The Mechanical Era

Kant was in his office with a pencil in hand, drawing up another design for a new kind of machine. He can still hear faint sounds of thunder from the FLM-18s being fired down below on the grounds. Although the FLM-18 production line is up and running, there were still a few things that need to be done.

Currently, he can produce smoothbore flintlock muskets with minimal error and difficulty. However, when it came to the rifling of the FLM-18 or any other musket for that matter, they were many difficulties faced. The problem was that he needed the machinery to keep a consistent speed, before being drilled into the cylinder blank of a potential gun barrel. It was already hard enough for a talented smith, it would be near impossible for a newbie.

The rifling process was considered to be a prerequisite in order to commence the production of the PCR-18, which was the hand-held revolver that face barely any competition, a rifled FLM-18 for civilian and military use, and any future iterations of a firearm. Though he may have all the time to perfect it, he would rather have a production line ready before the arrival of the demonic wave.

As he was working on the blueprints, Kant's ear picked up a knock on the door. Kant immediately stopped drawing, rolled the paper up, and placed it inside his drawer. He then put the thick wooden pencil back into the cup, before allowing whoever was on the other side entry.

"Come in," he permits.

The door opens, revealing minister Alan Fleck, carrying a file filled with beige papers. He first bows down, and greets Kant with a good morning, before he closes the door and walks over to sit on the empty chair. He then hands over the files to the king, who takes them to start reading them.

"I brought the files for the suppliers of iron ore that you requested, sir. All of them are incorporated in the city of Hoverdam and have started their operations abroad. Just choose one and I will make sure to contact them."

Kant examines the papers. It details the mining corporation, the location it is settled in, the population of said location, the kingdom it inhabits, and so on. Most of them were in the east, on the northern side of the continent. However, there was one company that caught his eye.

It was a company that went by the name "Tyler Iron Corporation", which owns a large mine in the small town of Keliath, which was located just 30 miles down south of the city of Hoverdam. It has an estimated population of 3,100 and is fitted and centered around mining materials thanks to its rich mineral deposits.

With these numbers, the whole town manages to mine and produces about 15 tons of iron each week, with the TIC somehow mining and producing half that, an impressive record. Kant figures that they have been using some patented devices like blast furnaces and steam-powered pumps to pump water out.

"What about this one? Can you tell me more about them?" Kant asked the minister, pointing out TIC.

"Ah, the Tyler Iron Corporation. From what I read, it was founded by a miner named 'Horner B . Tyler', who owns a large mine in the city. He had the help of a local merchant, who incorporated the company just last month.

It has received funding from some local merchants from the city, as well as a few merchants from Hoverdam. There are also written records of them commissioning some advanced machinery available on the patient registrar such as the steam pump, the blast furnace, and a winding drum to increase efficiency and output," Alan explained while Kant listened.

"For a new company, they have done remarkably well! Do you want me to send them a letter, sir?" Alan inquires. Kant sits there and ponders for a minute, before answering.

"Yes. Send a letter to their headquarters. I want as much iron ore as they could deliver. I am going to need it for the steel mill."

"Alright, sir. Now, before I go, can you fill me in on this... steel mill plan? I feel like I am sort of... missing a page, and I would think it would be best that you clarified."

"Oh right, of course, I forgot that you weren't there for that discussion. I apologize for that.

Currently, I am trying to set up a steel mill for the city, to start producing a large quantity of steel at a fast rate involving a new process called the Bessemer process.

I want to use this steel to help industrialize the city and the kingdom, connect the other towns closer together, and introduce new technologies.

We can introduce more powerful steam engines, and build new types of devices that we couldn't have imagined existing before.

For process goes like this. Take this weak metal called pig iron, heat it up into its molten state, and then blow a ton of air into it.

From this process, you get steel. That is about it. Of course, there are some more complicated steps involved, but that is the basis of it," Kant explained.

Alan had a lot more questions to ask but decided not to. He remembered the rules that he has to follow while engaging with the king; 'Do not ask how I know'. Instead, he asked a question to get this plan in motion.

"I see. Do you need me to commission a blueprint for the mill, sir? I have a few firms lined up if you want one." Alan asks. Kant stands up and heads over to his cupboard, grabs a file from the cabinet, and came back to his desk. He gave the file to Alan, before sitting back down.

The file details the blueprints of the possible steel mill, as well as a description of the rooms within the compound. The building itself was in the shape of a rectangle, with many rooms and specific types of equipment present inside them all to perform a specialized task. The iron ore, which comes in its crushed form, goes through the screening room.

pαndα`noνɐ1--сoМ In the screening room, the iron ore is taken through a process of separating the different-sized particles within the crushed iron ore. This is done through the use of three machines powered by a steam engine; the trommel, the shaking screen, and the jiggling machine.

Once the screening process is done, the iron is moved to the roasting room to remove any impurities. For the job, a reverberatory furnace is used for the job. As iron ore is spread out on the hearth and heated from above, the heat causes the impurities in the iron ore to oxidize, or react with oxygen, and form a slag, which is removed.

The resulting product made using the reverberatory furnace is then mixed with carbon and put through a blast furnace, creating what is called 'pig iron'. Once the pig iron is ready, it will be transported to the next room for the blowing process.

The pig iron is thrown into the furnace where the air is blown into the furnace using a set of pipes called tuyeres. So as the pig iron is in its molten state, the oxygen in the air reacts with the carbon, removing it from the molten iron, and turning it into steel.

The blowing process stops once a set amount of time has passed. The molten metal is then poured into a ladle and transported to the next room to be put into the secondary furnace for further refining, which is a process called "secondary refining" to improve the quality and purity of the steel.

Once the steel has been fully refined, it is brought over to the next room to be cast into various shapes and sizes using molds. The steel can be cast into bars, rods, sheets, or other shapes depending on the intended use.

Before it is shipped off to its intended destination, it would be subjugated through various treatments such as heat treatment, surface treatment, and cutting to size. It is then brought into the final room, where it gets loaded onto a caravan to be shipped off.

Alan finally finished examining the blueprint and closes the file. He places it on the desktop, turning his head to face Kant, who was sitting in a rather relaxed position. Seeing that Alan was finished, he leaned in, holding his hands together, while resting his elbows on the table.

"That is the blueprint a couple of stonemasons and I had made over the last few months, just waiting to present it to a firm to start construction. So... what do you think?"

"I think it looks great, sir. Yes... this would definitely work! I will make sure to reserve us some land to build the mill. Would you want me to get a firm to start building it once everything is prepared?"

"Yes. I would like to start building as soon as possible."

"Alright sir, I will get to it."

"Good. Now, before you go, can I ask you a question, minister?"

"What is it, sir?"

"Can you find me information about any new firms specialized in the manufacturing of construction materials like bricks? I would like to know what we are dealing with before moving forward with construction."

"Alright, sir. I will check into it."