This is petrol, a highly refined distillate from the oil seeps we extract in the northern cliffs.”
He poured the liquid into a small brass tank atop the engine. The room was soon filled with a sharp, chemical scent, a stark contrast to the sweet, ozone-like aroma of flowers that everyone was used to. Nillie grabbed a leather pull-cord wrapped around the engine’s flywheel.
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“Stand back,” he warned.
With a powerful, practiced yank, Nillie pulled the cord. The engine coughed, a tallic, sputtering sound before a sharp crack echoed through the room. A puff of grey smoke escaped the exhaust pipe, and then, the machine roared to life.
Thrum-thrum-thrum-thrum!
The table vibrated under its base. It was a rhythmic, aggressive sound, far faster and more energetic than the slow, huffing breath of a steam engine. As the engine reached its peak speed, the belt connecting it to the generator began to blur.
“Now, look here,” Nillie shouted over the chanical roar.
He pointed to a small glass sphere held in a brass socket on the edge of the table. Inside the sphere sat a tiny, delicate loop of carbonized copper filant. Alice watched, breathless, as Nillie flipped a crude iron switch.
At first, nothing happened. Then, the thin wire inside the glass began to glow a dull, deep red. Within seconds, it transitioned to a brilliant, searing orange-white light. It was similar to the soft, pulsing glow of a magic-lamp; it was a steady, artificial sun that illuminated every corner of the study, casting sharp, unwavering shadows against the walls.
“It’s... it’s light,” Alice whispered, reaching out a hand before pulling it back from the radiant heat of the glass. “Without a priest’s blessing? Without a rune engraved flower?”
“Purely physical,” Ravenna said, her face bathed in the yellow glow. “Purely technological.”
Nillie then moved to the second part of the demonstration. He slid a flat wooden board toward them, a rudintary circuit board. It was a maze of copper strips tacked onto the wood, connected to various small components.
“This is where the real magic happens, though it’s not magic at all,” Nillie explained. He pressed a button on the board, and a small tal arm began to vibrate rapidly against a bell, creating a loud ring-ring-ring. He flipped another switch, and a tiny, miniature version of the larger engine, an electric motor began to spin a small fan at incredible speeds.
“With electricity, we don't just have light,” Nillie continued, his voice full of wonder. “We have a way to send signals across distances instantly through a wire. We have a way to power small machines in a kitchen or a workshop without needing a massive boiler in the basent. It is modular, Your Highness. It is... controllable.”
Ravenna looked at the glowing bulb and the spinning fan, her mind already calculating the reputation points this would generate. To the people now, she would be the woman who had brought fire down from the heavens without needing the permission of the gods.
She looked at Nillie, her expression turning serious. “How many of these can we produce by the end of the month? I want the New Lord’s Castle fully illuminated by electricity before my birthday arrives. I want our citizens to realize that the Ancorna Empire they know is already obsolete and my land is the height of the future.”
“We can have the first floor wired within a fortnight, Your Highness,” Nillie promised, his chest swelling with pride. “The future doesn't wait for anyone.”
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