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Chapter 1147: The Electric Motor

Only then did Song Yingxing grasp the full implication, understanding that his own writings served as practical textbooks, while the Heavenly Lord's works illuminated the path of future development. "So that's how it is," he mused.

Li Daoxuan flipped to the final pages of Song Yingxing's *Tiangong Kaiwu*.

Here lay a new chapter, meticulously documenting all the wondrous innovations of Gao Family Village: steam engines, electric lamps, and more.

He pointed to this section, a smile playing on his lips as he addressed Song Yingxing, "I eagerly await your next new chapter."

As they spoke, a commotion erupted outside.

A graduate student from Thirty-Two Middle School burst in, his eyes wide and scanning frantically left and right, calling out, "Teacher Song, is Teacher Song here? I heard you were at the bookstore, so I came right over!"

Amusingly, Li Daoxuan recognized this particular student.

This was the same graduate student whose hot air balloon experiment had famously drifted into a young woman's room, leading to a most fortuitous outcome. Li Daoxuan couldn't recall the student's name, but he vividly remembered his wife's, Hou Lan, one of the women he had rescued alongside the White Pole Soldiers' general, Zhang Fengyi, at Houjia Village.

Still calling for Teacher Song, the graduate student rushed further into the bookstore. Upon entering, he immediately spotted Li Daoxuan and Gao Yiye, nearly leaping out of his skin. He quickly dropped into a profound bow, a respectful greeting tumbling from his lips: "Greetings, Heavenly Lord! Greetings, Saintess!"

Song Yingxing poked his head out from beside him. "What is it?"

The graduate student, Mo Li, visibly brightened. "It's like this, esteemed teacher. I've been diligently studying the propeller at the rear of the Celestial Ship bestowed upon us by the Heavenly Lord."

"Oh?" Li Daoxuan found his interest piqued by this opening. "And what have you discovered?"

Mo Li explained, "That propeller, by harnessing the power of rotation to push water backward, propels the ship forward. After careful consideration, I realized it could also be used to push air. So, after extensive research, I've designed a set of fan blades that can continuously generate wind. If connected to a steam engine, allowing it to spin just like the Celestial Ship's propeller, it could produce a tremendous gust of wind!"

Li Daoxuan secretly delighted: *Well, well, now. He's figured out the electric fan. Impressive.*

Song Yingxing, hearing this, gave him a hearty thumbs-up. "Remarkable, your design is truly remarkable."

Mo Li, however, looked troubled. "But my design has a major flaw. The steam engine is enormous, cumbersome, burns coal and spews smoke, and it rumbles and hisses. Using such a massive machine to power a small fan feels, well, a bit foolish. I was hoping for your guidance, teacher, on whether there might be another way..."

This question plunged Song Yingxing into contemplation. Clearly, he, too, had no immediate, superior solution.

Li Daoxuan suddenly spoke, a smile gracing his features. "You must have studied the power systems of the ships I've given you, haven't you?"

Song Yingxing quickly cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. "Your divine wisdom sees through us, Heavenly Lord. We have indeed studied them. We initially believed the Celestial Ships you bestowed upon us were powered by divine strength. However, through our research, we discovered the true source is electricity. The Heavenly Lord uses the solar panels gifted by the Lord of the Sun Star to transform sunlight into electricity, which then spins the propellers. This is the extent of our research thus far."

Li Daoxuan pressed, "But have you investigated *how* electricity makes the propeller rotate?"

Song Yingxing hesitated. "That... the Celestial Ship is far too precious; we dared not dismantle it. Thus, we have not yet delved into that."

Li Daoxuan said, "In truth, electricity causes the propeller to spin through something called an 'electric motor.' As for this 'electric motor,' I shall provide you with one. Feel free to dismantle it, study it as you wish. Once you understand it, you can use electricity to make electric motors spin, and in that way, Mo Li's fan can be connected to our power grid."

Gao Family Village already possessed a power grid. Ever since Li Daoxuan provided massive solar power panels, the village's electrical network had been under constant construction. The villagers, using the circuit knowledge from their *Middle School Physics* and *High School Physics* textbooks, had laid countless wires themselves and even installed switches at key points in the circuits. They had now even invented electrical plugs. Coupled with Ji Menghan's invention of the electric lamp, the entirety of Gao Family Village was illuminated. Every evening, when the lights came on at their appointed time, it was a truly spectacular sight.

However, it was clear that electricity's potential could now be further unleashed.

Li Daoxuan picked up a small, simple electric motor, typically used in children's toys and powered by miniature batteries, and gently placed it before the Thirty-Two Middle School's research building.

Half an hour later...

The small motor was surrounded by a throng of people. Although it was "small" to Li Daoxuan, to the villagers it was a colossal object, several times their own length and one and a half times their height.

Song Yingxing stood at the forefront, with a large group of graduate students clustered around him.

"So, this is the power mechanism of the Celestial Ship!"

"It's so big!"

"Nonsense, the Celestial Ship is enormous; it relies on this to move. How could it *not* be big?"

"What do we do now?"

"Dismantle this and study its internal structure."

"Here are the diagrams; let's follow these."

"Ah, look! There's a screw here. It requires an awfully large screwdriver to turn it!"

Right from the start of the disassembly, the villagers encountered a problem.

They didn't have a screwdriver that large!

Fortunately, this was Gao Family Village. Li Daoxuan's hand swiftly extended down. Since he wasn't wearing gloves, the villagers couldn't see his hand; they could only perceive an invisible force manipulating a gigantic screwdriver, turning it, turning it...

With a metallic snap, the enormous screw sprang free.

The graduate students cheered in unison, "The Heavenly Lord is helping us dismantle it with his divine magic!"

Before their eyes, the electric motor decomposed piece by piece, eventually transforming into a pile of components.

Led by Song Yingxing, a line of villagers meticulously examined each part.

"Look, the coils! So many copper wires wound into coils."

"And here's a magnet..."

"Why would a magnet be used?"

"Hey, hey! This must be something taught in the physics books!"

"It was covered in the motor section of *Middle School Physics*!"

Realization dawned on everyone.

Indeed, they had studied electric motors in their middle school physics classes, but at the time, it had all seemed vague and incomprehensible. Now, with the physical object laid bare before them, the dormant memories of their physics classes suddenly sprang to life, assailing them with clarity.

"A current-carrying conductor moves in a magnetic field!"

"The direction of the force on the conductor is related to the direction of the magnetic field!"

"Wow, I suddenly understand it all!"

One student excitedly exclaimed, "These coils, wound with copper wire, are the conductors, and this magnet provides the magnetic field. When current flows through, the conductor will move within the magnetic field, causing it to spin at incredible speed!"