Steel Empire
The Count's Daughter Has Returned

Days changed weeks as time passed; during this time, Berengar mainly oversaw the growth of the militia. Now, he had met his minimum infantry target of four companies of 100 people each. The artillery battery also began to form well, with 80 men and 5 guns. It wouldn't be long until he reached his minimum goal, but in his mind, it wasn't good enough. He now wanted a full-sized Battalion and two artillery batteries before the war began.

Although their training continued, it was done in such a way that, when observed by outsiders, highlighted the limitations of weapons. Thus, Lambert never felt the need to report the mass use of hand cannons and field weapons to his allies, and Sieghard had no desire to deploy Berengar's forces into his permanent army, which all played out perfectly in the hands of the young master.

Berengar was in a perfect mood today, as today was the day that Adela returned from her trip to her homeland. Not only did he miss the presence of his little fiancee, but he also wanted the gold and silver that his fiance would bring in as payment for the ten tons of steel he had sold to his father. With that said, the next phase of expansion could start to happen. Berengar, along with his family and Linde, had stood outside in their courtyard to welcome the young woman's arrival.

After some time, the banner of House von Graz appeared in the distance. His family emblem is a blue field and sable divided into divisions per bend. On it, or a goose with a beak, feet, and striking eyes plastered. It was a truly magnificent and detailed emblem, unlike von Kufstein's house. Their emblems are not yet perfect in comparison. It consists of divisions per bend in the sable and or, with sharp turns in the middle. It was very similar to the black, white, and red shield stickers seen on German helmets during World War I and II during Berengar's previous life; except red was replaced with gold. Despite the much more complex design of House von Graz, Berengar took pride in his own family banner. It reminded him of his great-grandfather from his previous life, who served in the Great War trenches as a soldier in the Kaiser army. After the collapse of the German Empire, his family left the homeland for greener pastures in America.

As Berengar reminisced about his past life, Adela's caravan had arrived inside the courtyard, as his luxury train stopped in front of the family, the door was open, and the caravan was open, and the little girl jumped out of the carriage and into Berengar's arms, hugging him. The young master barely had enough time to stabilize himself as he caught his fiancee, who pecked at his cheek with her precious lips.

"I missed you! Did you miss me?" it was the first thing the girl said as she clung to her fiance in front of her family. While the family was stunned by the explosion, Linde had a sullen expression on her face. Now that Berengar's fiancee had arrived, she would have less time with her master and master for herself. Fortunately everyone was too shocked by Adela's actions to realize Linde's sulking guise. She would have trouble explaining the look on her face if her fiance knew that.

After Berengar broke free from the young girl's clutches, he asked the question everyone had in mind.

"So, is everything here?"

Adela quickly recovered and realized the level of affection she had just shown Berengar in public; therefore, her cheeks quickly turned red in embarrassment. Nevertheless, like a good noblewoman, she calmed her heart and pointed to the servant who was carrying a large chest filled with silver and gold. Not until everything piled up did he boldly declare

"My father was the one who kept his promise; the number of transactions agreed in this chest was in the form of gold and silver bars. Count Otto von Graz would like to thank you for supplying such a large amount of steel and look forward to future cooperation."

Berengar smiled as he ordered some of his family servants to check the authenticity of the crate. Although he trusted Adela's words, he was still a cautious man and checked each of her rods; only after his value was confirmed was the mass of gold and steel transferred to the treasury. He now has the ability to invest in the textile industry, expand mine capacity, and furthermore, his steel surplus, which would be useful for many of the inventions he has planned. Once the irrigation system is fully installed, it will have many unemployed farmers who can start working in mines or factories. Everything really went according to his plan.

After Adela's arrival, the family throws a party to celebrate her return; she thoroughly enjoys the sumptuous cuisine she longs for so much during her absence. Berengar considered the appearance of the young girl as she devoured the food with a satisfied expression on her doll-like face very cute. However, Linde could not help but glare at her rival. Even if he would never be his wife, Linde still dislikes seeing Berengar show the other side of himself to his young fiancee whom he shows him. Her threatening gaze did not go unnoticed by Adela; she could not understand why Linde disliked her so much. It must be the fact that the two brothers were hostile; after all, they were not struggling to get the affection of the same man.

After the meal was over, Berengar immediately started work; although he wanted to spend the day with Adela, the pouch had to be filled with coins to ensure his engagement ceremony was well supplied, his troops were well equipped, and his family was well equipped, and the factory is guarded. His father would normally handle the coronation to the mine, but the Baron had delegated more responsibilities to his son and heir recently. Because of this, Berengar quickly found himself managing the mine, which worked perfectly for his plan. It also meant that his father was testing him; if he could handle such a monumental task efficiently, he might be able to obtain the title of Regent. Perhaps his father was also aware of the impending war and began to make his preparations.

One of these important inventions was a safety light that would provide adequate illumination in volatile areas where other lamps and candles could be dangerous. Mining is dangerous and laborious work; the least that Berengar can do is to apply adequate standards and safety equipment and salaries to compensate workers for possible occupational hazards. What really speeds up the mining process is dynamite. Although he knew the chemical equation for making such an object, he did not have the knowledgeable chemists and production facilities to produce it. He really needed to obtain an alchemist that he could personally teach in chemistry, but unfortunately, there was no one in the small region like his family.

However, he decided it was better to have a chemical lab that he could utilize in his spare time than not having the ability to produce chemicals at all. Therefore, he set aside a small portion of the mining funds to build the chemical laboratory and the equipment needed to equip it. As long as he asked for funds under the guise of "Other Mining Innovations," his father would approve. So the young master quickly drew up the necessary plans for the production. Although he had limited free time at the moment, he needed to produce supplies that required basic chemistry. It is better to have a system before he has the right chemist than the right chemist and no means of production.

As he was at work, he heard a knock on his door, which he quickly responded to; after opening the door, he, she saw her dear little fiance wearing a pastel pink velvet dress and a tray of snacks in her hand. She knows her fiance is busy with work, but she still wants to spend time with him, even if it's just watching him snack while he's working hard. The large German cheesecake sits on a tray that the young girl begins to split into pieces for the couple to eat.

After biting the delicious cheesecake, Berengar could feel tears forming in his eyes; it was exactly what his mother used to make. After all, it was his recipe that he remembered; however, inevitably he felt a longing for his old home. He began to wonder how his family would react to his death. He was too busy with work and school in his adult life to frequent home visits. Eventually, she was separated from her family; she began to lament that she had not spent more time with her parents before she died. It was a pity that she was an only child and died on the way home; her parents would definitely regret it because she never produced a grandchild for them. As she began to think of her grieving parents without grandchildren to comfort them, the tears in her eyes began to flow faster, she said,

Adela saw tears streaming from Berengar's eyes and tried to comfort him; she had no idea what would cause such a strange reaction.

"What's wrong? Are you all right?"

Berengar wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled; he felt ashamed of himself for crying in front of a little girl like Adela.

"Yes.I'm fine. It brings back memories."

Adela had no idea what memories she meant; as far as she was concerned, these recipes were her inventions; they had never been seen before. At this moment, Berengar finally realized that he had not answered the girl's question since he first returned and looked her in the eyes gently as she spoke honestly with him.

"I did miss you, Adela; sorry I couldn't say it sooner."

The young lady immediately began to blush when she heard his words; she did not expect him to say such a thing. For the next half hour, she shared a snack with Berengar, and by the time they finished, she was satisfied with the small time she spent with her fiance. He was finally able to tell if he felt anything during the weeks of his absence. The young girl thought that she was lucky to have a loving fiance; if she knew she was cheating with her sister's fiancee behind her back, she probably wouldn't have thought that way. However, she does not know, and Berengar intends to keep it that way; it's best your wife doesn't find out about your concubine if you can avoid her. Who knows what retaliation he might face if he realizes his complicated relationship with Linde.

After some time, Adela had left Berengar's room, and Berengar was focused on his work. All his plans for mining and industry he had created, were sent to Ludwig to be implemented or sent to his father's desk for approval. The plan of the engagement ceremony had been carried out by competent people under his father's command, and the family coffers were filled to the brim. With that, the work of another day had ended. He let out a heavy sigh as he sat back on his comfortable leather chair and watched the moon in the sky above. In a moment, Linde will knock on her door and call for attention, and she will spend the rest of her waking hours disciplining her for being so jealous of Adela's arrival. It was good to be a descendant of nobility, even if he was only the son of the Baron ...