Megaflorica Oil

The oil of the Megaflorica islands on the High Seas has become a major cornerstone of modern society, both for its unparalleled performance for lighting and as a lubricant in precision devices.

Lighting

While the oil itself is quite pungent, it burns extremely cleanly, leaving very little soot or odor behind. When used in an appropriately designed lamp, the oil and its undesirable smell can be kept contained while still allowing it to be drawn up into a flame. This flame produces a much steadier and brighter light than any other fuel that has been used for this purpose. While production of this oil has only increased in the last few decades, driving prices down, the lamp itself is of a fairly complex design, and thus is generally only available to the wealthy elite. While the improved lighting would aid worker productivity, the cost of lamps designed for Megaflorica oil means that only workshops specialized in highly precise work, such as the production of precision clockworks, consider this a worthwhile expense. Some factors have tried using the oil in other lamp designs, but find that long term exposure to the smell of Megaflorica causes their workers to lapse into an unfocused daze, completely unable to focus on the mundane tasks assigned to them. Curiously, workers who have been so exposed seem to become more adventurous, being more than 5 times as likely to sign on as a new sailor as factory workers working in factories that use other lighting sources.

Mechanical Applications

As with any oil, the oil of the Megaflorica can be used for a variety of practical applications. While its intense odor limits its use in wood finishes and in polishing, it is particularly effective as a lubricant. Where most oils break down in a matter of months or years, this oil typically lasts upwards of 5 years before having to be reapplied, reducing maintenance costs and improving the lifespan of devices using this oil.
Curiously, some Marine Chronometers in use by the Navy, first oiled using Megaflorica some 40 years ago as an ad-hoc test of its capabilities as a lubricant, have not needed re-oiling in that time. (These experiments were soundly denounced at the time, as an at-sea test that risks the continued function of a navigational tool that cannot easily be replaced is generally considered unwise.) Researchers are undecided as to the veracity of this claim. Some believe it to be due to the design of the clock which minimizes grinding of metal-on-metal in an effort to ensure long term precision timekeeping - being of a quality that is rarely seen in most devices. Others suggest that the saltiness of the sea air somehow prevents the oil from breaking down, though this is a dubious claim as the casing of such chronometers is tightly sealed to minimize that same salt from rusting steel components. Some of the oldest devices have been retired from service and examined, only for researchers to find the oil decaying over time as if it had been oiled only a month or so before leaving the ship. This has led some researchers to suggest that the unusual long life is no more than a sailor's tale, though thus far, they have been careful not to mention this theory within earshot of naval personnel.