Kapitel 148: Hope for better days (3/3)
How?! That thing is supposed to weigh tons! How can people who barely know what hygiene is manage to move something like that?
Okay, calm down! They managed to transport it to the closest city near our kingdom's border. In another month or less, it'll enter their territory.
Shit! Shit! Around him, others in the meeting murmured ideas and theories about what the enemies were up to, speculating about what they could be transporting, but Rafael didn't register any of it.
His thoughts were elsewhere.
Let me see. The army we sent west to reclaim that city should arrive today. By night, they'll break through the gates and walls with the catapults. If everything goes right, we'll be halfway to freeing our northern lands.
But to retake everything… that'll take more than a month. And I can't wait!
Rafael interrupted, "I think we should focus all our forces on conquering back the lower part of our kingdom. There's clearly a reason the enemy is converging on one city—it has to be to protect something valuable. It must be gold, a lot of gold."
"Gold? I doubt it." General Wiglaf frowned. "I manage that region, and I know there are no gold mines nearby. Also, the wealth in these cities isn't substantial enough to provoke such strange actions from the enemy."
"And I don't think attacking a retreating enemy is wise. We should concentrate on liberating our northern lands first. Once that's done, we can focus on the south."
Rafael clenched his jaw. "I understand your reasoning, but I still believe—"
"Mr. Rafael, I'm stopping you there," Threo interrupted, raising a hand. His voice rang with finality. "There may be something strange going on, but I agree with General Wiglaf. Our priority is to push those northern invaders back to their side of the border."
Rafael tried again to argue his point, his tone growing more insistent, but it was clear he wasn't getting through. The frustration weighed on him heavily.
I can't believe this is happening, he thought, his shoulders sagging. We'll have to invade their lands to retrieve my time machine…
The rest of the meeting passed in silence for Rafael. The others continued discussing projects in the capital—the blast furnace, cement production, and various initiatives. Meanwhile, he sat there, his mind drifting back to the last time he'd had control of his machine. Now, it was slipping further out of reach.
When the meeting finally adjourned, Rafael headed back to his chambers, feeling utterly defeated. Ella had gone to visit her family and wouldn't return until the afternoon.
For fuck's sake! Everything was going so well. Why did this have to happen? He flung himself onto his bed, the frustration tightening his chest.
Fine! I'll overcome this setback, just like I've done with all the others. He took a deep breath, his mind racing through their resources. We've got crossbows and trebuchets on our side—those are powerful advantages.
But cement? That won't help expel the invaders. Paper can only be used for messages, maybe even a balloon… but to make a hot-air balloon work, I'd need hydrogen production techniques.
"Damn it," he muttered. "If only I had the book with me right now." He closed his eyes, trying to soothe the buzzing in his mind.
There's nothing I can do in the short term. The machine will reach their lands, so I have to play the long game. He reminded himself of the agricultural expansions underway.
Our crops should yield more soon, and that'll ease the food scarcity—an advantage for everyone.
And that iron mine… it could help us produce irrigation systems, improving our harvests and freeing up more hands for other work.
He thought of the possibilities. If I can find anyone with knowledge of sugarcane, alcohol production could become feasible, too. And alcohol could serve as fuel for incendiary weapons or even bombs.
As Rafael mapped out his plans, the despair of losing his time machine slowly receded. He was more certain than ever that he could strengthen the kingdom, surpassing all its neighbors. He just had to guide everyone along the right path.
Having sorted out his thoughts, Rafael decided to take a tour of the capital to check on the progress of his various projects. He stepped into an elegant carriage, flanked by five mounted soldiers.
The first stop was the paper production building. It was larger now, bustling with workers who greeted him warmly. He noticed they had implemented his idea of using animals to power the grinding gears, and a bull trudged in a circular pen outside the main building, turning a gear that powered the machinery within.
Rafael spoke with the workers, learning that production had doubled thanks to this new system. His heart lifted as he took in the growing facility.
After observing the paper mill, Rafael visited the city's blacksmiths. He marveled at the slow but steady progress in crafting metal bearings. These will revolutionize our machines soon enough, he thought. Many blacksmiths were now crafting crossbow parts—a weapon he was certain would transform the battlefield.
He remembered a strategy he'd read about, one that had paired crossbowmen with shield-bearers for protection. I'll teach them this technique when I return. It'll be far more effective than having soldiers reload in the open.
As he wandered through the city, he noted that almost all houses were sturdily built, with wealthy neighborhoods sporting brickwork. A few structures even had glass windows—a rare luxury in this era. Only the churches had large, stained-glass panels depicting biblical scenes, and he passed two churches filled with worshippers.
Religion's influence won't be leaving people's lives anytime soon, he thought with a wry smile.
Our troops must be battling right now to reclaim that city. I hope it goes well. We're going to need every ore we can get.
He spent much of the day visiting different sites, even stopping at the cement production facility. Huge piles of limestone lay beside a furnace, waiting to be burned. He spoke to a few workers and discovered that several merchants were also investing in cement production, hoping to profit from this new industry.
"That's good," Rafael muttered thoughtfully. An increased supply will likely lower costs, helping commoners afford better buildings. And competition might lead to improved cement mixtures, benefiting the kingdom as a whole.
Finally, he arrived at the blast furnace construction site, his greatest contribution yet. The place was teeming with workers, their breaths visible in the frosty air. Despite the cold, they were focused and efficient, the structure rising higher every day.
If they keep this up, it'll be finished within two weeks! Pride welled up within him. They're really taking my ideas seriously.
As he moved closer to the towering chimney, he mingled with the commoners bustling around. The soldiers tasked with guarding him kept a respectful distance, while a few metalworkers noticed him and approached.
"Oh my! Mr. Rafael?" one of them greeted with wide eyes, as if seeing a living legend.
Rafael recognized them as the same workers he had trained days earlier on the blast furnace design. Smiling, he felt his vision of a new era—an era he was determined to build—drawing ever closer.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein