Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Generous Crown Prince (2)
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We all know the Industrial Revolution began with the steam engine, but many of us don't realize it started specifically to mass-produce clothing.
That might sound surprising at first—"Wait, really?"—but up until the Industrial Revolution, the benchmark for middle-class status in Europe was whether you could afford a new set of clothes every year.
The poor, regardless of age or gender, routinely passed down threadbare rags as everyday wear.
Fabric and clothes were that precious. Unlike other goods, anything made from cloth sold like hotcakes without fail.
That's why factory owners during the revolution rushed to mass-produce clothing en masse—it was guaranteed profit.
So why am I thinking about all this now?
Because the machines I'm about to ask the craftsman in this workshop to build are exactly the three key inventions needed for mass-producing cloth garments.
As I pushed open the door and stepped inside, a blast of forge heat hit me, surrounded by an array of tools on display.
A massive anvil and hammers for blacksmithing, saws, axes, planes, suits of armor, mannequins, a bellows connected to a waterwheel, and a furnace.
The whole place screamed "master craftsman at work" to anyone who walked in.
As I took it all in, a man hammering away furiously at a chunk of metal in the workshop spotted me. He set down his hammer and strode over.
Short in stature, with sun-bronzed skin, a soot-smeared face, and solid muscles peeking from his open shirt.
There were no elves or dwarves in this world, but if there were, this guy would be mistaken for one at first glance.
Judging by appearances is foolish, of course, but you could spot this man as a top-tier artisan anywhere.
A sturdy build, sharp eyes, and a firm, stubborn mouth on a determined, bullheaded face.
"I'm Eugene Heinz, foreman of the Drime Workshop. Sir Jaeger."
"Pleased to meet you, Heinz. His Highness the Crown Prince recommended a fine craftsman, and here you are. Can I expect great work?"
"I wouldn't claim to be the Reich Empire's top technician, but I'd rank in the top ten among the best. Tell me what you need, and I'll give it my all."
Normally, boasting like that might come off as arrogance, but this man inspired trust instead. How skilled must he be to carry such pride?
I hadn't seen his machines, weapons, or armor yet, so I couldn't be sure, but his confidence as a master artisan stirred that feeling.
"Good. No long talk, then. Can you build these machines I've designed?"
With that, I handed him blueprints for the Whitney-style cotton gin, the Spinning Jenny, and the flying-shuttle loom.
The drawings were crude—like something a middle-schooler doodled—showing only rough principles and shapes.
Back on Earth, I'd been fascinated by machines and weapons. Digging into the textile industry that sparked the Industrial Revolution, I'd memorized designs from those three machines online.
I'd sketched from memory and added detailed written explanations. Heinz stared, letting out an awed sigh.
"I've heard bards sing of your tactical and strategic genius, Sir Jaeger. But to think someone who's never studied crafting could design machines with real concepts baked in... impressive. The cotton gin makes sense, but could you explain how the others work?"
"Gladly. The cotton gin separates the damn seeds from raw cotton. The spinning machine's simple: eight spindles pulling thread from a pile of cotton fluff. And this flying-shuttle loom shoots the weft thread rapidly between the warp threads."
At that, Heinz clapped, his face lighting up as realization dawned. He grasped the blueprints' value.
"The biggest hassle in making cotton cloth is picking out all those seeds. Mechanize that, and you'll produce fabric and clothes way faster than before. Add mechanized spindles for thread and a mechanized loom for weaving speed... this could change the world."
If I'd shown these blueprints to the Crown Prince or other nobles without a demo, they'd never grasp their potential.
Like someone who's never tasted lemon trying to imagine "sour."
Only a skilled technician like Heinz could see the genius from blueprints and explanations alone, without even running them.
"So, can you build them? Or not?"
Heinz was already lost in thought, copying the designs onto nearby paper, muttering to himself.
"For the cotton gin, the two cylinders and handle need to spin closer than a seed's width... For the spinning machine, maybe resize the bobbin like this? The flying shuttle uses a spring—how does it cover that distance so easily? The design looks feasible..."
I was impressed and a bit shocked.
Impressed that rough sketches and notes sparked ideas for building and improvements—something few could do.
Shocked that even under the Crown Prince's protection, he ignored a client—a knight of the Empire, no less—to obsess over blueprints.
True geniuses are often eccentric, but this was next-level.
He kept scribbling, oblivious.
We had more to discuss, so I couldn't let him zone out.
I shook his shoulder hard.
"Snap out of it. Admirable passion for my crude sketches, but this is overkill."
Heinz finally noticed his rudeness, bowing apologetically.
"Sorry. The ideas were so brilliant, I went blind to everything else. Give me and my apprentices one month—no, three weeks—and we'll have working prototypes."
I knew nothing about machine-building, but the spring-loaded flying-shuttle loom seemed tricky. Could they really finish in three weeks?
He was the expert, so I'd trust him.
And even if it failed, I had some buffer time...
"Three weeks it is. Anything else you need? I'll cover it from my personal funds—don't hesitate."
Heinz looked thoughtful.
"Reproducing complex machines is one thing, but we need someone who knows their performance to verify. Could you, who brought the blueprints, check in periodically?"
"Of course. But I can't be here daily—send word the day before if you need me."
"Understood. Before you go, hear my thoughts and answer a few questions? It's new territory, unavoidable."
And so, I spent until sunrise the next day in Heinz's workshop, discussing the cotton gin, spinning machine, and flying-shuttle loom.
Three weeks later, all three machines were perfectly built, just as I'd requested.
Now, all that remained was demonstrating their usefulness to the Crown Prince and securing investment.