177: The Cold War structure was formed

Shen Xiaochuan used a charcoal pencil to draw the structural diagram of a steam engine; the lines were very clear.

Lolia walked over and pointed her finger at a location on the drawing: "If we add a layer of asbestos partition here, can it reduce heat loss?"

"The idea is correct," he nodded, "but asbestos is too brittle; it will crack as soon as the machine vibrates. I plan to try an insulation layer made of crushed Thunder Crystal mixed with clay. I already had the Forging Workshop prepare the Materials yesterday, and the first batch of samples will be ready tonight."

Lolia opened her notebook and quickly jotted down a few words. Her shoulders leaned forward as she wrote, and a lock of hair fell down, which she casually tucked behind her ear.

At this moment, the door was pushed open a crack, and Lilith entered carrying a tray with three bowls of hot rice.

"It's freshly made," she said. "It's beast meat stewed with Star-patterned Vine powder, and rice mixed with dried red sun fruit. It's warming to the stomach."

Shen Xiaochuan put down his pen: "Perfect, let's eat first."

Lolia closed her notebook, took the rice bowl, and said thank you. She lowered her head and blew on it; the steam puffed onto her face, and her eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Not long after, Qiao Yao walked in. The dew on her shoulders hadn't dried yet, and the tips of her hair were slightly damp. She stood by the table, looked at the three of them, and said with a smile: "Here to freeload again? I didn't bring money to pay the bill this time."

"Sit down," Shen Xiaochuan pulled out the chair beside him. "There's enough food."

Qiao Yao sat down, took the bowl handed to her by Lilith, and sniffed it: "Your food is much better than before. I heard that in the past, you only gnawed on dry rations when you ate, without even any vegetables."

"There was no one to cook back then," Shen Xiaochuan picked up a piece of meat and put it into his mouth. "It's different now."

"It is different," Qiao Yao chewed slowly. "There are some plants in the Star Spirit Forest that, when processed correctly, can remove gamey odors and enhance flavor, and even make food last longer. For example, 'Frost Leaf Grass'—if you blanch it in boiling water before making soup, then soak it in lemon juice for ten minutes, the gamey smell disappears, and it tastes a bit sweet."

Shen Xiaochuan looked up at her: "You know about these things?"

"Our people live off the mountains," Qiao Yao said. "If you dry 'Nightlight Moss' and grind it into powder, sprinkling it on meat can prevent spoilage; it's especially useful in winter. There's also 'Iron Root Vine'; if you stew it for a long time, it produces gelatin. Mixing it into dough makes the steamed buns very chewy and filling."

Lolia listened, her hand reaching for her notebook again, but this time she didn't open it.

"Can you provide these things consistently?" Shen Xiaochuan asked.

"Some of them, yes," Qiao Yao ate slowly. "But some grow in the deep forest; once harvested, it takes three months to recover. I cannot supply them in large quantities all the time."

"I understand," Shen Xiaochuan nodded. "Resources need to be conserved."

"Smart," Qiao Yao smiled. "Some people want to use up all the good things as soon as they get them, and as a result, they have no source the following year. You are different."

Halfway through the meal, Lilith got up to clear the empty bowls. Lolia also prepared to leave.

"Don't rush," Shen Xiaochuan called out to her. "We haven't finished discussing the earlier question."

She stopped in her tracks.

"Thermal energy conversion isn't just about the machine," he picked up his pen and continued drawing. "The entire city's energy System must be taken into account. If the pipeline insulation is off by one degree, the whole city has to burn two thousand jin more coal every day. If we can reduce the loss by thirty percent, the heating period can be extended by two months."

Lolia stared at the drawing for a few seconds: "So it's not about modifying one machine, but improving the entire System?"

"That's right."

"Then we need to build a central dispatch room to monitor the temperature and energy supply situation in each area."

"You've thought of it," the corners of Shen Xiaochuan's mouth lifted slightly. "I'll approve the construction drawings tomorrow."

Qiao Yao finished the last bite of rice, stood up, and patted her clothes: "Alright, you two go ahead and talk about technology. I have to go back."

"The construction team will enter the site tomorrow," Shen Xiaochuan reminded her. "The first batch of three hundred buildings, stick to the plan."

"Understood," she walked toward the door. "The deposit will arrive tomorrow morning; there won't be any delays."

After the door closed, the room quieted down. Shen Xiaochuan took a sip of soup and continued:

"Mercury conducts heat quickly, but it's toxic. If it leaks..." Lolia frowned, looking worried. "So we need to use double-layered sealed pipes, and add a protective trough on the outside."

He drew a diagram. "In the experimental stage, we will only build small units and operate them in the isolation zone. We will promote them once the data is stable."

She conscientiously noted down the key points, asking questions from time to time. Time passed bit by bit, and the lights outside the window went out one by one; only the Main Hall remained lit.

It was nearly midnight when Lolia closed her notebook: "I learned a lot today."

"Same time tomorrow?"

"Okay," she nodded. "I want to finish the insulation Materials test early."

After she left, Shen Xiaochuan sat at the desk reviewing the latest urban construction report. The steam engine train had already test-run three times on the new tracks, with the route running from the Industrial Zone to the East Gate watchtower; the automobile production line had finished debugging, and the first batch of ten vehicles were undergoing durability tests; workers were working in shifts to pour foundations, working twenty-four hours a day without stopping.

He walked to the wall and pulled open the panoramic map of the Divine Kingdom. A red zone was marked in the direction of the Star Spirit Forest, which was the villa land designated by Qiao Yao. Below the map, it read "Skydome Chamber of Commerce under preparation," and next to it was the Star Ore trading route to Qingfeng City.

For the next half month, he went to the construction site, the workshop, and the laboratory almost every day. The steam engine train was officially put into use, increasing transport capacity by five times; the new type of automobiles began handling short-distance transport; the Thunder Crystal ceramic insulation layer test at the Forging Workshop was successful, reducing heat loss by 27%.

The city changed rapidly. Streets widened, streetlights were replaced with steam lamps with reflective shades, making the night as bright as day; residential areas were equipped with centralized heating pipelines, and every household installed temperature control valves; soundproof walls were built outside the Industrial Zone, and noise complaints disappeared.

One morning, he stood on the viewing platform looking at the whole city. On the distant tracks, a train loaded with Ore was pulling into the station; white smoke rose from the new factory buildings in the southeast, with boilers preheating; outside the training grounds in the west district, a newly built road extended straight, connecting three satellite settlements.

At this moment, a line of text appeared before his eyes—System intelligence briefing.

"The Huaxia Alliance has absorbed seven nations, including Qingyan City, Beiling Fort, Yunze Town, Tieji Stronghold, Baihe Settlement, Nanfeng Port, and Heishi Plain. NATO has recently been frequently contacting neutral countries, escalating pressure. One hundred nations globally are watching, and the situation is tense."

He finished reading without speaking, turned around, and returned to the Main Hall.

There were several files piled on the table. One was a fuel statistic: existing coal was enough for three months, but in extreme cold weather, it would last at most forty days. Another was an energy consumption analysis table, listing the daily peak energy consumption values for each area.

He wrote on a piece of white paper: "Energy Innovation Priority."

The first item wrote "Efficiency Improvement," and below it wrote: reduce transmission loss, improve boiler efficiency, optimize pipeline network layout.

The second item wrote "Substitution," followed by a question mark.

The third item wrote "Reserve," two words: Accelerate.

Then, in the "Efficiency Improvement" column, he added another sentence:

"However, I can't tell you too many details right now. You just focus on construction, and I'll arrange the rest." Qiao Yao's mouth lifted slightly, revealing a trace of a smile. "I just want to find a stable place for my people."

The pen stopped there and didn't continue writing.

Sunlight shone into the room, falling on the "Skydome City Infrastructure Monthly Report" at the corner of the table. The first page of the report wrote: "This month, the main road hardening project was completed, and the steam transportation network coverage rate increased to 82%."

He looked up at the mechanical design drawing hanging on the wall. It was the water pump improvement plan submitted by Lolia yesterday, regarding the adjustment of the blade angle.