Building a Viking Empire with Modern Industry-Chapter 214: First Test of Four Advisors

Ragnar had chosen this very day to test the new advisors Leofric had carefully selected from the brightest minds across the Midlands. Ragnar intended to discover which of these men possessed the spark of true genius.

"Gentlemen," Ragnar began, "three months ago I sent each of you across the realm to walk the land, to count every grain of coal, to measure every forest, and to see with your own eyes the problems that winter will soon bring. Since then I have waited. Now speak. What troubles our empire most?"

The first advisor, a lean scholar from the coal fields of Leicester named Aldric, rose slowly and bowed before delivering his report.

"My lord, the numbers are stark and undeniable. The great stockpiles we built after the unification have dwindled faster than any projection allowed. Every time the forges run day and night to supply your railways and your factories, the coal sinks lower. If winter arrives with its full fury, the people will not have enough to heat their homes. Already the poorer districts whisper of coming hardship."

Ragnar nodded once, "And how would you fix this, Aldric? Speak freely." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The advisor straightened, confident in the old ways. "The answer is simple and proven, my lord. We must cut more trees for charcoal and open new mines deeper into the hills. With enough axes and enough hands, the shortage can be overcome before the first snow falls."

Suddenly Ragnar’s thoughts turned inward.

Hot water pipes running beneath the streets of every major city district heating drawn from the waste heat of the forges... Or slag wool, the waste of the blast furnaces, capable of trapping warmth.

These two methods alone could reduce the people’s coal consumption by ninety percent. Yet he said none of this aloud. Instead he simply asked, "Is that truly the only path you see?"

Aldric hesitated for the first time, sensing he had not given the answer the Iron Father truly sought. "Personally, my lord, it is the path that has always worked. Trees and mines have fed our fires for centuries."

Ragnar allowed the silence to stretch just long enough to make the man uncomfortable, then turned to the second advisor, a portly merchant-engineer from Mercia named Oswin.

"And you? What other troubles have you uncovered in your travels?"

Oswin rose, wiping his brow despite the cool air of the chamber. "My lord, the coal shortage is only the beginning. The grain silos in the east are already showing signs of rot due to poor ventilation.

Furthermore, the roads between Titan and the northern shires are crumbling under the weight of the new iron wagons. If we do not address these now, the entire supply chain will fracture when winter truly strikes."

Leofric leaned forward, "Every time I hear such reports I grow more convinced that we need minds sharper than the old ways."

Gyda spoke with cool precision. "Our empire grows faster than our old systems can sustain. I believe the true test is not whether we can mine more coal, but whether we can use less and still keep our people warm."

Suddenly Ragnar stopped behind Aldric’s chair and placed a hand upon the man’s shoulder. "Imagine, if you will, that we could heat every home in Titan without burning a single extra lump of coal. Imagine pipes of hot water running beneath the streets, carrying warmth from the forges to every hearth and workshop... Or imagine walls lined with a new material spun from the slag we currently discard. Would that not solve the problem more elegantly than simply cutting more trees?"

The advisors stared at him in stunned silence, their minds struggling to grasp concepts that would not be invented for centuries in any other timeline.

And there it was... the spark Ragnar had been searching for. One or two of them began to nod slowly, eyes widening with the first glimmer of true understanding.

Oswin, the second advisor, found his voice at last. "My lord... such ideas... if they could be made real..."

Ragnar returned to his seat, "They will be made real."

Gyda closed her ledger with a soft snap, "I believe these men have passed the first test. They see the problems clearly."

...

Already the torches in the private study of the Governor’s Mansion burned low as Ragnar led his newly chosen advisors through the doors into the sanctum.

With a sweep of his arm Ragnar cleared a space, then took several fresh sheets of vellum and spread them before the four advisors who had followed him in silence.

He picked up a quill, dipped it in dark ink, and began to draw while the advisors gathered closer. "I have seen the power of black powder in our grenades and mortars... Yet those are crude things. Sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter. These three elements, when combined in the correct proportions, create the fire."

The first advisor, Aldric the scholar, leaned forward with keen interest, his eyes following every line Ragnar drew. "Perhaps if we consider the purity of the saltpeter from the east..."

"Exactly," Ragnar replied without pausing his drawing, "I see it as seventy-five parts saltpeter, fifteen parts charcoal, and ten parts sulfur. All of these must be perfect. With that method, the powder becomes safer to transport and more consistent in its burning. Still, the proportions must be tested carefully."

The third advisor, a quiet man named Eadric, spoke for the first time, "My lord, if we could source the purest saltpeter from the caverns near the Welsh border and combine it with charcoal made from willow rather than oak, the reaction might become even more violent..."

Ragnar finally set down the quill and stepped back, revealing the completed blueprint spread across the table. The advisors gathered closer, their eyes wide with awe as they studied the intricate diagrams.

After some hours of relentless labour within the private sanctum of the Governor’s Mansion, Ragnar stepped back from the table and surveyed the fruit of their collective genius.

By now the surface was covered with three completed blueprints, each one more revolutionary than the last.

To his surprise the four advisors... Aldric, Oswin, Eadric, and the young Oswin the Younger remained standing around the table, their eyes wide.

Ragnar lifted the first parchment, the one that bore the precise proportions and granulation method for the perfected black powder.

Ragnar allowed himself a rare smile of satisfaction before setting the first blueprint aside and lifting the second. "Indeed, the black powder is only the beginning. This next design addresses the very heart of our empire’s survival through the coming winter. Hot water pipes... a network of iron conduits running beneath the streets and into every home and workshop of Titan and beyond. The waste heat from our forges and blast furnaces will be captured and circulated through these pipes, delivering warmth to the people without burning a single extra lump of coal. Personally I believe this invention alone will reduce our coal consumption by ninety percent."

Gyda, who had remained quietly beside him throughout the long night, now stepped forward and placed a gentle hand upon the parchment, "The young Oswin suggested running secondary pipes through the factories. Apparently this will allow us to heat the workers’ quarters and even power smaller steam engines for additional machinery. The pipes must withstand pressure, the insulation must be perfect, and the entire system must be expandable as our cities grow. Yet if we succeed, winter will become our ally rather than our enemy."

Ragnar set the second blueprint down and lifted the third, the one that had required the most heated debate and the most brilliant contributions from all four advisors.

"And finally we come to the last and perhaps most elegant solution... slag wool. The fibrous material we spin from the waste of our blast furnaces. Already the process is simple: the molten slag is blown into fine threads through jets of steam, then pressed into mats or boards that trap warmth. By now we have refined the method so thoroughly that a single layer of this stone wool can insulate a home better than ten feet of earth and timber. Apparently the material is fireproof, rot-proof, and endless in supply!"