Building the First Industrial Empire in Another World

Sunlight spilled into the room as the curtains were pulled to the side by a pair of careful hands.

The sudden brightness immediately invaded the master bedroom.

The room had so many windows that once the curtains were opened, the entire place lit up almost instantly.

A familiar voice followed shortly afterward.

"Good morning, Master Ernest."

Ernest groaned.

Not because he was tired.

But because for a brief moment, he forgot where he was.

His eyes slowly opened.

The ceiling above him wasn’t the low wooden ceiling of his old house.

The mattress beneath him wasn’t a straw-filled bed.

And the room itself was larger than some apartments he had lived in back on Earth.

Then reality returned.

Right.

The estate.

Standing near the window was Roland Vance.

The estate steward stood straight with his hands behind his back, dressed neatly as always.

Honestly, the man looked more professional than some managers Ernest had worked with in his previous life.

"What time is it?" Ernest asked while rubbing his eyes.

"Seven in the morning, sir."

Seven.

Actually, that wasn’t bad.

Back when he worked at Hollen’s forge, he often woke up before sunrise.

Later, when Helmarte Soap Works began operating, his mornings became even busier.

Still, being awakened by an estate steward instead of a rooster or a screaming factory worker felt strange.

Very strange.

Vance noticed his expression.

"Is something wrong, sir?"

"No."

Ernest sat upright.

"I’m just getting used to having someone wake me up."

The steward nodded.

"Understandable."

Then he added politely.

"Breakfast will be served in thirty minutes."

"Thank you, Vance."

"Of course, sir."

He rose to his feet and then walked toward the bath chamber connected to the master bedroom.

Actually, calling it a bath chamber felt more accurate than calling it a bathroom.

The room itself was nearly as large as the kitchen in their old house.

A large copper bathtub occupied the center.

Beside it sat several buckets already filled with warm water.

There was even a separate washing area, a vanity mirror, shelves for towels, and a small cabinet containing soaps and grooming supplies.

Of course, the soaps came from Helmarte Soap Works.

Free advertising.

Ernest chuckled slightly at the thought.

Then he rolled up his sleeves and washed his face.

The cold water immediately chased away the remaining traces of sleep.

Much better.

A few minutes later, he changed into his work clothes.

Actually, despite now living inside a luxurious estate, his daily clothing had not changed much.

The last thing he wanted was to dress like a noble while walking through a soap factory.

Workers respected competence.

Not fancy clothing.

After adjusting his coat, Ernest stepped out of the master bedroom.

The estate was already awake.

As he descended the staircase, he could hear faint sounds coming from various parts of the house.

Someone sweeping.

Someone moving supplies.

The distant clatter of cookware from the kitchen.

The household staff had apparently started their day long before he did.

When he reached the ground floor, he spotted Vance standing near the entrance hall reviewing several documents.

The steward immediately looked up.

"Good morning again, sir."

"Morning."

Vance glanced at the clock mounted near the wall.

"Breakfast should be ready shortly."

"Good. What’s for breakfast?"

Vance glanced down at the paper in his hands.

"Fresh bread, scrambled eggs, smoked bacon, fruit, and tea, sir."

Ernest approved.

"Excellent."

The steward nodded.

"Miss Margaret believes breakfast should be filling but not heavy."

"Smart woman."

That earned the faintest hint of a smile from Vance.

Then the steward closed his notebook.

"If you’ll follow me, sir."

The two walked toward the dining hall.

Sunlight streamed through the tall windows lining the corridor.

Actually, the estate looked completely different during the day.

Yesterday, most of what Ernest saw had been illuminated by lanterns and fading evening light.

Now he could properly appreciate the details.

Polished wooden floors.

Paintings mounted on the walls.

Decorative plants placed throughout the hallways.

Even the ceiling moldings looked expensive.

Honestly, maintaining this place was probably going to cost a fortune.

No wonder wealthy families required estate stewards.

Without someone managing expenses, a property like this could drain money surprisingly quickly.

Moments later, they entered the dining hall.

Anna and Victor were already seated.

Unlike yesterday, they looked noticeably more comfortable.

Well...

Anna looked comfortable.

Victor still looked like he accidentally wandered into somebody else’s house.

"Morning, son," Anna greeted.

"Morning."

Victor nodded.

"Morning."

Then he glanced around the room.

"I still can’t believe we own this place."

Actually, Ernest couldn’t entirely blame him.

Just over a year ago, Victor had been earning less than ten thousand riels a month breaking his back at a forge.

Now he lived in one of the wealthiest districts in the capital.

Life had changed absurdly fast.

Before anyone could continue the conversation, Margaret emerged from the kitchen.

The head cook carried herself with professional confidence.

Breakfast quickly appeared on the table.

Fresh bread.

Eggs.

Smoked bacon.

Slices of apple and pear.

A small dish of butter.

And steaming tea.

The aroma alone made Ernest hungry.

Actually, now that he thought about it, he skipped dinner surprisingly often back in his previous life whenever work became busy.

Fast food.

Energy drinks.

Convenience store meals.

Not exactly healthy.

Compared to that, this breakfast looked luxurious.

Margaret stepped back slightly.

"I hope it is to your liking."

"It looks excellent," Ernest replied.

The cook visibly relaxed.

Actually, he was beginning to notice something.

Margaret took pride in her work.

A lot of pride.

Good.

People who cared about quality usually performed better.

Breakfast began shortly afterward.

For several minutes, the only sounds inside the room were utensils and occasional comments about the food.

Then Victor suddenly looked at Ernest.

"So what are you doing today?"

"I’m going to meet with Hollen at the office and discuss the expansion plans. Since I have the necessary data, it’s best that we start working on it soon."

"You already have it handled do you? Well, you were rambling about it yesterday," Victor chuckled.

Ernest chuckled too and added. "You, father, will be the one watching the floor for me, since the meeting is going to be extensive."

"Leave it to me."

Ernest looked at Vance. "Sir Vance, you are to accompany mister Arthur to buy me a horse-drawn carriage. That way I don’t have to schedule a carriage picking me up."

"No problem sir," Vance acknowledged with a bow.

"Good."