"Hydraulic Forging Press (water-powered forging hammer)?" Fjord exclaimed in delight. These were terms he had never heard before.

But he was already accustomed to Simon continuously creating these miraculous machines in the Mechanical Department. For him, it was a source of satisfaction.

Simon nodded, found a chair to sit on, and offered Fjord a seat as well. He then began to explain the knowledge of plate armour and water-powered forging hammers to Fjord.

Plate armour, which was phased out by firearms in the 16th century, has always been a subject of controversy in history. The debate over the strongest armour has never ceased.

However, Simon believed that war only eliminates outdated armour.

During the long medieval period in the West, after countless wars, Western knights ultimately chose plate armour. This could only mean that the cost-effectiveness of plate armour far surpassed that of other types of armour.

Moreover, after the medieval period, the advent of the Hydraulic Forging Press made the mass production of plate armour possible.

The concept of forging has existed since the emergence of steel. The saying ’a hundred tempering make fine steel’ refers to the process of forging. The more times steel is forged, the better its quality becomes.

Hence, terms like ’hundred-tempered steel’ emerged, all of which require forging. Simply put, it involves repeatedly hammering iron to improve its quality.

However, this manual hammering method made the production of armour and weapons very slow. Thus, the West first introduced the hydraulic forging press, which some scholars believe marked the beginning of Western military technology surpassing that of any other region.

Now, Simon was preparing to replicate the hydraulic forging press.

Before the advent of steam engines, he had to utilize water power to lay the foundation for industrial development. He needed hydraulic forging press to produce metal materials of sufficient strength and to increase the production of machinery like lathes. Currently, Simon only possessed a limited variety of lathes, which was far from his expectations.

In summary, he needed water power to stockpile the materials and high-strength tools required for manufacturing steam engines.

As Simon explained, Fjord grew increasingly excited. The slow forging work of craftsmen had long been unable to cope with the growing orders for steel. Now, the machinery designed by Simon has completely solved his problem.

"My Lord, if the hydraulic forging press is successfully produced, it could increase forging efficiency by at least thirty times." Fjord said excitedly.

"No, forty times." Simon corrected. He had consulted data and found that the hydraulic forging press directly increased blacksmiths’ efficiency by forty times. Such a hammer could complete hundreds of strikes per minute.

However, the only drawback of hydraulic forging press was the instability of the power source, as the water flow is not constant. Nevertheless, it was sufficient for his current needs.

After a detailed explanation, Fjord had mostly memorised the manufacturing method of the hydraulic forging press. In fact, the power mechanisms of water-powered machinery were generally similar, much like the ox-powered waterwheel. As long as there was rotation, power could be generated. Gears, bearings, and other components were largely the same, differing only in the working parts.

Thus, for Fjord, who had successfully manufactured the ox-powered waterwheel, this was not a difficult task.

Moreover, after observing for some time, Simon concluded that ancient people were not stupid; their intelligence was on par with modern humans. The only shortcoming was their lack of education and knowledge.

In areas they were familiar with, such as poetry, calligraphy, painting, and even strategy, they were no less capable than modern people.

As the saying goes, ’a little hint is all it takes.’ The ancient people just needed someone to give them that hint, and Simon was playing that role.

Recognizing the importance of the hydraulic forging press, Fjord focused on its production. Thanks to the convenience of lathe processing, the manufacturing of the hydraulic forging press proceeded smoothly. However, the first hydraulic forging press would take a month to assemble due to its complex structure.

Simon had great confidence in Fjord’s abilities and entrusted the task entirely to him. Whenever he encountered difficulties, he would come to the academy to ask Simon, and they would discuss the issues together.

During this period, Simon continued to teach at the academy as usual. However, he had James and others begin their first chemical production task: extracting alkali from plant ash.

This task was originally handled by the royal residence servants and the machinery department, but Simon had now completely separated it to refine the industrial system.

Moreover, during this time, soap production workshops had sprung up like mushrooms in Brambleford, leading to a sharp increase in the demand for alkali. This was why Simon decided to produce alkali separately. Otherwise, he would be constantly bothered by merchants coming to buy alkali.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Another batch of alkali was transported out of the palace, and the merchants purchasing it were all smiles, though they also felt a pang of pain.

The reason was that alkali was simply too expensive. In the cost of producing soap, alkali accounted for more than half. After selling the soap, they could only earn about one or two caps of silver.

"Sigh, if only we could learn how to produce alkali, wouldn’t we make a fortune?"

As they walked away, one merchant said to another.

"Learn? How? I heard that alkali is no longer produced in the workshop area. It’s only produced in the courtyard next to the castle, and that place is not accessible to just anyone."

"That’s true. But I heard that there are two hundred students living there, and they go out once a week. If we could bribe one of them, maybe..."

"Don’t even think about it. Every time they go out, they are accompanied by guards. Outsiders can’t get close."

"Sigh..." The merchant sighed deeply.

At this moment, Baldwin passed by the two merchants. Hearing their conversation, he couldn’t help but sneer, thinking to himself: These merchants are indeed driven by profit and will stop at nothing.

Upon entering the palace, he met with Simon and first repeated the merchants’ conversation to him.

"I am well aware of these merchants’ tricks. Besides this method, they also deliberately sell slaves to Edger, hoping to infiltrate the workshop district with these slaves. Hmph, they underestimate me. I’ll let them in but never let them out."

Baldwin said. "I brought this up not to discuss the craftsmanship, but because Brambleford is becoming increasingly chaotic. Your Highness should establish your own secret guards."

Simon’s expression turned serious. He spoke. "It’s not that I don’t want to, but I lack suitable candidates."

The secret guards Baldwin referred to were similar to the Empire’s Imperial Guards, essentially a modern intelligence system. Without such a system, Simon would be blind to the happenings in the Eldorian Kingdom, knowing nothing.

For instance, in the recent case of horse smuggling revealed by the Goldwynd family, Simon had been completely unaware beforehand.

Baldwin brought this up precisely because he was stimulated by this incident.

"My Lord, I came here today because I think there’s someone who might interest you," Baldwin said with a smile.

Simon recalled that Baldwin had been tasked with finding talent for him. He asked. "Do you have a suitable candidate in mind? Who is it?"