Dean was struck with astonishment, and the four men behind him wore expressions of utter confusion.
Indeed, for an ordinary person, could this be considered anything less than a godsend?
Ignoring Dean for the moment, Luo Li turned back to look at the duo of Camilla and Anton.
The two were still locked in discussion, appearing to be arguing over several finer details.
Camilla's expression was somewhat sour and heavy with gravity.
"Mr. Anton, while your idea is good, you haven't taken the inherent stability of the mana stone into account."
Anton asked with a hint of doubt:
"But as I recall, the higher the quality of the mana stone, the better its resistance to external impact. The batch I selected this time was of the absolute highest quality."
Camilla shook her head slightly, and several faint silhouettes flickered into existence within her palm.
This was an advanced method of utilizing mana elements, allowing them to be condensed and visualized.
Though it was essentially useless for anything else, it looked quite magnificent.
In Camilla's hand, a translucent silhouette resembling an engine appeared.
The entire engine was completely transparent, looking like a 3D hologram.
Furthermore, this engine was actually running.
Camilla's finger lightly tapped the top of the piston.
"Mr. Anton, what you did was place the mana stone right here, correct?"
Anton hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"Yes, Ms. Camilla, that was the solution I came up with..."
"You're dead wrong!" Camilla's voice suddenly rose an octave.
A hint of fury was woven into her tone.
She widened her eyes and stared intently at the dwarf.
"Mr. Anton, the stability of a mana stone has its limits."
"Look at this so-called engine. Its interior requires ignition at least hundreds of times per second. That was your original design, wasn't it?"
Anton realized he might have made a massive mistake. Although he didn't quite understand where he had gone wrong, he remained humble and full of regret.
"Yes, Ms. Camilla, but is there a problem with that?"
"Of course there's a problem!!"
Camilla pointed at the mana stone.
"Look closely. This is a mana stone, an object containing immense energy. It's not some simple tool; it's a very dangerous existence."
"Your idea was good, but no matter how stable a mana stone is, it cannot withstand high-frequency activation hundreds of times per second."
Luo Li listened intently to their conversation as Dean and his companions gradually quieted down on the other side of the hall.
Camilla's voice echoed more clearly through the grand chamber.
"While a mana stone is stable on its own, continuous activation will inevitably cause fluctuations within it. The frequency range you're using is enough to make the mana stone begin collapsing from the inside."
"Activation at such a high frequency is almost equivalent to constantly stimulating the mana stone. Because it's encased within this cylinder, the pressure is extremely high. Once it reaches its limit, the internal energy of the mana stone will trigger instantaneously, resulting in a massive explosion."
In this moment, Anton was like a schoolboy, listening obediently to the lecture.
At the same time, his eyes occasionally swept over the 3D hologram in Camilla's hand.
Many of the details on it were things he had thought of but hadn't managed to perfect.
Because Camilla was using a schematic made of mana elements, there was no trouble with reconstruction; she could even build a virtual engine directly in her palm.
"Camilla, calm down."
Hearing Camilla's voice grow increasingly irate, Luo Li hesitated for a moment before speaking up to interrupt her.
Seeing Camilla get angrier and angrier, her tone no longer sounded like a discussion with a colleague but more like a lecture to a disciple.
If this continued, she wasn't sure if Anton's temperament could handle it.
In the midst of her anger, Camilla was suddenly startled by that ethereal voice.
When she snapped back to reality, she realized that Anton was practically pressing his head against the floor.
Raising a hand to her forehead, Camilla's expression slowly smoothed over.
However, a trace of indignation still lingered on her face.
"Your Highness, my apologies... I was out of line."
"No, no, no, it was my fault. It has nothing to do with Ms. Camilla."
Anton spoke up quickly.
Generally speaking, this was indeed Anton's fault.
If he hadn't been so reckless and started researching the single-cylinder engine without reporting it first, the explosion wouldn't have happened.
"Alright, I have no intention of blaming you. Anton, you don't need to be so hard on yourself either."
Luo Li spoke up to cut their apologies short.
Walking down from the sacred platform, Luo Li focused her gaze on the engine schematic in Camilla's palm.
This schematic was nearly seventy percent similar to the engines she remembered.
However, some parts were different.
Crucially, the carburetor was missing, and the spark plugs for ignition were nowhere to be seen.
"Camilla, according to what you said, the stability of the mana stone has its limits. So... how do you think this engine should be modified?"
Camilla's brow furrowed slightly as she subconsciously glanced at the schematic in her hand.
Seeing the serious expression on her little Luo Li's face, she hesitated and tucked away her playful mood.
Flirting at a time like this might actually provoke the girl's anger.
She thought seriously for a moment and raised her hand again.
A few more components were instantly added to the 3D hologram above her palm.
Since it was virtual, there was no need for experimentation; she could add anything she felt might work.
"Based on my thoughts, there are several different solutions."
From that point on, it became almost entirely Camilla's solo performance.
The 3D image in her hand shifted along with her words.
"The first solution is to reconstruct the mana formula and add a relay station."
A large tank appeared on the outer side of the engine in her hand.
A connected box appeared on the outside of that tank.
"The mana stone will be stored in this box. Its energy will then be stored in this tank through this channel. The high-pressure mana elements in the tank will be transported into the cylinder following the set mana formula. A detonation mana formula will be added to the top of the cylinder. When the energy reaches a certain level, or when the piston reaches the top of its stroke, the gathered energy will be detonated, pushing the piston back into place."
Camilla's voice echoed through the hall.
"The advantage of this first method is its high stability. The difficulty lies in how to control the high-pressure energy inside the tank and how to propel it, while also increasing the manufacturing difficulty and the overall size."
Luo Li nodded.
"And the second?"
Camilla took a deep breath and flicked her hand, manifesting another 3D image.
"This second one involves a bit more risk. We omit the tank and leave a mana stone box directly on the outside of the engine. Energy is funneled directly from the box into the cylinder, with an isolation mana array built in between to completely separate the mana stone from the cylinder."
This was clearly less safe than the first option, but its size was significantly reduced.
"The third is to place the mana stone at the axle. The energy would be channeled through the piston rod directly into the cylinder."
The danger of the third method... was hard to say for now, but it was certainly the most space-efficient.
The existing engine space wouldn't need to be changed much to use it.
However, Camilla still voiced her concerns about the latter two options.
"The risk for the second one is quite high. According to Mr. Anton's ideas, the RPM of this engine must reach at least several hundred at minimum and potentially several thousand at maximum. This requires the central barrier to have extremely powerful blocking capabilities. If anything goes wrong, the violent mana elements drawn from the mana stone will leak elsewhere, which could easily cause an explosion."
"The third isn't necessarily dangerous, but it's the most difficult to manufacture. The craftsmanship required... I doubt even Mr. Anton could guarantee perfection, right?"
There was no technology in this era, but that didn't mean people lacked intelligence.
This was especially true for long-lived races like the elves.
Their natural intelligence was already high, and when combined with the vast amount of knowledge gained over a long life, it could result in earth-shattering capabilities.
As Camilla explained, I began to grasp the situation.
From any perspective, the first method seemed more mature and safer.
However, it required many more parts, and the construction difficulty would likely be much higher.
Nevertheless, Luo Li favored the first option.
Even though the latter two seemed decent, safety had to be the priority at this stage.
Thinking of this, Luo Li looked down at the dwarf, Anton.
"Mr. Anton, which of these three plans do you prefer?"
Anton pondered for a moment, looking at the three 3D images floating above Camilla's palm.
"I believe the first one is the most reliable. The energy storage in the middle functions similarly to the principle of a mana cannon. Although we cannot reconstruct a mana cannon, we can build a similar energy storage space."
"As for the tank material, I've already considered what to use. To avoid a repeat of today's incident, I think the first one is best."
As he spoke, he turned to look at Luo Li.
"Your Highness, I suggest we proceed with the first plan for the prototype."
Luo Li nodded and glanced at Camilla.
She hadn't expected this alchemist to have such insights into mechanics.
It made her see her in a new light.
"Camilla, thank you for your hard work."
"It was nothing, Your Highness. However... if you truly feel I've worked hard, perhaps I could..."
Luo Li's mouth twitched. This woman was definitely about to make another improper suggestion.
She turned away and ignored her, looking back down at Anton.
"Mr. Anton, since you believe this plan is the best, then proceed according to this proposal."
"Camilla, while Mr. Anton is developing the engine, I'll have to trouble you to temporarily supervise the work. Let's not have any more incidents like this."
"Um, Your Highness, could we perhaps discuss my compensation? For instance..."
"Meeting adjourned!"
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