One early morning, Norfy was still dreary-mindedly pondering about the improvement of the steam engine. The current steam pressure was too low, resulting in less than 10 horsepower. It would be great if the steam pressure could be increased, as it could be used to do more things.

There was also the unusual behavior of his father last night. Why was his father so resistant towards the south? Was it because of the wars fought against the savages in the south? But that didn't make sense. His father had relied on the savages to make a fortune and establish a career. So, what was the reason?

Just as he was still thinking about it, a knocking sound came from the door. William, with politeness but some urgency, asked, "Young master~ Young master! Are you awake?"

Norfy was a bit puzzled as he opened the door while brushing his teeth. "What's the matter, Uncle William? Why do you have something this early in the morning?"

William first bowed as usual, then nervously said, "Young master, the steam engine broke down on the way. Everyone is getting anxious."

Norfy wiped his mouth with a towel. There was no toothpaste here, so he had to brush his teeth with carbon powder like in ancient times. He missed the scent of mint now. "Really? Let's go and take a look. Where did it break down?"

The old butler suddenly felt embarrassed. "Well, it's a bit far. It's on the other side of the creek. I've already told them to prepare the horses."

Looking at the just brightening sky outside, Norfy asked in surprise, "Why is it so far? It's about four or five kilometers away. Did they leave in the middle of the night? They don't have to work so early. The rooster hasn't even crowed!"

After hearing this, the old butler suddenly hesitated. "Um... young master, they... they arbitrarily tied the cart to the steam engine and pulled two full carts of people. It's my fault for not paying attention and letting them do this! Ah! With so many people and tools, even five cows couldn't pull it! They must have worn out the steam engine! However, everyone was eager to work, young master..."

Norfy quickly waved his hand, seeming to understand something. It turns out that the farmers in the village have already developed the function of steam-powered tractors! But that's not wrong. In their eyes, this thing that rumbles and emits hot air can cultivate the land, just like cows can. If cows can pull carts, then this thing can certainly pull carts too! And there is nothing wrong with using it this way. Before the advent of internal combustion engines, steam-powered cars were the mainstream, at least before 1900. They were simple in design, didn't require complex gearboxes and clutches, and ran smoothly and comfortably without explosion. However, the boiler was too big and its efficiency was only half that of internal combustion engines, so it was gradually phased out. But in this world, there are not so many concerns. This is far stronger than a cart.

But the current steam engine, according to his terminology in another world, is still a "handmade sample". It's normal for it to break down and have some minor problems after struggling and fiddling for so many days.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Uncle William, the steam engine isn't worn out. Let's go and see what happened first."

William saw that Norfy didn't seem to mind and finally breathed a sigh of relief. The breathless farmer who came back to report the news startled him. Breaking the young master's beloved machine was as serious as breaking his favorite ceramic jar! And those farmers were obviously panicked too. They messed around without the young master's permission and broke the machine. They would definitely be punished by the master! But he didn't expect the young master to be so indifferent. It really relieved William a lot. He quickly replied, "I'll go and fetch the horses now, young master, take it easy!"

...

Norfy, yawning and riding a horse, the sun was already high up in the sky. With the guidance of the farmers, he finally found the steam engine broken halfway there. Norfy had always felt that he needed a clock; otherwise, he really had no concept of time and was not used to it.

There was an old magical clock at home, which was said to be part of the dowry brought by his mother from the royal city. However, it had stopped working long ago and had become an antique displayed in the living room. He had also tried to repair it, but he knew nothing about magic. He could only give up. Perhaps the son of the Deli family, who had returned after studying at the Magic Academy, could help. But that also depended on his father's mood. The Scott family and the Deli family had never been on good terms. The whole Kulun Town still followed the outdated habit of working from sunrise to sunset, which made him quite uncomfortable.

When those farmers sitting by the roadside saw William bringing the young master, they all stood up nervously and came to the front, uneasy and afraid to speak. A middle-aged man approached and stuttered, "Um... young master, what happened is...""That...Lord Norfy, it seems like the steam engine might have broken down from exhaustion. We originally thought that with its strong steel structure, it wouldn't tire out, but upon closer inspection, even a cow can be overworked to death with too much labor! But this machine hasn't eaten or rested for four whole days now, and today there were more people pulling it, so it's probably truly exhausted."

Norfy, still lounging on his horse, replied lazily, "Alright, alright, let me take a look first. Don't panic, everyone."

He dismounted and looked at the cart tied to the back of the machine. Surprisingly, it matched quite well. Perhaps they could consider using it in the future.

However, when he approached the steam engine, he couldn't help but suppress a smile. The water tank, boiler, chimney, and flywheel were all fine, but the iron connecting rod had snapped into two pieces.

He couldn't help but sigh. "Ah...the cast iron quality is just not up to par. The metal fatigue is too quick. Maybe there was no stress relief during the initial forging."

William didn't understand what Norfy was saying and approached to ask, "Um, Lord, what did you just say? Did the blacksmith in town cut corners? We paid them 7 silver coins for this iron rod! We should find them when we go back!"

But Norfy shook his head. "It's not that they cut corners, this is their level...when we go back...hmm, we should definitely find them. At the very least, cast another rod and find a way to improve their craftsmanship. Sigh..."

A group of people looked at Lord Norfy, cautiously asking, "So, Lord, can it still work like this?"

Norfy glanced at the steam engine stranded on the road and shook his head. "It can't work anymore. Go chop some wood and tightly connect the two broken pieces. Burn the fire slower, open the valve smaller, and make do with it until we return."

He then looked at the two carts and waved his hand. "Don't pull the carts for now. Just tie them to the horses and return."

William quickly waved his hand. "What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and do as Lord instructed! Otherwise, I'll have you push the carts back!"

A group of farmers quickly took their own machetes and axes from the carts and went to cut trees in the nearby woods.

Meanwhile, Norfy looked at the broken connecting rod and began mumbling to himself. "Ah...connecting rod, high toughness, high hardness...medium carbon structural steel...hmm, how is medium carbon steel refined? Carbonizing would be best...heat treatment pearlite."

As he spoke, he noticed that the efficiency of cutting trees over there was a bit low. The heavy axes struck the hard firewood with some difficulty, causing him to shake his head.

"Sigh...these axes, these knives are too dull. I should improve them as well. Tool steel...hmm, using high carbon steel, martensitic steel...ah, wait until I recall how my teacher explained it back then..."