NOVEL WEB Chapter 680: Mining Companies
6th April 1660
The testing of the Devaraya atmospheric steam engine went on for two whole days, and fortunately, there were no problems found in the working of the machine. This was especially miraculous since a steam engine is a thing that had never been seen in the world before. Getting it right on the first try should have been impossible. However, if you think about it, it is not too surprising because Vijay has a higher technical vision. He can consider everything that could go wrong with the machine even before its construction, while others can only find out the problem one failure at a time.
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Vijay called for Bhaskaracharya and arranged the next matters. His work in the research facility was done; his need was no longer required. With the design drawings and experience, the researchers can now independently build a steam engine if necessary.
"Bhaskaracharya, the steam engine manufacturing will be left to Sriranga Industrial Tools. Have the people come over and build the production plant in Nagpur."
"Yes!"
Vijay, looking at the leaving back of Bhaskaracharya, thought of something. "Summon the top mining companies in the empire, and do not make it public. There is no need for it to be mentioned in the newspaper."
"While you're at it, establish a mining company too. Mining should be a profitable industry after this machine is put into the market."
"Finally, have Ganesh summon Vinod, Rajesh, and Mohan—"
Bhaskaracharya paused briefly, then nodded.
When speaking of who owns the technology of the atmospheric steam engine, Vijay is undoubtedly the main person who comes to mind because he literally designed and invented it, so the whole credit should lay upon Vijay. But rationally speaking, Vijay is only entitled to receive 50% of the monetary gains because, even though it was Vijay's idea, the researchers were employed by the Bharatiya Academy of Military Sciences, which also bore the cost for all the research materials and tools. If not for the requirement of privacy, Vijay would even have had the artisans directly employed by the Academy of Military Sciences. Though truth be told, this was what Vijay wanted, and if he is being completely honest, this was the only option he had.
Even though his private research facility could have built the steam engine with his instructions, it couldn't have been so smooth since the researchers in his research institute were nowhere as brilliant as the ones in the Academy of Military Sciences or Civilian Sciences. For iterative development, Vijay has no problem letting them do it, but to invent a whole new machine, Vijay has no confidence.
'Maybe in a few years they can improve, but not right now,' he thought.
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Bhonsle Mining
"Director, we received an invitation from Mr. Bhaskaracharya to arrive at Nagpur as fast as possible," a tall and thin man hunched over as he relayed the message and handed over the decrypted letter from the Arkha Drishti Communication.
A Sikh man with a tall and bulky stature, looking like a fitness model in his bulking phase, took the letter with surprise on his face. "Looks like something exciting is going to happen," he said, reading the letter with a smirk.
"Forward the letter to His Highness Aditya, send a letter of gratitude to Mr. Bhaskar, and quickly arrange the carriage. I am going to Nagpur."
A similar situation was seen in the offices of Kombay Minerals, Chittyar Mining, Pattnaik & Bro's, Bora Explorers Pvt. Ltd., Bizenjo Mining, and Shrestha Minerals.
Bhaskaracharya only sent invitations to the largest mining companies in the empire. Even the famous ones, like the newly established Ahom Mining, Ranavikrama Mining, Senapatti Mining, or Shetty Mining, were not included. All four were established by dignified individuals—three by kings and one by arguably one of the top 10 richest people in the empire. However, unfortunately, mining is an industry where experience plays a key role. It is not the future where there are all sorts of equipment to figure out where minerals are deposited. In the current era, it requires prospectors with keen vision and experience who are able to identify the nuances on the ground, use their experience and knowledge, and finally make a guess to determine if there is a mineral reserve in a certain place.
It is for this reason that mostly family-owned, multi-generational mining companies make it to the top mineral companies in the empire.
Well, the only exception being Bhonsle Mining. It is a newly established mining company. But to be fair, Aditya has put in a lot of resources into the company, has poached a lot of people, and has invested a lot of money for multiple years at a loss in order for the company to get to where it is today.
Not everyone is so daring. Maybe even Aditya, if not for the fact that he was paranoid when he arrived at the Bharatiya Empire due to the loss of the Maratha Kingdom, which left his whole dynasty rootless, which made him think about something else to compensate for the feeling of loss, which made him want to rely on something that was reliable for it to become the foundation of the Bhonsle dynasty, he would have not taken the risk in his lifetime.
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Artisans Complex, Nagpur
After finishing their work, the artisans split apart and went to various parts of the empire, not to see each other for at least 4 months. Vijay had handed over the task of monitoring them and making sure that they did not meet to the Bharatiya Internal Pragya. He actually personally put in a word with Selvan to handle the matter by himself.
When they left, the place where they stayed and worked had been empty, so Bhaskaracharya arranged for all the managers and owners of mining companies to come to this location.
"Long time no see, Mr. Kombay, how are you?"
"Paji, with God's grace, everyone is healthy."
"Arjun Bhaiya, I heard that you have found another iron mine. Is that true? I see that the stock price of your company has jumped by 2 Varaha."
"Haha, it's all God's grace," he nodded with a smile. "It's currently at 76 million Varaha."
"I have to say, Arjun, you are very brave in listing Kombay Minerals. You are the first among us miners who have done such a thing. Let me ask, is it profitable? is there any risk?"
"Of course, there are risks. Let me tell you..."
The company owners and managers came to the complex while discussing with each other about their business. It is very rare for them to gather in one place; usually, only if there is a marriage in anyone's home will they all gather together. In the last 10 years, this only happened twice, but they are all familiar with each other since everyone is collaborating together.
Every company is not proficient in mining everything. Some companies are proficient in mining coal, some in iron, or some in silver or gold. Every company has a speciality. Hence, when a company finds a location of a mineral they are not specialized in, it is the norm to contact a familiar mining company and take a small percentage of the resources that have been drawn, normally 1% to 5%, depending on the type of resource and the condition it is in. So there has been a lot of cooperation in the mining sector of the Bharatiya Empire.
Soon, they came to a warehouse that looked like a production plant that had been emptied out, as the grease, wooden flaking, and metal threads were sticking to the wall. Fortunately, the floor was clean. Vijay was waiting for everyone there.
The sounds immediately quieted down.
"Welcome, The reason I called everyone here today is an important opportunity for everyone here."
The few people looked at each other in shock and anticipation.
Vijay stood up and took the blindfold off the board. "A new innovation has taken place in our empire. A new machine has been invented, called the atmospheric steam engine. I personally led its development."
"Its use mostly lies in its ability to extract and suck in water from underground."
"It can currently suck out up to 500 litres of water per minute, and it can run without stopping for a whole day with only three men operating and maintaining it."
The people were immediately taken aback
Karamveer Singh's eyebrows twitched violently. Being the manager of Bhonsle Mining for over three years and being the right-hand man for His Excellency Aditya Bhonsle, he immediately realized the machine was perfect for the company. His eyes blazed with excitement and anticipation, just thinking about the benefits draining the water easily could bring to the company, his hands unconsciously started to vibrate. A similar reaction was seen by Arjun Kombay, the fifth-generation mining tycoon of the Kombay Family.
Vijay, looking at the expressions of realization, nodded in satisfaction, but he did not show that he knew the steam engine could be used in the mines. "The main use of this machine should be in mines, isn't it?" he asked in a curious and inquiring tone.
Arjun Kombay excitedly nodded. "Definitely, Your Majesty. Currently, despite knowing there are minerals, we're not able to mine deep enough, mainly because no miner could be sent to mine due to the flooding of water."
"Even if a little water leakage is seen and the water reaches up to the feet, the mining activities will be immediately stopped by the Bharatiya Standards Organization. So, the current way mining is done in the Bharatiya Empire is to mine only the top layer—that is, from the surface to only a few meters below. If we are lucky and do not encounter any water veins, we can go up to 20 to 30 feet, but with meters, it is cut down to only 5 to 10 meters."
"If His Majesty's invention can really suck out all the water from underground, it will be of great help to the mining community, and I personally can promise to quadruple the minerals mined in the empire."
The rest of the managers and owners did not speak, but their expressions said that they acquiesced to the statement of Arjun Kombay.
"Excellent!" Vijay was happy. "Alright, if that's the case, let me tell you all. The atmospheric steam engine is currently manufactured by my Sri Ranga Industrial Tools."
"Currently, I have ordered 100 units to be manufactured. I have reserved 10 for myself, 30 for the rest of the market, and the remaining 60 pieces all of you can share among yourselves."
"I will not increase the price; it will be 250,000 Varaha per machine. You can decide among yourselves who will take how many machines."
The managers and owners were taken aback by the price of the machine because it was too costly. 250,000 Varaha is the money some of the smaller mining companies make in a whole year, but considering that the machine can work tirelessly and can effectively drain all the water in a night and make the mine ready for mining the next morning, they gritted their teeth and negotiated with each other, exchanging interests to secure as many quotas as possible.
By the end of the meeting, all sixty atmospheric steam engines that were yet to be constructed had been sold out. Truth be told, if it had been anyone else who had talked with them, they would have been suspicious because first, they would have had to see the machine working to believe it. But since His Majesty personally came to act as a salesman, they had to give him some face, and most importantly, the moment His Majesty came forward, it meant that he was absolutely confident in his machine, so there was no reason to hesitate.
Vijay, at the end of the day, met up with Vinod, Rajesh, and Mohan. He showed them the prototype. Instead of looking at the steam engine himself, he looked at their expressions, which were gobsmacked. He felt amused.
"Vinod, the Devaraya atmospheric steam engine could be granted to private manufacturing companies, but its production and manufacturing should be entirely localized to Nagpur, and the security will be given to the military. I don't want any information leakage."
Vinod nodded his head in acceptance, as he could understand the considerations of His Majesty. Looking at the steam engine, it left his heart palpitating. It was like magic; the machine worked by itself without external help and could work tirelessly.
Jagannath Mohan was equally surprised, but when he heard His Majesty's order, his eyebrows twitched violently. "Your Majesty, the government cannot bear to pay for the military if they are stationed in these manufacturing companies."
Rajesh, who immediately realized that he was the one who was going to benefit the most from the steam engine, immediately refuted, "Mohan, this is a matter of national security. Isn't it only natural that the military is arranged to safeguard national interests?"
Jagannath Mohan shook his head. "If it is a state-owned company, I wouldn't object, but since it is a private company and the government has no stake in it, then I resolutely object to the military securing the company with its own resources. Either make it mandatory for the government to have a stake in the company, or let the company pay for the military to be stationed."
Rajesh shut up, and Vinod thoughtfully nodded. "It makes sense."
Vijay realized the problem too, so with a little thought, he immediately made the decision. "Let the companies be responsible for employing the military. As for the cost, increase it by 25% over what the government is paying the military. The government takes advantage of the large military infrastructure to keep prices low. After all, it is not reasonable for the companies to pay the same price."
"And most importantly, the private companies will directly pay the government and not the soldiers themselves."
"As you wish, Your Majesty," Vinod, Jagannath Mohan, and Rajesh all three accepted the orders.
P.S. Thank You Tervantas, for the Massage chair