Tyranny of Steel

It had been nearly a year and seven months since the Pax Germania first began, and during this time of peace and prosperity, many advancements had come into existence within the borders of the Reich. Engineering, medicine, chemistry, physics, these were among many scientific fields that were advancing at a rapid rate.

From the moment the Pax Germania began, Berengar had given an order to the Nation's largest pharmaceutical company, which he had personally owned roughly 15% of the shares in. That order was to research malaria, and find an ability to combat its effects. Millions of marks had been thrown into the research and development of a cure for malaria, and finally, a viable medication had been created.

Currently, Aldo von Passau was sitting across from Berengar in the middle of the Kaiser's office. He placed a small white pill on the table with a proud smile on his face. Upon looking at the medication, Berengar was dumbfounded. From his perspective, it appeared as if it were no different from over-the-counter painkillers. Thus, he was quick to ask for clarification on just what this object was.

"Aldo, what the hell is this? You barge into my office saying that you have made a breakthrough in god knows what, and then you just drop a single pill on my desk? Exactly what have you made a breakthrough in, and what medication is this?"

Aldo's smug smile somehow became even more so as he lectured Berengar on his newest invention.

"Thanks to your investment, my corporation Eir Medical Industries has had a major breakthrough in the field of malaria medication. The chemical name of this medication is Hydroxychloroquine-"

Aldo was about to go on a massive rant about chemistry when Berengar raised his hand and silenced him with a single phrase.

"Say no more, I understand..."

How could he not understand what Hydroxychloroquine was? After all, it had become quite infamous in his past life. About a year before his death as Julian, a global pandemic had occurred. During the initial stages of the outbreak, there were people making all kinds of wild claims about what had caused it, and how it could be cured. Among them was the idea that Hydroxychloroquine was a cure for the disease.

Despite the claims made about the medication and its effectiveness in combating a certain virus, hydroxychloroquine was still one of the most proven ways to treat malaria. It honestly surprised Berengar that his scientists had skipped over the earlier medications of quinine and chloroquine and instead went straight to the most effective treatment. Or at least the most effective treatment that didn't have horrible side effects.

Although Aldo was even more surprised than the Kaiser. He had difficulty accepting the fact that Berengar already knew about the medication. How the hell did the man have time to read over the reports from his studies when he had so many more important things to do?

Still, this confidence in knowing what the chemical was only made the aging scientist all the more impressed with his Kaiser. As much as a brown nose as Aldo was, it came from a genuine place of respect, and that was why Berengar could tolerate the man. Berengar held the pill in his hand and expressed his views on just how important this was to his future plans.

"We now have the means to treat the most dangerous disease in this world. With it, our troops will be able to advance into any land without fear of contracting malaria. I must say I am thoroughly impressed. You and your team have truly outdone yourself this time, Aldo. As Impressed as I am with your results, I am afraid that I have more to ask of your talents.

Now that we have found a way to treat malaria, I want you to research a cure for smallpox. Don't worry about the funds, I promise you that I will support you in every way I can. I must admit that although I don't know much about the virus, I can still give you a clue where to start in your efforts to cure it.

You and your team should look into the relation between cowpox and smallpox. All I know is that milk maids tend to not suffer as severe reactions from the smallpox virus. Find out the reason why this is, and you and your corporation will be able to quickly develop a proper cure for such a nasty disease."

Aldo bowed his head with respect to the Kaiser once more. As he eagerly accepted this responsibility.

"Of course, as always, I thank you for your patronage. It may take a decade, but I am sure we will have a cure for smallpox before long!"

Aldo had a tendency to highball the estimates he gave on timeframes. With the clue Berengar had given him, it would probably take at most five years before a proper cure for smallpox was developed. Berengar always claimed he knew little when it came to the study of medicine and chemistry, but somehow he always had a hint that would get the ball rolling.

The genius chemist was very curious about where the Kaiser got his knowledge from. It was a question that had been eating away at his mind for years. However, Berengar would never allow Aldo to investigate his background, and if the man was being honest with himself, he didn't have a proper reason to do so.

He would genuinely prefer it if the origin of Berengar's knowledge forever remained one of life's greatest mysteries. Most people who lived in Germany did not know just how much of the modern Reich was built upon the knowledge that Berengar had stored within his mind. Knowledge that seemingly had no reasonable explanation for its existence.

Though Aldo did not want to admit it, perhaps the German Reformation's claim that Saint Berengar the Blessed was a prophet gifted by God with limitless knowledge was the only valid explanation for this question. Then again, he knew this claim originated from Ludolf, who introduced it as a means to combat the growing members of his parish, who had begun to revere Berengar more than Christ himself.

After all, if Berengar was a prophet of the Lord, then it was truly God in heaven, and not one man who had enriched the German people to such a degree. The only flaw with this reasoning was the fact that Berengar had never claimed to be a prophet. Nor had he claimed his knowledge came from God himself.

Still, that did not stop the Church from trying to save face. Ironically, this attempt by the Church to get the reformists to stop worshiping Berengar ended up backfiring spectacularly. The fact that Ludolf, who was the head of the Church, proclaimed Berengar to be a living saint, as well as a prophet of the Lord, only increased the zeal of those who prayed to their Kaiser.

While these thoughts were going through Aldo's head, Berengar could see the way the man was staring at him, and immediately suspected that he might have something on his face. He quickly pawed at his handsome visage with his hand before asking the question on his mind.

"What is it? Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?'

Aldo merely chuckled at Berengar's gesture and shook his head before answering the man's question in earnest.

"No, I was just wondering if perhaps you really are a Prophet sent by the Lord to lead the German people to prosperity."

Berengar was dead silent for a few moments before breaking out into a fit of laughter. This was genuinely the first time he had heard such a ludicrous statement. He decided to throw the chemist a bone, but he did so in a concealed manner.

"Me? A prophet? Perhaps... Or maybe I am a man from the future who was pulled back in time by some pagan deity. Either way, it doesn't matter where my knowledge came from. All that matters is I use it for the betterment of my people. If there's nothing else to say, then I suppose you have your work cut out for you. Until we meet again, my friend."

Aldo merely chuckled at Berengar's words. The man was clearly having a joke at his expense. Being pulled back in time by a pagan deity? Truly, that was utter nonsense. After sharing a laugh with the Kaiser, he left the Palace and returned to his lab, where he immediately began to investigate the link between cowpox and smallpox.

As for Berengar, he stared at the small white pill in his hand with a wide grin on his face. This medication would allow his troops to traverse the world, without fear of what could quite possibly be the most deadly disease in human history.

If the soldiers of the Reich planned to spend any significant time in India and South-east Asia, they would need this medication to survive. Luckily, he had developed it long before his invasion of the Anangpur Empire began, because by the time he dropped his troops into India to secure the throne for Dharya, he would have a stockpile of malaria medication.