Kingdombuilding: All My Inventions Are Novelty

”My Lord, will this gunpowder really explode?”

In the dim night, only the side hall of the castle was illuminated. Joan, who was naturally timid, looked on the verge of tears.

Ysabeau glared at James. ”Shame on you, handpicked by His Highness to study chemistry, yet you’re so useless. Move aside, let me do it.”

Without waiting for a response, she took over James’s task and began carefully grinding the saltpeter.

His expression turned awkward. As a man, how could he lose to a woman? Steadying himself, he silently picked up another rolling pin and resumed grinding.

Simon had summoned James tonight for hands-on instruction. Though gunpowder wasn’t a secret in the Eldorian Empire, not everyone knew how to make it.

The formula he was using, one part sulfur, two parts saltpeter, and three parts charcoal, was the optimal ratio for black powder.

Over the past few days, Simon had researched the various gunpowder formulas used in the Eldorian Empire, only to find a chaotic mess of inconsistent ratios. Unsurprisingly, the resulting gunpowder was weak and unreliable.

Thus, from the very beginning, his gunpowder would have an advantage. Naturally, James was unaware of this formula. After tonight’s lesson, he would not only understand it but also oversee gunpowder production.

After all, casting cannons was one thing, but equipping them involved many other tasks; gunpowder, cannonballs, and artillery mounts were all separate challenges.

However, tonight’s goal wasn’t just to teach James how to make traditional black powder. Simon intended to upgrade it further into granulated gunpowder, a method to enhance its potency.

Granulated gunpowder had appeared in the West by the 15th century in his original world, so replicating it now wasn’t technically difficult.

Once Ysabeau and the others had ground the sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal into fine powder, James mixed them according to Simon’s specified ratio.

Soon, a small pile of black powder lay before them.

”My Lord, is this it?” James asked excitedly. The process hadn’t been dangerous at all!

”Mmm, that’s it.” Simon had been exaggerating earlier to keep James cautious. The real danger began now.

James had only heard of gunpowder before but had never seen it. Curious, he asked. ”My Lord, how is this used?”

Brambleford’s first batch of gunpowder had been born under his hands, and Simon felt a thrill. He scooped up a small amount and carried it to a more distant spot.

Then, lighting a small twig with a candle, he said, ”Like this.”

The moment the flame touched the powder, hiss, a sharp crack rang out, followed by thick blue smoke and the acrid smell of gunpowder.

”Ahhh!” Joan, unprepared, screamed and hid behind Simon.

Even the braver Ysabeau paled slightly.

The gunpowder burned rapidly, vanishing in a flash of white light. To those unfamiliar with it, the spectacle might have seemed like sorcery.

James, who had been nervous earlier, now looked fascinated. ”My Lord, it burns incredibly fast. But just this alone can’t kill reavers, can it?”

”Of course not. But you’ll see its real power soon enough.” Simon waved, and a servant approached carrying a cylindrical object.

James frowned. ”My Lord, what’s this?”

Simon grinned. It was essentially a firecracker shell made from rolled paper.

The bottom had already been sealed with yellow clay, leaving only a small opening at the top for gunpowder.

”You’ll find out tomorrow.” Simon filled the firecracker with gunpowder, then sealed the top with more clay.

Using a needle, he poked a small hole for the fuse.

Once the clay dried, the firecracker would be ready.

Originally, Simon had planned to teach James the cold mixing method for granulating gunpowder, but it was already late. That lesson would have to wait until tomorrow.

Dismissing James, Simon instructed Ysabeau to tidy up. The gunpowder production lesson was over.

After seeing James off, Joan and Ysabeau lingered instead of returning to their quarters.

Stretching, Simon asked, ”Why haven’t you gone back yet?”

”You work tirelessly day and night on governance, and now you’re exhausting yourself preparing for the reavers’ invasion. Though Joan and I cannot assist in political matters, we can at least serve you in daily life.” Ysabeau said dutifully.

Simon studied them. Since ancient times, relationships have been built on mutual understanding.

Lately, he had treated the servants well, and in return, they were deeply grateful.

The servants worked harder than ever.

”They say women can rival men. Who says you can’t help me with governance? There’s something I’ll need your assistance with soon.” Simon said suddenly.

With war looming, every person in Brambleford had to be utilized.

Ysabeau blinked in surprise. ”What does Your Highness need us to do?”

For now, the Brambleford army’s armor problem had been temporarily resolved. But soldiers couldn’t just wear armor over bare skin; they needed proper clothing and shoes.

With the reavers at their doorstep, Simon had no choice but to prioritize military needs above all else.

Many soldiers currently wore straw or hemp sandals, which were impractical for marching.

Simon wanted them equipped with cloth shoes. In this era, spinning and weaving were women’s work, so mobilizing women for this task was essential.

However, sending men to organize this would be inappropriate, as women rarely left their homes.

But if Ysabeau and Joan took charge, things would be different.

First, as Simon’s personal attendants, they carried enough authority that no one would dare oppose them.

Second, both were skilled in weaving and familiar with textile work.

They were perfect candidates to establish this era’s first textile and uniform factory. Otherwise, the weaving machine technology he possessed would go to waste.

Explaining his idea, Simon watched as Ysabeau and Joan burst into laughter. This caused him to wonder if he had said the right words at the wrong time.

”My Lord, we can certainly help with this. But since when did you learn about spinning and weaving?” Ysabeau covered her mouth, giggling.

In this era, men plowed, and women wove; textiles were purely women’s domain. No wonder she found it amusing.