Steel Empire
Entertaining 2

A small feast was held within the confines of the Castel of Kufstein. Sitting at the end of the table was Berengar, and by his side was Linde. At the table near Linde's position is Henrietta. The only other people present at the table were Aretha and various Byzantine merchants and nobles traveling with her Caravan, these people were allowed to have dinner at this table as a sign of friendship with the Byzantines. Berengar was quite pleased that the Byzantine Empire maintained significant control over the Mediterranean in this timeline. Instead, during his past life, they were on the verge of collapse at this point in history. This made establishing trade with the east much easier than dealing with a powerful Muslim Empire. 

Although the Byzantines were Orthodox, they were much friendlier in the world to the Catholics in the west than in their previous lives, and as such, the two men were able to get along quite well. Especially since Berengar was secretly an atheist and had no plans to discriminate based on what religion one might belong to. For the rest of the medieval world, this open-mindedness was rare, to say the least. 

Arethas and the Merchants were eating in various German cuisines, which Berengar had long introduced to Kufstein and had now spread throughout Austria and into Bavaria. The Byzantines were much more culturally advanced than their western counterparts because they were the surviving remnants of the ancient Roman Empire. Because of this, they were quite surprised that high-level culinary talents were available in such a remote area as Tyrol. Seeing the satisfied expression on Arethas' face as he dug out the veal schnitzel, Berengar could not help but ask about the man's opinion.

"So, what do you think of Tyrolean cuisine?"

After being asked such questions, Arethas slowly chewed on the food and enjoyed the taste before washing it off with a doppelbock beer. Since Berengar first established its factory, the first batch of doppelbock beer has recently been released. As a beer connoisseur, Berengar was quite satisfied with the results. It is seen from the look on the face of the Byzantine nobility that he was not the only one who enjoyed the warm taste of the strong German beer. Only after a while had passed and Arethas had enjoyed the dish he had just devoured, then he could answer Berengar's question.

"Really, this is amazing. I haven't eaten such fantastic foreign food in years. The last time I had such a beautiful dish from a foreign country was when I visited India!"

Growing up in a globalized world from his previous life, Berengar was quite used to eastern-style food. She is a huge fan of curries from various countries, including India; thus, her mouth drooled thinking about having curry rice dishes. Berengar had experimented with eating curry rice with tortilla chips in his previous life, acting as if the rice dish was sauce. It turned out to be quite delicious; at least in his opinion, of course, everyone found it strange to do such a thing. 

Think of memories like that, Berengar impatiently waited for the point where he acquired some coastal territories to build a large fleet that could sail across Asia and obtain the spices needed to recreate some of his favorite dishes from the continent that's. However, he was stuck in landlocked territory for now, and unless he progressed through force or coercion, he would not be able to obtain such a valuable territory. Both options take time to prepare. 

Arethas watched Linde for some time now; after all, she was an incredible beauty, and because of that, she could not help but praise him.

"Listen, your wife is one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. You're a lucky man."

Hearing herself being referred to as Berengar's wife, Linde began to blush as she turned her attention to the food on the table. Berengar chuckled at Arethas' comments. However, he did not intend to spoil Linde's pleasure, and therefore, did not explain that he was, in fact, his lover, not his wife.

"Linde is the mother of my son and the companion of my heart; as you say, I am truly a lucky man to have her by my side."

Seeing how Berengar did not correct Arethas, Linde decided to play a dutiful wife and made her stance clear.

"Listen is the only man I will love; I am the one who is grateful to be given the privilege of living by his side." 

“Listen, I don't mean to be rude, so forgive me if I'm out of place, but I see a lot of smoke billowing from your industry sector.it can entertain my curiosity, I'm very curious, how much iron is produced in this city?"

With this question asked, Berengar laughed once more, although this time it was a little more noticeable, and therefore, Arethas frowned before asking Berengar.

"What's so funny?"

A proud smile appeared on Berengar's face as he began to correct the man.

"It is not iron where my soldiers are equipped, but steel! My industrial sector produces enormous steel output every month; the right amount will surprise you. Let's just say I have more steel than I know what I have to do with it. right now."

This is not an exaggeration in the slightest with new territories acquired in his conquest and the city of Innsbruck becoming industrialized, Berengar produces thousands of tons of steel each month, and despite using steel in many construction projects, the, which range from fort buildings, sewage treatment centers, roads, etc as well as their extensive use in its weapons industry, to, it supplies not only its own troops with the advanced equipment they use but also its medieval weapons and allied armor. Berengar still had a sizable surplus, although the more ambitious his plan was, the more the surplus diminished. 

Hearing the information, Arethas immediately excited by the news. Although he was unable to understand how, if Berengar really had the ability to make steel in such a terrifying amount, then it was clear he could purchase some raw materials for his own troops. Therefore, he began to ponder the feasibility of such a deal.

"Is it possible for me to buy a portion of your surplus?"

A grin spread across Berengar's lips as he heard those words. Not only could he produce weapons and armor for the factions fighting for Germany, but with this opportunity, he could supply a portion of the Byzantine army fighting in Egypt. If properly negotiated, he could increase his arms trade business without jeopardizing his own position. After all, no matter what type of armor he produced for the Byzantines, it would never stop his rifle, especially the rifle shotgun that used mini-balls. So Berengar was not afraid to trade weapons and armor to the east.

Seeing Berengar talking about business at the dinner table, the other Merchants were instantly enlightened by the idea of buying some steel to bring back to the Empire for resale. Therefore, Berengar found himself bombarded with offers; however, before things became too chaotic, he raised his hand, beckoning the men to behave properly.

"We are enjoying the food now; there will be plenty of time to discuss business opportunities in the days ahead. Take this time to enjoy the dish on the table, and think about what offer you want to give me."

What Berengar said was true; they had preceded themselves after the excitement they felt after hearing that Berengar had a great deal of excess steel. After all, it was a difficult material to make in this era, and only in small quantities. If Berengar really had such a stockpile of precious materials, they would be willing to go to great lengths to secure a trade agreement with the young Count.

Thus, the rest of the dinner is spent discussing less important matters and ongoing world events. For the territories involved in the war, Tyrol is perfectly safe for now. So while the rest of Germany suffered through the hardships of war, Berengar comforted a number of Byzantine merchants and nobles from the East.