Tyranny of Steel

A small feast was thrown within the confines of the Castel of Kufstein. Sitting at the head of the Table was Berengar, and by his side was Linde. At the table near Linde's position was Henrietta. The only other people present at the table were Arethas and a variety of Byzantine merchants and noblemen who traveled with his Caravan, these men were allowed to dine at the table this night as a show of friendship to the Byzantines. Berengar was quite pleased that the Byzantine Empire maintained significant control over the Mediterranean in this timeline. In contrast, during his past life, they were on the brink of destruction at this point in history. This made establishing trade with the east much easier than dealing with a powerful Muslim Empire.

Even though the Byzantines were Orthodox, they were much more amicable in this world to the Catholics in the west than they were in their previous life, and as such, the two men were able to get along quite well. Especially because Berengar was secretly an atheist and had no plans to discriminate based upon what religion someone might adhere to.. For the rest of the medieval world, this open-mindedness was uncommon, to say the least.

Arethas and the Merchants were dining on a variety of German cuisine, which Berengar had long since introduced into Kufstein and by now had spread across Austria and into Bavaria. The Byzantines were far more culturally advanced than their western counterparts due to them being the surviving remnant of the ancient Roman Empire. Because of this, They were quite shocked that such a high level of culinary talent was available in a remote region like Tyrol.  Seeing the satisfied expression on Arethas' face as he dug into the veal schnitzel, Berengar could not prevent himself from asking about the man's opinion.

"So, what do you think about Tyrolean cuisine?"

After being asked such a question, Arethas slowly chewed on the food and savored its taste before washing it down with a doppelbock beer. Since Berengar first established his breweries, the first batch of doppelbock beer had recently been released. As a beer connoisseur, Berengar was quite pleased with the result. It was apparent by the look on the Byzantine nobleman's face that he was not the only one who enjoyed the hearty taste of the strong German beer.  It was only after several moments had passed and Arethas had time to enjoy the serving he had just devoured that he was able to answer Berengar's question.

"Truly, it is sublime. I have not had such a fantastic foreign meal in years. The last time I had such an exquisite dish from a foreign country was when I visited India!"

Growing up in a globalized world from his previous life, Berengar was quite accustomed to eastern-style foods. He was a big fan of curry from various countries, including India; as such, his mouth salivated thinking about having a curried rice dish. Berengar had once experimented with eating curried rice with tortilla chips in his previous life, acting as if the rice dish was a dip. It turned out to be quite tasty; at least in his opinion, of course, everyone else thought he was a weirdo for doing such a thing.

Thinking about such memories, Berengar could not wait for the point where he acquired some coastal territory to build a great fleet that could sail across Asia and acquire the spices necessary to recreate some of his favorite dishes from the continent. However, he was stuck in a landlocked region for now, and unless he expanded through force or coercion, he would not be able to acquire such valuable territory. Both of those options took time to prepare for.

Arethas had his eyes on Linde for quite some time now; after all, she was an exceptional beauty, and as such, he could not stop himself from praising her.

"Berengar, your wife is among the gorgeous women I have ever seen. You are a lucky man."

Hearing herself be referred to as Berengar's wife, Linde began to blush as she shifted her attention to the food on the table. Berengar chuckled at Arethas' comment. However, he did not intend to spoil Linde's fun, and as such, did not clarify that she was, in fact, his lover, not his wife.

"Linde is the mother of my child and the companion of my heart; as you say, I am truly a lucky man to have her by my side."

Seeing as how Berengar did not correct Arethas, Linde decided to play the part of a dutiful wife and made her stance clear.

"Berengar is the only man I will ever love; it is I who am grateful to be afforded the privilege to live by his side."

Seeing the genuine expression on the exquisite young woman's face, Arethas mistook them for a happy newlywed couple and decided to shift the topic to something more important.

"Berengar, I do not intend to be rude, so forgive me if I am out of place, but I noticed a great deal of smoke rising from your industrial sector. I have also noticed your men are all equipped in plate armor. If you could humor my curiosity, just how much iron is produced in this city?"

With this question being raised, Berengar chuckled once more, though this time it was a bit more noticeable, and as such, Arethas frowned before asking Berengar.

"What is so funny?"

A proud smile appeared on Berengar's face as he began to correct the man.

"It is not iron in which my army is equipped with, but steel! My industrial sector produces a massive output of steel every month; the exact amount would shock you. Let's just say that I have more steel than I know what to do with at the moment."

This was not an exaggeration in the slightest with the new territory gained in his conquests and the city of Innsbruck being industrialized, Berengar was producing thousands of tonnes of steel every month, and despite using the steel in his many construction projects, which ranged from building fortifications, sewage treatment centers, roads, etc. as well as its extensive use in his arms industry, which supplied not only his own forces with the advanced equipment they wielded but also the medieval arms and armor of his allies. Berengar still had quite the surplus, albeit the more ambitious his plans became, the more the surplus dwindled.

Hearing this information, Arethas instantly became excited by the news. Though he could not fathom how, if Berengar truly possed the ability to create such a terrifying amount of steel, then clearly he could buy some of the raw materials for his own armies. As such, he began to ponder about the feasibility of such a deal.

"Is it possible for me to purchase some of your surplus?"

A smirk spread across Berengar's lips as he heard those words. Not only could he produce arms and armor for the factions fighting for Germany, but with this opportunity, he could partially supply the Byzantine armies who were fighting in Egypt. If negotiated properly, he could increase the business of his arms trade without putting his own position in danger. After all, no matter what type of armor he produced for the Byzantines, it would never stop his muskets, especially not the rifled muskets that utilized mini balls. Thus Berengar had no fear of trading arms and armor to the east.

Seeing that Berengar was talking about business at the dinner table, the other Merchants instantly became enlightened by the idea of purchasing some steel to be brought back to the Empire for resale. As such, Berengar found himself bombarded with offers; however, before it could get too chaotic, he raised his hand, signaling the men to behave themselves.

"We are enjoying a meal right now; there will be plenty of time to discuss business opportunities in the upcoming days. Take this time to savor the dishes on the table, and think about what offers you wish to present me."

What Berengar said was true; they had gotten ahead of themselves after the excitement they felt upon hearing that Berengar had a vast surplus of steel. After all, it was a tough material to make in this era, and only ever in small quantities. If Berengar truly possed such a stockpile of the valuable material, they would be willing to go to great lengths to secure a trade agreement with the young Count.

As such, the remainder of the dinner was spent discussing less important matters and the ongoing events of the world. For a region embroiled in warfare, Tyrol was remarkably secure for the moment. Thus while the rest of Germany suffered through the hardships of war, Berengar entertained a host of Byzantine Merchants and noblemen from the East.