When Li Dao Xuan asked that question, the little people on the rooftop instantly fell into an awkward silence, the kind of silence that usually appears right after someone realizes they may have done something slightly stupid, or very stupid, depending on perspective.
Young Master Bai scratched his head and stepped forward to explain, trying to sound reasonable while standing in the middle of what looked like a failed industrial accident.
"Reporting to Dao Xuan Tianzun, the steam engine you bestowed upon us is… somewhat too large. To get it running, we require a great amount of fuel. During the experiment just now, we ran out, so everyone started throwing in anything that could burn."
He paused for a second, glanced at the blackened faces around him, then added in a slightly weaker tone.
"And that is how we ended up with… all that smoke."
Li Dao Xuan immediately understood.
At the beginning, he had given them a spirit lamp with alcohol fuel, thinking it would last a decent while. Unfortunately, he had seriously underestimated what happens when you give a genius like Song Yingxing and an over-imaginative young man like Young Master Bai access to new technology.
Those two did not "study" the steam engine. They attacked it like starving wolves.
Within days, the alcohol was gone.
After that, Song Yingxing, being a proper scientist with self-respect, refused to bother Dao Xuan Tianzun for every small problem, so he improvised. Wood, charcoal, dry grass, anything remotely flammable became "experimental fuel."
And since the steam engine looked like a toy in Li Dao Xuan's eyes but like a mountain-sized beast to the villagers, the amount of fuel required was… correspondingly terrifying.
When fuel ran short, people naturally began burning whatever they could grab.
Result?
A black smoke festival visible from orbit.
Li Dao Xuan burst out laughing.
"As long as nothing caught fire, we are fine. So, how is it? Is the steam engine fun?"
Song Yingxing's eyes lit up instantly, the kind of light that only appears when a man has just discovered a new way to bully physics.
"Fun? It is beyond fun. It is miraculous. To think that boiling water alone can move such immense weight. This machine… it has the power to overturn the entire world."
Li Dao Xuan nodded with satisfaction, then casually followed up.
"You seem to have grasped the fundamentals. With gears and pulleys, you can redirect force and transform it into different kinds of motion. So tell me, what is the first thing you want to use it for?"
Song Yingxing stroked his beard and spoke after a short pause.
"Lifting heavy objects, drawing water from wells, driving millstones, aiding smelting, powering looms… anywhere that requires repetitive mechanical motion, this machine can replace manpower."
Li Dao Xuan gave a small approving nod. Solid, practical, textbook industrial revolution thinking.
Then he turned to Young Master Bai.
"And you?"
Young Master Bai grinned, the kind of grin that made it very clear his brain had already gone somewhere much more dangerous.
He pointed straight at the electric toy train in the distance.
"That strange carriage you created, Dao Xuan Tianzun… I have always wondered why it is called a 'train' when it does not use fire. But now I understand."
He paused dramatically, enjoying the moment.
"This steam engine is the answer."
Li Dao Xuan blinked.
Young Master Bai continued, fully entering his self-made theory.
"If we place a steam engine inside the head of that great carriage, using fire to generate power, then it can pull the entire train forward. That must be why you named it 'train.' The word 'fire' was your hint to guide us."
Li Dao Xuan stared at him for a second.
Then silently thought: Your brain is dangerous.
Young Master Bai, completely unaware that he had just reverse-engineered a naming convention that never existed, became more excited as he spoke.
"We mortals cannot conjure mysterious energy like Dao Xuan Tianzun, but this steam engine grants us strength beyond human limits. With it, moving mountains and draining seas will no longer be impossible."
"Very good," Li Dao Xuan said, nodding.
That answer, ridiculous as the reasoning was, had landed exactly on the right conclusion.
"Continue along that path. Try to reduce the size of the steam engine. With your talent, fitting one into a train should not be difficult."
Internally, Li Dao Xuan could not help but feel impressed.
Song Yingxing was a master of systematic thinking, but age had made him slightly more grounded. Young Master Bai, on the other hand, had the reckless imagination of youth.
And sometimes, progress needed exactly that kind of recklessness.
"Your creativity is excellent," Li Dao Xuan added.
Before Young Master Bai could even respond, Madam Bai suddenly popped out from nowhere like a celebratory firecracker.
"Did you hear that? Dao Xuan Tianzun praised my son! Creativity! He said creativity!"
She grabbed the nearest person and shook them violently.
"My son has creativity! Dao Xuan Tianzun personally said so!"
From that day onward, this single sentence would be repeated by Madam Bai for the rest of her life, in every possible social situation, whether appropriate or not.
Young Master Bai, slightly embarrassed but mostly proud, bowed.
"However… there is one problem. If we are to power a train, we will need a massive amount of fuel. Wood burns poorly, and while coal is excellent, Gao Village Family does not have much of it."
Li Dao Xuan smiled.
"About that, I was just about to talk to you."
He shifted his gaze.
"Gao Yiye, prepare immediately. Take San Shier and head to Heyang County. We are going to acquire coal."
Gao Yiye responded instantly and rushed downstairs without hesitation.
Behind her, Qiujü and Dongxue panicked.
"Saintess! You have not even washed your face yet!"
Gao Yiye froze mid-step.
"…My face is dirty?"
"Look at mine," Qiujü said.
Gao Yiye turned, took one look, and burst into laughter.
"Qiujü, your face looks like a charcoal painting."
Qiujü sighed.
"Saintess… yours is the same."
"…What?"
Gao Yiye's expression changed instantly.
"So Dao Xuan Tianzun just saw me like this?"
Dongxue nodded with brutal honesty.
"Yes."
Gao Yiye collapsed on the spot, face down, completely defeated.
"Take me away."
The two maids dragged her off at high speed, disappearing into the watchtower like a rescue squad handling a critical casualty.
At this point, Li Dao Xuan wisely shifted his attention elsewhere.
Some things were better not observed.
After a while, he checked again.
Gao Yiye emerged, fully cleaned, dressed in elegant robes, posture straight, aura composed. The transformation was so complete that it looked like a different person had come out.
Years of education, experience, and responsibility had quietly reshaped her.
She was no longer the timid village girl who could barely speak in front of others.
Now, she carried herself like a true noble lady.
Once she prepared to depart, the entire Gao Village Family militia moved into action.
Protecting the Saintess was not optional.
Flat Rabbit and Zheng Gouzi quickly assembled a hundred-man escort. Gao Yiye and her two maids boarded a carriage, San Shier mounted a tall horse, and the escort surrounded them in tight formation.
With that, the convoy set off toward Heyang County.
This time, they were not going to negotiate.
They were going to dig up the future.
Chapter Trivia:
Coal Before Industry
Coal wasn't rare because it was unknown—it was ignored. Without machines hungry enough to demand it, coal stayed a local convenience instead of a strategic resource. Once engines appear, the ground itself becomes negotiable.
Why Smoke Comes First
Every new power announces itself badly: noise before order, smoke before control. Clean systems only appear after people survive the messy stage.
Fuel Changes Society Quietly
Tools reshape labor. Fuel reshapes everything else. Once energy becomes transportable, predictable, and scalable, people stop arguing about strength—and start arguing about ownership.