European Financial Emperor

048 Mercenary Corps (2)

While Lee Hwan was fighting the enemy in South America, George Stevenson’s family visited East Stella.

They invented the steam locomotive and succeeded in commercializing it in mines, but it was met with a financial crisis by entrepreneurs running carriages and canals.

To make matters worse, the Stephensons were in danger of being thrown out on the streets when the money the British royal family had agreed to support their train development ran out.

The person who received it was Joshua, who could be called the housekeeper of East Stella.

Hwan Lee thought it was a godsend to offer Joshua a job as an engineer for East Stella while positively reviewing Joshua’s investment in George Stevenson.

A fortnight after returning from South America, Lee Hwan had an interview with George Stevenson.

George Stevenson stood in front of Yoo Yeol to get the final approval for the project, and his heart was so tense that words are not enough.

gulp!

Lee Hwan, who gently removed the blueprints, said to George Stevenson, who swallowed dry saliva.

“There are a lot of things to improve on.”

“… … It’s still not quite enough to replace the carriage.”

“Certainly, the current design is not very economical to carry loads on railroads. Especially in places like the Netherlands where the canal system is well established.”

“iced coffee… … ! So, is our product not suitable for investment?”

Lee Hwan had technology in his head that was 100 to 200 years more advanced than the steam engine train designed by George Stevenson.

It was said that no matter who’s knowledge it was, if he could bring out even 10% of what he had in his head, he could achieve a revolution in transportation.

However, no matter how much it was, it was impossible for Lee Hwan to sit and study it every day.

He made one suggestion.

“If you can build a power plant with the two mechanisms I give you, I’ll pay you royalties for your invention.”

“which… … .”

“One is a steam engine that is much more advanced than it is today, and the other is an internal combustion engine.”

“An internal combustion engine?”

“The engine is run using petroleum products that are lighter and easier to store than coal.”

“iced coffee!”

Lee Hwan explained the mechanisms of suction, compression, explosion, and exhaust, and the 2-stroke and 4-stroke.

He drew pictures without hesitation with charcoal, and the detailed and precise explanations were excellent.

When George Stevenson saw it with his own eyes, his eyes widened.

“Hey, this is… … !”

“Right now, our East Stellar petrochemists are bleeding and sweating to create gasoline and diesel and more. If commercialization is complete, there is probably no more innovative fuel in the world than this.”

“iced coffee… … !”

“How is it? Participate in building a steam engine and an internal combustion engine that is more advanced than your theory.”

George Stevenson was speechless for a while.

Because everything he thought was an innovation was already outdated knowledge in East Stellar.

After a bit of a shock and witnessing the right innovation right before his eyes, he gained a new mindset.

“Even if you give me a blueprint, I can never do it by myself. Would you rather give me a position as a researcher and give me a small share of the company if the development is successful?”

“Are you satisfied with your position as a researcher?”

“Humans sometimes go after more than they can get from where they are now and fall into disgrace. Just like me now.”

“Um, that’s… … .”

“If you promise me that you will hire me as a researcher until the day I die, and that you will hire me for the rest of my life, I will give my allegiance with all my life!”

Hearing the very heartbreaking George Stevenson’s determination, Lee Hwan could easily recognize that his words were sincere.

Taken from readwn.com

Moreover, if they were to receive a performance-based share of East Stellar anyway, the George Stevensons would probably live a life of pity, so it wouldn’t be too bad for them either.

Lee Hwan approved his tenure employment.

“good. We will hire researchers according to your wishes.”

“thank you!”

“Thank you. I am more grateful.”

“Then shall we start development right away?”

There were many outstanding mechanical engineers in East Stellar, and they were continuing their research based on the design suggested by Lee Hwan.

Recently, they have almost succeeded in developing a technology for charging electricity obtained from hydroelectric power or thermal power generation, and the team that develops machines and facilities like this has been quite subdivided.

Hwan Lee decided to put George Stevenson into the team that is currently researching the internal combustion engine.

“I think you can work there after establishing the Steam Engine Research Department in the Internal Combustion Engine Research Team 2. You are also participating in internal combustion engine research.”

“all right. But wouldn’t the territoriality be severe?”

At Stevenson’s question, Lee Hwan smiled softly.

“Go and work, and you will see. It’s a little rough, but people aren’t bad.”

Taken from readwn.com

Mechanical engineering engineers, who are often said to eat oily rice, looked slightly different from future researchers.

Taken from readwn.com

Most of them learned machines from experience in the field, so there was a strong feeling that only genuine men among men were working together.

Since George Stevenson also worked in the field of a mining company, Lee Hwan thought that his hands and feet would fit him quite well.

That afternoon, Lee Hwan took George Stevenson to the internal combustion engine laboratory on the second floor of the headquarters.

Lee Hwan focused his attention on introducing George Stevenson himself.

clap!

“Now, pay attention! This is the new Director George Stevenson.”

The people who were touching the machine all at once listened to Lee Hwan’s voice.

But some of those people recognized George Stevenson.

“uh… … ? Stevenson?”

“iced coffee! Mr. Hafen!”

“Haha, how old is this?! Did you stay well? I heard that they made some money by making a steam engine these days.”

“Um, that’s a bit long to say the least.”

George Stevenson had a lot of acquaintances with him because he had worked for a long time in a mining company. There were even acquaintances of engineers who had come from England.

“The world is very small. See you all here.”

“That’s it. To meet an acquaintance after getting a job in East Stellar, what would it be if it wasn’t the grace of God?”

Lee Hwan thought there was no need to worry about George Stevenson.

‘I’ll get a piece of work soon.’

An environment where you can only focus on research, isn’t that already in place here?

***

It had been a month since Lee Hwan returned.

In the meantime, a welcome guest came to Ritterkurt.

He was Andre.

Andre, who always looked shabby, smiled and visited Lee Hwan’s office.

“young master!”

“Hey, how much is this? Where the hell have you been?”

“I had some work to do. By the way, have you been unattended? I heard that they were going from battle to battle.”

“Well, I managed to survive. It looks like we will have to go to North America soon, though.”

“… … A noble nobleman would do such a thing.”

“When people get what they want, they sometimes get blood on their hands. Except for some nightmares when sleeping, everything is generally fine.”

“Hmm.”

“Anyway, welcome. How long are you going to stay this time?”

“I am going to leave for Austria right away after meeting the master and just saying a few words.”

“Hey, I think the priest is the busiest in the Netherlands.”

“Haha, I’m kind of like that. I can’t stay still in one place.”

Although the traces of hardship were evident on his face, Andre never lost his smile.

Lee Hwan also wondered if his positive thoughts had shifted from him, and perhaps he had become an optimist.

Since business is an area that one cannot do without being optimistic, Lee Hwan thought that it was a very good phenomenon that such optimism was transferred.

Lee Hwan served Andre with tea from the East.

While drinking tea, Andre asked Lee Hwan an unexpected question.

“By the way, you should be getting married now. Do you have a suitable marriage mate?”

“Are you married? There is still so much work to be done, so what marriage do you get?”

“It is only natural that the company needs to leave frequently, and in order to expand into North America, a wife must be present. What would happen if someone else had a different mind while you were away?”

“Well, that’s… … .”

“I have looked at the wives of two families. Don’t think that we are meeting on the premise of marriage, and let’s have a conversation while having a comfortable meal.”

André laid out two scrolls on the table.

One depicts a beautiful white woman with blonde hair, and the other depicts a well-groomed Jewish woman with red hair.

Both women were so beautiful that there were no angels in their appearance.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Well, yes, but would you like to meet an Asian like me?”

“If it was just an Asian, I wouldn’t meet him. But aren’t you a Dutch nobleman?”

Although Europe is a world dominated by racist humans, he was, after all, a nobleman created by the Dutch royal family and the owner of a North American frontier recognized by the British royal family.

No one would say anything to him as a source of origin.

“The master can only look at a young lady’s appearance, her personality, and her family name. Perhaps the dowry over there will be taken care of, so it would be good to use it for business.”

“Hmm. Yes, we should get married.”

“you’re right.”

“But I remember that I used to wear clichés in Joseon, how about that?”

Andre’s expression darkened at once at the word “sangtu”.

But he asked with a bitter smile.

“You can’t go back to Joseon anyway. But will you still value the couple’s relationship?”

“I’m just asking out of curiosity. I vaguely know that I can’t go back to Joseon, but I want to know what will happen to my wife who remains there.”

“Probably the family knows that the master is dead. So, you can forget about the work there. You can live here as a bachelor who has never been married.”

“Uh… … .”

“And no one can say that a young baron like this, a soldier and a businessman, is remarried. By the way, this is not Europe.”

“Well, it is.”

“Anyway, meet these two ladies. On one side is Elizabeth Sofia of the Habsburgs of Austria. She is a strong and dignified princess.”

“If it’s the Habsburgs… … .”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s royalty.”

“iced coffee!”

“And the Jewish lady on the left is Rachel of the Golden Childs, a London financial holding company. It feels like a gyusu from a rather arrogant and educated ambidextrous family. The house is also very spacious.”

All of them were not formidable.

He questioned himself whether Lee Hwan could handle these two.

One would be the Austrian royal family, and the other would be the royal family of the financial empire.