The integration began three days later.
For the first ti since Helmarte Soap Works had opened its doors, portions of the factory were temporarily shut down.
Workers moved everywhere.
Carpenters.
Blacksmiths.
Machinists.
Laborers.
Managers.
The entire facility had beco a construction site.
Outside the main production building, a new structure was already rising beside the factory.
The engine house.
Unlike the soap factory itself, the building prioritized practicality over appearance.
Thick brick walls.
Large ventilation openings.
A tall chimney visible from hundreds of ters away.
And enough interior space to house the massive fifty-horsepower steam engine.
One morning, Ernest stood beside the construction site while reviewing plans.
Several workers were laying the final bricks of the engine foundation.
Actually, the foundation was one of the most important parts.
The engine weighed several tons.
The flywheel alone weighed more than so wagons.
If the foundation shifted even slightly, alignnt problems would follow.
And alignnt problems ant power losses.
Or worse.
Broken machinery.
A foreman approached.
"The foundation should be finished by tomorrow."
Ernest nodded.
"Good."
The man looked toward the steam engine components waiting nearby.
Massive iron pieces rested beneath temporary shelters.
Even after months of construction, the sight remained impressive.
"Still hard to believe that thing is going to power the whole factory."
Ernest smiled.
"It should have enough power to run several factories."
The foreman blinked.
Several?
That was a terrifying amount of power.
Inside the main factory, another team worked on modifications to the existing line shaft system.
Fortunately, most of the infrastructure already existed.
The waterwheel had powered the factory for years.
The steam engine rely needed to connect to the sa network.
The workers removed old shaft sections.
Installed new bearings.
Strengthened supports.
Adjusted pulley alignnts.
Every day brought visible progress.
Every day brought new challenges.
One afternoon, Hollen found Ernest studying a shaft installation.
"Problem?"
"A small one."
That imdiately worried him.
Small problems often beca large expenses.
"What happened?"
Ernest pointed upward.
The shaft stretched across the ceiling.
One section sat slightly out of alignnt.
Only by a small amount.
But enough to matter.
"If we leave that alone, it’ll create vibration."
Hollen stared.
He couldn’t even see the difference.
"You’re sure?"
"Yes."
The forge owner sighed.
"Of course you are."
Several hours later, the section was rebuilt.
The alignnt issue disappeared.
Work continued.
A week passed.
Then another.
The engine house finally stood completed.
And for the first ti, workers began moving the steam engine inside.
That alone beca a massive undertaking.
The boiler required dozens of n.
The flywheel required pulleys, ropes, lifting fras, and enough shouting to be heard across the entire property.
At one point, a laborer looked at the giant flywheel suspended in the air and muttered a prayer.
Nobody blad him.
The thing looked capable of flattening a house.
Eventually, every major component found its place.
The boiler sat on its brick foundation.
The cylinder aligned perfectly with the flywheel.
The connecting rod had been installed.
Steam pipes connected every major section.
Days later, the final shaft connection between the engine house and factory was completed.
The last bolt tightened.
The last bearing installed.
The last pulley aligned.
For several monts, the workers simply stared.
Months of work.
Months of planning.
Months of construction.
And now everything was ready.
Almost.
One final test remained.
The most important one.
The first startup.
Word spread quickly.
Very quickly.
By sunrise the following morning, nearly everyone in the factory knew what was about to happen.
Workers gathered around the engine house.
Managers gathered too.
Even clerks appeared.
Several warehouse workers abandoned their normal routines just to watch.
Nobody wanted to miss it.
Hollen stood beside Ernest near the boiler.
The forge owner looked strangely nervous.
"You’ve built this thing."
"Yes."
"You tested the prototype."
"Yes."
"You calculated everything."
"Yes."
Hollen folded his arms.
"Then why am I worried?"
Ernest laughed.
"Because if sothing goes wrong, we’re standing next to it."
That did not help.
At all.
Nearby, workers began loading coal into the firebox.
The boiler was filled.
Valves were checked.
Pipe connections inspected.
Pressure gauges monitored.
Every step followed a checklist Ernest had prepared.
Nobody wanted mistakes today.
Especially not around several tons of pressurized steam.
Hours passed.
The fire grew hotter.
The boiler slowly ca alive.
Steam pressure increased.
Five pounds.
Ten pounds.
Fifteen.
Twenty.
Workers constantly monitored the readings.
The atmosphere inside the engine house beca tense.
Nobody spoke much.
Everyone waited.
Finally, Ernest looked toward the gauge.
The pressure had reached the target value.
He nodded.
"It’s ready."
The room beca silent.
Completely silent.
Even the workers outside seed to hold their breath.
Ernest walked toward the main valve.
His hand rested on the wheel.
Then he looked toward Hollen.
"Still worried?"
"Very."
"Good."
"What does that an?"
"It ans you’re paying attention."
The forge owner rolled his eyes.
Then Ernest slowly opened the valve.
A hiss filled the room.
Steam surged through the pipe.
Workers imdiately focused on the cylinder.
For a mont nothing happened.
Then the piston moved.
Only slightly.
But it moved.
Several workers gasped.
The piston moved again.
The connecting rod followed.
The flywheel twitched.
Then rotated.
One revolution.
Then another.
Then another.
Slowly.
Steadily.
The giant flywheel began turning.
The machine had co alive.
Nobody spoke.
They simply stared.
Steam entered the cylinder.
The piston moved.
The connecting rod transferred force.
The flywheel rotated.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The rotation accelerated.
Soon the massive wheel spun smoothly.
The entire engine settled into a steady rhythm.
Hiss.
Clank.
Hiss.
Clank.
Hiss.
Clank.
The sound echoed throughout the engine house.
Outside, workers erupted into cheers.
The noise was deafening.
Several n shouted.
Others laughed.
A few simply stared at the machine with expressions of disbelief.
One of the machinists looked close to tears.
Months.
Months of labor.
And now it worked.
It actually worked.
Hollen stared at the engine for nearly a full minute.
Then looked toward Ernest.
"You did it."
Ernest shook his head.
"No."
He pointed toward the workers.
"We did it."
The forge owner followed his gaze.
The machinists.
The smiths.
The carpenters.
The laborers.
Every single one had contributed.
Without them, the machine would never have existed.
Then another worker ran into the engine house.
Breathless.
Excited.
"Master Ernest!"
"What is it?"
"The factory!"
Everyone imdiately turned.
"What about it?"
The worker grinned.
"The machinery is running."
Silence.
Then realization spread.
The steam engine wasn’t rely turning its own flywheel.
It was driving the entire factory.
Every shaft.
Every pulley.
Every machine connected to the system.
The kingdom’s first steam-powered factory had officially begun operation.
Ernest slowly smiled.
The waterwheel had built Helmarte Soap Works.
But steam would build everything that ca after.
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