Building a Viking Empire with Modern Industry-Chapter 134: Rebellion

In the corner of the polished boardroom of City Titan, Bishop Aethelwold of York stayed standing; he had sat through and watched the entirety of the First Board Meeting of the Iron Empire take place.

As an important figurehead of the "Industrial Reformation," he had been privy to the meeting between the various Viking Jarls and Saxon Ealdormen who supported Ragnar's market-based theology.

Though he seldom spoke, his words had carried great weight when validating the concept of banking.

Having witnessed the conversation between Ragnar and the other shareholders, Aethelwold took the opportunity to approach the Director, who had helped him see that holiness could be found in a well-paved road.

When Ragnar was sitting alone at the head of the mahogany table, tapping his silver-geared cane, Aethelwold approached and began to express his thoughts on the principles of what would soon become known as the Productivity Gospel.

"Director, you should know that the Vatican's response will be one of sheer litigation. With the Church of England turning its back on Rome and endorsing your 'Efficiency,' there will be no shortage of excommunications that follow..."

Ragnar gazed at the priest who had been instrumental in spreading the message of the reformation with a solemn, calculating expression on his face.

"Great disruption in the market will always lead to conflict between those who are too stubborn to upgrade their systems. From the moment we began to challenge the monopoly on knowledge, it was inevitable that red tape would be cut with a sword.

However, this brings opportunity; the more the Catholics seek to audit us, the easier it will be to drive them from the British market!"

Aethelwold sighed heavily at the thought; he knew at the moment Traditionalists and Industrialists could not peacefully coexist.

He also knew that Ragnar planned to take advantage of the ensuing violence to establish the Directorate as a major power within the European economy.

However, Aethelwold was a pious man and did not care which secular leader sat upon the throne of industry so long as the ruler built orphanages alongside the factories.

The old Bishop admitted he was quite lucky; Ragnar and his "Iron Gear" security forces afforded him protection, and as such, the Pope had no real ability to punish him for his alleged heretical belief that "cleanliness is godliness" without a full-scale invasion of Northumbria.. which, as Roland had discovered, was a bad investment.

Ultimately, Aethelwold found himself in agreement with Ragnar's words.

However, he still expressed his concern.

"Europe is already in a state of turmoil; this schism in the faith will undoubtedly cause more conflict. The Kingdoms will fracture as monarchs turn on one another over accusations of heresy and trade tariffs. Do you not lament the depreciation of human capital that will occur?"

Ragnar nodded his head at Aethelwold's words and offered his own views on the matter, leaning forward on his cane.

"Did you forget what happened to Sandwich? If we do not gain significant market share for our cause, countless people will be murdered by the Church in an attempt to suppress our technology.

Only by uniting together and forming a block of like-minded Investors and Innovators can we withstand the might of the Old World and spread our views! Yes, assets will be liquidated in this conflict, but think about how many ideas will be snuffed out if we sit back and do nothing!"

After hearing these words, and being reminded of what the Holy League had done to the toy-making boy of Sandwich, even a pious man like Aethelwold struggled to contain his rage. Such an outrageous action was all too common for Luddites.

Yet to do it to a child over a simple machine? Aethelwold found that unforgivable. As such, he clenched his fists and found his resolve to weather the tide that would soon be arriving.

After several moments of contemplation, he responded to Ragnar's words.

"I understand... I will do what I must to spread the word of our Reformation!"

Seeing Aethelwold had agreed, Ragnar smiled and rose from his seat. He walked over to Aethelwold and clasped him on the shoulder in a friendly gesture.

"It is up to us to liberate the people from the shackles of stagnation!"

Aethelwold nodded at Ragnar's words and smiled before responding.

"Indeed! Efficiency is Victory!"

With that, the two men had begun the Industrial Reformation centuries in advance of when it would naturally occur within this timeline without Ragnar's intervention.

The next day, the public announcement of the "Church of Progress" was declared, with City Titan being its seat of influence.

However, the regions occupied by Reformist Thanes and Guildmasters did not stop there; it spread into portions of Mercia, East Anglia, and even the trading ports of Scotland.

The British Isles had become a hot zone of Reformist thought and teachings. Many of the local Lords shared their interests and protected their people from the wrath of the Catholic Church by installing Ragnar's patented "Torsion Spikes" on their walls.

Of course, when news of this "Productivity Gospel" spread to the Vatican, Pope Leo IV nearly had an aneurysm from the sheer degree of rage he felt.

He instantly began to curse at his Cardinals upon hearing that a large swath of England had basically declared open rebellion against his authority.. and worse, they were charging interest on loans!

He could no longer deny that the influence of the "Iron Demon" had spread beyond his imagination.

It was time to settle the dispute with the Carolingian Empire, for if the Catholic powers were not united, they would not be able to quash this Heresy, and the Church would be permanently in a state of bankruptcy.

As such, Pope Leo got down from his throne and approached one of his subordinates.

The expression on his face was one of utter fury as he bellowed his orders at the man.

"Contact that Frankish King, Charles the Bald, and let him know that I'm calling for the Council of Rome to meet earlier than anticipated. This Heresy is too important to wait any longer!"

However, the meeting spot of the Council would have to change. Rome was too far from the action, and the trade routes were now infested with Viking "Auditors."

They would not be safe; as such, the final Council would be moved to neutral ground in Aachen in this timeline.

The subordinate quickly bowed his head to the Pope and agreed immediately to his demands.

"Of course, Your Holiness!"

With that, the subordinate rushed to fulfill his task, leaving Pope Leo fuming in anger at the thought of Ragnar's influence over the North, which had spread like wildfire since the Pope had first heard of the young man less than two years ago.

He did not know how Ragnar had managed to achieve such things - steam engines, mass production, dental plans - yet it was becoming clear that if Leo was the representative of God on Earth, Ragnar was Mammon's representative.

Or at least in the eyes of the Catholic Church. Ragnar the Director had caused too much damage to Catholic revenue streams, and his views would only spread further now that they had received legitimacy in the eyes of high-ranking Clergymen and Nobility.

Leo scoffed at the idea and voiced his inner thoughts aloud for all nearby to hear.

"Church of Progress?! What nonsense is this? These heretics will pay for their sins one way or another! I swear by the Heavenly Father that I will personally see an end to this farce!"

Despite this solemn vow, Leo would have a difficult time doing so, as the reconciliation between the warring Catholic kingdoms at the upcoming Council of Aachen would prove to be a challenge to his authority.

After all, he intended to unite France and the German states against the Vikings, and this would require some form of agreement about who would pay for the war.

The Board Meeting of Titan and the following Proclamation of Industry would forever alter the history in this timeline.

Years of economic warfare and industrial sabotage would follow this development. However, in the end, these events would lead to further schisms in the Church.

The Industrial Revolution had begun, and Pandora's box had been opened.

Despite the Catholic Church's best efforts, they would never be able to hold onto the absurd amount of control they had sustained throughout these past centuries; Ragnar had made sure of that by introducing the concept of the weekend.

Ironically, the Papacy had brought this upon themselves. If the Church had left Ragnar alone, he never would have started this conflict so early in his lifetime.

Initially, he had planned to live out a life of peace as a project manager and bring wealth to his stockholders. However, Roland's actions and those of his allies in the Church had forced his hand.

As Ragnar accumulated more capital, so too did his ambitions and enemies grow, and when the Church reached out its hand to swat him away like a fly, he bit down into it with a hydraulic press.

Thus, they had created a powerful enemy by trying to get rid of a seemingly insignificant Viking in an isolated region within Northumbria.

One who would forever liberate the people from the shackles of poverty and the immense stagnation that sustained it.

***

Back in City Titan, Ragnar stood on the balcony of his office, overlooking the smog-choked sunset. Gyda stood beside him, holding baby Magnus.

"The Pope is calling a council," Gyda said, reading the latest telegraph strip. "They are meeting in Aachen."

Ragnar took a sip of coffee from his skull mug.

"Let them meet," Ragnar said, watching a new locomotive steam out of the station below.

"Meetings are inefficient. While they talk, we build."

Ragnar turned to his wife.

"Gyda, start the paperwork for Project: Leviathan. The Pope thinks he can stop us with an army?"

Ragnar grinned, tapping his silver cane on the railing.

"I'm going to stop him with a Navy."