Chapter 355: Heat Treatment Technology

Over the next two days, Romon completed his inspection of Boulder City, accompanied by McCane and Serin.

In the process, Romon witnessed with his own eyes the diverse stone quarries of Boulder City, which would undoubtedly serve as an excellent stone base if large-scale infrastructure projects were to be launched in the future.

Aside from inspecting resources, Romon also held a meeting with the subjects of Boulder City.

Ever since the last turmoil, many had remained anxious, for their lord had not arrived and they knew not what the future held for Boulder City.

Romon’s official appearance served as a shot of adrenaline, letting them know that their lord had arrived and was attentive to their plight.

Two days later, Romon departed Boulder City and arrived at Red Mountain Town.

Though the defense and administration of this town were managed on his behalf by McCane and Serin, matters involving the Red Mountain Town iron mine were overseen by Vance, a master blacksmith.

For over three months, the iron mine at Red Mountain Town had been excavated day and night, and deep within the iron mountain, Blacksmith Kales and others transferred from the Northern Crow fief had already erected the iron-smelting blast furnace.

"My Lord, after our numerous experiments, we are now able to directly cast ordinary farm tools,"

Vance said as he led Romon through their production base.

At this moment, the blast furnace was smelting iron ore, and workers were pouring the glowing molten iron into clay molds, which cooled into the shape of hoes.

To tell the truth, Vance had been utterly astounded when he first encountered this method of production.

When he learned that this method came from the Lord himself, an unprecedented reverence for Romon arose in his heart.

However, when using hoes cast in this manner, he had also discovered a disadvantage.

"My Lord, your method is indeed very fast and convenient, but the hoes cast this way are somewhat inferior in hardness, and they easily crack or even snap during use."

Forged hoes possessed high hardness and lasted longer, but forging consumed too much time and cost too much;

cast hoes lasted a relatively shorter time and broke easily, but their production time was short and costs were relatively low.

In Vance's view, both methods had their pros and cons; one could not say which was good or bad, for it was entirely a matter of trade-offs.

Romon listened to Vance’s report and nodded.

"Casting does indeed possess this disadvantage, but it can be mitigated through other means."

"Oh?"

Vance’s eyes lit up, flickering with a thirst for iron-smelting knowledge.

Romon smiled and said, "That would be heat treatment."

As he spoke, he stepped to a nearby shelf, picked up a cast hoe, and tossed it into the furnace.

"Through heat treatment methods such as quenching and tempering, the stress generated during the casting process can be eliminated, and the grain size refined, thereby enhancing its hardness and strength."

Vance looked entirely bewildered; though he was a master craftsman, he had never heard of these new terms uttered by Romon.

Romon had Kales fetch a bucket of water, and after the hoe in the furnace had burned red-hot for some time, he drew it out and quickly plunged it into the water-filled bucket.

With a sharp hiss, a great cloud of steam instantly arose.

"Heating it to the proper temperature, holding it there for a time, and then cooling it rapidly—this is quenching. Through this method, hardness and wear resistance can be substantially increased."

Having done this, Romon tossed the quenched hoe back into the furnace, heated it, and then drew it out to cool gradually.

"This is tempering. It eliminates the stress generated during quenching, preventing deformation and cracking while readjusting the hardness and strength."

Vance, Kales, and the others considered themselves quite skilled, yet hearing these words from Romon, they felt like three-year-old children learning to spell, completely unable to comprehend.

"I have only just demonstrated the effect; actual quenching and tempering require very precise temperature control, and mastery can only be achieved by continually summarizing experience."

Romon said to Vance and the others, "How to adjust the strength of the ironware through heat treatment is left to you."

The men nodded solemnly; they had originally thought the blast furnace was the entirety of the Lord's knowledge, never imagining that the Lord knew far more.

Yet faced with Romon's assignment, they were all eager to try, for everyone wished to be the first to taste the crab.

Next, Romon stayed briefly in Red Mountain Town for two days, checking the mining records of the iron mountain during this period on one hand, and needing to gain an understanding of Red Mountain Town's situation on the other.

During this time, Baron Philip of Casir Town and Baron Thorstein of Sari Town learned of Romon's arrival through merchants in Red Mountain Town.

As vassals of Dark Mountain Keep and neighbors to the divinely gifted genius Romon, they naturally extended an invitation.

Romon did not refuse; after all, they were neighbors, and maintaining good relations was necessary.

He chose Casir Town as the gathering place and met the two barons.

Under Philip's warm hospitality, all three ate and drank to their heart's content.

During the feast, both Philip and Thorstein requested to purchase production tools from Romon.

Casir Town was fairing well enough, but the long-abandoned Sari Town had a relatively greater demand for farm tools.

Romon naturally would not refuse such business delivered to his doorstep.

He sold iron ore at a slightly lower price, though if the two wished to purchase finished products, Romon could provide those as well.

Upon learning that Romon's finished products were thirty percent lower than the market price, both scrambled to see the finished goods; if possible, they would absolutely purchase a large batch.

This was the benefit brought by blast furnace smelting and casting; it reduced production costs considerably.

Romon could precisely leverage this advantage to disrupt the existing market with lower prices and seize their business.

However, he did not agree to immediate delivery, setting the time before next spring instead.

This interval would just allow Vance and the others to study heat treatment technology, enhancing the strength of the cast farm tools to meet the needs of daily farming.

In truth, Philip and Thorstein also had their own calculations.

They had originally only intended to buy iron ore or farm tools at a friendly price, never expecting Romon's finished product price to be so low.

The two conferred privately and unanimously agreed:

if the quality of Romon's low-priced goods was indeed decent, they could import a large batch and sell them across various regions at a price slightly lower than the market rate.

Although this arrangement meant Casir Town and Sari Town might become distributors for Red Mountain Town, they did not mind as long as they could turn a profit.

Romon saw through their intentions, and he likewise did not object to such behavior.

For him, as long as he made enough money, giving others a small benefit was entirely acceptable.

Once Philip and Thorstein tasted the sweetness, they would not only expand the market for him but also actively safeguard his interests.

And Romon, in turn, saved a vast amount of marketing and distribution costs.

Win-win cooperation was also a way to wealth.