Steel Empire
Introducing New Technologies

Berengar continued his exercise routine for some time, taking a short break to recuperate when he felt his heart rate had risen too high. With modern sports equipment complete and incomplete, the tall yet extremely thin youth was forced to exercise the old-fashioned way. This exercise regimen is modeled after the US Army PT standard. Although reduced to a capacity that can be handled by a weak body and a weak heart.

As he continues to endure through the extremely difficult task for the weak bodies he inhabits today; Berengar swears that when he is able, he will design a blueprint for free weights, kettlebells, and other, and a bench press, which he would send to the city blacksmith and inquire about the feasibility of crafting such items. After all, the technological prowess of this civilization was far from what he considered advanced.

Lambert stared at his sickly elder brother's struggle to repair himself from a tower above the castle grounds. Wrinkles spread across his face as his evil eyes bulged menacingly. This sudden desire for self-improvement does not bode well for his plans. His anger only overcame his disbelief.

After all, Berengar should have been dead, the poison Lambert used was effective enough to kill the war horse, yet somehow Berengar was still standing, healthier than before. All his plans have been in vain. The debt he earned for killing his older brother remained unpaid, and if he could not become the heir to his father's title, he would not be able to pay it back, which did not bode well for his future.

However, if he tried to use poison again, it would definitely attract the suspicion of others, something he wanted to avoid. If Lambert wants to succeed his father and achieve his aspirations, he needs to devise a new assassination plot.

...

An hour had passed, and Berengar was no longer able to exercise. His first job was to take another bath and remove the sweat and dirt that had accumulated all over his body during the exercise. The servants were confused as to why he wanted to take a bath twice in one day but followed his orders.

After cleaning himself up once again, Berengar returned to his room, where he sat at his desk, took out a piece of parchment, and began designing blueprints for some of the early innovations he wanted to make for the industry.

Although Berengar held limited authority on his father's land, he thought he could at least negotiate with his father about the application of the technology. If his father asked where he found such a blueprint, he could only say that he got it from a merchant from the far east. Anyhow, similar technology should exist in China during this period of time. The earlier Barony can mass produce steel, the better for his plan.

The Barony of Kufstein is set in the Duchy of Austria. Mountains surround it, and a large tributary of the Danube flows through it, creating a fertile valley. Precisely because of its geographical layout, von Kufstein was able to maintain their control over resource-rich areas. If not for the natural defensive barrier surrounding the valley where the people lived, then the stronger families within the Empire would have definitely attempted to seize the territory for themselves.

After some time, Berengar had completed the blueprint for one of the most important inventions in steel production. Without it, the Industrial Revolution in the previous lifeline would never have happened. It was known in his previous life as "Bessemer Converter" or "Bessemer Process." Through this process, one can produce 3-5 tons of steel within 20 minutes.

The Bessemer process basically works by removing impurities in the iron by oxidation. It utilizes the flow of air through the liquid material to achieve this. If someone coats the inside of the converter with dolomite or limestone, they can produce more slag as a byproduct, which can be used as a cheap phosphate fertilizer. Thus this technology helps not only industrialization but also agriculture.

All components of the machine could be produced by late medieval society, and horses or waterwheels could drive them. Obviously, as technology advances, it can upgrade it to be powered by a steam engine. However, it was a distant dream; he needed an early model built for now. High quality steel was currently a rare commodity; with the introduction of the Bessemer process, he could accomplish a lot with it, the use of high quality steel was endless.

In the end Berengar would need a Blast Furnace to convert the iron ore into pig iron which was then converted into steel by the Bessemer process. Whereas in this day and age, Blast Furnace should have been found. He was confident a resource-rich region like Kufstein would have it in a local town. Otherwise, he would just convince his father to build one next to the Bessemer Converter. He developed a second set of blueprints for the Explosion Furnace just in case no one was in Kufstein yet.

After finishing his blueprint and letting it dry, Berengar picked up a piece of parchment and carefully held it as he approached his father's study. The sun had just started to set as he knocked on the sturdy oak door. Shortly afterwards, he could hear a heavy voice from his father's reply.

"Come in"

Berengar took a deep breath and exhaled before entering his father's study. Inside the room was a large table where his father was sitting in the back, checking the documents. A small library in the room covered the walls, mostly filled with books that were instantly essential to managing royal affairs.

A small oil lamp was lit and placed on the table, illuminating the increasingly dim room, and more importantly, the parchment on which the Baron wrote. Sieghard did not even turn his gaze to his son as he focused entirely on his documents.

Berengar cleared his throat and handed the documents to his father, whom he had spent most of the afternoon compiling.

"I want you to see this. It's very important for steel production in our region."

Sieghard stopped when he heard his son's request and put his pen on the table. He looked at his son with an interrogating gaze as if questioning whether his time would be wasted by looking through documents. Nevertheless, he grabbed them and looked at them once or twice before putting them down and sighing.

"What exactly do I see here?"

Sieghard may have been an efficient statesman and a famous warrior, but he had no objection to the technique. Therefore, he needed an explanation for that blueprint.

Berengar swallowed the saliva that had accumulated in his mouth and began to preach to his father about the beauty of this new discovery.

“Father, with this tool, we will be able to produce high quality steel in large quantities in a short time of 20 minutes. Not only that, the by-products of this tool will be able to serve as an efficient fertilizer to improve agriculture.production."

A shocked expression appeared on Sieghard's face as he looked at the blueprint once more. Although he did not fully understand what he was seeing, the prospect Berengar was proud of was too good to ignore. However, a question suddenly popped into his mind as he voiced his concern.

"Where did you get this?"

Berengar had expected such a question, and thus, spun a big story about how he met some traveling merchants from the far east, who had traded the blueprints with Berengar for a small fee. Although his father was skeptical of this claim, he had heard stories about how advanced the far eastern countries were and thus decided to act at Berengar's request.

"Alright, tomorrow I will call the best engineer in the region; if he can make sure that this technology is legitimate, then I will implement it as quickly as I can."

Berengar smiled and bowed respectfully to his father; to be honest, this went better than he thought.

"Thank you for listening to my request, father."

With that said, Sieghard took the questioner and returned to his documents

"If that's all, then you can go."

Berengar bowed once more to the proud Baron before departing from his room with a wide grin spread across his face. The introduction of the Bessemer and Blast Furnace processes is just the first phase of his plan for modernization. The next goal is to implement a four-field system and basic irrigation. Something he could not explain by trading with a trader. Therefore, he should take the time to visit the fields and talk to the peasants.

However it was his plan for the near future; for the time being, he intended to rest, his body ached due to the hard training he had forced on him this morning, he said, and it won't be any easier to move forward. After stopping by the kitchen for a short snack, Berengar returned to his room to rest. Before he knew it, he was completely sound asleep, dreaming about his past and present life and the events that happened.