"Your Highness, what is this coal briquette?" Walter asked, puzzled.

Simon gave a mysterious smile and signalled Bjorn with a glance.

Understanding the gesture, Bjorn instructed the craftsmen to bring in the coal briquettes they had made.

[Description: The coal briquette, also known as honeycomb briquette, was a cylindrical shape about ten centimetres in diameter, with holes running through it. In Simon’s previous world, this type of coal stove was very popular before the 1970s and 1980s, found in almost every household.]

[It could be used for boiling water, cooking, and heating, versatile and practical. Moreover, it was quite simple to manufacture.]

Faced with this never-before-seen object, Walter and the other three were equally confused, waiting for Simon’s explanation.

"Take a closer look, everyone. This coal stove is essentially a cylinder divided into two parts by an iron rod. The upper part is the furnace, and the lower part is the air intake. There’s a vent on the outside, when it’s opened wider, more air enters, and the fire burns stronger. When it’s narrowed, less air enters, and the fire weakens. The coal ball is made by grinding and recasting coal briquettes. When combined with the stove, it produces a miraculous effect."

After explaining, Simon personally took charge. He used charcoal and wheat straw to start the fire, then placed a honeycomb briquette at the bottom. He also used a clay tube as a chimney, placing it on top.

Walter and the other three stood together, whispering among themselves and watching Simon’s every move intently.

Soon, the fire grew strong, and the honeycomb briquette ignited. Simon then inserted a second coal into the stove and removed the small chimney.

At this point, blue flames were burning vigorously inside the stove.

"Your Highness, this doesn’t seem much different from a charcoal brazier." Lucan, who was always straightforward, said bluntly.

Alfred’s eyes shifted, and he tapped his fan against his palm, displeased with Lucan’s comment. "Lucan, you’re mistaken. If His Highness is so invested in this, it must be something extraordinary."

"Alfred, your flattery skills are truly improving by the day, leaving us in awe. However, I think Lucan has a point." Brandt said seriously.

If Lucan was straightforward, Brandt was a bit stubborn. From what Simon knew, Brandt had only passed the provincial examination because his father had spent a considerable amount of silver to buy his way through.

As for Brandt himself, he preferred martial arts over scholarly pursuits.

Walter pondered for a moment, then gave the other three a look of disdain. "When it comes to His Highness’s coal stove, none of you can match my understanding. After His Highness’s explanation, this coal stove does seem very practical, much more convenient than a charcoal brazier."

"Walter is indeed insightful, as expected of someone in the coal and iron business." Simon praised.

Walter, who was always quick to seize an opportunity, puffed up with pride like a victorious rooster. "Your Highness, this thing is truly impressive. Where did you learn about it?"

Simon replied casually. "That’s a long story. A few days ago, the steward of the prince’s residence bought a book from a foreign merchant. I found many items in it and decided to study them closely."

Here, the advantage of Simon’s status as a prince became apparent. He could easily make up an excuse to explain the origin of the devices he planned to develop in the future.

If he were an ordinary person, these wealthy families would likely resort to murder to uncover the truth.

Walter was half-convinced, but since Simon had spoken, he didn’t dare to press further. After all, while they got along well with Simon, the hierarchy between them was a different matter.

"Your Highness, it seems fortune Favors the noble. This coal stove is indeed impressive. Could Your Highness have the Engineering Department make one for us to try?"

Walter exchanged glances with Alfred and the others. The coal stove was novel, and they were eager to buy one to test it out.

Simon had been waiting for the fish to bite. It was impossible to sell the coal stove to ordinary households at this stage, as most commoners couldn’t afford coal and relied on firewood.

However, wealthy households were different. The psychology of any wealthy family was the same, they loved novel things.

"That’s not impossible, but this coal stove consumes both iron and coal. The prince’s residence has always been poor..."

Walter, being a shrewd man, immediately understood. "Your Highness, no problem. Just tell us how much silver one coal stove costs, and we’ll pay."

Alfred and the others nodded in agreement. They wouldn’t dare take advantage of Simon, as he was still a prince.

"How about fifty caps of silver per coal stove?" Simon made an outrageous demand.

Walter was shocked. The prince was truly bold.

In his opinion, while the coal stove was much more convenient than a charcoal brazier, it wasn’t irreplaceable. At most, it offered some added convenience and wasn’t worth that much money, three caps of silver at most.

He spoke. "Your Highness, fifty caps are too much. Think about it, wealthy families all have servants. Boiling water, cooking, and warming wine may be a bit troublesome, but they don’t have to do it themselves. Spending fifty caps on this is no better than buying a maid. Please don’t make it difficult for me."

Alfred and the others nodded in agreement. Lucan added. "Walter’s comment reminded me, this coal stove could be a business opportunity. We could sell it to wealthy households that have some money but can’t afford maids."

Simon glanced at the four of them, realizing that the ancients weren’t stupid. They were shrewd and calculated, and one couldn’t just create something and expect to make a fortune easily.

The first round of deception had failed. Simon called Bjorn over to ask about the cost of the coal stove.

Walter’s estimate was quite accurate. The cost was around two caps of silver, as both coal and iron were expensive.

There would be no easy money from gullible buyers, but Lucan’s suggestion was feasible. The coal stove was made to earn silver, after all.

Otherwise, how would he get the funds to build up the industrial base? He couldn’t just confiscate the wealth of all the rich families in Brambleford, could he?

"Lucan is truly wise." Simon praised.

At this moment, Alfred had a sudden idea. "Your Highness, my family is in the water transport business, and we travel all over the Eldorian Empire. Why not let my family handle the sales of this coal stove?"

"Alfred is indeed the most suitable for this." Brandt said.

"Alfred’s suggestion aligns perfectly with my thoughts. As you all know, the tax revenue of Brambleford has been declining year after year. If this continues, my residence will soon be reduced to living on air. Although you all often help the residence, it’s not a long-term solution." Simon sighed deeply.

At this point, all four of them looked somewhat awkward. They were well aware of the root cause of the tax revenue problem.

However, which wealthy family in the Eldorian Empire wasn’t holding onto their silver tightly?

Now that the prince wanted to start his own business to supplement the residence’s income, it was only natural. After all, which prince didn’t have a group of merchants under him?

These merchants paid silver annually in exchange for business conveniences, and some highly profitable businesses were even directly managed by the prince’s trusted aides.

Similarly, they also paid the prince some silver every year, but the prince was so incompetent that he only used the money for his own pleasure.

He didn’t even bother with the mines and water transport businesses that other princes tightly controlled.