The council had been right for once, quite the pleasant surprise for Arch-chancellor Cyk. The new trade route had caused quite the uptick in what had for some years now been the some what stagnant Drakun economy. The average standard of living was up which was leading to more families seeking educations and reinvestment, and with all the newly conquered lands in the south and east there was something of a land-rush for people to spend their money on. Through the magic of economics both the people of Drakun and the treasury had more money without either the Republic or the Irodiens having lost anything. 

Despite the poor weather there was a definite air of Spring in the ports of Drakun, the annual thaw was early and there was plenty of fish which with the trade boom were fetching a higher price. It was the shipwrights who found themselves the happiest on this day, for the first time in nearly a decade the Drakun Republic was establishing a fleet and the contracts were going straight to auction instead of being handed out. 

However things were not going well in a certain Drakun workshop, "You want to use a windmill to power a boat?" 

"No, I was using that as an example to give you an idea of the machinery I am working with. I believe it to be possible to substitute the wind power needed for a mill with steam from a boiler. Furthermore I think that if we can scale down the parts needed such could be used on a boat to turn an oar-wheel similar to the grindstone." 

"See, that is where you lose me. You want to take a water mill, except instead of have the waterwheel turn the machinery you want the machinery to move the water. And to power this monstrous machine-boat you want to use a windmill, except instead of using wind it is powered by steam from a boiler, itself powered by burning oil."

"Exactly."

"Well beside such a mess of machinery being to big and heavy to be useful on a boat the general concept is impossible in a number of ways, namely that boilers have to be stationary to work."

"Which is why I need the investment, if we could fix th-"

"Kid, you aren't getting an investment from me or anyone else with an ounce of sanity. You want to take three incredibly large and dangerous machines, find a way around their inherent design, and stitch them together to do something that we can already do better. Beyond that I doubt we have so much as five boilers in the entire Republic when people can simply heat their water normally without risking an explosion."

"But imagine if it could be done! A world-"

"This is the real world kid. We don't have the time or money to waste on the impossible."