Luke considered himself someone with good judgment.
So he could tell from Miss Crownguard's eyes that she was disgusted, as if him sitting there specifically countered her.
In order to prove that whether he sat there or not would not change the fact that she was currently having rotten luck,
Luke stood up and walked toward the kitchen, preparing to make lunch.
As a result, before he had even taken two steps, he heard Lux's crisp voice behind him, filled with excitement and delight. "Win! Big Four Winds!"
Luke's footsteps paused for a moment, and he silently quickened his pace.
He muttered inwardly, it couldn't be that ridiculous, right?
However, later he heard that Miss Crownguard had made quite a comeback. Although she was still losing, she was not losing by much anymore.
The main reason she was losing was that one deal-in to Thirteen Orphans.
After that, she became especially resistant to Luke sitting beside her and watching mahjong.
Luke expressed that he was very innocent.
After lunch, there was a little more sunlight outside. Even so, the cold in the air left Luke with no thoughts of sunbathing.
He lay on the sofa in the living room, wantonly squandering time. Only after waiting until the afternoon arrived did he finally sit up from the sofa.
Thinking about it, since returning, he seemed not to have gone to the Research Institute for a look yet.
After giving it some thought, he tidied himself up a little, then notified Yurna to prepare the carriage.
Before long, the carriage drove toward the research base.
The end of the month was approaching, and the new year was near. There were also more and more people on the streets, buying all kinds of New Year supplies in preparation for the New Year a few days later.
The good news of their great victory beyond the border also made more peaceful smiles appear on their faces.
The carriage traveled all the way until the people around them became fewer and fewer, finally stopping at the entrance of the research base.
Luke walked inside, nodding to some people who came to greet him. After asking where Wenward was, he headed that way.
Very quickly, he arrived at an open area.
As soon as he approached, he heard Navis's pleasantly surprised voice. "Your Highness, you're here!"
After not seeing her for nearly two months, she looked a little taller. Wearing a proper white robe, she gave off a somewhat scholarly and capable air.
This made a phrase flash through Luke's mind.
A tiny academic powerhouse.
It referred to the kind of girl who was not very tall, but was absolutely fierce when it came to studying and exams.
Looking at Navis, a smile appeared on Luke's face. "Long time no see."
"Your Highness."
At this time, Wenward also nodded to Luke in greeting.
"Hello, Director."
Luke greeted him, then his gaze skipped over Wenward and looked behind him, his eyes involuntarily brightening.
What entered his sight was an iron vehicle three meters tall and around six or seven meters long. On top was a steam outlet, and its design had some resemblance to the train engines in Luke's memory. At this moment, it stood across a circular track.
"We are currently testing the stability of the steam engine. Right now, it can already be used as a power machine, but I feel that there are still many shortcomings."
Seeing Luke's gaze, Wenward followed it and looked over as well, then explained aloud.
At this time, two researchers were constantly modifying something inside an opened gap in the locomotive. Inside was an extremely complicated mechanical assembly.
Luke asked, "Can it already run normally on the track?"
"Yes, but it is not stable, so we have been adjusting it."
Wenward nodded and gave the two researchers a look.
The two of them then assembled the opened gap back in place, climbed onto the locomotive, and began operating it. First, they opened the switch, then added water into the steam engine. A steady stream of water continuously flowed in.
About three minutes later, they opened the gas switch again, placed coal inside, closed the door, and lit the fire. Their movements were extremely smooth.
After the coal was ignited, a burst of dense smoke rose, directly discharged cleanly through the vent.
As faint firelight flickered for a while, white steam began to surge out, producing a whining hum.
It could be felt that the steam engine had already started operating. White steam continuously surged from several exhaust vents.
Immediately afterward, one researcher sitting in the seat stepped on the throttle.
The entire locomotive shook once. Then, driven by a certain force, the iron wheels slowly began turning, while making a clanking sound.
Then the locomotive began slowly moving forward. The sound became more and more frequent, and under the billowing smoke from the coal, its forward speed also began to increase.
The locomotive followed the track forward, moving along the circular rail at a speed that was not especially fast.
It seemed that for now, this was already its fastest speed.
However, being able to do this was already very impressive. After seeing this scene, even Luke could not help sighing inwardly that the Research Institute really was a den of talent.
In such a short time, they had once again made a major breakthrough in the field of steam engines.
One had to know that at this moment, what was starting to move was not just a locomotive.
It was also the wheel of Demacia advancing along the track of the times.
The use of the steam engine and the movement of the locomotive represented Demacia evolving from simple forms of transportation like horses and carriages toward something far richer.
In time, smelting, textiles, machine manufacturing, trains, ships, and even automobiles would no longer be dreams.
Even Luke felt a little excited in his heart at this moment.
After the locomotive ran for four or five loops, it stopped.
At this moment, Wenward said to Luke, "We believe the reason the speed is slow is that the kinetic energy provided by the steam is insufficient. At the same time, we are also facing the problems of excessive water and coal consumption. This is also the direction of our improvements. Currently, we already have some ideas."
Luke listened and nodded slightly. "I think reaching this level is already very fast. There's no need to be too impatient. Since it's almost the New Year, why not rest a few more days?"
"Our rest is sufficient. Your Highness does not need to worry about that. After all, everyone understands that health is the foundation."
Wenward smiled and said, "It's just that whenever we have free time, we can't help thinking about it. For us, this is also a bit of a pleasure."
Was it tiring? Of course it was.
This locomotive had countless components installed within it, and even the steam engine inside could not have any mistakes. All of that had been researched by many people staying up late.
However, not a single person felt irritated. Instead, they felt a kind of joy in it.
Because for anyone who loved research, when they saw a product capable of changing the era being born through their own hands, their hearts would naturally be incomparably excited.
During this process, Wenward had even already seen what kind of scene Demacia would become in the future.
Every minute and every second of their hard work now was for the sake of making that day arrive sooner.
When Luke left the Research Institute, his mood was still filled with emotion.
Feeling the carriage moving beneath him, he felt that it would not be long before he could ride in a car.
The difficulty of researching automobiles would naturally increase many times over, but at the very least, he had already seen hope.
The carriage traveled all the way and stopped along the way at the Church of the Illuminators.
It was already close to evening. After getting off the carriage, Luke saw Kahina and Lux carrying wooden boxes, going in and out while looking very busy.
The two vibrant figures blended harmoniously with the surrounding civilians and children, without the slightest sense of mismatch. Smiles were on their faces, and the soft light of the setting sun scattered across them, adding a few more beautiful touches.
After going beyond the border and returning, Lux and Kahina had officially become full members of the Illuminators.
However, for them, this was actually not much different from usual.
Very soon, Kahina was the first to see Luke. Her eyes brightened, and a few traces of joy appeared on her pretty face as she jogged over. "Your Highness, why are you here?"
Luke smiled. "I was passing by and came to take a look. What are you busy with?"
Kahina said, "Some New Year supplies, prepared for the children in the church. Things like new clothes, shoes, and some other items."
Luke nodded. "I'll help too."
Kahina shook her head. "No need. We're almost done. Your Highness, please wait for us for a little while."
After saying that, she waved her hand and ran back again.
In the distance, Lux also noticed Luke, but this girl was still angry about Luke causing her to deal into Thirteen Orphans that morning, so she did not want to pay attention to him.
After waiting for a little while, Moff and those children all ran over to chat with Luke.
They looked a little taller, but they were still children.
Another ten minutes or so passed, and Lux and Kahina finished their work as well. The two girls walked over side by side, their expressions carrying a trace of fatigue, but the slight smiles at the corners of their mouths also showed that they felt fulfilled by this kind of life.
They got into the carriage and traveled all the way home.
Inside the carriage.
Lux relaxed completely, stretched lazily, and said in a languid voice, "The New Year is only a few days away."
"Yeah." Kahina lifted the curtain and looked outside as she answered with emotion, "It feels like time passed so quickly."
She could not help glancing at Luke, then at the Church of the Illuminators as it gradually pulled farther away.
Her memories seemed to still linger on the time when she and Luke had first met.
Their first meeting had been in this very church, and it had been Lux who brought him over.
Before she knew it, she realized that Luke's figure had already appeared everywhere in her life.
"In the blink of an eye, even my birthday passed several months ago."
Lux nodded with deep agreement, her little face similarly filled with emotion. "It really feels like a blink. I clearly feel like sitting in class was just yesterday."
"Isn't that exactly what you wanted?"
Kahina laughed.
This time, as Illuminators, they had gone to the border and missed more than half of the second half of the semester. Now, it was also the holiday before the New Year.
After the New Year, as long as a little more time passed, they could graduate directly.
For Lux, this should be wonderful news.
"It is nice, but I feel a little nostalgic."
Lux spoke in a sighing tone, but in reality, the smile on her little mouth could not be held back at all.
Seeing this, Luke suggested, "If you miss it that much, why not repeat another semester?"
Lux rolled her eyes at him and ignored him entirely, continuing to chat with Kahina.
The two girls continued sighing over the passage of time.
Luke yawned out of boredom, feeling somewhat sleepy.
Lux looked at him. "Don't you have anything you want to say?"
Luke asked strangely, "Say what?"
"About time." Lux said, "Don't you think time has passed really quickly?"
"Not really." Luke thought for a moment, then said, "But I do have something I want to say."
"What is it?"
Lux and Kahina both looked over. Two pairs of beautiful eyes blinked, seeming a little expectant.
"Congratulations to both of you for getting another year older."
When Luke said this, he showed his white teeth.
One sentence to teach you how to ruin the mood, and how to harvest two pairs of eye rolls.
In any case, for the rest of the trip, no matter what Luke said, the two girls ignored him.
They finally returned home. After getting off the carriage, the sky had already dimmed and was about to turn dark.
They entered the living room. The fireplace gave off a warm temperature, dispelling the chill on their bodies.
Fiora was sitting in front of the fireplace, quietly reading a book in her hands. Together, the two things created a rather peaceful and beautiful scene.
Sona and Katarina were playing five-in-a-row, while Poppy had moved over a small stool and was sitting beside them watching.
After Lux and the others returned, the living room instantly became lively.
Luke, meanwhile, sat on the sofa, dozing off in a daze.
Fiora, who was reading, remembered something. She put down the book and looked at him. "By the way, there are many letters in your mailbox. When you have time, you'd better go look."
"Letters?"
Hearing this, Luke froze for a moment, then stood and went outside to the courtyard.
Very quickly, he brought them back and sat on the sofa, his gaze falling on them.
When he saw a somewhat familiar mark, the image of a lively girl instantly flashed through his mind.
There were six letters in his hand, all bearing the same mark, sent from far away. Naturally, Luke would not forget it.
This mark represented Granlott, Demacia's ally.
The one who had sent the letters was naturally Panis.
She had indeed said that she would write to Luke for a long time, but he had not expected her to actually keep it up.
If one letter was counted as seven days, then the earliest of these letters was already from nearly a month and a half ago.
At that time, he had already been on the way to the border, so naturally, he had not seen the letters.
After returning, he had indeed forgotten for a while.
Opening the letters, he began reading them one by one. At first, they were just sharing some trivial daily matters. From the letters alone, he could tell how excited Panis had been when writing.
By the second letter, Panis had learned about the matter at the Gates of Mourning, and she expressed worry and concern in the letter.
The third letter, the fourth letter, and by the fifth and sixth letters, it could be seen that Panis's tone had gained a few traces of resentment. Although she did not say it explicitly, she was clearly concerned that she had not received Luke's reply.
At that time, Luke had still been beyond the border, so of course he had not seen the letters.
After reading the letters one by one, Luke knew that if he did not reply soon, that neighboring princess might directly charge all the way to the capital.
So he stood up, returned to his room, and began writing a letter.
After finishing the letter, he immediately arranged for Yurna to send it out.
After finishing that, Luke also needed to start preparing dinner.
After dinner, he sat outside the courtyard, looking at the moonlight. The surroundings were very quiet, and all at once, he thought again of the two girls' conversation inside the carriage.
Time did seem to pass quite quickly.
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