Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Inside the ironworks, Paul, Berns, Conrad, and others stood silently around the workbench, looking at a sword blank glowing red from the heat.
Blacksmith Herman picked up a hammer and struck the sword blank with force.
With a sound of metal shattering, the sword blank turned into pieces.
Along with it shattered Paul and Conrad's hopes.
Herman looked helpless as he said, "My lord, this is how it is. The sword blanks we forge simply can't withstand the hammering; they break apart with just a little force."
"Why? Why is this happening?"
Paul couldn't believe it. How could the iron he had painstakingly smelted turn into scrap?
"Herman, could it be that your technique is lacking?"
"My lord, I've been forging iron for over a decade. Most of the blades in the Lord's mansion were forged by me."
Where exactly did they go wrong? Paul was getting anxious, pacing back and forth in the room, pondering over every step in the iron smelting process.
At this moment, Conrad spoke up, "My lord, could it be because there are too many impurities in the pig iron?"
"Impurities?"
"Yes, after all, we're using your newly invented 'coke' for iron smelting. Perhaps... it contains something different from the wood charcoal we used before, and these substances are mixing into the molten iron?"
"Oh! Conrad, you're a genius. You've hit the nail on the head."
Upon Conrad's suggestion, Paul recalled a passage he had read before, stating that pig iron smelted with coke was unsuitable for transformation into wrought iron because coke introduces impurities that make wrought iron brittle and prone to breaking during forging.
At the same time, he remembered the solution to this problem—the puddling process.
To implement this method, they would first need to construct a reverberatory furnace (puddling furnace), then use it to melt the pig iron. This type of furnace could directly use raw coal as fuel, and the metal wouldn't directly contact the fuel, thus preventing the impurities in the coal from adversely affecting the metal.
TL Note: https://www.britannica.com/technology/reverberatory-furnace#:~:text=reverberatory%20furnace%2C%20in%20copper%2C%20tin,called%20the%20open%2Dhearth%20process.
After melting the pig iron in the reverberatory furnace, they would continuously stir the molten iron on the furnace bed using a stirrer. Through the decarburization process facilitated by circulating air in the furnace, the iron would eventually transform into malleable wrought iron. During this process, because metal and fuel didn't come into direct contact, the impurities in the metal would be significantly reduced.
Paul voiced his idea, although he didn't fully understand what decarburization meant, everyone agreed that the Earl's method was worth trying.
Thus, the craftsmen in the ironworks swiftly constructed a reverberatory furnace according to Paul's instructions. They melted down the previous scrap iron and began the stirring process. After several days of experimentation and process refinement, they finally smelted a wrought iron that even Herman, the seasoned blacksmith, approved of.
Paul sighed in relief. If they hadn't overcome this hurdle, all their previous investments would have been wasted.
Under his direction, Arsenal District 51 began experimenting with using iron to cast cannons. Because iron was cheaper than bronze, once iron cannons were successfully developed, the cost of artillery would significantly decrease, and Alden's army would have more cannons.
...
As time passed, the old year was finally coming to an end in the town of Alden, and people began preparing to celebrate the New Year. However, some were joyful, and some were sorrowful.
Little Princess Eileen leaned on the windowsill, gazing blankly at the heavy snowfall outside.
Lydia, who had just returned home from work—she had found a teaching job at the Weiss Academy—asked softly when she saw her like this, "Miss, are you feeling homesick?"
"Missing home? Hmph! I absolutely do not. This place is my home," Princess Eileen declared.
Lydia sighed softly. She knew the little princess was just putting on a brave front.
"Your Highness, how about... we return to Crystal Glare?"
"Return to Crystal Glare? Lydia, are you suggesting that I surrender to Father? No, I, Eileen Rodney, will never compromise on anything," Eileen replied firmly.
"How about we send a letter to Crystal Glare, informing them that we're safe?"
"Send a letter? Are you suggesting they come all the way to the Northwest Bay to capture me?"
Lydia thought to herself, seeing that the princess's resentment hadn't subsided, it was best not to touch on that sore spot.
So she quietly went to prepare dinner.
Watching the maid walk towards the kitchen, Eileen felt a pang of guilt for her earlier outburst.
Her feelings were complex at the moment. On one hand, there was still lingering resentment, and fear of being used for political marriage if caught by her father. On the other hand, she dearly missed her family—her sister, mother, everyone familiar in Crystal Glare, including her still-resentful father, especially during this important time from Christmas to New Year's Day.
"Ah... it's so annoying!"
Eileen felt a bit frustrated.
Little did she know, at this moment, many eyes were watching her.
In a house across the street, two figures were having a conversation.
"We've completed the patrol. Nothing unusual around!"
"Good job!"
"Sigh, with the little princess causing trouble, we can't even enjoy the holidays properly."
"What are you saying? Ensuring the safety of the royal family members is our basic responsibility. Even if the princess is in the capital, we must still be cautious during the holidays."
"Well, that's true. But I still wish for more exciting tasks, like infiltrating the rebel's ranks to gather intelligence, rather than babysitting a runaway kid all day."
"If you say that again, I'll report you. We do what we're instructed to do. No picking and choosing."
"Alright, alright, I get it. By the way, we need to be more careful from now on. Today, I was questioned by the 'police' here for half the day. Luckily, I reacted quickly and diverted suspicion, so they didn't find out anything."
"It seems Earl Grayman is increasingly concerned about security in his territory. That's a good thing. The better the security, the safer the princess will be. Our identities are not in question, so nothing should happen to us for now. Besides, we're not probing into the secrets of the lord's estate or his military affairs."
"But I'm afraid of being mistaken for a stalker or peeping tom and getting caught."
"Shut up. We haven't been discovered yet, have we?"
"Speaking of which, the changes here are quite significant! I heard from the locals that this place was a backwater land just half a year ago."
"Oh, indeed. That's thanks to the young lord. I've heard quite a bit about his deeds."
"He's quite a remarkable fellow. Even the kingdom's princess is willing to work under him."
"Some of the things he's come up with are quite intriguing. If I were a scholar, I'd like to get to know him better. Have you been to the Weiss Academy to see their so-called 'public lectures'? That microscope, my goodness, it's truly amazing!"
"Oh, please don't remind me. Thinking about those little bugs makes me nauseous."
(End of the Chapter)