February 15th, 1510.

It has been almost eight months since the construction started and now it is finished. Hollen and Ernest visited the site and climbed down the open top carriage.

It was winter season and snows drift through the streets of Helmarte lightly while cold wind swept across the riverside district.

Workers wearing thick wool clothing continued moving near the factory grounds despite the freezing temperature.

The Helmarte Soap Works stood proudly beside the Aldren River like the beginning of something entirely new.

The main production building alone towered above nearby workshops.

Stone lower walls.

Heavy timber framework.

Tall chimney vents extending upward from the boiling hall.

Large glass windows lined portions of the upper walls allowing sunlight to enter during daytime operations.

Meanwhile beside the river itself...

The massive waterwheel slowly rotated under the winter current.

Creak.

Creak.

Creak.

He was glad that the river weren’t freezing because unlike smaller rivers near the northern regions of the kingdom, the Aldren River almost never fully froze during winter.

Actually, the river itself was enormous.

Not merely wide.

Enormous.

The Aldren stretched across a massive portion of the continent, beginning far south beyond the warmer territories where winter remained much milder compared to Helmarte.

By the time the water reached the capital city, the river current still carried relatively warmer temperatures from the southern regions.

Combined with the sheer volume of moving water, complete freezing became extremely difficult.

Especially near deeper sections.

And the section beside the Helmarte Soap Works happened to be one of the deepest channels of the river.

Merchant ships regularly passed through this area during warmer seasons, meaning the riverbed here had naturally eroded over centuries into a deep commercial waterway.

Deep rivers retained heat longer.

Fast-moving currents also prevented stable ice formation.

Ernest actually remembered learning similar geological and hydrological principles back on Earth during engineering lectures.

Large rivers like the Rhine, Mississippi, and parts of the Thames historically remained partially navigable during winter because moving water resisted freezing far more effectively compared to still lakes and ponds.

The Aldren functioned similarly.

Steam-like mist lightly rose from portions of the river surface where cold winter air collided against relatively warmer flowing water.

"How about we go inside and check?" Ernest suggested.

"Okay, let’s see how the soap will be produced inside,"

The two walked across the partially snow-covered yard while several workers nearby greeted them respectfully.

Actually, the closer Ernest moved toward the factory entrance, the more surreal everything felt.

Because eight months ago, this entire area was nothing more than muddy riverside land beside the Aldren.

Now?

A real industrial facility stood before him.

The large wooden doors of the main production hall opened with a heavy creaking sound once workers pushed them inward.

And the moment Ernest stepped inside...

Warm air immediately greeted him.

Not furnace-level heat like Hollen’s forge.

Meanwhile near the center of the hall stood the heart of the entire factory.

Three massive iron soap kettles.

Each kettle easily stood taller than a grown man and was mounted atop reinforced brick heating platforms.

Below them sat enclosed charcoal furnace chambers where heat would be applied gradually during production.

And above them?

The mechanical mixing system.

Actually, this was Ernest’s favorite part of the factory.

Heavy wooden drive shafts extended from the mechanical room near the river-facing wall.

Large iron-reinforced gears connected together overhead while thick leather belts transferred rotational power throughout the hall.

The entire system moved slowly but steadily.

Powered entirely by the waterwheel outside.

As the Aldren River turned the great wheel, rotational force transferred through a primary wooden shaft entering the factory wall.

That shaft connected into a gear reduction assembly inside the mechanical room occupying around sixty square meters near the river side of the building.

The reduction gears regulated rotational speed and torque before distributing mechanical power across secondary drive shafts running through the production hall ceiling.

Actually, Ernest intentionally designed the system using slower rotational transfer ratios.

Because directly transmitting waterwheel speed into the mixing paddles would rotate too quickly and destabilize the soap mixture.

Instead, the gear ratios converted faster wheel rotation into slower but stronger torque output.

Which then powered the giant mixing paddles descending into the kettles themselves.

And right now?

Those enormous wooden paddles slowly rotated automatically inside the empty kettles during testing.

Round.

And round.

And round.

No workers manually stirring for hours.

No exhausted laborers collapsing beside boiling soap vats.

Just continuous mechanical rotation powered freely by flowing river water.

Hollen still looked impressed watching it operate.

"Oh my..."

The forge owner folded his arms while staring upward toward the moving gear assemblies.

"It still feels strange seeing a river operate factory equipment."

Actually, several workers nearby shared the same reaction.

Because compared to traditional workshops relying entirely on human labor, this looked advanced.

Industrial.

One mechanic overseeing the gear systems approached afterward.

"We tested continuous operation again this morning," the man reported.

"No major resistance issues."

"Any belt slipping?" Ernest immediately asked.

"Minimal during startup rotation only."

Good.

Leather belt slippage remained one of Ernest’s biggest concerns during early operation.

Especially during wet winter conditions.

The mechanic pointed upward toward several reinforced pulleys afterward.

"We tightened the secondary tension assemblies yesterday."

Actually, Ernest incorporated primitive belt tension systems into the factory design specifically to compensate for leather expansion and moisture effects.

Without tension adjustment?

Power transmission efficiency would collapse.

The two continued deeper into the facility afterward.

Toward the raw material storage section occupying around one hundred twenty square meters.

Large wooden barrels lined the walls neatly.

Animal fat.

Oil.

Ash.

Lime.

Everything organized carefully according to Ernest’s inventory management systems. Compared to ordinary medieval storage practices, this place already looked unusually systematic.

Material categories separated.

Inventory sections labeled.

Walkways kept clear for cart movement.

Even moisture protection platforms elevated sensitive materials above the floor.

Hollen glanced around afterward before smirking slightly.

"...Your obsession with organization infected the entire building."

"That’s called operational efficiency," Ernest answered immediately.

The forge owner laughed softly hearing that strange phrase again.

Then they entered the drying and curing rooms.

Approximately one hundred fifty square meters dedicated entirely toward controlled soap hardening.

Long wooden racks stretched row after row throughout the room.

Ventilation openings near the upper walls regulated airflow carefully while maintaining stable curing conditions.

Actually, soap curing itself remained critical.

Fresh soap contained excess moisture and unstable structure.

Without proper curing time?

Bars became soft.

Cracked.

Or chemically harsh against skin.

Ernest planned curing cycles lasting several weeks before final packaging.

Which then led toward the finished product storage area.

Eighty square meters.

Neatly stacked crates already waited there prepared for future shipment.

And standing inside the completed Helmarte Soap Works while gears slowly turned overhead and the waterwheel transmitted mechanical power through the building itself...

Ernest quietly realized something important.

This was no longer merely a soap business anymore.

This was industrialization beginning to take root inside the Kingdom of Belfast. And he’ll take the helm leading it towards true industrialization.