Creating an Industrial Empire in 19th Century Parallel World

An hour has passed since the examination started at a makeshift classroom. Forty aspiring engineers are trying their hardest to solve mathematical problems Poul created himself.

Speaking of Poul, he was reading a newspaper, picking up where he left off. His feet were on top of the table as he whistled a tune.

The British princess piqued his interest. At the age of sixteen, she already made wonders. Stopped a cholera outbreak that could have resulted in a hundred thousand deaths, save patients upon patients through surgery, one of which is an influential member of the parliament by performing a liver resection, or hepatectomy. His knowledge of medicinal history is little but he knew such an operation is difficult to perform in this era.

Could it be that this princess in the British Empire is like him and Jonathan? A soul from the modern age transmigrated into this world. Because it's too good to be true. Princesses generally tend to have a purpose, like becoming a wife of a prince of a nation of some sort. She would spend most of her time practicing etiquette.

For Poul, this is worth investigating…

Poul glanced at the engineers, staring at him as if there was something in his face. Poul ran a hand over his face and spoke.

"What are you staring at? Focus on your test and not on me."

"Uhm…Sir Poul, if possible, could you please stop whistling? It's distracting," one of the engineers asked politely.

Poul stopped pursing his lips and nodded. The moment Poul stopped, they resumed answering the exam.

Just as Poul is about to continue reading the newspaper, an unexpected thing happened.

"I'm done!" one of the engineers raised his hand as he stood. Though even if he stood, Poul failed to see him.

"Could you please move to the front? I can't see you," Poul said as he pulled a pocket watch from his pocket and looked at the time.

It's only been an hour and the questions he made were difficult that would normally take an average person three hours to complete. But the man, walking over to him said he was done?

When Poul's gaze flickered at the approaching man, he now knew the answer as to why he didn't see him in the first place. The man was small, probably around 150 centimeters tall. He looked like a kid but his mature face said otherwise. He has dark salmon-red hair styled neatly, reddish-amber eyes complemented by silver-rimmed glasses, and a black cap adorning his head. Just like everyone else, he wears a three-piece black suit.

"Here," the man said in a deep tone. One that betrays his physical appearance of being a child.

Poul lifted the bridge of his glasses upward with his index finger before taking his answer sheet. As the man who created the test, he knew the answer to all the questions. He glanced at this paper, checking if his answers were correct or not. One minute later, he finished checking it. He answered them all correctly! Though some of the final answers weren't the same as his, it was near the correct value.

Poul's gaze shifted to the man again. The man is smart, he'll give him that. He is a potential asset. One that could keep up with his future invention.

"What's your name, sir?" Poul asked, his tone carrying respect.

"I'm Walter Schneider," Walter answered politely.

"Walter, I have to announce this to everyone, you nailed the exam flawlessly."

When Poul announced that, all the applicant engineers stopped scribbling on their papers and looked up to the front with shocked expressions.

Then murmuring and chattering erupted among them. Some were amazed, and others were envious.

"Okay settle down everyone. Time is still ticking. Focus on your test. If I ever see you taking advantage of the moment, I promise you, I will head over to your desk and tear it in front of you," Poul sternly warned and returned his attention to Walter.

"Walter, I'm sure you were aware of the conditions earlier. Perfect the exam and you got the job, no question asked. I guess I'll see you in the seminar."

"Thank you. Am I free to leave now? Since I'm done with the exam?" Walter asked.

"Yes, you may."

When Poul said that, a voice sounded from behind, getting the attention of the two.

"I'm done too!"

It was Timothy, rushing over to the desk and setting his answer sheet down. "Please, I want my answer," he said as he shot a glance at Walter.

Walter's brows furrowed, feeling a sense of rivalry exuding out of Timothy.

Poul picked his paper up and started checking his answer sheet. A minute later, Poul chuckled softly. "I can't believe it, am I feeling lucky? Because you too got a perfect mark as well."

"Yes…" Timothy pumped a fist as he grinned at Walter triumphantly.

Walter furrowed his eyebrows, confused as to why Timothy was acting like that. Needless to say, he scored the exam perfectly. Which means he gets the job and doesn't have to attend the interview.

"Well done you two. I'll see you on Friday. You may now leave the premises as you'll only distract the others."

Poul stared at them, still standing in front of him despite giving them permission to leave.

"Run along now," Poul shooed the two away, and they started making their way to the exit. Before Timothy could step outside, he made a quick glance at the engineers who were still taking the test and scoffed.

***

Two hours later.

"Okay, time's up! Put your pencils and erasers down and form a line in the middle and submit your answer sheet."

The majority of the applicants sighed defeatedly while the rest proudly stood and lined up in the middle.

Thirty-eight applicants passed their papers to the front and Poul started checking them.

The applicants waited patiently at their seats, tapping their fingers on the desk and feet on the floor. The silence was deafening as every single applicant's gaze focused on Poul who was humming a tune while marking their papers with his pencil.

Thirty minutes later, the checking was done. Poul rose to his feet and raised the stack of papers vertically and jogged them down on the table to align them perfectly.

"Okay, I'm done checking the papers. Sadly, thirty of you would have to go," Poul announced and the classroom was filled with a collective sigh. The thought of them failing the exam was like their dreams crumbling in front of them. They glanced at one another, fearful of the outcome. Some mouthed a prayer while others put up a strong front.

"I said that we need twenty engineers, but seeing that most of you failed a test that evaluates your understanding of the field you are applying to, I think ten would do for now. However, don't lose hope, you can still apply for vacant positions like a mechanic, machine operator, et cetera. And once you think you have what it takes to pass the test, come personally to my office. If you pass it, I'll promote you."

Hearing that there is a compromise, the applicants who already knew they are going to fail, heave a sigh of relief.

Poul started calling out names. And the names that got called promptly left the classroom. The rest remained inside, they were the ones who scored above the passing score.

"All of you follow me to my office. I'll interview you there one by one," Poul said. "I did say before the start of the exam that even if you pass the exam but fail in the interview, you won't get the job. But that happening is so slim that I believe the eight of you can pass it. I mean, it's just us getting to know each other."