Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

18th October 1672

The industrialists in the Empire, who were clamouring to purchase the steam engines at any cost, finally calmed down after they were informed about the thousand Kesari steam engines that had been ordered by His Majesty to be manufactured. Subsequently, pre-bookings for the steam engine had been opened, calming down the hearts of the industrialists who were in panic, but after seeing the price for the down payment, they were shocked; it was a whole 750,000 Varaha.

A lot of the smaller industrialists momentarily hesitated, from what they knew, a new Kesari steam engine cost a million Varaha to purchase, and adding logistics, assembly, and training services, the on-factory price would fall to around 1.3 or 1.4 million. 750,000 Varaha, nearly 70% of the on-factory price of the machine, was an extremely unfair deal, especially considering that there was no deadline mentioned as to when they would get their steam engine. To make things worse, investing 750,000 Varaha in a thing with no guarantee could cause problems with the capital chain of the company. For some smaller companies, the amount might even be the revenue of a whole quarter; the bet was simply too big to be made.

However, despite the unfavourable terms set by Sriranga Industrial Tools, many still rushed to place orders. Pillai Optics, Bakshi Textiles, and several other companies—having already experienced the benefits of true mechanisation—wanted more than 20 units each and were willing to pay not just 70% upfront, but even the full amount in one lump sum.

Aakarsh Carriages and Gaur Agricultural Tools went even further, requesting nearly 100 units each. They were prepared to mortgage parts of their companies just to raise the 100 million Varaha needed.

Only then did the industrialists who had been hesitating due to the high down payment realise they had missed a rare opportunity. Despite the steep price, there were plenty of others willing to spend hundreds of millions to secure as many Kesari engines as they could.

They began to regret their initial hesitation, thankfully, it was not for long, because a notice from Sriranga Industrial Tools was made public, stating that the number of units that can be bought by a single organisation will be capped at 5 units.

This news immediately disappointed the large manufacturing companies, but the small companies that only wanted one or two Kesari engines were overjoyed; they didn't have to be left behind.

Companies like Swastik Enterprises Pvt Ltd, Jagpal Fireworks, Suria Carriages, Trupti A1 Tee, Sridevi Chemicals, Aurogium Furnitures, Gashamuni Pvt Ltd, Joshi Silks, Hima Textiles, and others who had been left behind quickly placed orders for the Kesari steam engine with the intention of buying a ticket to the future.

While all of this was going on, Vijay and the royal family had already set off to Kashyap Amar in order to witness the thesis defence of his son, who is about to graduate.

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Sharada Village, Kashyap Amar State, Akhand Bharathiya Empire

"Wow," Vedant and Tanvika exclaimed in unison, taking in the almost unreal scenery around them. Even Kavya let out a small gasp, covering her mouth in awe.

As Vijay stepped into Sharada Village, he couldn't help but marvel at the breathtaking landscape—something that amazed him every time, especially in October. It was late autumn, and the Chinar trees had turned brilliant shades of red, orange, and gold. The snow-capped mountains in the background, like a giant white blanket wrapped around the village, added to the magic. Even though Vijay had visited many times before, the sight still left him spellbound, and for his family, who were seeing it for the first time, it was simply unforgettable.

Kavya and the kids went to check out the room as Vijay came to a restaurant on a hilly peak. He rubbed his hands and took a deep breath of fresh air, feeling refreshed all over his body. The air was chilly, around 10 degrees, forcing Vijay to wear a thick woollen jacket. But as soon as he took a sip of tea made from the locally sourced tea leaves, which have become famous with a small group of tea connoisseurs, Vijay felt warm all over his body, and his mind became sharper.

Looking at the tea in the cup, which was darker in shade than the Darjeeling tea he usually prefers, his eyes lit up, "Has the GI permit been allocated to the Kashmiri tea?" He enquired as he looked at Ganesh, who was travelling with him.

Ganesh thought for a while and shook his head.

"It has been applied by the local plantation owners, Your Majesty, but since the situation in Kashyap Amar is a little special, where plantations are scattered all over the place due to geographical difficulties, the granting of GI is still in the process of review."

'Pity,' Vijay nodded, "Well, it makes sense, it's hard for tea leaves to grow at such a high altitude, not to mention in such cold conditions, making it unable to form a complete industrial chain." Finishing the cup of tea with some regret, he went back to the palace he had built a few years ago.

The next morning, Vijay finally set foot on the campus of Raya University along with Kavya and the kids, faces filled with anticipation.

When Vijay came to Kashyap Amar, he did not make the news public, so there was no fanfare to welcome him. But still, when he entered the university, the management immediately knew of his arrival.

The principal of the university, Govindraj Chandrashekar, personally came to greet Vijay and the royal family. Vijay could see that the principal was making preparations for a welcoming ceremony for him and his family, but he quickly waved his hand.

"There is no need for all these formalities. Let's go directly to the thesis defence."

Seeing the clear rejection in His Majesty's actions, Govindraj was a little disappointed, but as soon as he heard about the intention to see the thesis defence, the excitement returned to his face once again.

"Thank you for the honour of letting me escort you and the royal family, Your Majesty."

Vijay got to the auditorium through the back door and sat in a seating area on a balcony. Vedant sat behind him silently while Kavya and Tanvika sat in the front, avoiding all the gazes from the audience below.

Vijay noticed a young man, presumably a final-year student, presenting his thesis. At first, he didn't think much of it. But then, to his surprise, Vedant stood up and began watching the presentation with full concentration. This caught Vijay off guard. Vedant had been reluctant to come along in the first place to watch his brother's thesis defence. He had been busy fiddling with something on his own, almost obsessed with making progress in mechanics ever since Vijay promised to write him a recommendation letter to study under Heyram. Vijay had to force him to come, and Vedant's mood hadn't improved until they arrived at Kashyap Amar and saw the stunning mountain views.

But now, suddenly, he was deeply interested. What had changed? Curious, Vijay turned his attention to the presentation. When he looked at the screen, he was pleasantly surprised. The title of the research read: "On the Possibility of Variable-Speed Mechanisms in Human-Powered Wheeled Transport."

'Damn, isn't this a precursor to multi-gear cycles?'

Vijay looked at Govindraj, who sat next to him, and enquired, "Tell me about the boy. His research looks interesting."

Govindraj was overjoyed. "He is called Sidharth Kichlu, a final-year student majoring in mechanical engineering. He is a local boy, Your Majesty. He was born in Sharada Village itself."

Looking at the boy on the stage, he said with pride emanating from his tone, "He is one of the best candidates we have this year. His report has already attracted attention from a lot of companies. He even got an offer from Aakarsh Carriages and Gaur Industrial Tools who look like they were very interested in his concept and research." he handed over a copy of the report to Vijay.

Vijay took over the report and quickly skimmed through the contents. A smile appeared at the corner of his lips. Although the concept mentioned in the report was still rudimentary, the core functionality of a multi-gear power transfer system had already been perfected.

"Ganesh, see if Sidharth is interested in joining Raya Heavy Industries."

"What about the package, Your Majesty?"

"The highest, you don't have to negotiate, simply show our utmost sincerity, he is a very good talent, there is no need to bargain."

"As you wish, Your Majesty, but what if he has other ideas?"

"If he wants to start his own company, then provide him investment and let's occupy 40% of the company, the valuation could be 5 million Varaha for the patent he holds alone"

"However, if he wants to join other private companies, then there is nothing we can do; simply obtain the research and manufacturing patent rights of the variable-speed gear mechanism he owns at a fair price."

Vijay naturally prefers Siddharth agreed to the first proposal to directly join his company, he has a feeling that Heyram will absolutely love a talent like him; however, either way, Vijay won't suffer too much loss as long as the patent is obtained. The current Bharathiya Empire is not like the Bharathiya Empire a decade ago, where he personally had to recruit geniuses under his wing. With the continuous push for education from the government and society, geniuses have popped up like bamboo shoots after a rain in all parts of the empire, making the empire's technology improve by leaps and bounds.

Govindraj, who was sitting silently beside the emperor and the Chief Secretary of the Emperor's Office, couldn't help but shake continuously. He found it extremely hard to control his laughter from the elation he was feeling. The last time His Majesty directly showed interest in someone at the Raya University, it was nearly 10 years ago, it was when a boy just discovered electricity.

Now it was happening for the second time, how could he not be overjoyed? Fortunately, before Vijay could turn his attention to him, the thesis defence of Siddharth ended, and with applause, the next candidate got up on the stage, causing heated discussion.

Who else could cause such a commotion other than the Prince of the Empire, Agni Devaraya?

Vijay's attention was immediately attracted towards the stage.

To be Continued...