Building a Viking Empire with Modern Industry-Chapter 175: A problem

While Ragnar was conducting aggressive market research in Nottingham, events that would impact the Directorate’s future were occurring on the other side of the known world.

In the east, within the ancient city of Baghdad, Vizier Al-Hakam was kneeling within the Caliph’s Palace before the ruler of the Abbasid Caliphate. He was questioning the man about a particular area of interest.

Caliph Harun al-Rashid was the current CEO of the Abbasid Caliphate; his ancestors had ruled over the Islamic Golden Age for generations.

He was in his early fifties and already had a beard as white as the finest linen.

The stress of overseeing the trade war with the Byzantines, which reached a stalemate, had aged him drastically these past ten years.

However, for the first time in a long time, there was hope to turn the tides of trade to his favor.

Recently there had been developments in an obscure part of Europe, where the Director of the Iron Empire had developed an advanced industry and sold special equipment for a fair price to the Caliphate’s navy.

Caliph Harun had no idea how Ragnar had managed to create such a massive stockpile of high-tensile steel, and yet he had personally witnessed the results.

The enormous output that Ragnar’s factories were able to produce was the likes that the Caliph had never seen before, and he had greatly desired to see City Titan’s facilities for himself.

However, he could not very well travel to England, and thus he had to hear the details from his Vizier, Al-Hakam, who had just entered the palace at the Caliph’s request.

Thus the two men were face to face within the Palace of Baghdad for the sole reason as to inquire about Ragnar’s production capabilities.

"Vizier Al-Hakam, it has been a while since I have last reviewed your quarterly report. How have the numbers been?"

Al-Hakam was permitted to stand, and as such, he rose from his kneeling position as the Caliph approached him.

It had been some time since he last saw the Caliph face-to-face, and thus he was incredibly thankful for the current opportunity to justify his expense account.

The young Vizier grinned before returning the Caliph’s greeting.

"The numbers have been optimal since the last time we spoke; how are your investments faring, Your Majesty?"

The two men were quite friendly with one another as Caliph Harun immediately began complaining about his portfolio.

"I have seen better returns; for starters, my daughter grows more ambitious by the day. Her intellect has managed to attract the attention of scholars across not only the Islamic world but the Frankish Kingdom as well.

I swear the number of mathematicians she has debated over the past year must be in the dozens.

She seems to have high ambitions for her future research and won’t listen to my suggestions! Raising a genius is too much of a hassle for this old heart of mine to bear!"

Al-Hakam immediately began to laugh at the Caliph’s comment and tried to cheer him up.

"You are not that old, Your Majesty; you are only fifty-three! Your wisdom is your greatest asset!"

However, the Caliph merely scoffed before chastising Al-Hakam.

"If I were a merchant, I would be retired by now!"

Hearing such a response, Al-Hakam began to laugh before bowing respectfully.

"Well, then we are lucky you are not, in fact, a merchant!"

As the two men walked through the palace gardens and continued their conversation, Caliph Harun eventually brought up the topic he wanted to discuss.

"Al-Hakam, I wanted to discuss with you about your visit to City Titan.

Tell me, how is that upstart Director capable of producing so much steel?"

Al-Hakam sighed heavily as he shook his head, his turban glimmering under the light of the sun, as he cast a downtrodden expression before speaking.

"I genuinely wish I could tell you, but I was not allowed to see how he produced the steel, merely the facilities he used to transform it into plating. It was a level of production I had never seen before. Even our finest smiths in Damascus cannot compare to the efficiency that the Directorate is capable of."

The Caliph sighed when he heard this news; he began to speak in a regretful tone.

"Well, that is a shame; I was hoping we could license the technology from the Director. I hear he is currently involved in a hostile takeover of the Midlands. Do you know how that is going?"

Al-Hakam kept close contact with Gyda; after all, the trade they shared was very lucrative for both parties.

With the war for the Midlands going on, the man was greatly concerned about the stability of the steel supply.

Thus he nodded his head and informed the Caliph a bit of what he knew.

"Ragnar’s security forces are far better equipped than any force I have seen.

When I was visiting, his contractors were equipped with blackened plate armor that covered their vitals and joints. They also wielded strange steam-assisted weapons which were of an unknown design.

If his quarterly reports are true and all of his troops are equipped to such a degree, then the likelihood of him winning this merger is huge.

He also appeared to have mounted dozens of Steam Cannons on his city walls. So he seems to be capable of mass-producing such devastating weapons as well."

Caliph Harun was shocked when he heard such information, and thus he quickly asked Al-Hakam about a new possibility that had formed in his mind.

"Tell me, Al-Hakam, is it possible to purchase such equipment? Or perhaps... acquire the blueprints?"

Al-Hakam shook his head and sighed once more; there was not much he could do about this matter; Ragnar seemed keen to have a monopoly on such technology.

Thus he answered truthfully to the Caliph.

"As far as I am aware, Director Ragnar intends to hold onto such an advantage at any cost. I doubt he would be willing to sell such valuable IP in fear of it being reverse-engineered.

One would either have to defeat his forces in a hostile takeover and scavenge their tech, or they would have to pay a sum that would bankrupt the treasury.

I do not foresee myself being able to convince him to sell us the steam engines or the cannons."

However, the Caliph was adamant about this issue and did not take Al-Hakam’s word at face value and instead insisted upon broaching the subject with Ragnar.

"Could you at least try to negotiate a licensing deal when you next see the Director? I hear his weapons have a devastating effect, rendering even Frankish mail useless!

To have such an advantage over the Byzantines would aid in the ongoing efforts to secure the trade routes."

Just as the Caliph was about to conclude his business with the Vizier, a beautiful young woman appeared as she walked down the marble staircase of the palace.

She was dressed in a lavish silk robe with geometric patterns that hinted at advanced calculus.

She wore gold jewelry encrusted with sapphires that matched her piercing eyes.

The woman was no older than twenty and had long dark hair tied up into a practical bun, secured with a stylus. Her eyes were sharp with intelligence, and her skin was olive-toned.

Though she was not as obsessed with steam as Elfwynn, she was, in fact, perfectly proportioned for academic pursuits.

As she descended from the staircase, she had a scowl on her face. Something was upsetting this intellectual beauty from the east.

She instantly began to criticize the Caliph when she noticed his presence.

"Father! How can you engage me to the Prince of the Franks? Charles the Bald is so scientifically illiterate that he thinks the earth is flat! I won’t stand for it!"

The Caliph sighed heavily while looking at Al-Hakam with a look that expressed his thoughts: See what I mean?

By now, he had attempted to engage his daughter to over a dozen princes from various countries, and she had a complaint about every one of them.

Sooner or later, the Princess would say something along the lines of "I would rather calculate pi to the last digit than marry that dunce," thus forcing the Caliph to acquiesce to her demands.

This time he decided to put his foot down and enforce his will; after all, he was Caliph, and sooner or later, she would have to find a husband to manage her estate. Thus he put on a calm and gentle facade as he tried to coerce his girl into marrying the dense Frank.

"Zaynab, my only daughter, Charles is the epitome of Western Feudalism; he is also the heir to a significant tract of land.

You will be a Queen if you marry him. It will also guarantee a powerful trade alliance for our Dynasty!"

However, the brilliant Princess, Zaynab, refused to listen to her father’s glib tongue and instead scoffed before making a rather rude retort.

"Queen of the Franks!?! You have to be kidding me! Who would want to be Queen of a mud-hut kingdom like that? How much are they paying you to sell me off as if I were a camel?"

Seeing the reaction on her father’s face, she knew she had hit the nail on the head. He had for sure been paid a significant sum to sell her off to the Prince of the Franks.

A man she was almost certain couldn’t solve a quadratic equation if his life depended on it.

As such, she was more adamant about refusing this marriage proposal than any other before.

However, she had already cried wolf enough times that her father would no longer allow her to refuse.

This time it was the Caliph who scowled in response to Zaynab’s strong words. Thus he began to chastise her as he made it abundantly clear she would be wed off to the Frank.

"Enough is enough; you have turned down so many other candidates that this is my last option. You are my daughter and the Princess of the Caliphate. You will do what you are told!"

After hearing these words, tears began to fill in the girl’s eyes before she ran back upstairs in a fit of rage. However, before she left, she made sure to scream a set of hurtful words to her father.

"I will never balance your ledger again!"

After she was gone, the Caliph let out a heavy sigh and sat down at the nearest cushion.

He was getting too old to deal with his daughter’s intellectual rebellion.

Thus he looked at Al-Hakam and shifted the topic back to the Directorate.

"I am getting too old for this; promise me you will at least attempt to purchase the Director’s blueprints the next time you see him! Perhaps... perhaps offer him something he cannot refuse."

"Like what, Your Majesty?" Al-Hakam asked, wary of the answer.

The Caliph looked at the staircase where his brilliant, impossible daughter had just disappeared. A calculating gleam entered his eye.

"Perhaps... a strategic partnership. Of the matrimonial kind."

Al-Hakam’s eyes widened. "But Your Majesty... Ragnar is a Viking! And Zaynab is..."

"A problem," the Caliph finished. "And Ragnar is a problem solver. If anyone can handle her intellect, it is the man who industrialized an island of barbarians. Besides, imagine the synergy!"