Steel Empire
A Speech Full of Spirit

Nearly six months have passed since Adela's birthday, and Berengar has long since returned to his home, where he has kept a close eye on his city-building, the transition of power, the expansion of his army, and of course, the advancement of industry. It is winter now, and Berengar stands in the middle of his newly built Reichstag, which serves as a room for his House of Commons. Sitting indoors were many men who were considered intelligent, capable, and charismatic enough to represent the interests of the common people of Kufstein.

The Young Viscount gave a powerful speech to the lower house of his legislative branch on Kufstein's achievements since his father voluntarily abdicated, allowing him control of the entire territory.

"Over the last few months, we have all worked very hard to further enrich the land we call home. Thanks to the Chemistry department, we have been able to fine-tune a large amount of TNT, which has been instrumental in rapidly expanding operations from the many mines in Viscounty, which have fueled our growing industry. Gives us a significant degree of autonomy and wealth!"

The ears of the commoners now elected as the officials of Kufstein's transitional government listened carefully to Berengar's fiery speech, carefully watching every word spoken as if it were spoken from the voice of God.

"The mighty walls that will secure the future of Kufstein City have been fully erected, built from steel-reinforced concrete beams; and; they will provide safety and security for every citizen who lives in it for many years!"

Some members of Congress nodded in agreement; investment into the wall was considered very important and was the first among the many rapid changes taking place in the region.

"As far as defense is concerned, we have assembled three whole infantry battalions, 2 whole artillery battalions, and one full Cuirassier battalion to act as Kufstein's First Field Army. Fortresses have been built between the heavily garrisoned and fully garrisoned Visounty areas, such as the City, thus adding a great level of protection to the land and the people I dare say Kufstein City could be surrounded by an army of a hundred thousand people, and we would still be the victors! "

The House of Commons is all too familiar with Army funding and fully supports such efforts. Although the government was originally supposed to be a mixture of the United States and Great Britain from Berengar's previous life, the Constitution was already four times rearranged to the point where it now closely resembled the constitution of the German Empire from that time. However, the main difference is in terms of the level of authority at which the head of state is held, which is significantly more than the Emperor's past life Berengar, and the law of succession which remains elective, though with more protection to ensure a peaceful transition of power from one Viscount to the next, and to avoid any form of corruption within the electorate. In essence, Berengar still held significant authority as a Viscount and could do anything he wanted practically as long as it made sense. In fact, the House of Representatives acted more as a tool to ease the heavy workload Berengar had to endure than as a way to limit Berengar's power.

“Thanks to the continuous efforts of our construction team, a series of affordable and comfortable tenement houses have been established to reduce the terrible conditions that ordinary people must experience as a result of population increase and rapid urbanization. plumbing and sanitation, we have significantly reduced the risk of contracting dangerous diseases."

Every lawmaker has a proud expression on their faces as many of their families live in this beautiful apartment complex, which has spread and replaced the slums where the City has previously been bullied. They continued to listen to Berengar as he turned to the topic of Agriculture.

"Our agricultural initiative has proven to be a great success because the slaves have been freed, he said, and the farmers who choose to remain in the fields have been given the tools and knowledge necessary to care for their fields with a minimal amount of labor while producing the largest possible harvest. This year's harvest is many times greater than anything in Kufstein's history! Therefore, we have stored a lot of grain to sustain our population in the coming years."

The last topic Berengar discussed was the field of public education.

“Under the Ministry of Education, schools have begun to be built in every populated region, and we have seen a rapid increase in literacy figures. We will continue to work hard to provide the knowledge and resources needed by young and old to succeed on the path they choose in life! Therefore, I implore every one of you to do your best in the coming year as many of these directives are still incomplete and need your help. I'm asking this from all of you so that we can turn this land we call home into a land where we can all be proud!"

With his closing statement, the entire parliamentary crowd stood up and applauded and cheered. No one will remain seated, for it will be a sign of disrespect to the man who helped turn Kufstein into what it is today.

While Berengar was enjoying the glory of his achievements, far north in the capital of the German Empire, the time had come. The old king lay lifeless on his deathbed; his reign was over. With his death, the stability and peace he brought to the Kingdom of Germany and the many fractured territories within it would end brutally. When pretenders who have attempted to sue their Thrones learn of this information, the German world will be embroiled in the flames of war. No territory is safe now that the King is dead, not even Kufstein...