Tyranny of Steel

Over the past few years, since Berengar first began to introduce modern chemistry to the alchemists who had gathered in Kufstein, they had managed to produce a significant degree of a great variety of chemicals. So much so that a portion of the industrial district was dedicated to chemical engineering.

The chemistry Labs had grown in size and staff as more alchemists fled from the german regions to Austria in search of a better life. When these alchemists arrived in Kufstein, they were properly instructed in the field of chemistry and inspired to give up on their primitive notions of gold conversion and immortality.

For the most part, Berengar allowed the chemists the freedom to make their own discoveries; due to this academic liberation, these brilliant minds could rapidly advance the field of chemistry. In doing so, they managed to discover and create many of the chemicals necessary for advancing into the Industrial Age.

At the moment, Berengar was talking to Aldo von Passau, the lead chemist in the Kingdom of Austria, who was proud of his newest research. As Berengar stared at this latest invention, he was in a state of complete and utter shock; the only word he could use to describe Aldo and his team of chemists was "genius."

Sitting in front of him was a very primitive form of the Alkaline battery. This battery was something akin to the early Edison-Lalande Cell. It utilized a negative zinc electrode and a copper-oxide positive electrode with a potassium hydroxide electrolyte.

At this point, Berengar was seriously considering creating some form of award to give to his scientists who achieved terrific feats like this. After having observed the battery, Berengar sighed heavily before revealing the thoughts on his mind.

"Aldo, my friend... You have just cured one of the major causes of my incessant headache!"

Aldo's brow began to twitch as he heard this, he honestly did not know how to react to such a statement, nevertheless, he was glad he could help. As such, he bowed respectfully before showing his thanks for Berengar's so-called praise.

"You honor me, your majesty."

Berengar may have been exaggerating, rather than enduring literal headache he had long since suffered in a figurative sense as he worried about the large probability of train collisions that would inevitably result without some form of long-distance communication. With this battery, he could now invent the electrical telegraph, and begin construction of telegraph stations, and wires across his railway.

With this in mind, he was incredibly pleased with the results of the Chemists within the Kufstein Chemistry Department. It took some time but he managed to reorganize his thoughts to congratulate the man and his team on their efforts in a suitable manner.

"Aldo von Passau, for your exemplary service to the Kingdom of Austria and its Royal Family, I promise that I will devise an award for your contributions to the field of chemistry. I have long since ignored the effort of the scientific community, and it is time to rectify that!"

As Aldo heard these words he began to smile gracefully, as a vain man, this was a far more appropriate response to all the hard work he and his team had put forth throughout the past few years. Though Berengar may have given them the basic knowledge behind the science of chemistry, it was ultimately their efforts that lead to the discovery of the chemicals that had become the backbone of the Austrian Industry. Thus, he bowed respectfully and properly thanked the King for his remarks.

"Your Majesty, words can not express my gratitude for your kind words!"

Berengar gazed at Aldo with exhaustion; this guy had never given up an opportunity to kiss his ass; if Aldo had not excelled in his career, then Berengar would probably never speak to the man as he had a disdain for yesmen. Nevertheless, he could not deny Aldo's contributions, and because of this, he chose to converse with him a bit longer. Eventually, the chief chemist left the Palace and returned to his department.

It would take a good while before enough of these batteries could be produced to ensure a constant supply of power to his future telegraph network, but when that happened Berengar and his Army would be able to rapidly communicate across his realm, which was helpful beyond measure.

If his Borders were to be attacked at any point, he could have a telegraph sent asking for reinforcements, and immediately men could be shipped onto train cars with their supplies where they would be rapidly sent to the frontlines.

When compared to his enemies, who were still using messengers and carrier pigeons as a means of communication, Berengar would have a massive advantage during defensive operations. After reflecting upon this for a few minutes, Berengar got to work making plans for the first telegraph, which would use this new Proto-Alkaline battery as its power source.

An electrical telegraph was a relatively simple design when compared to more modern advancements in long-distance communication. Fundamentally it was operated by using morse code, which utilized a series of dots and lines for each letter of the alphabet.

It achieved this using an electromagnet, a battery, the morse key, and a long wire referred to as a cable. The morse key was attached to the battery's positive node via a cable, while the negative terminal was connected to the ground. From the morse key, the cable attached itself to the electromagnet and the base. An Armature was joined on the same platform as the electromagnet and was operated by a large spring.

When assembled, one just needed to use the morse key to send messages through the cable to another destination. Hence the need for telegraph wires to be built over long distances, much like telephone wires were done in the 20th century. As for the wireless telegraph, that would require radio waves, and Berengar did not yet have the means to produce them, for now, the electric telegraph would suit his needs.

Now that Berengar had the means to create a battery, all he needed was to make some rudimentary electromagnets, which he had all of the materials necessary to build. A primitive electromagnet consisted of little more than an iron core, with a copper wire coiled around it and connected to a battery. Thus he did not have to worry about procuring the supplies necessary to build such things.

With the blueprints for the first telegraph completed, Berengar decided to begin the construction of telegraph wires and stations alongside his railways and within the rail stations. As for the telegraphs themselves, they would have to be slowly implemented over time. After all, it would take a while to set up a new battery factory.

Ultimately it was likely to take years for this project to be completed. Still, Berengar was confident that by the time his enemies invaded his country, he would have railways and telegraph stations connecting his Kingdom, thus allowing him a severe technological advantage over the crusaders in terms of long-range communication.

Having finished his work for the day, Berengar immediately departed from his study, where he soon found his son Hans searching through the hallways in a suspicious manner. Curious as to what the boy was looking Berengar walked over to his son and immediately inquired about his actions.

"Hans, what are you up to?"

The young boy immediately smiled upon seeing his father; he did not hesitate to announce what exactly he was doing that made him look so suspicious.

"I'm looking for Veronika; we are playing hide and seek!"

Upon hearing this, Berengar smiled; Although there was an age difference of roughly five or six years between the two kids, it seemed like they were getting along quite well. There was no doubt that Veronika had minimal options for playmates within the Royal Palace. As such, she had begun hanging out with Hans, and the even younger Helga, acting almost like a big sister to the two.

Berengar immediately noticed a nearby table covered by a tablecloth; while he talked to Hans, the tablecloth moved ever so slightly. Considering the windows were sealed, and there was no breeze within the Palace, Berengar knew that was most likely where the young girl was hiding. With this in mind, he knelt next to his young son and whispered in his ear.

"She's hiding under the table in the hallway..."

A smug grin appeared on Hans's face as he heard this information and silently nodded his head as a form of acknowledgment. After doing so, he calmly walked over to the table before lifting the cloth, revealing the young girl hidden beneath. She immediately began to pout and protest her discovery!

"How did you know!?!"

Hans did not give up the fact that his old man had revealed her location to him. Instead, he crossed his arms with a conceited expression on his face. As he did so, he spoke proudly, in an arrogant manner that only a young prince like himself could pull off.

"Are you questioning my superior German intellect? It was quite obvious that a Bohemian like yourself would hide under the table like a common rat!"

Berengar's smile immediately sank into an awkward expression; he did not know where the boy learned such racial-based taunts. Still, such haughty words caused Veronika to pout even further. Upon seeing this, Berengar attempted to mediate the conflict and thus pressed his hand upon his son's shoulder before scolding him.

"Hans, it is inappropriate to say such things. Veronika is your friend; you should save such remarks for your enemies. There is no reason to humiliate the poor girl. Besides, it is now her turn to hunt you down, and when she inevitably finds you, perhaps she will taunt you in a similar manner."

The young boy immediately knew what his father was saying and nodded his head in agreement. Though he did not apologize to the former Bohemian Princess for his remarks, he had made up his mind that he would no longer verbally abuse the girl in the future. After all, his father was right; he should treat his allies with dignity while humiliating his enemies.

Upon seeing that the two kids were getting along once more, Berengar departed from the scene leaving the children to their games. He had much to prepare for; After all, things would undoubtedly be more lively within the Palace in a few months.

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