Chapter 3: Introducing New Technology (1/2)

Berengar continued his exercise routine for some time, taking small breaks to recover when he felt his heart rate rising too high. With a complete and total lack of modern exercise equipment, the tall yet dreadfully skinny young man was forced to exercise the old-fashioned way. This exercise regimen was modeled after the U.S. Army's PT standards. Albeit scaled down to a capacity in which his frail body and weak heart could handle.

As he continued to persevere through a task that was incredibly difficult for the feeble body he currently inhabited; Berengar vowed that when he was able, he would draft blueprints for free weights, kettlebells, and a bench press, which he would deliver to the town's smith and inquire about the feasibility of crafting such items. After all, the technological prowess of this civilization was far from what he would consider being advanced.

Lambert gazed upon his sickly older brother struggle to improve himself from a tower above the Castle's courtyard. A frown was spread across his face as his wicked eyes glared menacingly at sight. This sudden desire for self-improvement did not bode well for his plans. His anger only outmatched his disbelief.

After all, Berengar should be dead, the poison that Lambert had used was effective enough to kill a warhorse, yet somehow Berengar was still standing, healthier than ever. All his scheming had gone to waste. The debts he had acquired to assassinate his elder brother remained unpaid, and if he could not become the heir to his father's title, he would be unable to repay them, which did not bode well for his future.

However, if he were to attempt to use poison again, it would undoubtedly draw the suspicion of others, something he wished to avoid. If Lambert were to succeed his father and achieve his aspirations, he would need to devise a new assassination plot.

...

An hour had passed, and Berengar was no longer capable of exercising. His first order of business was to bathe again and get rid of the sweat and grime accumulated over his body during his workout. The servants were perplexed as to why he desired to bathe twice in one day but followed his orders.

After cleansing himself once more, Berengar returned to his room, where he sat at his desk, took out a piece of parchment, and began to design blueprints for several of the early innovations he intended to make to the industry.

Though Berengar held limited authority within his father's land, he figured at the very least he could negotiate with his father about the implementation of such technology. If his father asked where he found such blueprints, he could simply say he acquired it from a trader from the far east. After all, similar technologies should exist in China during this time period. The earlier the Barony could mass-produce steel, the better it was for his plans.

The Barony of Kufstein was set in the Duchy of Austria. Mountains surrounded it, and a large tributary of the Danube river flowed through it, creating fertile valleys. It was exactly because of its geographic layout that the von Kufsteins could maintain their control over the resource-rich region. If not for the natural defensive barrier that surrounded the valley where the people dwelled, then more powerful families within the Empire would surely attempt to seize the region for themselves.

After some time, Berengar had finished the blueprints for one of the most important inventions in steel production. Without it, the Industrial Revolution in his previous life's timeline would have never transpired. It was known in his previous life as the ”Bessemer Converter” or the ”Bessemer Process.” Through this process, one could manufacture 3-5 tons of steel in a matter of 20 minutes.

The Bessemer process essentially functioned by removing impurities in the iron by oxidation. It utilized airflow through the molten material to achieve this. If one lined the interior of the converter with dolomite or limestone, they could produce a greater amount of slag as the byproduct, which could be used as a cheap phosphate fertilizer. Thus this technology aided in not only industrialization but also agriculture.

All of the machine components could be manufactured by a late medieval society, and either horse or waterwheel could power it. Obviously, as technology advanced, he could improve it to be powered by steam engines. However, that 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 achieve many things with it, the uses for high-quality steel were endless.

Ultimately Berengar would require a Blast Furnace to convert iron ore into pig iron which was then converted into steel by the Bessemer process. Though in this day and age, the Blast Furnace should already be invented. He was certain a resource-rich region like Kufstein would already have one in its local town. If they didn't, he would simply convince his father to build one alongside the Bessemer Converter. He developed a second set of blueprints for the Blast Furnace just in case there was not already one present in Kufstein.

After finishing his blueprints and letting them dry, Berengar picked up the pieces of parchment and carefully held onto them as he approached his father's study. The sun was just beginning to set as he knocked on the sturdy oak doors. Shortly afterward, he could hear the deep voice of 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 desk where his father sat behind, going over paperwork. A small library within the room covered the walls, mostly filled with books of direct importance to managing the realm's affairs.

A small oil lamp was lit and sat on the desk, illuminating the increasingly dim room, and more importantly, the parchment on which the Baron was writing upon. Sieghard did not even shift his glance to his son as he focused entirely on his paperwork.