Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

17th November 1659

Akhand Bharatiya Empire, Imperial Capital Bengaluru

As soon as the idea came to Vijay, he decided to act on it. The first thing Vijay did after arriving in Bengaluru was to contact Bhaskaracharya.

He sat down on the main seat, "Bhaskar, Raya Machinery Company has become too cluttered. I have decided to split it apart and have its subsidiaries go solo depending on specialization," he said.

Bhaskaracharya fell into deep thought. In fact, he himself felt that Raya Machinery had grown too large and diversified its focus to the point of making it a little confusing. However, he had not informed His Majesty about the issue because he really felt like it was still manageable under his ability. But now, since His Majesty brought up the matter himself, he felt that he might as well rectify it right away.

He looked at Vijay attentively as he sat on the edge of the seat. "Could you share your vision, Your Majesty?" Bhaskaracharya knew that the idea of Vijay would determine the future of the industrial enterprises of the empire as a whole, so he took the matter very seriously. "Do you want to let Raya Machinery become a group holding company, while the companies split apart from it will gain the status of subsidiaries?" he asked.

Vijay nodded in agreement, then proceeded to explain in more detail.

"Machine tools manufacturing will be split apart and form its own company. I have decided to call it Sriranga Industrial Tools."

" Your majesty," Bhaskaracharya thought for a while and asked, "Will the company also include the business of industrial tool construction? like the conveyor belts, large-scale chemical production equipment, and the like?"

Vijay thought for a while and nodded. "Yeah, it's best to put all the business focused on selling large-scale equipment for industry under the new company," he paused as he remembered the new production line that was being installed in the Kaveri Riverbank Industrial Zone and looked at Bhaskaracharya. "I heard that you have recently bought the manufacturing rights for Reddy Mercury Thermometer."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Bhaskaracharya nodded. "I felt like the Thermometer would be a big game changer in a lot of fields. The report from the Research and Analysis Wing also supports my idea, so I acquired the patent rights for manufacturing Reddy Mercury Thermometers."

"You did a good job," Vijay smiled, pleased. "The thermometer indeed has the potential to become an essential necessity in all industries and scientific endeavours in the empire."

"This alone has a huge market of its own, so form a company dedicated to precision scientific equipment required in laboratories and for commercial uses."

Vijay thought for a while and recounted, "Along with the Reddy Mercury Thermometer, add the Pillai Microscope, hand-operated centrifuge, and other lab equipment."

"For the name, let's choose my grandfather's name. Let the new company be called Venkatapatty Scientific."

Bhaskaracharya nodded in understanding.

"Oh, and Raya Printing Press and the improved Gutenberg Printing Press can be put under the same company, named Thirumala Printers."

Bhaskaracharya immediately noticed something wrong. "Your Majesty, Raya Printing was previously responsible for this part of the business, and this is an entirely different company that was not under Raya Machinery, it was a subsidiary of Raya Heavy Industries Group. Even if you want to bring the manufacturing of printing presses under the new Raya Machinery Group, wouldn't it be suitable to put it under Sriranga Industrial Tools, seeing as how it is a company dedicated to producing large-scale production machines necessary for industries?"

Vijay was silent for a few seconds and then explained, "True, but things are different now. With Raya Machinery now turning into a group company, it no longer makes sense for Raya Printing to be a subsidiary under the Raya Heavy Industries Group. It's best to be included under the umbrella of the Raya Machinery Group. As for why it is not merged with Sriranga Industrial Tools," this was indeed a little harder for him to explain, as he couldn't really articulate what he truly wanted to say, but he chose to make do with, "it's because I feel like printing has huge prospects of its own in the near future, so it's best that it exists separately to give it room for sufficient growth."

In fact, Vijay mainly did this because he felt it wouldn't take long for the typewriter to be invented. If he was not mistaken, the fifth-generation machine tools could produce parts small enough to assemble a typewriter. In such a circumstance, he felt it was best to set up the foundation for Xerox, Symquest, Heidelberger, Canon, or the Epson of Bharat from the beginning.

Bhaskaracharya thought for a while. Although he couldn't fully understand what bright prospect His Majesty was talking about, he still nodded in understanding.

"Finally, let's form a new company called Raya Automobiles. Merge Raya Mobility into this company and also add the harvester production business of the Raya Machinery Company into Raya Automobiles."

"Raya Automobiles will be responsible for everything related to movement, whether it is carriages for civilian purposes or harvesters for agricultural purposes."

"Oh, and make sure to create two different departments within the company. I feel like the automotive industry could become the cornerstone of the empire's growth. Structure the company in such a way that it could be upgraded to a group company anytime, with its departments becoming individual companies."

"For carriages, let's call it Garuda Auto, and for Harvester, let's call it Jatayu Auto."

Bhaskaracharya quickly noted everything His Majesty had ordered and promised Vijay to get everything done within the fastest time before quickly leaving the Royal Palace.

Bhaskaracharya took a few weeks to restructure Raya Machinery and incorporate other companies according to Vijay's orders.

The movements of royal businesses were naturally picked up by reporters and mentioned in the business column of the Bharatam Daily newspaper. The result caused speculation and heated discussions among business-savvy people of the empire and business students in universities.

A few days later, even professors started to give tests based on the matter, asking students to find out the advantages and disadvantages of the moves made by General Manager Bhaskaracharya.

---

12th December 1659

Thiruvananthapuram Harbour

A couple of large European 2000-tonne five-mast ships docked in the Thiruvananthapuram Harbour. It was not every day that the people got to witness ships of this size, so it attracted a little attention from the Europeans and Bharatiyas, but it was not for long as everyone soon went on with their duties.

Nikolai Sergeyevich nervously stood on the deck along with other teens who had travelled with him. He was at first very excited to go to the Bharatiya Empire, as he had fantasized about this country after reading the novel *Chota Bheem's Adventures*. But travelling on the ship for nearly two months straight really took a toll on him.

But he was not sad because he was actually one of the fortunate few.

Nikolai looked around with a hint of pity in his eyes as he saw kids his age looking listless, malnourished, and on the brink of a mental breakdown. At least he had his butler to accompany him throughout his journey, but unfortunately, not everyone travelling with him had the same privilege. The best they had were a few slaves accompanying them.

Training a proper butler took a huge amount of resources, so naturally, no family would want to send such an asset to a foreign country for years on end.

"Yaroslav, why do you think we were not allowed to bring our slaves?" Nikolai asked as he pointed at a black man serving a young man who looked to be Spanish. "Why was he allowed to bring his?" Nikolai always had this doubt in his mind. When he left Azov, he had a lot of slaves tending to his every need—it was the same for everyone else. But when the ship reached Luanda (Angola) to restock, all his slaves were sold off by the butler at a very cheap price, and from then on, it was only them both.

He originally thought that his butler was secretly embezzling money for himself, but after seeing all his companions doing the same, he calmed down. Still, for some reason, a few black slaves remained.

Butler Yaroslav Dmitriev looked around at the few remaining slaves and shook his head. "I am sorry, young master, but I have no clue about this myself. I was ordered by the Master to do such a thing."

Nikolai Sergeyevich shrugged in disappointment and proceeded to get down from the ship.

Carriages were arranged by the Ministry of Education to pick up these foreign exchange students.

The kids were mostly from Russia, Portugal, Spain, the German region, and the Italian region, so translators were arranged for them who could speak at least three of the above-mentioned languages. The kids did not have trouble knowing what to do next.

With Yaroslav Dmitriev by his side, Nikolai Sergeyevich didn't face much trouble. The same could be said for his companions, who boarded the carriages without much difficulty.

However, surprisingly, a dozen or so kids were not allowed to enter the carriages.

Nikolai Sergeyevich looked through the window, confused, but when he noticed that all the companions standing outside were the ones with slave servants, he came to a realization.

"Do the people of the Bharatiya Empire not want to allow them because they brought the black slaves with them?" He looked at Yaroslav, surprised. "No wonder Father asked you to sell all my slaves. It looks like the people of the Bharatiya Empire deeply disdain black people, so much so that they wouldn't even allow one to step foot on their land."

"I know those blacks aren't human, but is the Bharatiya Empire going too far in this matter?" He lowered his voice and whispered, "Their skin colour is no different than those ni**as. Or are they ashamed that those monkeys have the same skin colour as them?"

Yaroslav Dmitriev was confused, his brows furrowed, but listening to his young master, he felt like it made sense. He hesitantly nodded.

However, what happened next was completely out of everyone's expectations.

Henrique Vaz, standing in front of the carriage was confused when he was not allowed entry. Beside him were a few people he recognized from travelling together, but a few he did not. *They may be from the other ship,* he thought.

Wilhelm Schneider was in the same situation. He was not from a prominent family; his father was only a knight serving a baron. Even this opportunity was given to him after his elder brother rejected it, so he had been on pins and needles throughout the journey. When everyone sold away their slaves, he did not know why they were doing such a thing. However, being cautious, he did the same and sold most of his slaves, keeping only the assistant who had grown up with him. Now, looking around, he could only see people with slaves being stopped. He had a bad feeling about this.

Soon, a couple of translators came forward with stern expressions on their faces. "Before you board the carriage, there is something all of you have to know."

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"Keeping Sub-Saharan Africans as slaves may be legal and the norm in Europe, but I am sorry to inform you all that slavery is completely banned and abolished in the Bharatiya Empire."

"So, I am here to inform all of you that since you have brought your 'slaves' onto the soil of the Bharatiya Empire, the moment they stepped foot, any contract they may have had with you is immediately nullified."

He looked at the black men, who had shocked expressions on their faces. "All of you are now free and will receive preferential treatment to obtain citizenship of the Bharatiya Empire. Or, if you prefer to go back to your home, the Bharatiya Empire will not hold you back."

"What!" Wilhelm Schneider, Henrique Vaz, and the other kids were shocked when they heard these words.

Yaroslav, who was sitting in the carriage and listening to the conversation, was dumbfounded as he opened his mouth wide.

"What happened, Yaroslav?" Nikolai impatiently asked as he did not know any of the languages being spoken.

Since no Russians had brought slaves with them, none of them were stopped from entering the carriages.

Yaroslav Dmitriev, who was proficient in Latin, numbly explained what the translators had said.

Nikolai's eyes widened. He felt like he was hearing some fantasy tale, and not the kind he had expected.

"Wha—You can't do this! This is theft! This is theft!" Henrique Vaz and the other kids screamed in agitation.

However, their screams were quickly silenced as police officers carrying muskets quickly surrounded them.

The translators once again looked at the black men. "I will repeat once again: you no longer have any obligation to your masters. You are no longer slaves; you are no longer objects that can be bought and sold. You are in the Bharatiya Empire. We will protect your human rights. Now make a choice—whether to stay and leave with your masters or be free men."

Like floodgates opening, the black men who had stood silently, unsure of what was going on, quickly ran towards the side of the translators, some with excitement, some while crying, and others laughing and screaming.

Wilhelm Schneider looked beside him and was relieved that his friend was still around, but looking at his fellow companions, he couldn't say the same.

Nikolai, after everything that had happened, finally understood why everyone had sold their slaves so quickly. If not, what were they going to do—simply lose all of them without any compensation?

"Couldn't we be warned about this? This situation would have been avoidable if we had been warned," he asked, confused. Although he was not the one who had lost a slave, he still felt bad for those who did.

Yaroslav shook his head. "What would happen if, by rare chance, the slaves in Cape Hope or other ports discovered this?"

"Those slaves knew that they couldn't resist, and even if they did, they had nowhere to go back to, so it was alright. But what if they discovered that heaven is so close to them and all they had to do was struggle a bit?"

Even thinking about it made his heart palpitate.

"Gulp!"

Nikolai Sergeyevich nodded. "It made sense," he said as he quickly shut up. Despite only being 14 years of age, he was much smarter than his peers. He understood the implications mentioned by his butler immediately.