Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World-Chapter 580: Aftermath of the Rebellion
Chapter 580: Aftermath of the Rebellion
TL: Rui88
“Oh-ho, oh-ho, is our great chemist meddling in political affairs?”
Paul spoke the above words with a hint of sarcasm.
“I don’t think this is a political matter, Lord Grayman. I am protecting an outstanding talent who may have a broad future in academia and could make a great contribution to your domain. Tennyson Fajeyev…that is the student’s name. He has been at the academy for the past two years, occasionally going home to visit his family. He is also a research fanatic, spending most of his time in the laboratory. I cannot imagine how such a fellow, almost cut off from the life of ordinary people, could possibly be involved in a rebellious conspiracy.”
After stating his request, Wells lost his earlier timidity and regained his usual confidence, defending his student with conviction.
“But his surname is Fajeyev,” Paul said with a grim face.
But inwardly, he was secretly laughing. In fact, as soon as Wells had mentioned such a person was in his prison, Paul had already made a decision. But for a certain purpose, he decided to provoke Wells a little.
A look of absurdity appeared on Wells’s face, and he waved his arms dramatically as he shouted, “Lord of Light! Just because of a family name that was decided at birth, something he couldn’t choose? Oh, my Lord Grayman, I thought you were a lord who was different from those other bastards, possessing the fine qualities of both enlightenment and mercy.”
Wells’s words scared Burns, who was standing to the side. How could he dare to speak to Count Grayman like that to his face?
“Wells, watch your words,” he reminded him.
Paul waved his hand at Burns, indicating he did not mind, and then said to Wells, “Say what you will, but if I punish this Fajeyev fellow, I will not be morally condemned anywhere in all of Ordo.”
Wells’s face gradually darkened, clearly beginning to get angry. If the person he was talking to was not a lord who could have his head chopped off, with his temper, he might have started cursing long ago.
Alright, Paul thought to himself, provoking him to this extent was about enough.
“However…” he changed his tone, “I consider myself a magnanimous person, especially… under circumstances where I can get what I want.”
Get what you want? Wells noticed the key point in Paul’s words.
“Then what do you want, Lord Grayman? After your objective is achieved, can Tennyson be released?”
Paul slowly walked over to a chair by the workbench and sat down, facing Wells directly.
“A few days ago, several merchants from Horn Bay asked if they could buy armour and weapons here at Northwest Industries that could be mass-produced, were cheap, and of high quality. But as you know, the metal military equipment we can currently produce in large quantities is basically made of wrought iron. That’s cheap stuff for the common soldiers. The high-quality armour used by the knightly lords requires blacksmiths to beat the wrought iron into thin sheets and repeatedly heat it in a charcoal fire, or to layer pig iron and wrought iron together and forge them repeatedly to obtain better quality iron, or what we call…steel. Only armour and weapons made from such material can be considered high quality.”
“Oh, by the way, I noticed…” Paul interjected with a side note, “In our current era, there seems to be no strict distinction between iron and steel. In the eyes of most people, steel is just better quality iron, or the two names are used interchangeably. Now, I am formally distinguishing them. Steel is steel, and iron is iron. Alright, now to continue…”
Paul looked at Wells and said slowly, “The old methods of turning iron into steel…like the two I just mentioned…are just too inefficient. What I want to know is, first, what essential change occurs during the process of converting iron to steel, or rather, what substance’s increase or decrease contributes to the difference in their properties? Second, after obtaining the answer to the first question, can we use this answer to find a method for mass-producing steel, just like how we smelt iron…flowing continuously from the blast furnace, instead of being hammered out by blacksmiths, one strike at a time.”
Hiss! Both Wells and Burns gasped. The two points Count Grayman raised were quite challenging.
Paul continued, “With a method for mass-producing steel, we can meet the customers’ demands and secure their orders. Wells, this is what I want.”
Wells gritted his teeth, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. “I wonder when Lord Grayman wants the results?”
“As long as it’s before the sentencing, that will be fine. I estimate the trials will last a year. Oh, right, if you can find the answer, I will pardon Tennyson. But if you can find the answer within half a year, not only Tennyson himself but also his family members…I’m talking about those who did not directly participate in the rebellion…I can pardon them all as well.”
“Alright! Lord Grayman, I, and my colleagues, will strive to find the answer you seek.”
Wells nodded in agreement. “But, could Tennyson return to the laboratory…as a convict? Because he is an important assistant to me. I guarantee with my honour and my life that he will absolutely not escape.”
Paul did not respond immediately but was silent for a few seconds, seemingly in thought.
“Alright,” he nodded. “Then let him return to your side.”
“Thank you, Lord Grayman. I hope to start work as soon as possible to find your answer quickly, so…”
Paul walked to the table, picked up a pen, wrote a few lines on a piece of white paper, then handed it to Wells, saying, “Take this paper now and find Russ Hayden, the head of the Department of Public Safety. He will know what to do.”
Wells took the paper, bowed to Paul with a hint of gratitude, and exited the workshop. He did not want to delay another moment.
After the workshop door closed, Paul said to Guy Burns, who had stayed behind, “These alchemists, if you don’t give them a little push, they won’t work properly.”
“Ah? What do you mean?” Burns asked.
“Ho ho, what would happen if I had agreed to his request directly? He would take the person back, and then I would assign him the task. Every now and then, I’d ask about the progress. ‘Wells, how’s that thing I asked you to do?’ He would answer, ‘Ah? Lord Grayman, I’m working on it. Oh, experiments are very troublesome, you certainly can’t get results immediately.’ In reality, he might be using the money I gave him to secretly work on another research project he’s interested in. So, you have to give him some leverage.”
“Haha, that makes sense,” Burns had just finished agreeing when an inexplicable chill ran down his spine. The Count wasn’t using this as a warning to him, was he?
He quickly changed the subject. “My lord, the clients from Horn Bay you mentioned earlier… are they still from the Horn Bay Alliance?”
When manufacturing weapons and armour for the Horn Bay Alliance, the machinery factory he was in charge of had also undertaken a part of the task, so he knew about it.
Paul glanced at him and smiled mysteriously. “No, they’re from the Horn Bay Church.”
“Ah?” Burns was somewhat surprised.
Paul revealed to him, “The people from the Horn Bay Church said that when they were fighting the enemy…that is, the New Protestant Army…they encountered some… very strange fellows. They were at a great disadvantage in terms of weapons and protection, so they were looking everywhere for ways to make up for their deficiencies in both offence and defence, and then they heard about us. But if they only rely on our previous products, they can only level the playing field. Now they want to overwhelm the other side.”
Burns said, “But you’ve already sold weapons to the Horn Bay Alliance.”
“So what?” Paul took a sip of water and said as a matter of course, “I am a qualified arms dealer.”
.
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Chapter 580: Aftermath of the Rebellion
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