Ambition of Steel 5

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

The next day, everyone gathered at the small dock in Alden Town and then boarded a small boat to head towards the location of the ironworks.

In addition to those present in the castle hall yesterday, officials like Old Ford and Hansel from the Council, and military figures like Schroder and Bryce, were also present.

They entered a tributary of the Wes River, and as the boat progressed, the water became increasingly turbulent. Gradually, they spotted a small dock guarded by interior guards. Upon reaching the dock, they followed a path into a valley filled with trees, obscuring the view inside.

Upon receiving a report from the sentinels, Guy Burns rode out to greet them.

"Alright, Burns, enough chatter. Let's get straight to the point."

"Uh... yes, Lord Grayman."

Burns led Paul and the others towards the "ironworks" still under construction inside the valley.

Similar to District 51 before, there were layers of watch posts here as well. Interior troops led by fierce military dogs patrolled everywhere, creating a tense atmosphere.

Although they referred to it as the "first blast furnace," Burns and the craftsmen had already conducted numerous trials. Otherwise, they wouldn't have dared to notify Paul to visit. It would be embarrassing if the Earl wasted a trip here.

Gradually, they heard the splashing sound of water. After walking through dense woods, a waterfall appeared before them. Before the waterfall, a building spanned the small river, covering nearly 10 meters of the river's length.

Paul asked, "What's that building on the river?"

"The water turbine room, where the power for the bellows is generated."

Paul was somewhat amazed. Was it necessary to be this extravagant, directly covering the river?

There were openings in the walls of the water turbine room, with transmission chains extending from them into another building located by the riverbank.

Burns explained to Paul, "That building houses the bellows regulator."

"Take me inside the water turbine room first."

Burns led Paul into the water turbine room, while the others were kept outside by guards.

The scene inside amazed Paul.

He had thought Burns could create a hydraulic drive similar to the common waterwheel he knew, albeit with more complex transmission devices for the bellows.

But he hadn't expected this set-up to be so "powerful," at least visually.

In the center of the room were several large water chutes, with rushing river water flowing rapidly beneath them, almost filling the room.

Driven by the water flow, the water chutes rotated slowly, continuously transmitting power through the transmission chains.

"For ease of maintenance, we built the house on the river to protect these water chutes from environmental erosion."

It was clear that Burns cherished his creation; the interior of the water turbine room was meticulously designed, with stone floors laid down. For maintenance personnel, stairs, railings, and a pathway crossing the river were also constructed.

But what Paul was most concerned about was its efficiency.

"Burns, these... these 'water chutes,' how much power can they generate?"

"75 horsepower. You're familiar with the term 'horsepower,' right? It generates at least 75 horsepower of power per second."

As they spoke, they walked out of the water turbine room, and the others who had stayed outside immediately caught up.

Burns led them to the front of the iron smelting blast furnace, where the craftsmen stood waiting for the molten iron to be produced. Upon Paul's arrival, they all saluted.

Although it was winter, the energy emanating from the blast furnace still caused waves of heat to ripple around, creating a stark contrast for those who had just approached.

In addition to the iron smelting craftsmen, two others were present—Herman and Malo from District 51's arsenal. They were responsible for the development of firearms and cannons. With the production of standardized firearms already delegated to their subordinates, some craftsmen were even sent by the navy to build a second arsenal near Frand Port. The two were mainly experimenting with various improvements on firearms and artillery.

As for what the two were doing here, it was naturally to evaluate the impact of the new iron smelting method on weapons production.

Lady Advisor Ladia knew a little about iron smelting, and this towering blast furnace was something she had never seen before. She couldn't help but exclaim, "With such a furnace, wouldn't it be troublesome to dismantle and rebuild it over and over?"

Paul proudly said, "You don't understand this. This furnace can be reused, and it can operate continuously. Add ore and fuel from above, release molten iron from below, then add ore and fuel from above again, and release molten iron from below... continuously, without interruption."

"Ahem! Of course, this is only in theory. The actual operational time is limited by the refractory materials of the furnace body. The current one is just an experimental model. However, I believe that with the summary and improvement of refractory material ratios, this blast furnace will be able to operate continuously for a long time. I estimate that one furnace can produce more than ten tons of iron."

"Iron smelting work? Those unfamiliar with iron smelting were indifferent, but those with some understanding of the trade were stunned by Paul's figures. It was quite exaggerated, no wonder the Lord spoke yesterday about monopolizing the steel supply in the Northwest Gulf."

Hansel even covered his mouth with his hand, first in shock and then inwardly ecstatic.

The novelty gadgets the Lord had previously introduced made everyone less skeptical about his words.

In fact, Paul had just boasted a bit. He himself wasn't sure how much iron one blast furnace could produce. The exact figures would only be known through future practical experiments.

Conrad, the head in charge of managing these iron smelting craftsmen, had been in service with the Grayman family before. He approached Paul with a smile, holding up an iron ingot.

"Lord Grayman, take a look. This is the pig iron we smelted in our previous experiments."

Paul took the iron ingot and examined it carefully.

While everyone was captivated by the blast furnace, Paul took Conrad aside quietly and asked, "Conrad, have your experiments been successful? Have you encountered any difficulties?"

Conrad answered honestly, "The biggest challenge has been in manufacturing refractory materials. The disposable furnaces we used before didn't require this. Later, using hard clay as the main material gave us some clues. Uh... I won't hide it from you, my lord. Actually, up to now, we haven't found the optimal formula and production method."

Paul encouraged him, "This is something that can only be achieved through continuous accumulation of experience. Don't stop here."

"Please rest assured, we will continue to improve."

At that moment, someone shouted from the direction of the blast furnace, "Molten iron is flowing!"

Paul's attention was immediately drawn there, and he hurried over to the blast furnace.

(End of the Chapter)