NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6
In reality, he’s a dignitary akin to a member of parliament, but unlike some barons who come off as useless in fantasy novels, dukes maintain their high standing even there.
Ba-dang!
That’s because a duke is like a monster who would be a party leader and prime minister all rolled into one in the 21st century!
Woosh!
Living nearly twenty years in the Toscan Empire, I felt a twinge of uncertainty and anxiety about whether I should lower myself.
“Thank you so much for making time for me, Your Excellency.”
Bend!
Cowering before high-ranking officials is simply wrong.
Whoosh!
It’s not about rolling up your humility like a spring roll, but rather showing a humble yet steadfast presence to avoid being looked down upon by the esteemed.
“Had you shivered like those common folks beneath me, it would have been quite disappointing. I admire your poise; it’s dignified yet not arrogant.”
Smile!
The duke smiled gently.
Shrug!
He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Am I… perhaps not scary?”
Gulp!
Fear often translates directly to authority. If I said I wasn’t scared, he might take offense, thinking I was looking down on him.
Ding!
In Korea, such statement might seem outrageous, but in our empire, a low-born person not fearing a high-ranking official is grossly disrespectful.
Thud!
You might as well shatter your skull in the process.
“Of course not,” I replied.
“Remarkably confident, I must say.”
“I fear not gaining your trust even more, so I strive to maintain my composure in your esteemed presence.”
Clap!
The Duke Visconti tapped the desk before him.
“We might as well chat a bit longer. Have a seat.”
Plop!
Thank goodness my strategy of being humble yet assertive is working.
Phew!
But the real battle is just beginning.
Swish!
The duke had the teacups and kettle removed from the table, and soon brought in a fresh brew from a silver teapot.
Drip!
Typically, one needs to bring the teacup close to one’s nose to catch the scent, but…
Breathe in!
Before I could even sip, a fruity aroma hit my senses.
“What do you think of the tea’s aroma?”
“It’s my first time tasting such fine tea.”
“This is Royal Greyne, personally gifted to me by the royal family.”
Wow!
On the surface, such conversations may appear trivial.
Ping!
Yet, when you dig deeper, they hold significant meaning.
First off, someone of the duke’s stature could easily stock a few chests of royal tea leaves from the palace.
Ha-ha!
It’s a common gift from the royals.
Even so, the value of royal grade tea that only royalty gets to indulge in is beyond imagination. It’s not a commodity you can easily buy just by saving money.
Cha-ching!
It implies that expectations of me are quite high.
“I have high hopes for you.”
Ding!
That’s a threat implying he’d be highly disappointed if I fail to meet those expectations.
“I want to give you a chance to take down the Sforza family.”
Wow!
In the Toscan Empire, there are two duke houses.
Clash!
Of those, the weaker family is the Visconti, while the Sforza family stands as the strongest.
Consequently, historically, the goal of every Visconti duke has always been to defeat the Sforzas.
“If you’re lying or spouting nonsense, I’ll remove the embellishments from your shoulders as a punishment.”
Ding!
While politicians in Korea might threaten with “I’ll kill you?”, in the Toscan Empire, they commonly execute offenders for blasphemy.
Slice!
There are even tales of nobles killing serfs for the most trivial of reasons.
“I’ve devised a new method of smelting iron. With this method, we could easily obtain a significant amount of steel.”
Clatter!
Upon hearing “steel,” the duke’s eyes lit up.
“Steel? A way to easily obtain steel? Is that really true? You wouldn’t joke about this, would you? No one is insane enough to lie to my face about it.”
Wide-eyed!
For an individual of his caliber to babble in excitement about mass-producing steel is no small feat.
Ding!
Currently, in our empire, training a knight costs around 120 gold coins, with more than half of that going toward equipment.
Clink!
And over 80% of the equipment costs derive from the money spent on steel, most of which goes to labor.
Cha-ching!
That’s because our empire’s steel-making process involves turning pig iron into steel by hammering it until you drop – a crude method, to say the least!
Thwack!
“Can a human be cheap when they’re getting shredded like that?”
Ahem!
Isn’t it better to explain with a picture?
“Would you like me to show you a diagram for clarity?”
Rustle!
I pulled out a picture from my pocket.
“This hasn’t been shown to Baron Medici or my father yet, but I’m letting you take a look at it first.”
Peep!
The duke couldn’t take his eyes off the drawing.
“What you see here is called a blast furnace. It’s a kiln that can easily convert pig iron into steel.”
“Explain the principle.”
“Place charcoal in the hole at the bottom right and ignite it. The hot air rises and melts the pig iron at the center.”
Fwoosh!
“Does melting iron that already has impurities change anything?”
Shrug!
“Iron melts at incredibly high temperatures. Thus, the impurities inside will burn away.”
Whoosh!
The difference between pig iron, wrought iron, and steel is manifold, but fundamentally boils down to that.
Ding!
The lower the degree of impurities, the higher the strength.
So, by creating a blast furnace, we can burn away the impurities.
Poof!
“Once all the impurities are burned away, all that remains is steel.”
Wow!
The duke looked at me with an expression of disbelief.
“It’s astonishingly easy and simple. Of course, if this were to be made in reality, I imagine there would be some trial and error!”
Clap!
The structure of a blast furnace isn’t particularly complex.
Scratch!
To exaggerate just a little, if you know the shape, you could gather a bunch of middle schoolers and have them build it.
However, this invention dates back to the 1830s.
Whoosh!
While making it is easy, coming up with the idea is incredibly challenging.
“If you add some animal bones, the strength will increase a bit more.”
Clink!
The phosphorus within plays a crucial role.
“Is there no other technology besides this one?”
Uh-oh!
The truth is, there’s more.
There’s also the tall chimney-like furnace that can convert ore into pig iron, which requires more advanced technology, and once made, it could yield tons of steel, like the Bessemer converter!
Ka-ching!
Just one of these could change the entire history of industry.
However, we currently lack the funds to build them right away.
Whirl!
While a blast furnace may be about the size of a house, a full furnace needs to be at least 20 meters tall.
Boom!
The hassle involved in implementing an air outlet for a Bessemer converter would be a nightmare.
“Let’s keep this a secret.”
Shh!
“Oh, you’re quite bold for someone so young. To challenge me with a secret!”
Ha-ha!
But just showing this has already skyrocketed my value.
Bump!
Why would I disclose my secrets?
I need to create an illusion of value and raise my worth!
“I’m a merchant. It’s my daily life to put my life on the line to earn money. What price will you value me at?”
Chime!
The duke crossed his arms leisurely, smiling.
Grin!
His lips curled up as if to touch his ears.
“I hear you’re currently entangled in a church trial, right? Without any special backing, you won’t be able to fend off Christian’s attacks.”
Uh-oh!
Is he trying to bring down my price in exchange for saving my life?
Oh well, it’s common in any game to lower prices in exchange for saving someone’s life.
Ding!
I respect that approach; I truly do.
“I can persuade the Archbishop of Florence. With a single word from me, he’ll have to bark like a dog, and he’ll help you wholeheartedly. Furthermore, I can have Christian stripped of his position as a cleric.”
“Thank you, Your Excellency.”
“Give me 30% of the revenue and entrust me with the disposal rights of your goods, and I’ll invest wholeheartedly. Isn’t that a tempting offer?”
Score!
To be honest, yes.
In most cases, there are situations where they don’t even offer initial investments and take as much as 40% in taxes.
Ding-ding!
But if I bow once like this…
It means I will become a continual target for exploitation.
Oh no!
As someone targeting the hidden powers of this world, I absolutely cannot allow such a disaster.
“Thank you for your valuable time, Your Excellency.”
Bow!
With that, I stood up to leave.
Whoosh!
It’s an immense rudeness, but he can’t harm me right now.
Crack!
If he kills me here, he’d become the scum who killed the son of one of his retainers for no reason, losing political influence and facing doom.
Yikes!
But if I step outside…?
I could easily sell the steel production recipe to the Sforza family!
Ding!
The duke scrambled to his feet to stop me.
“Stop!”
Woah!
He shook his head.
“I’ll give you 20% of the revenue and provide all protection and initial capital! These terms will also apply to any contract we make from now on. How about that?”
Bam!
This is why monopolies are bad.
Thud!
With a competitive structure in place, even someone small like me can maximize my worth!
“I pledge my loyalty to you, Your Excellency. Now, let’s delve into investment details.”
Clink!
Thus, I could strike a highly advantageous deal while holding “new smelting methods” hostage.
Buzz!
The duke sent me off with an expression as if his soul had detached from his body…
Wink!
I can guarantee this.
In just ten minutes after I walk out, he’ll realize the value of the steel disposal rights and start dancing around!
Tada!