Chapter 775: Chapter 429: May the Sun Shine on Gray Rock_3

Before Louis could speak, Director Mike had already stood up.

His movements were swift, as if afraid that someone might steal his idea, he quickly approached the map and firmly pressed his rough finger on the river running through the city.

"No need for Lord Louis to worry about this."

His tone carried a craftsman’s unique confidence, and there was even a hint of excitement.

"Indeed, there’s no fuel for steam engines here," Mike said, "but this river is like a raging beast." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

He pulled a charcoal pencil from his pocket and swiftly sketched on the blueprint.

"I’ve calculated the flow rate; it’s enough to drive a triple linkage waterwheel set. This is something new researched by the craftsman’s office two years ago."

The pencil tip fell, and the structure quickly took shape.

"The first stage drives a giant bellows to push air into the mine, addressing the ventilation issue.

The second stage drives a chain winch to pull up water and ore together, solving both drainage and ore extraction."

He paused and drew a heavy stroke at the bottom of the blueprint: "The third stage can be used for a hydraulic forging hammer."

There was a brief moment of silence in the meeting room.

Louis looked at the rapidly forming sketch, raised his eyes, and asked, "Will this work?"

"Tried it in the Northern Territory." Mike nodded without hesitation, "But the water flow there isn’t strong enough; many times it’s just short of power."

He looked up at the river on the map, his eyes shining.

"Gray Rock is different. If this river is tamed, it’s better than ten steam engines."

Louis was silent for a moment, not pressing for details.

The specifics of the structure, torque, and transmission ratio were beyond his knowledge.

But he knew one thing, Red Tide currently gathered the world’s most creative and daring craftsmen.

To allow these people to try new things without hesitation, he had spent a great deal of money, resources, and institutional costs...

So Louis merely nodded, his tone calm and determined: "Then let’s give it a try."

When it was Director Mike from the agriculture office’s turn, he directly poured a bag of newly sampled black soil into the tray on the table.

The black soil spread out, carrying a moist and pungent acidic smell.

"This soil can’t be planted."

Mike’s voice was low but very assured: "The soil is thin, highly acidic, with short sunlight. I’ve compared the data, if we forcibly plant those things from the Northern Territory, the yield wouldn’t even cover the cost of seeds."

He paused and added a more realistic judgment: "Relying on grain transport from the Northern Territory is out of the question, once heavy snow blocks the roads, it’s over."

Louis did not look at the tray of soil.

He walked to the large map on the wall, his gaze sweeping over the whole province, finally stopping at a southern region.

His tone was light yet cut off all pessimistic extensions: "Go check out the Black Valley Basin."

Mike was momentarily taken aback, instinctively looked up.

"The soil there is acidic but rich in humus, and sheltered from wind." Louis continued, as if stating an already confirmed fact, "High acidity is not a defect; it’s a condition that can be utilized."

He pointed on the map: "I’ll have Hillco send you a batch of new types of crack powder, first neutralize, then improve it; don’t rush to conclusions, experiment with several plots."

Louis quickly brought the conversation to the practical level: "As for sunlight and temperature, there is no geothermal here..."

He picked up the charcoal pencil and quickly sketched a familiar structure on the blueprint.

"Replicate the Northern Territory’s Type III glass greenhouse, use steam for heating, the structure can be simplified, focus on stability first."

Louis paused without giving false assurances: "This plan won’t feed everyone."

"But together with mushrooms that can be grown in mine tunnels, at least it ensures everyone gets a bowl of hot potato and mushroom stew every day."

"For the remaining gap, we’ll adjust from the Northern Territory, afterwards we’ll find ways to restore the soil or develop new crops step by step."

Mike did not pursue further questions, he glanced at the bag of black soil, then neatly sealed the bag and tucked it back into his pocket.

"Since Lord says it will work," he lifted his head without a hint of hesitation, "then something will surely grow on that land."

Then, Director Mike from the craft office scratched his chin, his knuckles tapping on the table producing a dull sound.

"The food problem can be solved, but the housing issue remains." He spoke directly, "Building greenhouses, factories, roads, all require construction materials.

There are many stones in Gray Rock Province, but extraction, grinding, and transportation are all painstakingly slow. At this speed, it will drag the completion of the first batch of worker dormitories to next year."

Louis moved to the map, his gaze crossed towns and mining areas, landing on the western region marked as wasteland: "Red Earth Slope."

As these words fell, Mike instinctively lifted his head.

Louis looked up at him, his tone was calm as if conveying a matter of fact.

"Below there is dark red clay. Dig it up, grind it with the abundant limestone into powder, and send it to the furnace for burning."

Someone at the conference table frowned, others instinctively checked the map.

"This isn’t brick, nor pottery." Louis continued, "It’s a special hydraulic lime. After adding water, it will harden on its own and even submerged in water, it’s sturdier than stone."

Mike stood frozen, his eyes widening.

He’d been working as a craftsman all his life, seeing steel, seeing alchemy alloys, yet had never heard of such special earth that can be fired to be sturdier than stone.

But he looked at Louis’s expression, that familiar determination emerging once again.

Within Red Tide, this was no longer a secret.