Miracle Chemistry, Part V

Modeling after the reactor designed by Stahl, countless mysterious cylinders began to rise in District 16. Naturally, the original owner of that land was none other than Marx Stahl. Marx had scraped together every single penny he could find to aggressively buy up real estate in District 16. Having witnessed the immediate, direct impact of the Stahl-Ferdinand Model, he was poised to reap astronomical profits from real estate speculation by the time the SFB Chemical Company was established.

Not only that, but rental income in the surrounding area was bound to skyrocket several times over.

"Hehehehe, hahahaha!" Stahl and Ferdinand were already practically the feudal lords of District 16!

In any case, the Stahl-Ferdinand Model's progressive labor reforms sparked endless controversy.

"Chairman Wittgenstein has clearly resolved to ruin his own company."

"Those bastards are just provoking the Reds!"

"Shh! Watch your mouth, or you'll end up on the imperial blacklist."

Normally, the imperial family would have cracked down on communists, but now their stance had completely flipped. Of course, Chairman Wittgenstein wouldn't suffer any losses. No matter how much the other capitalists bitched, nitrogen was still nitrogen. Regardless of what they thought about labor efficiency, he was going to rake in money hand over fist for at least the next few decades. Given that, the labor reforms Stahl demanded were well within an acceptable range.

So, who was actually suffering?

"Implement the Stahl-Ferdinand Model in our company too!"

"We are not machines! Even if we can't get everything Stahl offers, at least cut our work hours to eight!"

"Reform! Reform!"

All across the country, influenced by the Stahl-Ferdinand Model, workers rose up to demand better working conditions. Naturally, the capitalists groaned and wailed, but...

Had Stahl only been beaten down once or twice? He immediately rallied his allies to advocate for the workers, while also managing to pull in factions with ambiguous relations.

Chief among them were the feudal aristocracy and the military. The military, having turned a blind eye to Stahl's actions in exchange for receiving the useless hydrogen bomb, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠viewed the Stahl-Ferdinand Model favorably as a safeguard against risks like strikes or large-scale riots.

Furthermore, the feudal nobility's income was mostly derived from agricultural land. Although they were allied with the capitalists, they had little incentive to stick their necks out for them.

And the capitalists themselves? When it came to money, they were completely divided.

"...The investment failed. But it's not over yet."

"We have no choice but to focus on secondary processed goods. SFB will produce the ammonia, and we will concentrate solely on fertilizer."

"Even that is a massive opportunity! Contact SFB immediately!"

"They say SFB is offering favorable profit margins to companies that comply with even a part of the Stahl-Ferdinand Model."

"We have no choice. We'll have to give ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠our workers time off too."

In an instant, factories began adopting at least portions of the Stahl-Ferdinand Model.

Since Keynes's rise to prominence was pushed up by thirty years compared to the Great Depression in this timeline, perhaps the capitalists will soon welcome our model with open arms.

In any case.

Not only were these working conditions, which would be taken for granted in the twenty-first century, implemented, but some rather extraordinary conditions were added as well.

A cataclysmic transformation, akin to the construction of a brand-new city, was beginning to unfold around the SFB Chemical Company, which was still under construction.

And it wasn't just Ottakring in District 16. The entire Austrian economy was booming.

"Is the price of nitrogen really going to drop soon?"

"Well... SFB says it will still take some time."

"Who cares! In ten years, we'll have ten times more saltpeter than we do now."

"Build the fertilizer factories first!"

Just like the dot-com bubble of the early 2000s, those who witnessed this "miracle chemistry" poured astronomical amounts of investment capital into related fields like fertilizer production and military industries.

Companies, not wanting to be left behind, began expanding their manufacturing processes.

And then? Naturally, construction demand exploded.

When construction demand exploded? Real estate fluctuated wildly alongside it.

And then? The Austrian financial sector soared straight into the stratosphere.

"Is this really okay...?"

Even in the barbaric twentieth century, people knew that investors suddenly losing their minds and dumping every cent they had into the stock market was not normal.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand asked Stahl with a worried expression.

"In the short term, money is flowing in and the economy is vibrant. But... the moment the bubble bursts, it's over. In the long run, this is dangerous."

"It's fine. In the long run, we're all dead."

Archduke Franz Ferdinand beat his chest in frustration at Stahl's nonchalance. Of course, Stahl himself was deeply rattled by the bubble growing far beyond his expectations.

But Stahl was a man from the future, wasn't he? His remark that "in the long run, we're all dead" wasn't just him parroting a famous future economist.

He meant it literally.

In the long run... we really are all going to die! There are only about ten years left until the World War.

Under these circumstances, supply would soon grow to unmanageable levels. Even if Stahl struggled to create effective demand by clamoring for labor reforms, it wouldn't be enough. On the scale of the entire Austrian economy, it was a mere drop in the bucket.

No, in the twentieth century, the supply-and-demand curve had to be viewed on a global scale.

However, there was one way to resolve the crisis caused by this overwhelming supply.

War absorbs everything. It could vomit all of these terrifyingly abundant goods directly onto the battlefield!

So, it's a happy ending for everyone. Right?

Even the capitalists who had been groaning hummed cheerfully as the economy boomed thanks to Stahl.

The only ones ruined by this turn of events were the idiots who had gone all-in on "hydrogen bomb" stocks with the hearts of wild beasts, and the raw material traders who imported saltpeter from South America.

1904. Reinhardt waited in the interview room of the SFB Chemical Factory, his eyes filled with tension. Although his clothes were worn, he was wearing a decent suit.

However.

"Please explain the impact of nitrogen fixation on global society."

"Malthus stated that while population increases geometrically, food production increases arithmetically, blah blah..."

"The lives of farmers will be improved, blah blah..."

Why on earth did a construction worker applying to build a nitrogen factory need to know such things! Reinhardt squeezed his eyes shut.

"Are you familiar with the brief history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire?"

"What is the impact of Wilhelm II's expansionist policy on the international situation..."

Of course, this was just an exam to hire laborers. Although the interview questions had all been announced beforehand, and Reinhardt had crammed the material at the research institute's affiliated school, he couldn't answer a single word properly. Even though he knew the answers, the sheer tension ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was unbearable.

In the midst of his panic, the final question was asked.

"Please tell us about how your life has changed due to the Stahl-Ferdinand Model."

Th-this! Life returned to Reinhardt's eyes.

My sister was saved thanks to Director Stahl. Heaven, Stahl, medicine, liberation, Ferdinand, revolution!

Reinhardt recalled the six words he would never forget for the rest of his life, and pulled out a piece of paper he carried with him everywhere.

It was the pledge he had signed when he won the Penicillin Lottery.

"Mr. Reinhardt? What is that paper?"

"This... is like a token of how Director Stahl and His Imperial Highness saved me."

"...Ah, it's a Penicillin Lottery winner's pledge."

"Yes, sir. I have already sworn my loyalty to Director Stahl and Archduke Ferdinand. If the company tells me to die, I will die. If the company asks for my family, I will offer them up."

The interviewer chuckled as he looked at the paper Reinhardt handed over.

"We went to all that trouble to save your family, and now you want to offer them up? You shouldn't say such things."

"I, uh, well..."

"I see. Your last name is familiar. Was the family member you mentioned a patient I treated?"

"C-could it be..."

"Wait! Please don't kneel!"

Thanks to this connection, Reinhardt was saved by Stahl once again.

He was hired as a regular worker at the SFB Chemical Company, a position coveted by everyone in Austria, let alone District 16.

Although he was currently just a laborer carrying cement sacks, once the factory was completed, Reinhardt would be deployed directly into the nitrogen production process, becoming the blood and flesh that kept the massive engine of Austria running.

They said we have to undergo a month of residential training to work at the SFB Chemical Company, right? Today is the very first day.

Fortunately, Reinhardt had graduated from the school with excellent grades and had even been hired as an assistant teacher, earning a decent income.

This meant that even if he struggled with interviews, he was highly confident in his literacy.

"I heard someone incredibly famous is coming to the orientation today."

"Could it be... Director Stahl?"

"No way. It'll probably just be the factory manager."

The other new hires at the orientation sat in their seats with tense expressions.

And then, a man in his early twenties, dressed in a military uniform, walked up onto the stage with steady steps.

"Who is that?"

"He's younger than I thought...?"

While the other new hires wondered who the man was, the people of District 16—especially Reinhardt—could not fail to recognize that face.

The young doctor who had entered the slums when he was still a boy with peach fuzz on his cheeks, visiting house after house to personally treat and prescribe medicine to them.

Perhaps because of that, the posters on the walls all depicted him as he had looked in his youth.

"Hello. I am Marx Stahl, co-representative of SFB Co., Ltd."

"W-wooooah!"

"Stahl! Stahl!"

"In the name of Marx and Christ!"

While the others cheered for the sudden appearance of the celebrity, those who had lived through the hardships of District 16, including Reinhardt, could not bring themselves to do so.

*Thud.* Reinhardt naturally slid out of his chair and dropped to his knees on the floor.

Other workers from District 16 also began to sob openly or tremble all over, as if they had just beheld the Virgin Mary herself.

Stahl... Saint Stahl has redeemed our lives.

This was by no means an exaggeration. Although other slums had benefited greatly from the so-called Stahl-Ferdinand Model, none had experienced as dramatic a transformation in just three short years as District 16.

Street and residential hygiene had improved so much that illness had practically vanished.

Following his example when he first entered the slums, countless novice doctors had volunteered to provide medical services directly to the impoverished.

Workers who could read even a single letter were able to find better-paying jobs.

The one who gave them bread and life. At least in District 16, the moniker "Saint Stahl" was no mere figure of speech.

After all, wasn't the organization established in District 16 under the Stahl-Ferdinand Model named the "Saint Stahl Guard"?

Although it had been renamed the "S.S. (Saint Stahl) Guard" once they were no longer allowed to use the explicit phrase "Saint Stahl."

"I still remember when I first created penicillin. Back then, I found so much joy in simply saving lives. I wanted to keep doing this kind of work. That is why I developed the nitrogen fixation process—what is now known as the Stahl Process."

"Wooooah!"

"You should all take pride in yourselves. Thanks to the ammonia you will produce, the world will now be saved from starvation forever."

The man who had liberated humanity from pathogens, and now from hunger. There was not a single soul who looked upon Stahl and did not feel a profound sense of awe.