Building the First Industrial Empire in Another World

The date was June 12, 1509. Finally, he knew the date in this world. And today was a week after he had handed soap to every worker in the forge.

And by golly...

The reaction exceeded even Ernest’s expectations.

The moment he arrived at Hollen’s forge that morning, several workers immediately surrounded him before he could even fully enter the workshop.

"Boy, you got more of those soap bars?"

"My wife wants another one."

"Mine too."

"Do you have the mint-smelling kind?"

Honestly, seeing a group of massive soot-covered blacksmiths aggressively asking for hygiene products felt surreal.

A week ago, most of these men barely cared about proper cleaning beyond rinsing themselves with water after work.

Now?

They practically treated soap like precious imported goods.

Ernest stepped aside quickly before getting crushed by overly enthusiastic laborers.

"One at a time!" he shouted.

The workers laughed lightly afterward, though several still looked impatient.

Even the atmosphere inside the forge changed slightly recently.

Before, the workshop constantly smelled overwhelmingly of sweat, grease, smoke, and furnace soot.

Now the scent remained... but weaker.

Much weaker.

Because more workers actually started washing properly.

And once people experienced genuine cleanliness for the first time, it became difficult going back.

One blacksmith loudly grumbled while approaching Ernest.

"My wife stole mine after one use."

Another worker immediately laughed.

"Same thing happened to me!"

Actually, that detail interested Ernest heavily.

Because it revealed something important.

The product appeal extended beyond laborers.

Families liked it too.

Meaning the market potential instantly expanded.

"Guys guys, it will take time for me to produce another batch of soap, and it’s going to be limited since I don’t have the capacity to mass-produce yet," Ernest said as he chuckled nervously.

He then looked over his shoulder and saw Hollen and he saw it in his eyes that Hollen may have realized something.

"Look, how about I go back to work first and then talk to you guys later?" Ernest said, talking back to the crowds again.

The workers reluctantly backed away afterward.

As the workers finally returned toward their stations, Ernest turned around fully toward Hollen.

The forge owner still stood near the workshop entrance with crossed arms while silently observing everything.

And honestly?

The look in his eyes had changed.

That was no longer simple curiosity.

That was calculation.

Hollen saw it now.

The potential.

"Come upstairs," the forge owner said calmly.

Straight to business.

Hollen slowly sat behind his desk afterward before looking directly toward Ernest.

"...You knew this would happen."

Ernest slowly sat down across from him.

"I expected interest," he admitted.

"But not this fast."

Hollen leaned back heavily against the chair.

"Workers are already asking to buy multiple bars."

"Because the product solves a real problem."

That immediately made Hollen narrow his eyes slightly.

Problem.

Interesting word choice.

Back in this world, most businesses sold goods.

But Ernest constantly framed things differently. Words like Solutions, efficiency, and systems.

Very modern business thinking.

Hollen tapped the desk lightly afterward.

"So?"

Ernest blinked once.

"So what?"

"You clearly have something in your head already."

Honestly, fair.

At this point, Hollen already learned Ernest rarely spoke without planning three steps ahead internally.

And truthfully?

He was correct.

Because ever since the forge workers started aggressively demanding more soap downstairs...

Ernest’s mind had already shifted toward scaling.

Production.

Distribution.

Market penetration.

The beginnings of industrial expansion.

Ernest slowly leaned forward afterward.

"I have a proposal."

Hollen gestured lightly.

"Go on."

Ernest took a breath first.

Then he spoke calmly.

"I researched the city population recently."

That immediately caught Hollen’s attention.

"You researched what?"

"The city."

Actually, Ernest pieced the information together gradually over the past month through merchant discussions, tax records passing through the forge, and conversations with suppliers.

Helmarte.

The capital city of the Kingdom of Belfast.

"Helmarte’s estimated population is roughly five hundred thousand people."

Silence.

Hollen stared at him.

"...Five hundred thousand?"

Ernest nodded.

"Approximately."

Actually, exact medieval population statistics rarely existed with modern accuracy.

But based on trade volume, district size, food movement, and tax estimates?

The figure felt realistic enough.

And more importantly...

Huge.

Ernest continued.

"Now let’s think about market scale."

Hollen stayed silent while listening carefully.

"If even ten percent of the population purchases soap regularly..."

Ernest grabbed parchment quickly before writing numbers.

"Fifty thousand customers."

Then another calculation.

"If each household purchases multiple bars monthly..."

More numbers.

"The demand becomes enormous."

Hollen slowly leaned forward slightly now.

The forge owner’s expression sharpened.

Because now the conversation shifted beyond small workshop experimentation.

This became economics.

Mass market economics.

Ernest continued calmly.

"Right now, soap in this city is either rare, expensive, poor quality, or inaccessible to commoners."

Then he pointed toward the workshop below.

"But once ordinary workers experienced proper cleaning even once..."

He lightly tapped the desk.

"They immediately wanted more."

Hollen slowly nodded.

True.

The reaction downstairs alone already proved it.

Ernest’s voice became more focused afterward.

"This means the product already passed initial market validation."

Hollen blinked.

"...What validation?"

"Proof people actually want it."

Ernest pointed toward another parchment.

"The demand exists naturally."

"We’re not convincing people to buy unnecessary luxury."

"We’re solving a daily problem."

That distinction mattered heavily.

Necessity products created stable recurring demand.

And recurring demand built industries.

Hollen slowly rubbed his chin afterward.

"...Continue."

Ernest immediately did.

"Right now production capacity remains extremely limited."

Which was an understatement.

Everything still happened inside Anna’s kitchen manually.

Primitive small-batch manufacturing.

"And because supply remains low while demand rises..."

He looked directly toward Hollen.

"...we currently hold pricing leverage."

The forge owner’s eyes narrowed slightly again.

Business terms.

Profit terms.

Ernest sounded less like a child and more like a merchant executive every passing week.

Then Ernest dropped the real proposal.

"How about you become my partner, and invest in this new industry where I’ll run the operations? What say you?"