What to do With It

With the 50 HP steam engine fully built, now they had to decide what to do with it.

At the office, Hollen and Ernest were facing one another with the desk separating them.

"So, Ernest, what do we do with that huge steam engine we just built?"

"Well, it's a waste if we aren't going to use it. I'm going to integrate it with our Helmarte Soap Works," Ernest decided.

"Wait, won't that mean a full refurbishment of the factory? Won't that affect production?"

"It will, but it's going to take less than two weeks," Ernest said. "The waterwheel and the steam engine work similarly. They both drive a main shaft which transfers power throughout the factory. We aren't rebuilding the entire factory. We're only changing the source of power."

Hollen rubbed his beard.

When Ernest explained it that way, it sounded much simpler.

But experience had taught him something important.

When Ernest said something was simple, it usually wasn't.