Of the phrase “industrial revolution,” Lu Li had only paid attention to the first word—industrial.
If Julia possessed his knowledge from his previous life, she would probably complain, “You aren't paying any attention to the ‘revolution’ part at all, are you!”
Therefore, from the very beginning, this matter was not as simple as Lu Li had imagined. Even without his memories of a past life, Julia still perceived the complexity of the issue and the risks hidden behind it, thanks to her far-sighted vision.
If they had to choose someone to act as a pioneer to blaze a trail, then indeed, she was undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.
However, Julia’s life had always been full of intrigue and power struggles. Extremely shrewd despite her youth, she couldn't help but deeply analyze Lu Li’s actions, subconsciously trying to fathom his “true” motives.
“Phew—”
Julia exhaled a deep breath of turbid air. Looking at the boy before her, who still wore a dazed expression, she felt she must have overthought things.
How could the Holy See, such an innocent and cute child, understand those dark and bloody matters?
He only wanted to make the Holy State and the world a better place. What could he have done wrong?
If there truly is a fault, then let me bear the guilt!
Julia thought to herself; after all, a little more guilt wouldn't make a difference anyway.
“Very well, Your Holiness. You can leave this matter to me with peace of mind.”
Her expression slowly relaxed, revealing a “radiant” smile.
Lu Li desperately wanted to hold it in, but his lips still twitched involuntarily, and his gaze darted away to avoid that “smiling” face.
“Then I shall leave it to you, Julia.”
“It is only my duty.”
Their conversation ended there. Lu Li had fully accomplished his goal, and he couldn't help but sigh in relief.
Before coming here, his heart had been filled with anxiety. Although he figured Julia would likely agree to his request, he hadn't expected the process to be so easy.
He had even prepared himself to slightly sell out his looks, reasoning that it wouldn't hurt to let Julia take a little advantage of him; after all, she had already seen everything there was to see.
Yet he hadn't expected the matter to be resolved so simply.
Lu Li instantly felt the burden on his shoulders lighten considerably.
As long as they vigorously developed industry in the future and made the lives of the Holy Father's children better and better, he wouldn't count as having deceived Wendelina.
When the time came, all he had to say was, “It was the Lord's mercy that saved you.”
Social development was not only a collection of various practical problems, but also the sum of how people responded to and coped with them.
Thinking about it was far too complex; attributing everything to the Lord's arrangements made things much simpler.
Since no one had ever seen the Lord anyway, whatever he said when the time came would go.
Lu Li had also considered whether he would get caught red-handed for “swindling” under the Lord's name, but God had never issued any edicts to him, which was practically the same as giving him tacit permission to play it by ear, right?
He was the Pope, after all! What was wrong with representing the great Lord a little?
......
Julia moved quickly, and her efficiency was remarkably high.
On the very last day of autumn, Lu Li saw a car that was almost identical to the ones in his memories.
“This is!” Lu Li was astonished.
He had originally thought he would be thanking the heavens if Julia could manage to put together a moving iron box, but he hadn't expected her to be so reliable—so reliable that it actually startled him.
Although the exterior was somewhat boxy, it felt no different from the cars of his previous life.
It had a shell cast from silver metal and four round tires made of some unknown material.
There was a driver's seat, a front passenger seat, and back seats with enough space to accommodate two people.
“Well? Does it meet your requirements?” Julia asked.
In truth, this object was built purely for the boy's amusement, while the applications of its core technology in various fields had already been quietly arranged. It wouldn't be long before the results became apparent.
The issues Lu Li had previously considered were indeed correct; this world's technological foundation was far too weak.
If they approached it from the scientific side, steam engines could never be quickly integrated into various industries to usher in a so-called steam age.
However, this world was not dominated by technology.
“It's practically identical!” Lu Li stepped forward and ran a hand along the car's body, marveling.
“Do you want to go inside and have a look?”
The corners of Julia's lips curved slightly upward as she stepped aside and pulled open the passenger door for him.
Lu Li had long been impatient to try it. He couldn't help but even fantasize about the pure bliss of turning on the air conditioning and eating ice cream in the hot summer in the future.
He climbed into the car and found that the interior design was quite exquisite. The main material was high-quality mimosa wood, and the seats were covered in a layer of unidentified beast hide that was warm to the touch.
Then, Julia slid into the driver's seat. Under Lu Li's wide-eyed, dumbfounded gaze, she slowly uttered two words.
“Activate.”
As soon as her voice fell, the car's body shuddered slightly, and then something seemed to ignite.
Lu Li felt as if he saw the sky outside the window instantly turn dark with a torrential downpour pouring down and dim yellow streetlights casting their glow. In the far distance, a magnificent figure sat astride an eight-legged steed.
That was getting sidetracked.
Shaking off his shock, he couldn't help but ask, “It's voice-activated?”
“It was a solution provided by the professors at the foundry. Although voice control isn't suitable for steering, using it to start the engine works perfectly fine.” As Julia spoke, she stepped on the gas pedal.
Lu Li heard only a roar like a revving engine, and then the car shot forward like a released arrow.
He regretted it.
He shouldn't have gotten into this car.
A few minutes later, the silver-bright car executed a beautiful drift in the test grounds, coming to a steady halt.
Before Lu Li could even complain, he shoved the door open, leaned halfway out, and began to throw up violently.
“Your Holiness, are you alright?” Julia asked.
Lu Li wiped his mouth, rubbed his hand on her red robe to clean it, and then glared at her fiercely. “Driving so fast... did you do that on purpose?!”
Was it fast? Julia was somewhat bewildered. She blinked.
The maximum flight speed of a Holy Relic armament was thirty times faster than that, and a pegasus could fly at ten times that speed at its fastest.
If this counted as fast, then it truly hadn't been intentional on her part. This kind of speed was simply extremely ordinary for people like her.
Granted, it was still a good deal faster than a ceremonial carriage.
Julia spoke up, “I have heard that new sailors might get seasick at sea, but that is because the waves cause the ship to rock unpredictably...”
“Are you trying to say your driving is steady?”
Lu Li cut her off, though he didn't feel like bickering over it. “Forget it. Just tell me how you put this thing together. What else can you guys build?”
Julia went silent for a brief moment, seemingly organizing her thoughts.
Soon, she said, “The core mechanism utilizes the concept you proposed earlier, replacing water with red mercury to turn the wheels.”
Hearing the first half, Lu Li nodded subconsciously. But the moment he heard the words “red mercury,” he suddenly froze.
“Wait, did you say red mercury?”
“Red mercury can even be used for this?”
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