The moment Ernest finished speaking, the workers immediately began moving toward their assigned stations inside the Helmarte Soap Works.

And just like that...

The factory officially came alive.

Actually, the atmosphere inside the production hall changed almost instantly compared to earlier.

Before, the building felt quiet.

Waiting.

Like a machine not yet activated.

Now?

Workers moved everywhere.

Barrels rolled across the floor.

Foremen shouted instructions.

Furnaces roared beneath the great kettles.

Steam slowly began rising toward the ceiling vents.

The entire facility suddenly transformed into a functioning industrial operation.

Ernest stood near the center walkway beside Hollen while observing everything carefully.

Honestly, this moment mattered more than the speeches.

More than the permits.

More than the construction itself.

Because now came the true test.

Could the factory actually produce soap efficiently at industrial scale?

"Open the ash barrels carefully!" one supervisor shouted nearby.

"Keep moisture away from the dry storage!"

Another team immediately began transporting rendered animal fat from the storage section toward the boiling hall using reinforced wooden carts.

Actually, Ernest intentionally designed the workflow layout carefully months earlier.

Raw material storage sat closest to the receiving entrance.

Then materials moved progressively toward the boiling hall.

Then molding.

Then curing.

Then final storage and shipping.

Linear production flow.

It reduced unnecessary movement inside the factory and prevented congestion between work crews.

Back on Earth, such layouts were basic industrial engineering principles.

Meanwhile here?

The workers already considered the organization revolutionary.

The three massive soap kettles slowly heated as charcoal furnaces beneath them roared brighter.

Orange light reflected across the iron surfaces while workers climbed small access platforms beside the vats.

"Batch One beginning!" a foreman shouted.

Immediately, the first measured quantities of rendered pig fat were poured into the kettle.

Large ladles.

Buckets.

Barrels.

The thick pale fat slowly melted under rising heat while steam and oily vapor drifted upward toward the ventilation ducts.

Then came the ash solution.

Actually, this remained one of the most sensitive parts of production.

Too weak?

The soap quality failed.

Too strong?

The final bars became harsh against skin.

Ernest immediately walked closer toward the measuring station where workers carefully transferred filtered alkaline solution into calibrated containers.

Actually calibrated.

That alone already looked unusual for this era.

Wooden measurement rods.

Volume markings.

Standardized ratios.

Everything designed specifically for production consistency.

"How’s the concentration?" Ernest asked.

One worker immediately handed over the test container.

"Within target range."

Ernest inspected the viscosity briefly before nodding.

Good.

Actually, primitive soap manufacturing historically suffered from terrible consistency because most producers estimated measurements blindly.

One batch good.

Next batch terrible.

Industrialization required standardization.

Repeatability and Predictability.

That was the difference.

Then suddenly, clank.

The mechanical drive system engaged overhead.

Large gears slowly rotated while the leather transmission belts tightened across the ceiling pulleys.

And moments later, the massive wooden mixing paddles inside the kettles began turning automatically.

Round, and round, and round.

Powered entirely by the Aldren River outside.

Several workers still glanced upward occasionally while operating nearby.

Even after weeks of testing, the system still looked impressive.

Because compared to ordinary workshops where laborers manually stirred vats for hours, this looked advanced beyond its era.

One older worker quietly muttered nearby.

"Still strange seeing water do the work of ten men."

Actually, Ernest heard that phrase repeatedly lately.

And every single time, it reminded him exactly why industrial revolutions changed civilizations permanently.

Machines multiplied labor output.

Mint oil.

Lavender.

Warm soap mixture.

Actually, compared to the smell of forges, slaughterhouses, and medieval city streets...

The production hall smelled surprisingly pleasant.

Hollen crossed his arms while observing the first kettle batches carefully.

"Holy..." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The forge owner shook his head slightly afterward.

"Eight months ago you were barely surviving inside my forge."

Then he glanced toward the rotating paddles overhead.

"Now look at this place."

Efficiency reshaped economies.

Then the scent began spreading gradually through the hall.

"Are you seeing your investment taking fruit already?"

"It’s just been a day. No, it’s not even a day yet."

Workers continued feeding raw materials steadily into the production lines while the first molded soap trays were already being prepared nearby.

Large wooden molding frames lined long preparation tables where workers spread cloth separators carefully before pouring finished soap mixture into them.

Actually, Ernest intentionally standardized mold dimensions too.

Uniform bars.

Uniform weights.

Uniform appearance.

Brand consistency mattered.

Even in medieval commerce.

Then suddenly a supervisor approached quickly.

"Mister Ernest."

"What is it?"

"The first kettle batch is ready for pouring."

Immediately, Ernest followed him toward the boiling hall platforms.

Workers carefully opened the lower release channels beneath the kettle afterward.

And thick pale soap mixture slowly flowed outward into waiting molding trays.

The thick soap mixture continued flowing steadily from the kettle channels into the waiting molding frames.

This part of the process required careful coordination.

Too slow and the mixture would begin cooling unevenly before spreading properly across the molds.

Too fast and overflow would waste materials and ruin consistency.

"Steady!" one supervisor shouted. "Keep the flow even!"

Workers immediately adjusted the release handles carefully while others guided the wooden distribution paddles across the mold frames.

The pale soap mixture spread smoothly across the rectangular molds afterward.

One worker carrying a wooden leveling tool carefully scraped excess soap from the mold surface afterward.

Actually, Ernest designed that tool himself.

Simple wooden straight-edge.

Nothing complicated.

But it ensured every soap block maintained equal thickness before cutting.

Consistency mattered.

A customer paying one hundred riels expected a full-sized bar.

Not random uneven chunks.

Then another group of workers immediately rolled the filled molding racks toward the cooling section using reinforced wooden carts.

The process itself resembled an assembly line now.

Boiling.

Mixing.

Pouring.

Leveling.

Cooling.

Cutting.

Curing.

Every team handled specific stages.

Actually, specialization alone already improved productivity massively.

Instead of one craftsman doing everything manually, workers repeated dedicated tasks efficiently.

Industrial labor division.

Adam Smith would probably cry tears of joy seeing this place.

The cooling section remained significantly colder compared to the boiling hall because ventilation shutters near the upper walls intentionally allowed winter air circulation.

Cold temperatures helped stabilize the soap mixture faster before cutting operations began.

And several hours later...

The first hardened soap slabs finally reached the cutting stations.

Large rectangular blocks rested atop reinforced cutting tables while workers prepared the mechanical cutting frames.

Ernest loved this part too.

Because unlike manual knife cutting, the factory used standardized wire-frame cutters connected through lever-guided measurement rails.

One worker lowered the frame carefully afterward.

Thunk.

Dozens of perfectly uniform soap bars emerged instantly from the slab.

Several nearby workers visibly looked impressed again despite already seeing earlier test runs.

Because compared to traditional handmade soap chunks sold unevenly in markets...

These looked professional.

Ernest grinned at the process as he could see himself really becoming an industrialist in this world. No one in this world can produce so much and efficiently.