Chapter 171: Chapter 164: The First Prototype

Three days after the Ironheart Project officially began, the eastern research district had already become one of the most dangerous places in Elarion.

Simply because Maerath and Gandalf had been placed in the same workshop.

Lucas discovered the consequences shortly after sunrise.

The first messenger requested additional materials.

The second requested more workspace.

The third requested clarification regarding laboratory safety regulations.

The fourth asked whether minor explosions qualified as expected research activity.

By then Lucas had abandoned breakfast and headed directly toward the locomotive workshop.

The building itself remained intact, which immediately exceeded his expectations.

Inside, engineers moved between worktables carrying revised calculations, design sketches, and performance estimates. The atmosphere resembled a military command center preparing for battle rather than a research facility.

A young engineer met him near the entrance.

Lucas looked past him. "Is the building still safe?"

The engineer hesitated.

"That was not a difficult question," Lucas said.

"It is safe for now."

Lucas closed his eyes briefly. "A wonderful standard. I shall recommend it for all future public buildings."

The engineer wisely said nothing.

At the center of the chaos stood Maerath and Gandalf.

A massive slate covered the wall behind them.

Calculations covered nearly every available surface.

Most had already been crossed out.

Several had been replaced.

A few sections appeared to have survived only because nobody had enough room left to argue over them.

Ironbreaker sat nearby studying a dismantled locomotive while looking profoundly disappointed with the entire profession of engineering.

Lucas approached.

"How bad is it?"

Ironbreaker considered the question.

"The workshop still exists."

Lucas sighed.

"So very bad."

The dwarf nodded.

"Reasonably bad."

Nearby, Gandalf pointed toward a locomotive schematic.

"The transmission won’t survive."

Maerath immediately disagreed.

"The transmission survives if it is built properly."

"The transmission is built properly."

"It clearly isn’t."

"Your engine is the problem."

"My engine is the solution."

Ironbreaker looked at Lucas.

"They’ve been discussing that for six hours."

Lucas glanced toward the windows.

"The sun has barely risen."

"Exactly."

The argument continued.

Ordinarily Lucien might have left the researchers to solve the problem themselves.

Today he didn’t.

When he arrived later that afternoon, he spent nearly half an hour listening without interruption.

Mana-assisted boilers.

Enhanced steam systems.

Improved pressure chambers.

Larger drive assemblies.

The discussion remained intelligent.

It was also moving in circles.

Eventually Lucien walked toward the central table and studied the latest design.

Then another.

Then another.

Finally he looked at both mages.

"Why are you still boiling water?"

The workshop became silent.

Gandalf blinked.

Several engineers stopped writing.

Maerath looked personally offended.

"Because locomotives use steam."

Lucien shook his head.

"Current locomotives use steam."

The distinction immediately drew attention.

He pointed toward the schematic.

"We replaced coal with mana."

His finger moved along the design.

"The mana creates heat."

Another section.

"The heat boils water."

Another.

"The steam creates pressure."

Finally he reached the crankshaft.

"And after all of that, we finally get movement."

Nobody spoke.

Lucien looked at Maerath.

"Why?"

The old archmage frowned.

"Because that is how locomotives function."

"No."

Lucien pointed toward the Warhound engine schematics nearby.

"That’s how old locomotives function."

The room became increasingly quiet.

"Mana already produces power. Why are we forcing it through multiple conversion stages before reaching the wheels?"

For the first time that day, Maerath stopped arguing.

The old mage stared at the drawings.

Then at the Warhound schematics.

Then back again.

Slowly, a dangerous smile appeared.

Gandalf noticed immediately.

"Oh no."

Maerath ignored him.

"What are you suggesting?"

Lucien tapped the crankshaft assembly.

"Can mana rotate that directly?"

The silence deepened.

Several engineers exchanged looks.

Nobody had asked the question before.

Not because it was impossible.

Because everyone had inherited steam technology and naturally assumed improved steam remained the correct path.

Maerath reached for a piece of chalk.

New calculations appeared across the board.

Then more.

The old mage became increasingly focused.

"We eliminate pressure losses."

More equations followed.

"We eliminate several conversion stages."

Another section appeared.

"Efficiency increases dramatically."

Gandalf studied the emerging design.

His expression changed from skepticism to interest.

Then to concern.

Then back to interest.

The idea was dangerous.

Which meant it might work.

Lucien wasn’t finished.

"You are still thinking too small."

Ironbreaker groaned.

That sentence rarely improved his day.

Lucien grabbed a blank sheet and began sketching.

One cylinder.

Then another.

Then four.

Then two banks angled toward one another.

The engineers gathered around the table.

"What is that?" Gandalf asked.

"A different way of thinking."

Lucien continued drawing.

"Instead of one massive power chamber trying to carry the entire load, what happens if multiple chambers share it?"

Maerath’s eyes narrowed.

The old mage understood immediately.

"You want synchronized power generation."

"Exactly."

Ironbreaker leaned closer.

The dwarf studied the rough drawing for nearly a minute.

Then another.

Finally he nodded.

"Smaller components."

"Yes."

"Easier maintenance."

"Yes."

"Better power distribution."

"Yes."

The dwarf looked impressed.

Which was rare.

Maerath immediately began modifying the concept.

Additional cylinders appeared.

Then larger arrangements.

Then even larger ones.

Within minutes the discussion shifted from single power chambers to multi-cylinder engine layouts.

The room became increasingly animated.

Not because a solution had been found.

Because entirely new possibilities had appeared.

Lucas watched the process unfold with growing concern.

New possibilities usually meant new expenses.

His fears proved justified.

They became worse shortly afterward.

The discussion shifted toward braking systems.

Specifically, the lack of them.

Gandalf pointed toward the projected weight of the future freight trains.

"Moving the locomotive is difficult."

He tapped the numbers.

"Stopping it may be worse."

Several engineers nodded.

The projected loads were becoming enormous.

Lucien looked at the drawings.

Then at Gandalf.

Then at the train cars.

A memory surfaced.

"You’re approaching the problem incorrectly."

Gandalf frowned.

"How so?"

"You’re trying to stop the locomotive."

The old mage looked confused.

"That is generally how trains work."

"No."

Lucien shook his head.

"You need to stop the entire train."

The workshop fell quiet again.

He grabbed another sheet.

"What happens if every car has brakes?"

Several engineers looked interested immediately.

Lucien continued.

"And what if those brakes operate together through a pressure line running the entire length of the train?"

Now even Gandalf was paying complete attention.

The old mage stepped closer.

"A connected braking system."

Lucien nodded.

"One control system."

The idea expanded quickly.

Pressure reservoirs.

Control lines.

Emergency activation.

Automatic engagement during system failures.

The more they discussed it, the more useful it became.

Ironbreaker looked genuinely impressed.

Lucas looked increasingly horrified.

Every brilliant idea appeared to cost money.

Somehow Lucien continued discovering new ways to spend it.

Most engineers would normally have ended their shifts hours earlier, but nobody seemed interested in leaving. New ideas had a way of spreading through a research team faster than orders ever could, and the arrival of several entirely new concepts had transformed exhaustion into excitement.

The central slate no longer resembled a collection of locomotive calculations.

It resembled a battlefield.

Entire sections had been erased and rewritten repeatedly. Older steam-based designs occupied one side of the board while Maerath’s newer direct mana-drive concepts steadily expanded across the other. Between them stood Gandalf’s growing collection of transmission calculations, emergency safety mechanisms, and increasingly complicated braking systems.

The old mage eventually stepped back and folded his arms.

"I dislike admitting it."

Ironbreaker immediately looked interested.

This promised entertainment.

Gandalf pointed toward Lucien’s direct-drive concept.

"But eliminating several conversion stages solves more problems than I expected."

Maerath looked unbearably pleased.

"Naturally."

"It also creates several new problems."

The smile disappeared.

"Less naturally."

The workshop laughed.

Even several engineers seemed relieved that the two researchers had finally found something they partially agreed upon.

Partially.

One younger engineer carefully approached the table carrying a collection of calculations.

"My lords."

Gandalf accepted the papers.

His eyes moved across the figures.

Then back again.

A moment later he passed them to Ironbreaker.

The dwarf studied them for nearly a minute before grunting.

"Better."

The engineer looked relieved.

Then Ironbreaker continued.

"Still wrong."

The relief vanished immediately.

The dwarf pointed toward one section.

"If the locomotive reaches three thousand horsepower and pulls a full freight load, this axle experiences significantly more stress than the others."

The engineer looked confused.

"It remains within acceptable limits."

"For a month."

The dwarf tapped the paper.

"We’re not building a locomotive for a month."

Understanding dawned.

Ironbreaker nodded approvingly.

"Now you’re thinking correctly."

Nearby, Maerath had become completely focused on the multi-cylinder engine concept.

The old archmage continuously revised the design, replacing single power chambers with increasingly sophisticated arrangements. Every revision attempted to improve stability while maintaining output.

Eventually he stopped writing.

Then looked toward Lucien.

"Your concept creates another possibility."

That immediately attracted attention.

"What possibility?" Gandalf asked.

Maerath drew another rough sketch.

"If multiple cylinders already exist, individual chambers no longer need maximum output."

The old mage’s eyes gleamed.

"We can stagger the power cycle."

Several engineers exchanged looks.

Then one of them suddenly understood.

"The load becomes smoother."

"Exactly."

The archmage nodded.

"Instead of one massive surge, power remains continuous."

Ironbreaker leaned closer.

A moment later he smiled.

Not because the concept was elegant.

Because it was practical.

That mattered more.

Gandalf examined the sketch carefully.

Then slowly nodded.

"I hate how much I like this."

Maerath looked delighted.

"I shall record that statement for future reference."

"You will do no such thing."

"You practically endorsed my design."

"I acknowledged one useful idea."

"History will remember it differently."

Lucas chose that exact moment to return.

Unfortunately.

He had spent the previous hour reviewing projected costs.

His mood reflected the experience.

"What is history remembering?"

"That Gandalf admitted I was correct."

Lucas immediately understood.

"Then history is already inaccurate."

The workshop erupted with laughter.

Even Gandalf looked amused.

Only Maerath appeared offended.

The atmosphere gradually settled afterward as work resumed.

For the first time since the project began, however, the discussions felt different.

Earlier arguments had focused on identifying problems.

Now they focused on solving them.

The distinction mattered.

The locomotive remained months away from operation.

The transmission still required development.

The rail infrastructure would need significant improvements.

Even the braking systems existed mostly on paper.

Yet the project finally possessed direction.

As the evening drew to a close, Lucien studied the collection of revised schematics spread across the central table.

The original Ironheart design had been simple.

Now it had evolved into something far more ambitious.

A direct mana-drive locomotive supported by multi-cylinder power assemblies.

A reinforced frame capable of handling unprecedented output.

A railway braking system designed for entire train formations rather than individual locomotives.

And eventually, if everything succeeded, the foundation for the armored trains he intended to build later.

The road ahead remained long.

Failures would come.

Probably many of them.

But for the first time, Lucien could see the shape of the future taking form beneath layers of calculations, arguments, and engineering stubbornness.

And judging by the enthusiasm spreading through the workshop, so could everyone else.