Realm of Magic and Mechanization: A Baron’s Journey to Empire

In the castle, Arvind walked around surveying, his arms crossed behind his back. He lamented how time had passed in the busy life, from Frostith (February), the cold months, to Luminith (September). Ravengarde had once been desolate, shrouded in darkness, with scattered villages living independently and neglected by the predecessor lords.

But now, the villages had been brought into the fold of Ravengarde. The darkness was lifting, and the territory filled with vitality and life. Movements to and fro indicated growth and activity. The territory wouldn't remain static; they had revitalized resources and pursued reforms to develop, eventually changing its bad reputation in the kingdom, making it a place where people desired to settle and live.

As a reincarnator with ambitions to change the world, he had faced the harsh reality that Atheron was filled with tigers and wolves—powerful families with deep foundations and talents, seemingly aided by a system. These families rose to fame, but they remained behind the scenes, as Atheron couldn't be changed by a single individual or small group.

Then came the moment when his father conferred Ravengarde upon him. That moment changed his outlook on life as a whole. With the system's assistance and knowledge from his previous life, he realized that while he might not become the protagonist of Atheron, he could bring technological advancements to the realm.

Ravengarde would eventually become a formidable force, causing the cats and dogs to tremble at a sneeze. Building a long-lasting family legacy, his name would be remembered by future generations.

His gaze returned to the castle. The condition before was not optimistic: a dilapidated structure, dust covering everything, walls lined with cracks and holes, and the northern section collapsed. Now, the cleaned stone facade in front, with flowers blooming around, made the castle look new, with the damaged structures repaired and thoroughly cleaned.

As he climbed upward, he noticed many cracks and holes had been sealed or repaired. Perhaps in the past, the wall had endured a major storm, as evidenced by the collapse of the northern section. His hair swayed gently as a breeze passed by. The enemy must have either been a high-level magical beast or a large number of troops. The thickness and height of the walls could not be overcome by a weak foe.

At the current technology level of Atheron, they wouldn't be able to create artificial glass. Speaking of glass, the kingdom was currently dominated by natural glass, crystal, and other materials used for making mirrors, cups, and decorative items. Noble ladies were proud of their opaque mirrors.

However, their pride was not misplaced as the technology level allowed for it. But when would it be his turn to invent glass? With his order, the magic technology industry department hired craftsmen, waiting for his direction.

Arriving at the northern section, he noticed the workers filling gaps with stones in the upper section, led by the mason foreman. Only about 3% of the work remained. After all these months, finally, the dawn was near.

Upon seeing him, the foreman wiped his forehead, turned around, and smiled, "Your Excellency, Baron, nice to see you here..."

"Mn, I have seen you and the workers tirelessly working to complete the wall. Thank you all. Can you tell me when this section will be completed?"

"Em, my lord, do you see that this section is the only part left of the collapsed wall? According to me, it could be completed in one week, if I'm not wrong."

Arvind nodded with a smile: "Mn, that's good, good... Remember, I won't forget my promise."

With the foreman shaking with excitement, Arvind strolled back.

To invent glass, he required knowledge from his previous life and the system. He chose glass because it could be sold as a luxury product and opened opportunities in various industries such as alchemy and metallurgy. This industry would align well with Ravengarde, as noted in Erik's survey report.

The discovery of many elemental plants around Ravengarde made it clear that developing the alchemy industry was essential. Future generations would laugh at how foolish they were if they didn't. But Arvind was determined not to be part of that history.

Speaking of the future, how was his elder brother now? Had he successfully advanced to great knight? He dismissed the thought. Seeing a servant, he asked, "Hey, have you seen Anika? Since morning, she disappeared somewhere, saying she was busy."

"My lord, Miss Anika is studying magic in the garden... Should I inform her?"

"No need, I'm just asking... Okay, you may go."

Arvind waved his hand dismissively and walked upstairs, then sat down to relax.

He had never noticed this kind of tech progress before, such as ordinary, steam power, and elemental power, as his eyes roved around the system's knowledge section. As his mind clicked on "glass," it split into three categories: ordinary, steam power, and elemental power. Only the ordinary category was active while the others were gray. Arvind was shocked by the implications. What did this mean? It meant that glass technology had a role in both steam and elemental power tech.

This! This!

His guess was absolutely right. The invention of glass could open up a whole new world of possibilities for Ravengarde. His arms shook, and his face etched with excitement as his mind projected a scene where soldiers used elemental guns, cannons, and new technology that combined Earth tech with Atheron's elemental energy.

Tapping his forehead in annoyance, he thought, 'Steam power is still left to master. Why are you greedy for elemental power tech?'

He chuckled like a fool despite making a mistake. After all, it wasn't wrong since glass could indeed be a technology relevant to both steam and elemental power. Even in his previous life, glass had many uses, such as in scientific research with tools like beakers and microscopes. Without them, scientists would cry. The same applied here.

[Process purchasing glass knowledge (ordinary): 30 magic crystals.

Remaining magic crystals: 23]

Clicking on the glass book quietly in the resources section, after a while of intense reading, Arvind had a general idea. The theory involved using sand, meaning silica, with added lime (calcium carbonate) to stabilize the glass and make it durable since fresh glass was prone to cracking easily, making it unusable. Soda ash acted as an agent to lower the temperature at which the silica melted, making the process easy and efficient, especially considering their budding iron tools.

But he noticed something unusual: inactive elemental energy made silica more pure and required less refinement due to its being an earth element material. Earth elements were inherently stable and didn't need high temperatures to avoid melting easily. The same happened for soda ash, a water element material, since it was a liquid and required less temperature to melt sand than in his previous life. Of course, fire elements also played a role in lowering the temperature needed, making the furnace more efficient.

For Arvind, this meant that producing glass in Atheron was more suited and easier than on Earth, where significant technological advancements were required. Arvind couldn't help but be surprised at how suitable Atheron was for technology that could crush Earth's in comparison.

Hahaha!

Two days later, after reading extensively like an Indian student in his previous life, Arvind felt confident to tackle the challenges ahead.

"How is it? Have you gathered all the materials?" he asked, looking at the mountain of sand excavated from the lunar river, turning to his assistant. The assistant had previously been a servant, but his quick mind and talent for managing people had earned him the role.

"Yes, my lord. Following your instructions, we searched the northern part based on Erik's report. The limestone is not an issue; we've gathered a dozen sacks worth." The assistant pointed at the sacks in the corner and continued, "The tricky part was finding soda ash. We searched the coastline for salt-rich plants as you instructed, but due to the presence of murlocs, our search was fruitless. However, we didn't return empty-handed. One of the members found a salt mine. My lord, you guessed it right—we found salt-rich plants."

Arvind was surprised and nodded while rubbing his chin. He complimented them, glanced at another sack, walked closer, took the ash, and rubbed it like ash from a fireplace. It was the residue after burning the salt-rich plants, from which soda ash could be obtained.

"Clever solution! Give that person a silver coin from me. We need people like him, and you should encourage the craftsmen to be creative. Anyway, we will begin making glass now."

The assistant nodded slowly, thinking about what Arvind meant. He felt happy and envious of the serfs, as not many nobles rewarded and affirmed their subjects as his lord did. With that, his whole body filled with energy as he walked out to inform the craftsmen.

Arvind was really surprised by their finding soda ash, a task that had made his head hurt. They could only search for natural ways since chemistry was a blank slate here. The mages only researched magic and alchemy, specializing in potion-making, making it challenging to acquire soda ash. Thankfully, they no longer had to worry about it.

It was heartening to see some serfs offering clever solutions. As a lord, he had to encourage them, and giving a silver coin was more efficient than any other means.

The craftsmen arrived and began the experiment. The process was straightforward: pouring filtered sand into the furnace, adding soda ash to lower the melting temperature, then heating the sand until it turned red and melted, adding lime.

The furnace was made of iron with inlaid inactive crystals. The crystals reinforced it, preventing it from melting at higher temperatures. Arvind knew that higher inactive elemental energy concentration resulted in stability and sturdiness, a phenomenon observed in ordinary people. Their bodies contained high concentrations of inactive elementals, making them more stable and unaffected by active elemental energy, which was essential for extraordinary paths.

Time passed as the experiment progressed. The craftsmen labored around the furnace, sweating in anticipation. They had made three failed attempts so far.

"Did we get glass now?"

"Still the same, my lord. The glass is cracking before it cools down. What could the problem be?" The craftsman scratched his head, glancing at the glass. He had no idea what had happened and wondered if his lord was wrong. He turned to Arvind along with the rest of the craftsmen.

Arvind took the glass fragments and recollected his memory. They had melted the sand with lime and soda ash as per the knowledge acquired from the system. What could the problem be? Was it the temperature?

"Have you checked everything and followed my instructions?"

"Yes, my lord. We have kept that in mind. We filtered the sand and added everything as per your instructions. There cannot be a mistake in that."

He nodded, tapping his forehead thoughtfully. Seeing them sweat with tiredness in their eyes, he noticed the sun beginning to set and said, "Let's resume our experiments tomorrow. Rest well; the night is approaching. Maybe we will find inspiration tomorrow."

The craftsmen nodded while wiping their foreheads, and some rubbed their sore backs. They organized everything and cleaned up.

"Don't forget to record the steps we took today. If you forget, ask them."

"Yes, my lord," Wood the assistant replied.

The next day, Arvind wandered around the castle and heard Mira instructing the servants on the right portions of water and flour during bread making. His mind clicked, 'It must be the concentration that's the main issue.'

After all, there was no set standard of measurement like in his previous life. Who knew which sack was bigger than the other? He had overlooked this last time.

In his previous life, there was a metric standard of measurement used by many countries. Should he bring it here? That would mean "Arvind Standard" becoming renowned all around Atheron in the future.

Hahaha!

He purchased scales, weights, and a book on the metric standard, and went to tackle the glass making. With only 10 magic crystals remaining, he felt the pressure.

Wood, the assistant, stared in confusion at the busy craftsmen. Seeing Arvind carrying tools, his eyebrows raised. He approached and asked, "What is this tool, my lord?"

His eyes roved around the tools with a lever arm with two pans suspended from opposite ends, and the ml mark on the container and other tools. His mind went blank and he was confused.

"Is this for making bread? Hmm, these should be expensive glasses, right? My lord, we don't have to prepare our lunch here, right? What about yesterday's problem? Have you found the issue?"

"Stupid like a donkey. Anyway, these are the tools that will help us solve yesterday's problem."

"Donkey??"

Arvind clapped his hands, the sound rippling through the room. The craftsmen left their tools and approached him. Seeing them all gathered, he said, "You see the tool in Wood's hand. They will help us solve yesterday's problem. This tool with the lever arm will help us measure precise amounts of sand, just like how you measure using sacks."

The craftsmen nodded like obedient students, though many were confused as to how these tools would solve yesterday's problem.

After an hour of studying and trying the metric standard with his guidance, the craftsmen took a handful of sand and placed it on the balance scale. Staring at the scale at the center, with dozens of tries, one craftsman finally succeeded. He slapped the table in excitement, "It's not difficult! Wow, I made it!"

The room turned quiet with occasional clinking sounds of tools as the craftsmen measured the sand. Some mixed soda ash with water in a container. Arvind walked around, correcting their mistakes with occasional scolding.

After a while, they resumed the experiment. During the process, Arvind noticed the sand beginning to turn red. Turning his eyes to the craftsmen, he saw them checking the Celsius scale. He walked closer and said, "Enough firewood, don't add more wood."

With dark smoke, Wood the assistant coughed with wood in his hand and nodded, placing it back.

"The rest of the craftsmen, remember to note the temperature and the previous steps we have taken."

The craftsmen recorded the temperature and nodded.

Arvind, with his arms crossed, hoped this time would go smoothly without any problems. Getting the glass out would bring more gold coins to Ravengarde, which was essential during this period. As the reforms continued, the treasury had bottomed out. This could not continue; otherwise, the barony would crumble before becoming powerful.

Of course, glass was also important in other industries such as alchemy, weapon making, and more. With it, Arvind was confident that he would be able to bring Earth technology here. Looking at the craftsmen, he could foresee them becoming the future engineers and scientists for Atheron.

Without electricity and phones, it was daunting, and he missed the convenience of his previous life. But with the system's assistance, he was confident that in the future, they would create unique technology that future generations would remember.

To be continued...