Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Akhand Bharatiya Empire, Military capital, Nagpur

"Kreek!"

Factory workers hurriedly got down and ran toward the gate without looking back.

Ekansh Desai got down at last. He gasped as he finally breathed in the fresh air. Stretching his back, a few cracks echoed, sending a wave of comfort through his body. He reached for the luggage on top and, carrying it in his arms, walked to the front of the carriage. "Thank you, Big Brother," he said cordially.

The carriage driver was taken aback that someone had greeted him. He smiled and waved as he drove the horses away to pick up another group of workers waiting at the carriage stop.

Watching the carriage recede into the distance, Ekansh finally turned to look at the Bhagath Canning Factory with expectation. Then, the look of ease and comfort on his face vanished, as if a completely different personality had taken over his body.

He quickly dropped his bag onto the grass and pulled out several documents, his Aadhaar card, voter ID, and the invitation letter he had received. Realistically, just showing the invitation would be enough for the guards, but he didn't want to fumble around for papers if they asked. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened to him, after all.

Picking up his bag in one hand, wearing the other one on his back, he walked towards the entrance with as much bravery as he could muster.

"What can we do for you, sir?"

The guards questioned him the moment Ekansh approached the compound. It was hard to keep track of who worked at the company, partly because there were too many workers, and partly because the company was newly established, but they could immediately tell that the man standing before them wasn't one of them. Not by a long shot

"Ah, uhm, ah..."

"He... hear..."

In the critical moment, no words came out of his mouth, so he simply stuffed all the credentials he had with him into the arms of the guard without any explanation. 'You idiot, you donkey, didn't you rehearse it? Why couldn't you talk properly?' he cursed at himself.

The guard was unable to understand what the guy meant. Looking at the bunch of papers in his hand, he looked confused. It turned out to be Aadhaar card, voter ID, ration card, and other miscellaneous documents like house agreements with the company and similar stuff. 'What the hell are these things?' he couldn't help but grumble inwardly. But as he got to the letter of invitation sent by His Highness himself, his expression immediately changed.

"Little brother, quickly go inside and verify this document!"

"Just a few minutes, sir, it won't take long for Chotu to come back. Until then, please do wait in the security house. It's spacious."

"Ah... it... It's alright..."

He frantically waved his hands and shook his head, "That's not necessary, I'll just wait."

"Then would you at least like some beverage? How about some fruit juice? Would you like some?"

Ekansh felt like it would be rude to refuse again, but he did not want to come off as being too demanding, so he shook his head and replied, "Water will be alright." Thinking about it, he added, "It doesn't have to be cold, I can go for a warm one as well."

The security guard didn't get a grasp of this man. He had the invitation of His Highness himself, but he acted as if he were a scared kitten, afraid of the wind and the rain. 'Wait, is this a test to see how I will treat the guests?'

This thought immediately made his eyes light up.

So without hesitation, he brought over the large umbrella and brought over a chair for the man to sit where he stood.

Ekansh was immediately overwhelmed by the actions of the security guard. What was happening? He did not know what he was supposed to do. Should he sit or should he step away? Would it be rude, or would it be rude if he did not sit? All these questions ran in his mind like a tsunami. He began to get more nervous.

Fortunately, at this time, the younger security guard who ran into the factory came out and said that he was allowed to go.

So, as if running away from the plague, he picked up the luggage and ran in, completely forgetting that he had not asked for the directions.

A few hundred metres away, on the fourth floor, Agni was having his breakfast in the company's cafeteria. Srikanth came forward and whispered something to him in a low voice.

"Where is he? Is he in the office?" Agni asked.

Srikanth nodded and replied, "He should be, Your Highness. I did say for the security to escort him to the office. He should be here by this..."

His voice eventually trailed off as he caught the image of a middle-aged man, barely 25 or 26, running over with his bags, only to fall after being tripped by a rock.

Getting up and moving forward, the guy fell down again. Next time he got up, it was almost amazing to see how he completely ignored the board in front of him and actually ran into it.

Agni's attention was also caught by this man, but looking at his capable subordinate staring at the man as if his son was embarrassing him in front of everyone, Agni couldn't help but think of something and twitch his mouth in disbelief, "It can't be this guy, right?"

Srikanth smiled wryly, "Unfortunately, he is, My liege. I just didn't expect him to be like... this."

He said with a tone of regret, as he actually saw the man go into the factory and come out, embarrassed, only for him to go into the next factory and repeat the process over and over again.

Agni couldn't help but get curious. His subordinate is very capable; he was responsible for managing the Bhagat Shipyard while he was away. He doesn't believe that he hasn't done a proper check on the man, "What's so special about him?"

Srikanth finally came back to his senses and answered, "He's the only chef in the Bhookha Yudha Street who actually completed his university studies, sire."

"And given his qualifications, he should be knowledgeable in the ways of modern manufacturing and production."

Agni was a little surprised. University alone is rare, but university coupled with being able to keep a restaurant in Bukhaiyoda Street, no matter how short of a time, is extremely unusual. But was this enough for him to hire this guy at such a large price?

"Is there anything else special about him?"

Srikanth quickly remembered why he chose the guy in the first place, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, sire, but this guy actually majored in chemistry. And not only that, the thesis he did on chemistry was completely focused on the culinary aspects of chemistry. I remember his thesis for graduation was about... what was it again? Yeah, it was a chemical reaction between sugars and acids that creates all sorts of delicious flavours and aromas."

"Also, my lord, even when he was able to take over a restaurant in the Bukha yodha Street, his cooking style was known to be the most unorthodox. He was not using pots and pans— I mean, he did use them occasionally, but most of the time he was using his various contraptions, and sometimes he would even bring out test tubes, beakers, and other things when cooking. This was one of the attractions on the street for a long time, but unfortunately, he could not keep his place."

Agni was intrigued, "Why is that? Is it because his food tasted bad, or did someone get poisoned or something?"

"No, my lord, it was because his cooking was pretty unreliable. If he had stuck to the recipes he knew, then the food would come out as one of the most delicious foods on the street."

"That... well, that's a compliment." Considering the quality of food one would expect from a chef of the Bhuka Yoda Street, becoming an attraction was nothing less than the best compliment a chef could get.

"Yes, Your Highness. Whenever he cooked the foods that he had already learned, his restaurant would be one of the most popular ones."

"However, sire, this guy, cooking things he has already mastered, is rare. Most of the time, he keeps trying new recipes and new things, and most of the time, his customers end up being his guinea pigs. In the end, he was careless, as he used his recipe, which he had not mastered, against a challenger and lost."

"He really is the guy we need," Agni couldn't help but compliment Srikanth for his choice.

"Now go get him. If not, he might actually get lost and never reach the office."

Looking at the guy in the field who looked like a lost child abandoned by the world, Srikanth felt helpless and left the cafeteria.

P.S. Thank you, Ashtick, for the IceCola x2.

P.S. The project has reached its final stage. I just need to optimise it and add the licenses and other stuff. Hopefully, the optimisation will be easy.