Deep Space Wandering Fleet
Chapter 450 - 448: Plate Tectonics and Ocean Current Theories

Chapter 450: Chapter 448: Plate Tectonics and Ocean Current Theories

In the following days, Zhang Yuan had completely gone bankrupt. No noble could afford two failed oceanic voyages, and he became the talk of the town, an example of a fallen aristocrat. However, he quickly recovered his spirits and began to develop technology at a slow pace, coming up with some minor inventions.

His sister, indeed a true sister, was willing to support Zhang Yuan’s basic living, and the decision to divide their assets in the past proved to be a wise one. For Anna, as long as her brother settled down, everything else was secondary.

For someone of Zhang Yuan’s intelligence, a few small inventions could significantly improve life. Take air conditioning, for example. The principle behind its invention was not complex: the low-pressure vapor of the refrigerant in a cooling system was sucked in by a compressor and compressed into high-pressure vapor before being released into the condenser. In simple terms, it involved the indoor air doing work to the outside.

Next came electricity, which as a Second Level energy source, had far greater applicability than steam.

The people of this era were too poor, making it almost impossible to popularize electricity on a large scale. However, among the affluent noble class, it was possible to adopt electricity.

And of course, these nobles were the ones with the most consumer drive. Doing business with common people paled in comparison to doing business with nobles—the key was to catch their fancy!

Soon, air conditioning became popular again, and a large group of business-minded individuals came knocking at the door.

That’s how capitalists worked; when you were down, they would kick you further down, eager to take another chunk of flesh. Yet, when you showed significant value, they would rush to cling onto you tightly.

Zhang Yuan was no longer surprised by this...

Beyond technology, his attention was still primarily focused on the New Continent. Yes, without the New Continent, humanity would still be doomed. No matter how much they struggled in such a limited living space, it was impossible to turn the tides.

The New Continent was a must.

The South and North Poles had already been explored, but there was still a much larger unknown region waiting for him.

That was—the other side of the planet!

An even more distant journey.

Thinking about this, Zhang Yuan took a deep breath and began to organize the data collected during the past two voyages.

The previous method of searching haphazardly in the ocean wasn’t feasible with its terribly low success rate. In this era, it was impossible to launch satellites, with no computers, no rare earth elements, and no chips. Even spending a lifetime, he couldn’t hope to launch a satellite. Therefore, he had to adopt another approach...

On one hand, he needed to improve technology to build faster ships; on the other hand, he had to employ a more scientific method to predict whether a continent existed on the other side of the planet.

The previous two ultra-long-distance voyages had exhausted him. After all, Zhang Yuan was only human, and a ship was just a ship; staying on board for extended periods could be draining. It was essential to rest well, rejuvenate, and make thorough preparations.

Just like that, twelve years swiftly passed...

Some small-scale thermal power plants emerged in the world.

Without oil, the internal combustion engine had not yet appeared, so the social transformation wasn’t too massive. The advent of power plants provided a solid foundation for the new range of electrical appliances.

Inventions like air conditioners, electric kettles, and electric lights became the preferred household items for the wealthy, especially in some hot cities where air conditioning was nothing short of a miraculous gift from the heavens!

Of course, ordinary people couldn’t afford such luxuries. They couldn’t even satisfy their hunger, so air conditioning could only serve to improve the lives of the rich rather than transforming the world.

The emergence of power plants involved much more, including electrical operating procedures, transformers, and power control. Zhang Yuan personally guided the entire world in entering the electric era, far surpassing the scope of the "Golden Finger" he initially received.

But the absence of an internal combustion engine was quite bothersome. Without oil, there could be no internal combustion engines. He had thought of using animal and plant oils as a substitute for gasoline, but the biggest problem was the scarcity of food in this world; it was not possible to afford the luxury of using food to produce fuel.

Even with the creation of such an internal combustion engine, due to cost issues, it wouldn’t be possible for it to be widely adopted.

Without internal combustion engines, ships and trains could only use steam power.

The entire technology tree inevitably leans towards the direction of steampunk. Such a technology tree clearly has a lower ceiling and is unlikely to resolve the current predicament.

"We still need to expand our territories; we must expand our territories!"

In 12 years, Zhang Yuan had refined some theories about plate tectonics, as well as ocean currents.

The previous two voyages weren’t without their gains, as the sailors measured changes in the ocean’s depth along the way, accumulating a large amount of data. Moreover, the measurements of sea charts have become increasingly comprehensive due to the explorations by new-era navigators over these years.

"...Gentlemen, the formation of large continuous continents is due, in large part, to the collision between crustal plates... Oh, right, in my hypothesis, the plates, just like the shell of an egg, are only a thin layer."

"Land is formed by the compression and collision between plates. Just like two slices of bread being pressed together, the middle will rise."

Zhang Yuan was lecturing on stage, with many professionals and university students seated below.

"According to the measurements, the zones where plates collide with each other are predominantly shallow seas. Even if they haven’t formed continents, there would be frequent volcanic activity. Volcanic eruptions might form smaller islands."

"Such islands are not without use for us, as they might possess more abundant mineral resources. For instance, Parra Island is famous for producing various kinds of sulfur and gems."

"If we use this plate tectonics approach to predict the existence of continents, it would undoubtedly be much simpler. Look, some of the islands we have found in the past are actually the result of plate collisions... I have connected these islands into a line, which I call a plate..."

Zhang Yuan’s paper on "Plate Tectonics Theory" quickly caused a sensation among many geologists!

This Earl was a highly controversial figure in Giant Stone City, with many fallen nobles feeling sour like biting into a lemon when they saw Zhang Yuan squandering his wealth yet earning money so easily; there were numerous people talking behind his back.

However, Zhang Yuan enjoyed a rather good reputation in academic circles. After all, academia tended to "worship results"—as long as you were impressive enough to be unreachable by others, they would admire you. Zhang Yuan was also a patron for many scientists; without his sponsorship, many projects simply wouldn’t have enough funds to proceed.

This paper was not copied from theories in his previous world but was genuinely developed, combining a series of geographic data from this world to deduce plate movements.

In the end, Zhang Yuan announced loudly, "According to the final conclusion of the paper, there might be a New Continent hidden on the other side of the planet. A continent filled with light!"

Yes, the other side!

Many from Niu Taidun University exclaimed. Although Zhang Yuan had two failed voyages to his name, he could still be considered the person who had traveled the farthest on the planet.

Aside from the initial sarcasm, which was rather intense, the voices that followed were mostly in praise.

"Lord Earl, are you going to embark on a new journey?" a young reporter shouted excitedly, his face flushed.

Many people cheered in response.

"Yes! I am planning on it!"

Of course, the biggest reason was that he had status and wealth. Two times of revelry did not lead to bankruptcy but instead brought him more wealth, sufficient for a third and fourth revel. If he had become impoverished as a result, the criticisms would surely have been even louder.

One of the professors expressed his incredulity, "Your Lordship, you speculate that there is a continent on the other side of the planet, setting aside its veracity for now... If the climate is too hot, or too cold, it wouldn’t be of much use. Especially in the sunlit zones, if they are not at the South and North Pole, they tend to be extremely hot, just like our sunlit zone cities."