Hanz wrote all the things he could vaguely remember from the foreign memories. See if he could salvage a few stuff useful for his world such as electricity, transports, and infrastructures before the memories fade.
Yet three years had passed and the memories remain, hauntingly. He sit in the garden, drinking a coffee. A substance foreign to them three years ago, yet became a mainstream after his initial request from his father.
The maids busy themselves, taking care of the garden. Brushing the dirt, watering the flowers, and even taking care of his hair. Some talk to themselves.
This feels... wrong. His heart ache of this. The sight of people surrounding him, actively serving him.
'Douglas never had this.'
Along those years he tries to live with the memory, he came to realize that it was futile to ignore Douglas's emotion.
Douglas lived a life of suffering, completely opposite of his, so he couldn't comprehend it. To Hanz, he was weak. But as much as he wants to throw away Douglas' emotion, he came to an understanding that perhaps, Douglas wasn't weak, he was just too strong for a long time.
And so, he finally let the emotion pours in. He cries often in his bed, but unlike Douglas, he was accompanied by his maids.
Hanz smile once more.
Since then, he had often expressed his emotion more openly to his maids. And... well, this might've caused their closeness to him increased.
They are eager to do it as well. Who blames them, though? These maids are only four to six years older than him. Their job would also require close contact with their master for more effective services.
"Hanz! Your father calls for you!" A scream breaks his focus. Instinctly turning his head towards the source.
"Yes, mother!" He replied shortly.
He stands up and walks towards the manor's door, followed by his maids. The hall is primitive unlike the ones he remembers from Douglas' memories, but it is certainly reach in design. Intricate ornate flowers around the walls, statues of knights wearing heavy armors and portrait of predecessors of the House of Eltz at the left side, where casted by the illuminating lights from the window at the right.
He finally reach his father's office soon, and his maids stance themselves as guards beside the door.
He knocks...
Knock knock
When the word of affirmation came, he opened the door.
There, his father sits in behind his desk filled with paperwork and quills.
His gaze turn and gesture with his fingers for Hanz to come and take a sit.
"This crop rotation you suggested is indeed effective, it nearly doubled the crop output. If we keep this up, we might gain surpluses and prevent extensive death every winter.
Even the irrigation is proving effective. Such method helped preceed the traditional water flow almost immediately. This must've even helped your four crop rotation with the continuous water source!
If this continues, we could even perhaps convince the villagers to implement the mass crop farm. What do you think?" My father, with his optimistic and otherwise joyful face, looked at me.
"Uh...?"
"I mean, do you have anything else to add? I know you're my son, but sometimes, you're scaring me."
"I mean, I have the fertilizer I am currently developing, it helps improve the crop's drought resistance and enriches the soil for effective farming. If this is successful, we could perhaps make it viable to increase crop yield en masse." He explained, trying to remember what he have written during the night time.
"Interesting, my son. It seems we are talking about... how much?"
"A lot, father." Hanz laughs, "like, really, a lot father. I can't scale it, but it will be groundbreaking."
His father raises his left brow, suspicious.
"I see. And how are you so sure of this?"
"Not sure, father. Confident. Because, even if this fail, it will only make us do something else and learn, if this succeed, it could revolutionize our economic status, and perhaps, increase our standing within the empire." Hanz clears his throat, who seem to have gotten carried off due to the conversation.
"Well, son. I guess that's good. The only reason you're here now is that, the empire calls for arms." Hanz swallowed.
"Me and your brother will lead the army, you stay here with your mother." Hanz nodded.
"Yes father."
"You know what to do when I'm gone."
"Yes."
"Good, you're dismissed."
Hanz turned his back from his father and left. His mind elsewhere.
Finally, he can experiment his ruling with his current radical ideas. Perhaps, he could start with the city's irrigation system to improve community hygienes.
For the past three years, it would be natural of him to have left the mansion, but the one thing he had to keep on experience is the smell of the streets. It was almost unbearable to him. Even in Douglas' life, he didn't experience it in the city.
But that requires city planning, which needs eventual progress. The map of the city is already in him, but the material requirements and the cost of the structure, not including the attrition it would provide is already astronomical.
He could wait until the first yield of the mass farm. But then, he have to make haste on the Haber-Bosch process.
As for the transport.
He could easily order rails and train stations construction, he had already planned the place to which it will be placed. The only issue is... the train that they will need.
As much as he tries to replicate it. It requires skilled blacksmith just to iron the engines, but the process of combustion and locomotive functions would require another set of expertise which he lacks.
Douglas is a programmer. Not a mechanic. He doesn't even have a car.
Hanz walks through the hall he just went to. Contemplating on what he should do during his temporary takeover, his maids following him silently.
Douglas often read about the Haber-Bosch during his college days. He would always be excited about Haber's revolutionary idea that helped the world birthed almost thrice of the population. But what was most crucial about it is the simplicity of it's creation.
It wasn't that simple when they did, yes. But that's because they were the initial inventors. I just have to do the correct path they set for us.
But... what am I doing wrong?
Hanz heads for the laboratory he designated for himself. His maids, sensing his intention, quietly give themselves order for their and Hanz's proper equipments.
When they reach their destination, they all wear their wares. A fully protective cloth, with only the face visible which was also covered by a protective glass.
Yes, glass.
Since Hanz has yet to produce a fully functioning plastic, this is as far he could go.
Once they finished, they went inside.
The place is, to say the least, full of bottles and tubes. Tubes Hanz personally requested to produce, along with other materials.
"So, we continue what we were doing. Mix nitrogen and hydrogen within four hundred celcius. See if we could produce it again." The maids move in unison.
Some grab a glass of bottle, some waters, and some cast a specific spell I created that separates the nitrogen from the air, and cooling it at the same pace then storing it within a bottle that gradually warms up.
One of the maids sets the oil-filled tanks on fire from its top, just between it and the glass filled with water.
The fire can increase its intensity and heat depending on the caster's magical capabilities. Fortunately, Hanz have seen what these maids can do and they are exceptionally well in terms of magic, for a maid.
He tries the same process again, then, nothing. Not even a hint of ammonia.
Seeing him down, Johanni smiled at him, "It's okay, young master. We might've missed something, but we got all the time we need!"
"Yes, she's correct. We might've lack the necessary heat for the elements to react. Perhaps I could do—" Elaina is speaking, but is interrupted by Krisiana, who was responsible for the heat.
"I did my best to maintain the heat at a consistent pace! It's just not working, so don't blame it on me!" Krisiana is visibly agitated by the statement of Elaina's obvious teasing.
"Yes, yes. Ladies, please." Helen, however, interjected them all, "Now what do we do, young master?"
"I don't know, did I forgot to add something?"