Ambition of Steel 6

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

Upon hearing the blacksmith's call that the molten iron was ready, Paul immediately ran to the furnace door, closely watching as others gathered around.

The blast furnace door swung open, and a scorching wave of heat rushed out, followed by a flow of bright red molten iron, resembling boiling lava. Many people were startled and stepped back.

The molten iron was guided into sand molds, gradually cooling into solid iron ingots.

Paul looked delighted. Although what was being produced now was just pig iron, which required various manual processes by the blacksmiths before it could be used, it was already a ground-breaking advancement compared to traditional smelting techniques in this world.

The other visitors marveled in amazement. Many of them were witnessing such a scene for the first time.

"Herman!"

"Yes, Lord Grayman."

"Take this iron and forge a sword for me. I want to see the quality of the iron we've smelted."

"Yes!"

Paul gathered the craftsmen present, encouraged them, and urged them to continue improving the production capacity of the ironworks.

He handed a bag of silver coins to Conrad as a bonus, instructing him to assess everyone's contributions and distribute the coins accordingly.

Amid cheers, Paul led the visitors out of the valley. Guy Burns also returned to Alden Town with Paul.

"My lord."

Hansel approached Paul with a smile on his face.

"You've once again realized the plans you showed me back then. I was a bit skeptical about the iron smelting aspect before. Even now, if you could conjure up a warehouse full of swords and armor instantly, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Haha, if I could do that, I'd be a wizard, and the Church would send me straight to the stake."

"If you had that ability, I bet the Church would try to recruit you before anyone else. But let's talk business. Regarding the royal family..."

This guy, after all, was sent by the royal family to represent their interests by my side, and he's still concerned about his career path!

Several batches of grain have been sent, but so far, the royal family hasn't directly provided much help. However, Hansel is still worth cultivating. He has been quite effective in recruiting manpower for Alda in the capital, even managing to attract many refugees.

"Oh! You're talking about His Majesty the King. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten."

Paul patted Hansel on the shoulder, reassuring him.

"After building a few more blast furnaces, the iron produced in those furnaces will be specifically supplied to His Majesty's army."

Hansel beamed with joy.

"I knew you were devoted to His Majesty the King. Even the Lord of Light would be moved by you. My lord..."

Hansel was about to continue flattering Paul, but he was interrupted by someone else.

"Sir Abbot, Sir Abbot, there's something I need to discuss with Lord Grayman. Could I have a moment..."

Guy Burns urgently inserted himself between the two.

Hansel frowned slightly unhappily. This engineer didn't seem to know his place, but lately, he had been quite favored.

He quickly resumed his smile and extended a hand. "Please, Mr. Burns, go ahead."

"Well then, thank you. Lord Grayman, I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Oh? What is it?"

Paul was curious. Since leaving the ironworks, Burns had been silent, seemingly brewing something in his mind.

"Do you remember that day in the office when you pointed at the boiling kettle and asked me to take a closer look?"

"Oh, that! Did you see something?"

Paul was somewhat surprised. Could it be true? Did Burns actually see something significant?

"Yes, my lord! I saw it! It's the future! I saw the future!"

Burns slapped his thigh, his face suddenly showing excitement.

"What do you mean by 'the future'?"

"Steam, using steam to power machines, like windmills and waterwheels!"

Wow! Paul was taken aback. He didn't expect Burns to have figured it out.

"Burns, you're a genius to have discovered this on your own!"

Burns clasped his hands to his chest, full of admiration for Paul.

"No, No! It was your bold and creative idea, my lord. I'm just humbled by it."

"Haha, you're truly a natural engineer!"

"My lord, you are..."

Suddenly, a disdainful voice interrupted them. "Tch! What kind of creativity is this?"

Burns was furious and turned to find the source of the voice. It turned out to be Betty D'Arshi, the female advisor walking behind them.

Seeing that she was a beautiful lady, he refrained from getting angry.

"Miss Advisor, I admit you are knowledgeable, but your words are a bit biased!"

Paul also gave her a look that said, "What do you mean if this isn't creativity?"

Eileen had been listening to their conversation all along. Unable to tolerate their mutual admiration any longer, she decided to show them what true innovation meant, especially Paul Grayman, who had recently become a bit complacent due to a series of inventions. However, his inventions were indeed quite useful.

"My words are not biased. Using steam for power has been done before, over a thousand years ago."

Eileen's words successfully caught the attention of both men.

"It's recorded in historical texts that before the Ancient Bela Empire, a wise man named Roxel created a device called the 'steam sphere.' When water was boiled, the sphere on top would rotate continuously. Later, he used steam-driven power to create a temple gate that could rotate. When believers offered offerings, people hiding in the dark would open the steam pathway, and the temple gate would rotate open as if it were powered by some invisible magical force. Unfortunately, his inventions were lost."

Paul was secretly surprised. So someone did recognize the potential of steam, but over a thousand years ago, the technology was insufficient to create a true steam engine and could not be used for production.

He waved his hand, pretending to be disdainful. "Those were just toys and tricks. What I want to create, a 'steam engine,' is not that kind of trivial thing."

Burns nodded repeatedly.

"Steam engine? That's a good name. Yes, Miss Advisor, the Earl and our goal is to create machines that can continuously provide power like windmills and waterwheels, saving a lot of manpower."

Eileen looked incredulous.

"Humph! Nonsense! The power of wind and water is not something soft like steam can compare to! The deeds of the wise man Roxel are just legends. Isn't that right, Laddie?"

The other female advisor, somewhat embarrassed, said, "Um... Betty, while I can't quite imagine what a 'steam engine' would look like, I believe Lord Grayman can make it."

"What? You're not standing on my side? Watch how I deal with you..."

"Ah~"

...

Ignoring the playful banter between the two women, Paul apologized to Burns somewhat regretfully, "You see the potential of steam very well, but at this stage, I'm not planning to pursue this..."

"Why not, my lord?"

Burns was somewhat incredulous.

(End of the Chapter)