Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

3rd June 1660

It has already been more than a month since the steam engine and Kabbina converter were invented, and a lot of changes have taken place in the empire. Vijay gets constant reports from various sectors of the empire directly from the Ministry of Trade, Commerce, and Industry, so he knew how amazing the data was and how excellently the economy was performing, but he also knew that data alone wasn't enough. He wanted to see the benefits brought by two of the biggest innovations for the industrial and manufacturing sectors of the Bharatiya Empire with his own eyes.

Early in the morning, he and Kavya dressed up got on the Royal carriage, and went on to inspect various industries directly or indirectly affected by the steam engine and the Converter.

Vijay had no intention of bringing Kavya along at first, but since she insisted on coming, he obliged. Fortunately, due to her coming along, he could be away from the capital for a longer time.

Mining was the foundation for the Industrial Revolution that Vijay had started, so his inspection naturally began with the mining companies.

His travels started from the nearby state of Cholapuri, and he gradually travelled through Kakatiyapuri, Gangapuri, Kalachuri Nagari, Vijay Nagar, and finally Chera Nadu. He went from state to state and from mining site to mining site. It took a whole month to complete his journey, but his trip was actually considered short because he only visited the ones that had the steam engine installed; otherwise, it would have taken years to complete.

Overall, from what he had seen so far, he was very satisfied.

In a span of the month in which the steam engines were put to use, over 36,000 tons of iron ore and 107,000 tons of coal were mined. After smelting and processing, over 20,000 tons of iron and 80,000 tons of coal should be produced.

Calculating the data he had personally aggregated, Vijay nodded his head heavily in satisfaction. He had a bright smile on his face, as integrating the steam engine within the mining industry was a great success. However, Kavya, who was sitting right next to him, didn't look so impressed. Instead, when she heard the numbers, she felt that something was not right. Although she was not involved in governance, she did know general information about the empire. Vijay usually reviewed the data when he came home after all, And she has a habit of listening to it.

"Hey, Vijay, the increase doesn't seem to be too big," Kavya commented with slight confusion. She thought it might be a lot more, especially considering how large of a deal Vijay had made the steam engine out to be.

Hearing the question and looking at the unimpressed expression on his wife's face, Vijay simply smiled and shook his head. "Comparing it with last year's iron production of 16,000 tons per month, the increase of 25% might not be a lot, but,"his gaze shifted towards the coal piles in the distance,"in actuality, it is a massive jump and an unbridgeable gap."

He stared right into the eyes of Kavya,

"Kavya, you have to consider that the 16,000 tons per month produced last year was due to the efforts of all the mining companies in the empire, not just the seven largest companies. And as you know, the data I have obtained is by calculating only the output of the seven giants of the mining industry."

"Last year, the seven largest companies contributed over 40% to all the mined resources in the empire."

"This year, the data is naturally about to change since not all mining companies can afford the steam engine and the ones that can end up contributing more. So let us be generous and consider that the seven largest mining companies will contribute 20% extra to the total minerals mined this year. let's say 60%."

"If the 20,000 tons of iron produced in one month only accounts for 60% of all the iron, then the total iron mined would be 28,000 tons once the capacity is full. This is a whole 75% increase in iron production from last year, and we have barely scratched the surface in extracting the minerals."

"Imagine how high the number can reach when mining operations are carried out in some of the rich mineral veins deep underground."

Kavya's eyes widened. She didn't know what to say; she was left speechless.

Vijay looked at Kavya with some pride. "So, do you still think your husband's invention is so useless?"

Kavya turned her head away, unable to bear Vijay being smug and narcissistic, but the shock and amazement in her eyes were undeniable.

Vijay, looking at her like this, a slight smile appeared on his face. He sneakily pinched her abdomen, causing her to squeal.

"Uhh!" Kavya, startled, suddenly jumped up with a furious expression and started hitting Vijay's shoulder with her tiny fists.

"Hahaha!"

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Moving on from the mining companies, Vijay started to visit various iron and steel production companies.

The abundance of iron ore and coal mined is not a problem most of the time, but if the steel companies do not have the proper equipment and capacity to convert all the ore into raw materials, then it would be a disaster.

Fortunately, along with the steam engine, Sri Ranga Industrial Tools has also started manufacturing the Kabbina converter. Due to the converter's simpler design and fewer parts, the units manufactured are also greater than the number of steam engines manufactured. The production capability has already reached over 50 units per month.

Every company Vijay visited had become an iron ore-swallowing beast. Workers were working overtime, the smoke from the chimneys wouldn't stop, loud shouts, machinery sounds, heat, dust, logistics—everything was pushed to the absolute edge of what was theoretically possible. The limits of the workers, the reliability of the logistic channels, the endurance of the machinery, and the ingenuity of the managers were all tested like never before.

Morning in went a batch of ore, evening out came a batch of iron and steel. The whole process had been streamlined, with efficiency brought to an all-time high, all the companies were expanding at a breakthrough pace. When he went to visit the company, it was almost as if the manager was annoyed that Vijay came to disturb their work. A company with a single manufacturing plant expanded to two, and a company with two manufacturing plants expanded to six or even ten. Such a speed of expansion had never been seen in the empire before. Vijay saw the vitality of the Bharatiya Empire becoming stronger, with the heart of industry beating louder.

Right before his eyes, he saw thousands of tons of iron ore processed, made into standard iron bars, packaged, and shipped to customers.

Vijay visited markets where the usual dealings between steel companies and industrial enterprises take place, and he could see the prices of steel, iron, and coal had been slashed by more than 70%. The prices had reached the lowest price they had ever been.

Kavya looked at Vijay with worry. "This can't be good, can it?"

Vijay shook his head. "This will definitely not be good for those industrial enterprises who have hoarded the metal supplies before their prices went down, and for those small-scale iron companies who have not yet upgraded their equipment."

"All of them are likely to go bankrupt," he said nonchalantly as if the bankruptcy of those companies had nothing to do with him.

"But Kavya, you have to know, a nation is very similar to our body. In order for new cells to grow, old cells have to die."

"In order for the industrial sector to become more prosperous, the outdated industrial enterprises have to be shut down, giving way for new companies, new innovation, and new vitality."

"The lower prices of industrial raw materials will attract more people to the industry. It will make the burden on manufacturing companies easier. The cost of manufacturing will come down, the efficiency of manufacturing will go up, the production efficiency will go up, the prices of products will come down, the market competitiveness will increase, international market competitiveness will increase, but most importantly, the military mobilization capability of the empire will also increase."

"Overall, Bharath has become stronger."

Kavya nodded in understanding. She did hear Vijay compare the nation to the body all the time, but as she had never seen it in person, she could not really relate to it. But now, after seeing how a simple innovation in the mining and smelting industry had brought the whole industrial sector of the Bharatiya Empire into a new light, she understood.

"Can I do something similar?" Kavya thought, as a plan slowly brewed in her mind.

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In fact, as Vijay predicted, many companies who were unwilling to upgrade to a better blast furnace or to buy the converter went bankrupt.

For a short time, before the benefits brought by the low price of raw materials were realized, there were wailing and cries of despair in the stock market, as the first companies listed on this stock market directly went bankrupt. This even influenced other stocks, and overall, there was a negative sentiment in the market. However, it was not for long. Within a day, the situation had turned for the better. Investment firms, which had more keen and informed internal data, led the charge by frantically buying up all the stocks of industrial enterprises, with the retail traders soon following suit.

Companies that utilize a lot of iron and steel saw massive growth in their stock prices. The flagship enterprise of the Mangaluru Stock Exchange, Mahabali Enterprises' stock price rose from 920 Varaha to 1,016 Varaha, marking an increase of 10.43%, with a market capitalization of 1.016 billion Varaha.

Himalayan Group saw a rise from 345 Varaha per share to over 450 Varaha per share, marking a 30.43% increase, with a market capitalization of 1.104 billion Varaha.

Dynasty Corporation saw a massive increase, from 17,024 Varaha per share to over 18,000 Varaha per share, which translates to a 5.73% increase, with a market capitalization of 898.7 million Varaha.

Aakarsh Carriages and Co increased from 284 Varaha per share to 316 Varaha per share, marking an 11.27% increase, with a market capitalization of 157.801 million Varaha.

By these four companies alone, the total capital generated in a matter of a month was a staggering 420,000,000 Varaha.

Investors were greatly excited. With the reduction of iron prices, the three military conglomerates could now make weapons at a much lower price but charge the same when selling, increasing the profit margins. A carriage manufacturing giant like Aakarsh Carriages and Co could now produce carriages at a cheaper price and sell them for a more lucrative profit. even if a discount of 10% is provided in order to make them more affordable to middle-class people, the profit margin would be higher than it was before.

Companies directly or indirectly using iron or steel saw a sharp rise in their stock prices.

Even the stock price of MSE rose by a whole 6 percent. The rise of 0.5 percent a month ago was considered by many to be the highest single rise of MSE for a long time to come, but only a month later, the 6% absolutely shut up a lot of people's mouths.

When the reaction from the market was so big, the secret of the steam engine and the converter could naturally not be kept. Although the principle of the machine and how it operated was not known, people suddenly got to know about the existence of such machines.

"Bharatiya Empire has officially kicked open the dawn of the machinery age."

This was the headline printed on the front page of *Bharatham Daily*, which went on to describe how the two machines, the steam engine and the converter, were slowly evolving the industry of the Bharatiya Empire.

Even the famous economist Abhijeet Kumar Sen, director of the Economy Department at Hoisala, wrote an article about it.

"We are at an unprecedented new age of industries. Raw materials are at an all-time low, the cost to start a company has been drastically reduced, and the support provided by the government from various state governments has greatly increased. This is the best opportunity for the entrepreneurs of the empire. Go on, youth, build your tomorrow."

The news brought unprecedented excitement and fervour in all the universities of the Bharatiya Empire. Students—whether in commerce, engineering, research, or economics—did not matter; everyone wanted to get a piece of the pie.

The researchers contacted various investment firms in order to start a company with their patents in hand. Business majors went on a hunt in the neighbouring engineering departments to search for talent to start their entrepreneurial journey.

In the year 1659, over 4,000 companies were being created on average each month. This was consistent even throughout the months of January, February, March, and April of 1660. But starting in mid-May, the number suddenly jumped to over 12,000 companies registered in a span of 30 days alone. Although this figure is bound to drop after the first wave dies down, it shows how impactful the first step of the industrial revolution brought by Vijay was.

Unknown to anyone, another major industrial revolution is underway. The benefits brought by the fifth generation of machine tools have yet to be discovered. When these entrepreneurs come into contact with the machine tools, there is bound to be another explosion of machinery in the Bharatiya Empire.

Except for Vijay, who is looking forward to it, maybe no one else in the empire even knows about this economic monster that is still in the incubation stage.