Chapter 324

Chapter 288 Machinery

In the northern suburbs of Tivyán, at the King Campus of Royal Sacred Crown University.

The afternoon sun illuminated the campus, casting a warm glow that was particularly cherished after several days of gloomy and chilly weather. Students lay on the green lawns, taking advantage of the rare sunlight, and the entire campus was enveloped in a peaceful atmosphere.

On one of the stone-paved paths at the King Campus, Dorothy, who had just left the library, walked briskly forward. The students lying on the grass on both sides occasionally found themselves drawn to the sight of the delicate, beautiful little white-haired girl. However, Dorothy had no time to pay attention to the gazes of others. She walked with a serious expression, deep in thought.

‘I drew the design for an internal combustion engine… and it seems it can not only attract the attention of deities but also has poison recognition… This is absurd. How could something like an internal combustion engine have poison recognition?’

Dorothy pondered, as the series of events that had just occurred had completely overturned her understanding of this world. In her eyes, what she considered scientific knowledge now had poison recognition, something she originally believed was exclusive to mysterious knowledge.

‘This indicates that the boundaries between the mundane and the esoteric, between mystery and science, may not be as clear-cut as I initially thought. The differences between these two might be much more blurred…

‘My experience from my previous life has led me to believe there is a difference between mystery and science, but here in this world, things might be entirely different. The distinction between the esoteric and the mundane is merely whether the knowledge has poison recognition. Imagine if some esoteric knowledge did not have poison recognition and could be widely disseminated, how would society look today?

‘Suppose knowledge about ‘cups’ did not have poison recognition. Then cultivation methods like body tempering or bl**d food method would have no constraints or barriers. Could we see a society where everyone practices body tempering and drinks cups? A completely different society from now?

‘A society dominated by ‘cups’ would have people with strong physiques, capable of doing heavy work without machines. Without trains, people could run dozens of kilometers. Without government, society would follow the law of the jungle, with people forming small groups to hunt and devour each other. All would submit to primitive desires, leading to a significant regression in civilization.

‘In such a society, extraordinary physical abilities like those of ‘cups’ would no longer be special because everyone could possess them, making them mundane and common knowledge. If knowledge of firearms had poison recognition, then common firearms in this society might become products of mysticism, possibly becoming extraordinary items…

‘Consider another scenario… If other spiritual knowledge lacked poison recognition, would we see a spiritual society? Everyone could be spiritually awakened, living merely as a phase of life, and even remaining as undead after d*ath. Or perhaps everyone would be undead, creating a world entirely populated by dead spirits…

‘As Dorothy mulled over these possibilities, she concluded that the distinction between the esoteric and the mundane in this world was determined by whether knowledge had poison recognition. In other words, poison recognition shaped the appearance of mundane society. The extent of poison recognition determined which knowledge could be widely disseminated and applied, shaping the society and civilization. Knowledge with poison recognition, which could not be broadly applied, became esoteric.

‘It appears that this world has stagnated at the first industrial revolution. The reason might not be the lack of someone initiating the second industrial revolution, but rather that key knowledge for the second industrial revolution has poison recognition.

‘This world has been through over fifty years since the first industrial revolution began. Technological advancements have reached a high level of maturity, and oil has been discovered. Both technological accumulation and resources meet the conditions for starting the second industrial revolution, yet there are no key individuals inventing crucial technologies. Initially, I thought I had stumbled upon a great opportunity, but now it seems more complex.

‘This world is not short of skilled craftsmen. For those ‘stone’ extraordinary beings, inventing an internal combustion engine should not be difficult… But the fact that no one has invented it remains a problem.’

Dorothy thought thus, having seen Beverly’s clockwork mechanism technology. With her technical capabilities, building an internal combustion engine should be simple. Yet, despite so many ‘stone’ extraordinary beings in this world, inventions like the internal combustion engine have not emerged, which raises questions.

While lost in thought, Dorothy gradually approached the east gate of the campus and walked out directly.

Exiting the east gate, after crossing the road and walking for a short while, Dorothy returned to Green Shade Town. This time, however, she did not head straight home but went directly to number 37.

In the bright and comfortable Green Shade Town, Dorothy walked briskly. Soon, she arrived at Beverly’s front door. Standing before the old house, Dorothy rang the doorbell skillfully. After waiting for a moment, she heard footsteps behind the door. When the door opened, Beverly, wearing an apron and goggles, appeared with a Swiss Army kn*fe-like assortment of tools on her left hand.

“Ah, esteemed guest, please come in!”

Seeing Dorothy, Beverly moved her goggles up and immediately invited her inside. Once inside, Dorothy naturally sat down on the sofa in the living room. Beverly closed the door and came to a coffee table, where a collection of test tubes, beakers, and glass bottles were arranged. Dorothy looked curiously and asked.

“You… are you conducting a chemistry experiment?”

“No, no, no. I’m just practicing brewing coffee. Since I don’t have proper tools, I’m using these makeshift ones.” Beverly said calmly. Then she picked some coffee beans from a box on the coffee table and placed them in a round iron container. Hearing this, Dorothy responded unexpectedly.

“Can a clockwork person even drink coffee?”

“I don’t drink it; I’m just playing around. My recent research hit a wall, and I’m in a bad mood, so I’m just fooling around with something… You complained last time that I only have oil here and nothing you can drink, so I decided to try brewing some coffee. Anyway, if other humans come later, they’ll have something to drink.”

Beverly explained, then put the coffee beans into an iron container. Her left hand, resembling a Swiss Army kn*fe, instantly produced a grinder-like device, which she used to grind the coffee beans.

“A clockwork person learning to brew coffee… you certainly have leisure time…”

Watching Beverly grind the coffee beans, Dorothy commented. Soon, Beverly finished grinding the coffee beans and poured them into a cup. Then, her multi-functional left hand transformed into a nozzle, releasing a small flame to heat up a beaker next to it. After quickly boiling the water, she produced a pair of tongs, grabbed the beaker, and poured the hot water into the cup containing the ground coffee beans.