—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Unlike Barons, who are practically members of parliament but treated like small fries in fantasy novels, Dukes are powerful figures even in fantasy.
It’s only natural, as a Duke is equivalent to a party leader and prime minister (or deputy prime minister) in the 21st century.
Based on nearly 20 years of living in the Toscana Empire, I questioned whether I should humble myself, but…
“Thank you for granting me an audience, Your Grace.”
Groveling before powerful figures is the wrong approach.
I’m not saying to be disrespectful.
Being humble yet assertive is the way to avoid being underestimated.
“I would have been disappointed if you trembled like the other commoners under me. I like your confident yet not arrogant demeanor.”
The Duke gave a faint smile.
Shrugging slightly, he asked,
“Are you not afraid of me?”
Fear is directly linked to authority.
He might get angry if I say I’m not afraid, interpreting it as disrespect.
By Korean standards, it would be extremely rude, but in our empire, it’s highly disrespectful for someone of lower status to not fear someone of higher status.
So much so that I’d have no right to complain even if my head were literally smashed.
“How could I be?”
“Yet, you seem quite confident.”
“I fear failing to earn Your Grace’s trust even more. Therefore, I strive to maintain my composure even in the face of your authority.”
Duke Visconti tapped his desk after hearing my words.
“I think we can talk a bit longer. Have a seat.”
Fortunately, my strategy of being humble yet assertive worked.
But the real battle begins now.
The Duke had the teacups and teapot beside him removed and brewed fresh tea in a gold-plated teapot.
Usually, one can only smell the aroma of tea by bringing the cup close to the nose.
But even before drinking the tea, a sweet, fruity fragrance filled the air.
“What do you think of the tea’s aroma?”
“It’s the finest tea I’ve ever had.”
“It’s Royal Grey, bestowed upon me directly by the Imperial Family.”
This conversation might seem superficial.
But beneath the surface lies a significant meaning.
First, a Duke like him can easily stockpile several boxes of tea leaves bestowed by the Imperial Family in his warehouse.
As it’s a frequent gift from the Imperial Family.
Nevertheless, the value of black tea bestowed by the “Imperial Family” and meant for royalty is immeasurable.
It’s not something that can be bought with money alone.
It shows how high his expectations of me are.
“I have high expectations of you.”
It’s a veiled threat that he’ll be greatly disappointed if I don’t meet his expectations.
“I intend to offer you an opportunity to strike a blow against the Sforza Duke family.”
There are two Duke families in the Toscana Empire.
The weaker one is the Visconti Duke family.
And the strongest can be considered the Sforza Duke family.
Therefore, every Visconti Duke has aimed to surpass the Sforza family.
“If you lie or speak nonsense, I’ll remove the decorations on your shoulders for insulting me.”
While politicians in South Korea might threaten to “kill you” but only end up using their connections and lawyers to make you a criminal through legal processes…
In the Toscana Empire, beheadings for blasphemy are commonplace.
There are even stories of deranged nobles executing serfs for merely touching them.
“I have devised a new method of iron production. Using this method, you can easily obtain vast quantities of steel.”
The Duke’s eyes lit up at the mention of steel.
“Steel? A method to easily obtain steel? Are you certain? You wouldn’t lie, or rather, you wouldn’t be mad enough to lie to me.”
Mass production of steel is a significant matter, enough to make even a Duke ramble.
Currently, in our empire, it costs approximately 120 gold coins to train a single knight, more than half of which is spent on equipment.
And more than 80% of the equipment cost goes into steel production, the majority of which is labor cost.
Because our empire’s steelmaking method involves making pig iron and then hammering it to death to produce steel.
‘With so much human labor involved, how can it be cheap?’
Explaining this with illustrations would seem more professional, right?
“May I show you an illustration to explain?”
I pulled out an illustration from my pocket.
“I haven’t shown this to Baron Medici or my father yet, but I’m showing it to Your Grace in advance.”
The Duke couldn’t take his eyes off the illustration.
“This is called a reverberatory furnace. It’s a furnace that can easily convert pig iron into steel.”
“Explain the principle.”
“You put charcoal in this hole at the bottom right and fan the flames. The hot air rises and melts the pig iron in the center.”
“Does melting iron that already contains impurities make a difference?”
“Iron melts at extremely high temperatures. So, the impurities inside burn away.”
There are several differences between pig iron, wrought iron, and steel, but fundamentally, it’s this:
The lower the impurity content, the higher the strength.
So, we build a reverberatory furnace to burn away the impurities.
“Once the impurities are burned away, the remaining iron becomes steel.”
The Duke looked at me with an incredulous expression.
“It’s absurdly simple and easy. Of course, there would be more trial and error in actually building it.”
The structure of a reverberatory furnace isn’t that complex.
To exaggerate, if you know the shape, you could have middle schoolers build it.
But it wasn’t invented until the 1830s.
It’s easy to build, but incredibly difficult to conceive.
“If you add a bit of animal bone, the strength will increase further.”
The ‘phosphorus’ inside plays an important role.
“You don’t have any other technologies like this, do you?”
Actually, I do.
A blast furnace that converts iron ore into pig iron, a Bessemer converter that requires more advanced technology than a reverberatory furnace but can produce tons of steel once built, and so on.
Technologies that could change the history of industry single-handedly.
But I don’t have enough money to build them right now.
While a reverberatory furnace is about the size of a house, a blast furnace needs to be at least 20 meters tall.
And building a Bessemer converter would be a pain, especially implementing the ventilation system.
“I’ll keep it a secret.”
“You’re quite bold for a youngster these days. Keeping secrets from me.”
Well, even just revealing this much has greatly increased my value.
Why should I reveal all my secrets?
I should let him make his own assumptions to boost my value.
“I’m a merchant. It’s my job to weigh even my own life against profit. So, how much will you buy me for?”
The Duke crossed his arms leisurely and smiled.
So wide that his lips almost reached his ears.
“I hear you’re embroiled in a Church trial. You have no powerful backing, so you won’t be able to withstand Christian’s attacks.”
Is he trying to lowball me in exchange for saving my life?
Well, it’s common in games to offer discounts in exchange for saving someone’s life.
I acknowledge that, I do.
“I’ll pull some strings with Archbishop Firenze. He’ll obey me like a dog, so he’ll assist you wholeheartedly. Furthermore, I’ll have that Christian fellow stripped of his priesthood.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
“30% of your sales, and you entrust me with the distribution rights of your products, and I’ll invest fully. Isn’t that an attractive offer?”
Honestly, it is.
It’s not uncommon for others to demand nearly 40% as protection money without any initial investment.
But once I bow my head like this?
I’ll become a pushover forever.
That’s a disaster I can’t tolerate, as someone aiming to become a mastermind in this world.
“Thank you for your valuable time, Your Grace.”
With those words, I stood up to leave.
It’s incredibly rude, but he can’t kill me right now.
If he kills me here, he’ll become a scumbag who murders his vassal’s son without reason, losing political influence and facing ruin.
And if I leave?
I could sell the mass steel production recipe to the Sforza Duke family.
The Duke hurriedly stood up and grabbed me.
“Stop!”
Then he shook his head.
“20% of your sales, and I’ll provide protection and initial capital! This condition will also apply to future contracts. How about that?”
This is why monopolies are bad.
Because of the competition, even someone small like me can maximize my value.
“I pledge my loyalty to Your Grace. Now, let’s discuss the investment in detail.”
And so, using the “new steelmaking method” as leverage, I secured a highly favorable contract.
The Duke saw me off with a soulless expression…
But I can guarantee.
That 10 minutes after I leave, he’ll dance with joy upon realizing the value of the steel distribution rights.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[Your Text Here]
