As he gazed at the dazzling Supernatural Aura in front of him, Byron immediately cast an "Echoes of History" onto it.

The Sailing Logbook was updated accordingly.

[Second-Class Relic: Iron-smelting Blast Furnace]

Deeds: Creatively achieved industrialization with coke-based iron smelting. The process is simple, the output is large, productivity is high, and energy consumption is low. It undoubtedly sparked a profound revolution in the production of pig iron!

Effects:

"1. Component Fine-Tuning

The Warrior's Cup, used to hold Blood Brew, can automatically adjust and separate the components in liquids. It can even desalinate seawater.

The Iron-smelting Blast Furnace can also automatically adjust the elemental content in the finished product.

As is commonly known, iron with a carbon content below 0.0218% is termed wrought iron or pure iron. When the carbon content ranges from 0.0218% to 2.11%, it is classified as steel. Anything exceeding 2% carbon is considered pig iron.

Wrought iron is soft, possesses good plasticity, deforms easily, and has low strength and hardness, limiting its applications.

Pig iron, rich in carbon, is hard and brittle, exhibiting almost no plasticity.

Steel, situated between these two, not only offers good plasticity but also yields products with high strength and good toughness. It is resistant to high temperatures and corrosion, easy to process and refine, and impact-resistant, boasting outstanding material properties.

Additionally, low-carbon steel, medium-carbon steel, high-carbon steel, and alloy steel each have distinct uses.

With this capability, there's no need for additional steelmaking. As soon as the furnace starts, you can achieve any desired carbon content in the steel.

Even producing alloy steel and stainless steel becomes effortless.

2. Extra Yield: One Percent.

As Blast Furnace Ironsmelting technology spreads, the internal space of the Sacred Relic will also increase accordingly.

When others employ the Blast Furnace Ironsmelting technology you've invented, no matter how much steel they produce, one percent will be surreptitiously siphoned off by this furnace as a technology bonus."

Byron, suppressing his excitement, caressed the immense Sacred Relic.

Beyond the Golden Toilet, the second Sacred Relic created using knowledge from my former life has finally been born. Although the second feature is quite good, it likely won't be useful for the next ten years. The first feature, however, is a miracle right now! The original intent behind creating Sacred Relics was to reward technological innovation and enhance the overall strength of the human race with scalable technologies. But for me personally, the overwhelming advantage from this technological edge is far more valuable than pilfering a few manhole covers from others. I'm not in a hurry. After all, even when technology advanced to the level of my previous life's era, 95% of the world's pig iron production still relied on blast furnace smelting. By then, if this furnace siphons off one percent of others' production, it would be truly incredible. A single such blast furnace could rival a small nation.

The great contributor Violet, using her Artisan abilities, finished her appraisal. She couldn't help but jump up, embracing his arm while laughing and exclaiming, "Byron, I knew it! You're a true genius! This is fantastic, absolutely fantastic!"

Even a fool could understand the significance of this blast furnace and the technology it represented.

Byron recalled a dark joke:

"If one day you're blockaded and can no longer buy a single grain of food from outside, can you achieve self-sufficiency?"

"Absolutely. Because we can produce a billion tons of steel annually."

"What does that mean? No matter how much steel you have, can you fill your stomachs by eating it?"

"No, no, no. We can invite others to eat steel while we eat grain."

When you have sufficient steel production, your neighboring countries are probably more worried about whether you can eat your fill than you are yourself. Neighbors hoard grain; I hoard weapons. In this world where nations prey on the weak, enough steel can get you anything you desire! The very name "Iron Laws of Sovereignty" is telling. It's not entirely impossible that in the future, alongside the Golden Law and Silver Law, a Black Iron Law might emerge—perhaps even harder and stronger than the first two. From now on, this cutting-edge technology will no longer be controlled by any other power, and I won't need to painstakingly trade for 'discarded ordnance' from the Newman Family. Even if the International Port is flush with cash, it's just a fatted pig. This, this is what truly lays the true foundation of an imperial hegemony.

「...」

「CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!...」

Outside Torrent Fortress's training grounds, blades of mass-produced steel swords, nearly perfect in both flexibility and sharpness, clashed and sparked. Two figures leaped agilely, swift as the wind.

"The instructor is strong, but Lord Sea Hunter is stronger!"

"One against three! He easily defeated three Second Order Transcendents without even breaking a sweat. His Lordship must already possess the strength of the Middle Sequence, right?"

A group of elite pirates, personally vetted by Byron before recently joining the Pioneer Guiding Colonial Trading Company, cheered loudly.

The Newman Family had gradually grown wary of Byron. After lavishly spending embezzled funds to help their good son-in-law, Bill, recruit soldiers and procure horses, those troops were sent here the very next day. The main focus was a seamless transition.

Byron had selected a group of elite pirates, cultivated through the Captain 721 Fission Mode, to serve as instructors. He then began subjecting the new arrivals to rigorous military drills. Although most of these new recruits had only recently undergone their Spirit Awakening and become Transcendents, the elite pirates were more than capable of training them. The training regimen adopted was identical to that of the standard Hightins Navy.

Among the instructors were three rebels from the Lancaster Party. They were responsible for selecting a portion of the new recruits to become guards, who would then undergo basic training in the Fortress Sequence.

At that moment, the instructor sparring with Byron was none other than Prince Edward's reserve Guardian Knight, Adolf. His Oathsworn Spirit was Tristan, the "Child of Sadness," from the Twelve Knights of the Round Table, skilled in swordsmanship and ranged weapons like crossbows and firearms.

However, under the onslaught of Byron's ferocious Fisher Swordsmanship, which resembled a raging storm, Adolf found his defenses wide open and was forced to retreat step by step.

'Thrust Style,' 'Rudder Style,' 'Boar Style,' 'Fortress Style'... Although Byron only used basic Sword Moves, with the enhancement of his Flow State, they nearly reached the terrifying lethality of a Secret Sword Technique.

Adolf's arm grew numb, and bitterness welled in his heart. Is this Sea Hunter, who shares the same name as His Highness, truly so formidable? Not only has he awakened the Flow State, but even when the three of us besieged him, we couldn't gauge the true depths of his abilities. His forces are expanding at an unbelievable rate. Is he really just a common pirate who clawed his way up from the bottom? If so, what does that make us, former members of the Royalist Party?!

During this period, Byron had them constantly serve as sparring partners in the company's training grounds. Originally, the three hailed from one of the world's most elite secular powers; their experience and training far surpassed that of ordinary pirates. Even in their fallen state, a sense of arrogance lingered. What they hadn't expected was to be continuously beaten black and blue by Byron, Bill, and Alfred, the Fleet Commander known as Blood Red Whiskey.

Moreover, as Violet addressed the shortfalls in military production, the Pioneer Guiding Colonial Trading Company began another round of rapid troop expansion. This included the Hightins colonists sent from the Royal Port. From nearby native city-states, many relatively enlightened young people eagerly joined the colonial company, especially Byron's devout followers. Furthermore, as the International Port grew increasingly prosperous, though it attracted all sorts, Byron's spreading reputation drew many to seek opportunities there.

The issue of troop numbers was significantly alleviated. From the initial 2,000 men and 16 pirate ships when they absorbed Hook's Privateer Fleet, their forces had surged to 4,200 men and 35 ships, managed jointly by Byron and Bill. Besides small schooners, the proportion of medium-sized warships was also increasing.

The Newman Family also contributed significantly, unswervingly depleting the Hightins Navy's resources to bolster "their own" private gains, fattening themselves at public expense. Recently, they had even begun scrapping cruisers.

Byron's foremost sycophant, the Honest Man Eight Fingers, had already begun laying the groundwork for an Elite Guard, forming its core from the most loyal stalwarts and followers.

But bad news followed closely.

He was out of money!

Building fortresses costs money. Initiating the industrialization process, primarily focused on large-scale iron and steel production, costs money. Recruiting and equipping soldiers costs money. Cultivation resources cost money... It seems like I earn a lot; merely controlling one east-west trade route genuinely brings in a daily fortune. But I spend a lot too. The gold and silver from the last raid on the Aztec Royal City are almost depleted.

No wonder all the Old Continent countries went from questioning the Bayfolk, to understanding them, becoming them, and ultimately surpassing them.

Byron found that once accustomed to making fast money, returning to honest farming wasn't so easy.

After finishing the day's training, Byron was about to check on Violet's firearms workshop when he suddenly received a call from Bill.

"Captain, help! There's a big problem!" Bill's voice was urgent.

Setting aside his own worries, Byron teased his good friend, who was making significant personal sacrifices, "What's wrong? Don't tell me Tilly broke the bed? Perfect timing, the Iron-smelting Blast Furnace just had a bountiful yield. I'll send you a cast-iron one, guaranteed sturdy and durable. Even with someone like Tilly, it'll last for generations—outlive the owner, that bed will."

Unexpectedly, Bruh didn't retort. Instead, he agreed in a strained voice, "Well, we're only engaged. She's still a noble lady, so we haven't reached the point of cohabiting before marriage. But that sturdy, durable cast-iron bed you mentioned... we can definitely prepare that in advance. Because... I think I might have accidentally... really fallen in love with her."

"What? Say that again? Don't scare me, brother!" Byron exclaimed.

Bruh's news was shocking enough, but what surprised Byron even more was that upon hearing it, a new entry suddenly appeared on the Sailing Logbook:

[The Mystery of Silvergold Island's Growing Wealth, Historical Influence 29]