Tyranny Of Steel Chapter 5: a Prosperous Friendship is Born

Berengar positioned himself steadfastly before his father and the chief engineer. Their piercing stares bore intensely into him, as if sharp gazes could pierce straight through Berengar's soul. The elderly engineer's cunning eyes stood out the most. It felt like those veteran, perceptive eyes had laid bare his deepest secret.

The strain finally lifted when a grin spread across the old engineer's face, and he bowed deeply in respect to Berengar.

"Milord, I am Ludwig, a humble servant of your family. Your father summoned me here to confirm the legitimacy of these blueprints."

Berengar nodded to Ludwig with a noble expression.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ludwig. I have a feeling we will see a lot of each other very soon."

Though the words carried a mysterious tone, Ludwig saw them as validation of his hunch—the blueprints shown to him by the Baron weren't from some merchant out of the distant east but crafted by the lazy, ailing heir scorned by nearly everyone at court. Evidently, the young man was far sharper than Ludwig had first judged.

Yet the crafty elder kept his private thoughts hidden from his features, simply offering a courteous reply to the young lord's greeting.

"Likewise"

Observing that his son and Ludwig had gotten to know one another, Sieghard grinned; he sensed that partnering with the obstinate old engineer would greatly aid Berengar's growth. Utterly ignorant of his son's true authorship of the blueprints, Sieghard resolved to let the pair talk privately for a spell. Engineering topics bored him senseless, so he customarily delegated such affairs to Ludwig's judgment.

"I'm quite busy with managing the realm; I suggest you answer Ludwig's questions to the best of your abilities."

Berengar nodded while responding.

"Yes, father"

Soon after, Sieghard guided the two out of the study and shut himself away inside. After settling at his desk, he unlocked a hidden drawer, retrieved a wineskin, and dove into the timeless custom of washing away stress with drink. Following his clash with that idiot Ingbert, he craved it badly.

Beyond the study's sealed door, Berengar stood alone with Ludwig, so he proposed relocating to a spot better suited for their crucial discussion.

"How about we go to the library? I will have some servants fetch us some food and wine; I promise to answer all the questions you have to the best of my ability."

Ludwig nodded approvingly at Berengar's proposal. The youth displayed more consideration than he'd anticipated; he eagerly awaited questioning the designs' actual source.

Upon arriving at the library and shutting themselves inside, they savored food and wine while chatting about minor topics during the first half-hour. Only once they were properly tipsy did Ludwig raise his burning question.

"So tell me the truth, kid, where did those designs really come from?"

Berengar laughed softly at the elder's inquiry; he'd figured the old man had already deduced the blueprints' real origin.

"I made them..."

A grave look formed on Ludwig's face, exactly as Berengar expected; the veteran showed no shock whatsoever, nor did he dismiss the claim as ridiculous. Yet the next words from Berengar's mouth left him truly stunned.

"Though I surmise you already knew that..."

Cunning... it was the sole term Ludwig could apply to Berengar right then. Could this really be the frail and spiteful heir all had known? Had the boy concealed his true brilliance from the start?

After gulping down a hefty swig of wine, the old engineer probed deeper.

"Do you have any more brilliant designs?"

Berengar rapped the chalice's rim three times, tilted his head aside, and seemed lost in profound reflection. Moments later, he answered Ludwig candidly.

"A few..."

Thrilled by the revelation, Ludwig almost leaped from his seat—engineering was the one passion that defined his existence. To imagine the youth he and others had discarded as feeble and petty harbored such genius.

But before he could rise, Berengar held up his hand, gesturing for him to halt.

"I will give you the designs to implement in the future when they're necessary. For now, we should focus on building the blast furnace and the Bessemer converter."

Ludwig puzzled briefly over Berengar's mindset until the main issue hit him. Fresh blueprints shone brilliantly in concept, yet funding them demanded hefty monetary backing. A resource the Barony of Kufstein sorely missed right now. After steadying his emotions, he leaned back into his chair and interlaced his fingers.

"So, I assume you have a plan?"

Berengar sipped from his goblet again as a sly grin stretched across his face, replying to Ludwig's inquiry with a question of his own.

"How much do you think five tons of pure steel ingots are worth?"

Though unable to tally it instantly, Ludwig grasped it as a vast sum—a true modest fortune. Yet that worth applied only at the start; greater output would steadily cheapen it. With that insight forming, he swiftly discerned Berengar's scheme.

"You want to sell the first batch and use the profits to invest in mining?"

Berengar's smirk grew wider still. His views on Ludwig rang true indeed. Born a commoner though he was, the man wielded keen wits and decades of know-how in realms matching Berengar's grand aims. Such a figure promised to be a priceless comrade moving forward.

"Precisely, once our mines are operating at full capacity, the raw materials that come out of the mountains will be used primarily for our own industrial purposes. Any surplus we may have will be turned into ingots and sold to the Empire for profit."

Ludwig struggled to credit what he heard; even iron stood as a prized, scarce good that lands everywhere craved endlessly. Steel proved far tougher to forge, reserved chiefly for blades or, on occasion, elite armor. Envisioning steel leftovers after their demands seemed utterly inconceivable.

Yet Berengar's dreams loomed vast; he aimed to harness his house's treasure-laden lands to vault his power into an industrial epoch. Profiting handsomely from the dregs peddled at premium to the Kingdom. It might span years, but Ludwig brimmed with certainty he'd behold that dawn in his days and relish its bounty.

Berengar held back his complete vision from Ludwig, knowing the elder could scarce imagine an industrial world unseen. In its place, he stretched forth his arm in warm overture to the seasoned artisan and posed the query burning within.

"Will you help me bring this Barony into a new age of industry?"

Ludwig scarce trusted his hearing; the timid, frail overlord from endless whispers now beseeched a lowborn like him to birth a steel-making realm in his clan's holdings. Though the lad's sire heeded Ludwig's counsel, the veteran still faced disdain as baseborn rabble.

But Berengar loomed there, palm proffered, beseeching rather than commanding aid in his quests. Inevitably, a lone tear gathered in the oldster's right orb. If only the world grasped their error about this youthful liege! He latched onto Berengar's hand then and gripped it staunchly.

"Aye, I could do that."

Thus sparked a thriving alliance twixt youthful baron and veteran craftsman. A tandem destined to unleash myriad breakthroughs in ensuing moons, bestowing vast riches and firmness upon a heretofore beggared Barony in a realm roiled by strife.