Chapter 98: Project Power
News of the Moore party spread around Elgard like wildfire. A revolution in technology was sparked, and everyone got a glimpse of what the future would be like: either they go with the flow or resist its mighty tide.
It has been proven time and time again that those who stand in the way of change are always swept aside by it and become forgotten in history, while those who embrace it get the chance to fully benefit from such investment. Stagnation is not only the enemy of people, but also of ideas and minds.
For that reason, ViTech was almost the most sought-after destination for the three days following the party. Agents from all businesses, scientists from every field, investors, and self-made visionaries all wanted to have a sit-down with Vivian Moore. Each of them had an idea, a dream only Vivian could make true, and they needed her abilities and connections.
However, Vivian was the busiest person in all of Elgard those three days, almost busier than the King himself.
Project Power, the number one priority project of ViTech, was taking leaps and bounds towards becoming a reality. Vivian was working personally with a team of no fewer than 100 scientists and technicians, including metallurgists, mechanists, and chemists, to make one thing possible:
Electricity.
Count Julian Moore had given clear instructions: to create a source of energy that is free and requires no resource extraction, ruling out all fossil fuel-based power dynamos. Wind and water turbines were being hastily developed, and many prototypes were put on trial.
A few days passed, and Vivian was immersed in her extreme lifestyle of developing the green power dynamos. Due to the fact that she was rarely seen in public those past few days, everyone and their mothers were now wondering what else she was going to come up with this time. It was safe to say that she was being monitored by multiple factions at once. Aside from the *Insurgency* and House Black, multiple tycoons were trying to get their people into ViTech to learn what golden egg would be laid next.
That next golden egg was already in an advanced phase. Through persistent trial and error, early experiments in electromagnetic induction yielded promising results. Under the guidance of Professor Bellfield and his team of scientists, the foundational theories and equations were established, paving the way for practical applications. Electromagnetic induction, the process of generating electricity by moving a conductor through a magnetic field, proved to be a groundbreaking principle. Despite the rudimentary materials available in this era, the calculations and methodologies were robust enough to overcome initial technical challenges, marking a turning point in the pursuit of harnessing electricity.
The next phase involved scaling up these discoveries, utilizing windmills and waterwheels for large-scale experiments. Vivian’s strategic acquisition of property along the Ralin River proved invaluable, as the installation of waterwheels required only material costs, a city hall application, and minor bribes to expedite bureaucratic processes. Waterwheels were installed along the river’s current, efficiently converting flowing water into rotational energy to drive dynamos. The windmills, meanwhile, were installed atop buildings, though Archester’s relatively low wind activity posed challenges. To address this, Vivian introduced an innovative design: vertical-axis windmills with twisting blades resembling a dancer’s spinning helix. These were specifically engineered to operate efficiently in inconsistent wind conditions, providing a steady source of mechanical energy.
Parallel to these efforts, Vivian directed a smaller team to develop dynamos powered by fossil fuels. Leveraging existing steam engine technology, a coal-powered generator was constructed within two days with the assistance of Voros. This generator not only showcased the versatility of dynamos but also positioned ViTech as a formidable player in the energy industry. Recognizing the commercial potential, Vivian ensured the invention was patented under ViTech to prevent exploitation by any potential rival. While preliminary plans were also drawn for a petrol-powered generator and even a magic-infused generator, these concepts were temporarily shelved.