Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

3rd July 1657

Akhand Bharatiya Empire, Satavahana State, Economic Capital-Mumbai

On the outskirts of Mumbai was a place that was sparsely populated, but it was also the residence of the affluent class of the city. Numerous manors and mansions could be seen by the sea, looking similar to the sea-view villas of future generations. Among these manors and mansions, there was a building that was quite odd and stood out. It was shaped like an igloo, and its colour was entirely white.

The building caught people’s attention significantly.

It was 11:00 o’clock in the morning, and at the unique igloo-shaped building, a few guests were getting out of a carriage. One of them was a lively young Bharatiya boy around the age of 19, and along with him was an unusual foreigner with red hair; he was a ginger. He looked young too, around 26.

These two people were none other than John Brown and Ashwin Ambani. As Ashwin got out of the carriage, he was taken aback because he saw people draping a carpet and throwing a welcome party for their arrival.

"John, it seems that my father takes your arrival quite seriously."

John was overwhelmed; this level of reception was only bestowed on nobles. "Am I supposed to be the one receiving this, or is it meant for someone else?" John was not too sure. However, he saw Ashwin gesturing for him to come forward, so he summoned his courage and walked on the red carpet.

"Dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum."

Ashwin, who was already on edge due to his paranoia, was startled by the sound of the music band, but fortunately, he relaxed, realizing he had become too nervous. Just then, flowers began to be thrown at him. Thankfully, he did not flinch this time; there was a smile on his face, albeit a slightly awkward one.

"Welcome, dear guest! Welcome to the Southern United Marine Design Bureau."

A middle-aged man gestured for him to come inside, a beaming smile on his face.

Seeing the man, Ashwin was quite happy. "Uncle Yadav, how have you been? I heard you had some issues with your health. Are you okay now?"

Keval Yadav had a look of gratitude on his face. "With the blessing of the Lord Krishna and the kindness of Director Naveen, I was able to recover quickly."

Keval Yadav was a worker at Reliance Shipping and Shipbuilding and had been with Naveen Ambani since the time he started the company. Although Keval Yadav was nominally a government worker like Naveen Ambani, he was actually a talent nurtured by Naveen.

Therefore, he was loyal to Naveen, and his loyalty only increased after Naveen helped him during a tough situation when he could not afford medical expenses, even with the discount he received for his job in the government sector.

Keval promptly led the two young men into the design bureau, with a happy expression on his face.

---

"John, let me introduce them to you."

"This is my father, Naveen Ambani, who is also the director of Reliance Shipping and Shipbuilding Company."

John Brown promptly went over to greet the dignified middle-aged man by extending his arm. Unfortunately, Ambani had other thoughts.

Naveen Ambani joined his hands to do a namaste, but his hands were unexpectedly held by the young Irishman. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"…"

"…"

Things looked awkward; fortunately, John realized he was not in Europe, so he quickly let go of Ambani’s hands with some embarrassment and did a namaskara of his own.

Thankfully Naveen recovered quickly, "Haha, Mr. John is indeed new to the Empire," he happily stretched out his hand for a handshake, showing that he respected John’s traditions too.

Ashwin not caring about the previous embarrassment continues to introduce.

"Next, this is the director of Reddy Shipyard, Indrasena Reddy."

Indrasena Reddy was a manly figure with a tough build and a moustache that one could envy. Although he looked intense, he put on a kind smile and did a namaskara to John.

"And finally, this right here is the director of Dharani Shipyard, Bajrang Dharani."

Mr. Dharani was a lean, middle-aged man. His face looked normal without any extraordinary features, but his falcon-like eyes were sharp and piercing.

"Welcome to the Bharatiya Empire, Sir John Brown," Bajrang greeted with a namaskara.

Naveen, after introducing the three directors, welcomed John Brown to go into the conference room. "Please take a seat inside, John. I will call the designers over."

John walked into the conference room, which was empty, and took a seat. There were some dried fruits on the table, so he didn’t mind indulging in them.

Outside the conference room, Naveen had a look of confusion on his face as he inquired, "Father, I know that John is a big customer, but would you three really gather together just because of him? Did something happen?"

Indrasena Reddy immediately burst into laughter as he patted Ashwin’s back. Ashwin felt as if he were being hit by a pair of iron rods; unfortunately, he could do nothing but endure.

"You have a keen sense, Ashwin. Something big has indeed happened. A few days ago, His Majesty held a cabinet meeting, and the changes that followed were earth-shaking. The government as a whole has been reorganized. We three friends have gathered to discuss how the changes will affect us."

Bajrang chimed in, "However, Ashwin, I have to say you’ve got a big fish this time. This man actually wants to have the ship designed for himself. Now, that is the first customer with such a request."

Ashwin massaged his shoulders to reduce the pain. "Yes, Uncle Bajrang and I also feel that John was conservative when he said he wanted to buy four ships. I believe that if he is successful in whatever plan he has, he is likely to buy more."

The three directors nodded their heads thoughtfully. Just then, three young men entered the corridor.

"Oh, look, the designers are here. Please come in, come in," Ashwin invited.

---

"John, let me introduce you. This is designer Puneet Shetty."

"He is a direct student of Vishesh Neelathri from the Boswell Design Bureau. Puneet here has learned his craft under Mr. Daniel Boswell himself."

"This right here is Mr. Balakrishna Pujari. He used to be the assistant of Mr. Gaana Prabhu Berunda, the director of Berunda Shipyards, which is one of the Big 5 of Bharat. And this is Mr Bhargav Reddy, He was one of the shipbuilding supervisors at the Raya Shipyard, the best shipyard currently in the Bharatiya Empire. Mr.

Bhargav Reddy here helps out in design as well as construction. He assists the designers in keeping their designs more practical and grounded."

John went on greeting each person in turn and was impressed that this design bureau had managed to recruit three great talents from the largest shipyards in the Bharatiya Empire. He began to wonder if there would be any consequences for this, as poaching from some of the largest shipyards in the nation was obviously offensive.

However, he also knew that this was not something he should consider now or ever, so he did not inquire further.

Given that the introductions were over, Naveen Ambani, who had been silent until now, asked a question. "Mr. John, according to what Ashwin mentioned, you are looking to buy at least four cargo ships with a capacity of 500 tons and a displacement of no more than 700 tons. The ships should be purpose-built to carry rice or grain. Am I right so far?"

"Yes, sir, you got it right," John Brown said, nodding his head.

Naveen nodded in understanding. "All right, Mr. Brown. We can indeed take this deal. But, before we get started, could we know the purpose of your ships?"

Hearing the question, there was a frown on John’s face. He didn’t like being asked about his personal affairs; however, Naveen, noticing this, quickly explained further to avoid misunderstandings. "We’re not asking for anything else, but if we know your purpose in building such ships, then the designers will better understand your exact requirements."

John knew that he couldn’t hide his secret any longer, so letting out a breath of Uneasiness, he stated, "Well, when I was in Europe, I used to travel to many countries for business. In one of my routine travels, I came across a government official scolding the rebels in one of their colonies, and I inadvertently learned that this colony was in Southeast Asia.

At first, I did not think much about it, but when I went to London and heard similar stories again, I became curious and further inquired about all the countries that have colonies in Southeast Asia. I found out that rebellions were happening in all Southeast Asian colonies, except for the Portuguese colony."

"So, considering the rebellions everywhere and the relative peace in the Portuguese-controlled colony, along with the relationship between the Portuguese and the Bharatiya Empire, I concluded that the Akhand Bharatiya Empire had shifted its attention to Southeast Asia and was no longer allowing European countries to colonize there.

With this information, I further concluded that the Bharatiya Empire intended to annex or even colonize the Southeast Asian countries by itself.

Seeing this as an opportunity, I wanted to make some money by helping out in logistics. You know, I still remember my grandfather, who helped in the Spanish colonization of the Americas, which brought him enormous riches. I have similar aspirations to my grandfather, and I want to make it big.

I want to utilize the increasing connections with Bharat and Southeast Asia and the lack of big competitors to gain a foothold for myself."

Naveen, Ashwin, Indrasena, Bajrang, Puneet, Balakrishna, Bhargav, and even the translator, who was translating these words, were extremely shocked upon hearing John’s plans.

Ashwin was the one who was shocked the most. He had unconsciously underestimated John Brown due to his somewhat dull demeanor in some cases and his seeming ignorance of certain things. But he did not expect that this white man, who had been in Europe, could discern the recent trends in Bharat just from some news.

"Really, no one who comes to India alone can be underestimated," Ashwin felt he had learned a profound lesson.

*Sigh!*

Naveen let out a deep breath. He was very impressed by John Brown. According to the current situation, although he did not believe His Majesty wanted to colonize the Southeast Asian countries, he was sure that His Majesty wanted a closer relationship and aimed to get the Europeans out of Southeast Asia. So, John Brown could be right.

Naveen could not help but look at John Brown deeply once more, trying to see if he could discern anything else from him. Sadly, John Brown, who noticed the stares, remained silent.

"All right, Mr. Brown, we understand your requirements. Please give us a day, and we will provide you with a draft design," Naveen said. As if thinking about something, he asked, "Do you have a place to stay, Mr. John?"

John shook his head, indicating that he did not.

"Well, I own a small mansion in Mumbai. I would be honored if you could stay there until our business is done," Naveen advised.

John was not reserved in accepting the kindness, as he indeed needed a place to stay.

Just then, when Naveen was about to leave, he remembered something. "Mr. John, do you perhaps want to become a citizen of Bharat and start a company here?"

John hesitated. "Can it work without me being a citizen of Bharat but an Irish citizen?"

"Of course it will work, Mr. Brown, but you have to understand that the prices we give you will be based on export, which means it will be around 30% more than what we sell to our own people. Also, if you start a logistics company as a Bharatiya citizen, you will benefit from a tax-free status for two years and a 50% tax exemption for two years after that.

So, I suggest that if you really want to stay in Bharat for many years to come, you should get citizenship and actually start a logistics company here."

John Brown thought for a moment. The benefits did indeed move him; 30% less cost and tax-free benefits were significant. ’Maybe I should consider it. If I decide to leave, it will be after 10 or 20 years. By then, I should have enough contacts and a solid foundation to get myself out of this empire safely.’

"How do I apply for this citizenship, Sir Naveen?"

Naveen shook his head and replied, "There is no option for foreigners like you to become Bharatiya citizens. However, I know that some Dutch people who came to Bharat due to war have gained their citizenship after working in the Naval Academy. I will help you by writing a letter on your behalf. In my opinion, you should receive a positive reply soon enough."

John was relieved.