Chapter 21

After returning to the factory, Li Xian maintained a smile, occasionally laughing so hard he could hardly stand. It was too exhilarating! Truly, it was too exhilarating!

Meeting the Dragon Princess resolved multiple issues, including spirit materials, market access, and raw materials; most importantly, the port!

Thinking about the Dragon Princess even dispatching sea monsters to protect the port, Li Xian felt like doing thirty-six backflips! For industry, a port is a treasure trove! Ha ha, now that he has connections with the sea creatures, the ocean will be his backyard!

They say the beginning is the hardest part, but everything went smoothly, even beyond imagination! Li Xian felt that the future was bright!

Look, the technology is already underway, the market is unprecedentedly vast, and the trade routes are all in place. Next, just focus on steady development.

Now, Li Xian also understood something: no wonder the Li Xian of this world was beaten to the point of soul dispersal; it turned out the Dragon Princess was just disguised as a woman at the Foundation Establishment stage, and her true cultivation level was unknown.

But there was still one question: if the Li Xian of this world was soul-dispersed, how did he get here? Forget it, it's not important anymore.

Li Xian was excited, and the more than fifty people who followed him were also excited! They originally thought it would be a dangerous journey, but unexpectedly, they met the Dragon Princess halfway, returned safely, and achieved their goal. They boasted to everyone, "We saw the Dragon Princess, the Dragon Princess, who is much more beautiful than our country's princess, like a fairy from heaven."

The others who didn't apply to go first were regretful, not just for not seeing the Dragon Princess, but more importantly, for losing a chance to show their worth! This was Li Xian's first action, and its significance was great, laying the foundation for the future! Those fifty people would inevitably become important figures.

Everyone celebrated for three days. After three days, Li Xian first rewarded them, with very generous rewards! Each of the fifty people who followed him received ten taels of gold, plus five taels of gold as a "hardship fee." Those who applied in advance but were rejected by Li Xian also received ten taels of gold each. As Li Xian said, "You applied, so you deserve this reward."

Li Xian's rewards were not random; through this reward, he once again gathered the hearts of the people.

Subsequently, the laboratory personnel gathered to study the Sea Soul Threads.

Sea Soul Threads are a unique material from the sea; according to the Dragon Princess, some dead sea monsters sink to the bottom of the sea. In the complex and harsh environment at the bottom, their bodies gradually decay, but their main meridians slowly crystallize, forming Sea Soul Threads. These are the crystallized meridians of deceased sea creatures, formed under very strict conditions.

Despite the strict conditions, due to the vast number of sea creatures, Sea Soul Threads are virtually inexhaustible and renewable, sufficient to meet Li Xian's industrial development needs in the short term. With stainless steel weapons, Li Xian was confident he could make the sea creatures provide a continuous supply of Sea Soul Threads—though the cost was high.

However, Li Xian needed more than that; he hoped to artificially produce "conductors" similar to Sea Soul Threads, achieving industrial standards.

Since Sea Soul Threads are formed from the meridians of deceased sea creatures, naturally, all Sea Soul Threads vary in thickness, properties, and length, and some have branches. Their efficiency in conducting spirit energy (resistance) also varies.

Fortunately, Sea Soul Threads are very light; the finest are slightly thicker than a hair, and the thickest are about as thick as rice noodles. One jin (about 500 grams) of Sea Soul Threads can be as long as two li (about 1 kilometer), which can meet the temporary needs of research and production.

After several days of research, Li Xian and the research team unanimously concluded: Sea Soul Threads can be used, but they need to be carefully selected, cut, and joined. It is possible to directly use Sea Soul Threads to construct an array. Moreover, because Sea Soul Threads are formed from the meridians of monsters, the array efficiency is several times stronger than those carved in jade.

However, there was still one issue: the sea creatures are aquatic! Therefore, none of the Sea Soul Threads are fire-attribute, 90% are water-attribute, two are cold-attribute, three are wood-attribute, and one is earth-attribute.

Li Xian looked at the collapsed array and sighed, "Using water-attribute Sea Soul Threads to set up a fire-attribute array, it can barely work, but the efficiency is only 30%, and it severely affects the lifespan of the Sea Soul Threads. It only lasts half a day. This situation is absolutely unacceptable!"

Tang Rong frowned and thought for a long time before suddenly speaking, "Young Master, the principle of forming Sea Soul Threads is that the true essence or monster essence is sealed in the meridians, and after being compressed and soaked in seawater, they form. Can we use the same principle to make conductors?"

"But what materials can we use?" Li Xian was at a loss. Although he vaguely understood the basic principles of arrays, he was stumped by the materials. Without materials, how can we develop technology?

Developing electrical technology? Li Xian directly rejected it! Electrical technology is not bad, but it has a huge problem—there is no foundation in this world! To develop electrical technology step by step and build a team, it would take at least several decades, and he would have to slowly cultivate talent, edit textbooks, and so on. Just thinking about it made Li Xian's head hurt.

Not to mention, making cultivators learn a "lowly profession" is absolutely impossible; this single barrier blocks the direct development of electrical technology.

So, Li Xian's method was to start directly with arrays and cultivation, and once there was a solid foundation, then develop electrical technology. The prospects for electrical technology are still bright, but for now, he needed to develop array technology.

But these conductors, why are they so difficult!

After much discussion, Li Xian finally sighed in resignation, "For now, let's use Sea Soul Threads. We'll make do. Teacher Tang Rong, set up a department to specifically select, cut, and join Sea Soul Threads. Choose from the people who originally carved arrays. At least we're getting started. We'll deal with the future gradually."

"Alright, I'll arrange it. Let He Wenlong be in charge of the conductor research."

The next day, the first engine made with Sea Soul Threads was unveiled. To create this engine, everyone worked through the night without rest.

Sun Ming looked at the engine in front of him, and his aged face broke into a radiant smile, "Based on previous experience, it is expected to reach 10 horsepower, with 1,000 revolutions per minute. Using earth-attribute Sea Soul Threads to carry a fire-attribute array, it is expected to have a one-year lifespan."

"Let's test it, quickly."

Li Xian was also excited. The engine in front of him was one foot high and three feet long, with eight chambers inside. The appearance of conductors allowed the array to be set up more densely.

Additionally, this new engine had four switches. Each switch could activate the arrays in two chambers. This simple design was a significant advancement—this is called variable control, though it was extremely primitive.

Under the expectant gazes of everyone, Li Xian personally pressed the first switch.

The engine immediately started, driving a loom to hum. After a moment, everything was normal. Li Xian pressed the second switch, and immediately, the engine's speed increased by 30%, and the power doubled. Seeing the rapidly spinning engine, everyone was delighted, and some began to cheer.

After another moment, Li Xian pressed the third switch. The engine's speed increased by another 20%, and the power increased by another 50%.

However, the next moment, the spirit-gathering array in the engine suddenly shattered, and the spirit energy inside burst out like a small spell, the powerful impact throwing Li Xian five to six feet away, like a rag doll. The room was in chaos!